Depressed, Broke Mom Turns To Parenting Forum For Emotional Support, Predictably Gets Crapped On

It wasn’t until I got laid up in the hospital with complications after having my third child that I discovered the worst place on the internet – the Craigslist Parenting Forum. If you want to see the worst of humanity, you simply need to head on over to PaFo (as the regulars call it). I should warn you, however, that its a k-hole of shame and insanity. You can easily go to check out one threat and wake up in a stupidity-induced trance three hours later. You’ve been warned.

The thing about PaFo is, you can go there for legitimate support and end up being told you’re a worthless parent who should be shot in the face. Below is a perfect example. First, sushiflower here comes to vent about some misfortune in her life.

You would expect at least a few people to commiserate, right? NOPE.

Yes, bricke02, because that is helpful advice. I truly hate the argument that there is no excuse, beyond missing all four limbs and being blind and deaf, not to work. Mental illness can be debilitating and yes, sometimes one is better off focusing on their mental health rather than participating in the rat-race. But that’s just one person…surely someone else will chime in with some sympathy.

Okay, this one is slightly better, though it still reeks of Captain Obvious. And the whole “count your blessings, at least you have your children” thing is SO condescending. Telling someone to suck it up because at least they have kids, when they’re having money troubles, is like telling someone whose parachute is missing after falling out of a plane “at least you have your health.” It isn’t comforting, and you won’t have either thing for too long if you don’t find a solution to the problem.

Ugh. This one makes me ragey. First of all, anyone who automatically compares your life’s troubles is battling cancer is a douchebag. Obviously cancer is terrible and my heart goes out to anyone going through that, but people are allowed to be stressed out about other things. There isn’t a suffering-bell-curve grading system when it comes to life. And nothing shows more compassion than telling a women battling depression and anxiety to “woman up”, right? Asshole.

So in short: Craigslist Parenting Forum – The Unhappiest Place On Earth