While it's usually young children who are the ones screaming, crying, and otherwise staging a meltdown in the middle of Midtown, sometimes parents want to take a turn, too. It's not always easy being a mom, dad or caregiver in New York City, especially when something goes wrong—and boy can it go wrong. If these things below happened, we wouldn't blame you for finding yourself in the midst of your own tantrum.
1. Your sitter cancels day-of when you have $300 tickets to a Broadway show that’s about to lose its entire original Tony Award-winning cast.
2. The line at Trader Joe’s is out the door and around the block, but your kid refuses to eat any breakfast food that isn’t Joe’s O’s. Cheerios are an entirely unacceptable substitute.
3. Your family sees a costumed Elmo in Times Square clearly smoking a cigarette.
4. You go to drop your kids off at school a mere hour before your big meeting with your boss, only to find that school is closed for an obscure holiday.
5. You realize you're down to the last bag of gummies for your kid's lunch boxes as you're packing them (you have all three kids watching you).
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6. Someone from the MTA informs you of what you already know: Your kid's actually way too big to duck under the turnstile anymore.
7. It’s 4 o’clock and you need to get your child to a dentist appointment across town, but there’s no cab in sight. Yes, your doctor automatically cancels—and charges you for—all appointments that are more than 10 minutes late.
8. Mister Softee is all out of strawberry shortcake bars, and Mommy deserves her afternoon treat just as much, or more, than anybody else in this family.
9. You rush your potty-training toddler to the nearest Starbuck’s bathroom only to find an OUT OF ORDER sign.
10. Bratty tweens have taken over your tot’s favorite playground and they are not sharing the slide.
11. Another dad from your kid’s class scheduled a party at Art Farm in the City for the same exact day you were planning on celebrating your child’s birthday there.
12. Your preschooler is wearing too many layers in the hot, crowded subway and the whole train is judging you as you try to unbutton her sweater and she screams bloody murder.
13. You get home totally ready for a glass of chardonnay and you realize you put the bottle back in the fridge empty last night.
14. Your kids just got over the first Frozen movie, but now they're begging to relive the experience at FROZEN: The Broadway Musical. You're excited to take them, but you know deep down this only means a revival of "Let It Go" on repeat in the house.
BONUS: 15. Your mother-in-law/high school best friend/brother asks you once again, "Why don't you just move to New Jersey, White Plains, Long Island or any place else?"
For more funny roundups, visit our lists of top baby name ideas for hipsters, things you'll never hear a NYC parent say and great baby names for die hard New Yorkers.