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Father reveals the most brutal text messages sent by teenagers

No matter how hard you try to be a relaxed parent, teenagers always find something to be mortified about – and they’ll let you know pretty quickly.

Chip Leighton, 52, shared the funny text messages parents have received from their teenagers recently, including “Don’t say croissant in public” and “When my friends come over, don’t do anything weird like make cookies.”

The reel, which has been viewed more than 2.5 million times, is part of Leighton’s popular series (@the_leighton_show) and a current Instagram trend where parents share screenshots of teens’ text messages, often highlighting their children’s unique perspectives and quirks.

Mother scolds teenage daughter at home
Teenage daughter embarrassed by her parents on the sofa. Dad Chip Leighton receives comments from other parents in response to his family comedy.

Liudmila Chernetska

“I started out posting texts and quotes from my own family, but it turns out most families have a lot of similarities, and I get a lot of comments like, ‘Wait a minute, you stole my phone? Because that looks like my kids’ texts!’” Leighton said. Newsweek.

“The reactions on social media have been quite savage,” he added.

Other text messages parents received included, “Can you tell dad to stop using winking emojis in his texts” and “Don’t check your blind spot when my friends are in the back seat.”

Parents around the world have commented on Leighton’s video with some of the things their children have said to them.

One Instagram user shared that after dropping her daughter off at a birthday party, she rolled down her window to wish her a “happy birthday.” “My teenager explained to me with dismay that I should never wish her friends happy birthday through a window.”

Another said: “My 15 year old son asked me today if you can still sunbathe when it’s windy. (It was 80 degrees and sunny today). »

“My 18-year-old fills out a medical form: ‘Am I my own guardian?’” another asked.

Leighton, who started her content creation career by sharing the funny and crazy things her kids said on social media, said Newsweek His children usually give him dirty looks or shake their heads when he is recognized in public.

“When I left my corporate job last year, my daughter started affectionately calling me the ‘middle-aged unemployed Tik Tok,’” he joked.

After some suggestions from his disciples that he should write a book, What time is noon? was released in November 2024. It’s a collection of hilarious texts from teens, as well as “stories from my family and lots of other reporting,” Leighton said.

In response to the post “Don’t check your blind spot when my friends are in the backseat,” Leighton captioned the reel: They call it a blind spot for a reason.

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