Kids Raised By Parents With Zero Common Sense Usually Carry 8 Habits Into Adulthood
cottonbro studio | Pexels Parents with higher education tend to predict higher IQ in their children. But it goes so much deeper than a degree or diploma.
If a child grows up with parents who have zero common sense, they're missing out on all kinds of essential learning opportunities and life lessons. Instead of passing down critical thought and a love for learning to their kids, they carry habits into adulthood that keep them stagnant and ignorant.
Habits kids raised by parents with no common sense carry into adulthood
1. They blame others for their problems
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Common sense is partially emotional because the most secure, intelligent people figure out how to process and act on their emotions in a thoughtful way. People with no common sense blame others and avoid accountability, trying to run from discomfort and pain.
Their kids, who often learn emotional regulation skills by example, end up as dysregulated adults, without any tangible skills for owning up to their actions. They feel a lack of control and agency in their own lives, expecting everyone else to solve their problems for them.
2. They act on impulses and strong emotions
Parents with zero common sense tend to use impulsivity as a misguided coping mechanism for dealing with their emotions. They react quickly and make decisions without thinking them through, inevitably teaching their children to be careless.
Truly intelligent people and parents tend to be more thoughtful when making decisions, considering all options before jumping to conclusions. They're less impulsive because they value the depth of a conversation and potential outcomes. Their kids learn to be thoughtful in all aspects of their lives, while others learn to make assumptions without thinking at all.
3. They're hyper-aware in public
Social awareness is part of common sense or street smarts. When someone's cognizant of the people around them or the environment they're in, they're socially aware. They can read the energy of a room and change how they behave to offer respect and kindness to others.
But a parent who lacks common sense doesn't think about others when they're out and about. Whether it's speaking loudly in public places or blaming others when they're called out for being a nuisance, they make everyone around them feel uncomfortable.
While some kids mirror this behavior in adulthood, others are hypervigilant about being quiet and respectful. With years of experience being embarrassed by their parents or having to apologize to strangers for their behavior, they can't help but be on edge trying to compensate as adults.
4. They say 'yes' too often
Many people without common sense weaponize incompetence or ask silly questions, trying to offload their tasks onto others. They prefer not to deal with the discomfort of trying something new, so they expect everyone else to jump in and help them.
Whether they witnessed this behavior at home or were on the receiving end of it, children of these immature parents often end up being people-pleasers later in life. They're used to picking up the slack at home and being around parents who expected them to manage discomfort entirely on their own.
They were never empowered to try something new or to get out of their comfort zones, but instead socialized into giving up their energy to help dependent, helpless people around them.
5. They become the planners
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Many kids who grew up with parents that lack common sense were parentified into mature, parental roles way too early in life. They always assumed that their parents forgot something or were missing an important piece of information, so they had to learn how to take care of themselves to ensure their needs were met.
As adults, these kids tend to struggle with boundaries. They end up being the planners in their friend groups or putting their well-being on the line to help others. They're used to being the person who takes care of everything, instead of being comfortable with accepting help and support in return.
6. They struggle asking for help
Some children adopt similar behaviors and mentalities as their parents, usually by example. Many kids from households where parents lacked accountability or competence ended up needing to compensate for their lack of effort and engagement.
They were emotionally and mentally neglected in a way that sparked a cycle of hyper-independence they now cling to as adults. They had to rely on themselves to get things done, learning over time that they couldn't trust anyone else to show up for them when they needed support.
7. They always consider the worst-case scenario
When you're the only person in your household who thinks through issues and ends up being the person who ensures your parents are taken care of, it's impossible not to develop an anxious mindset. Considering the worst-case scenario and overthinking about what could go wrong felt like the only way to prevent those things from actually happening.
Even if it creates more stress for adult children, wired to compensate for their parents' lack of intelligence or effort, it's become somewhat of a protective mechanism.
8. They struggle accepting advice from others
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When you've grown up without parents who never give meaningful advice or wisdom, over time you stop asking. You expect that you'll have to do everything on your own, and start to struggle in silence or put more work on your plate to avoid having to ask for advice at all.
Children of adults like this never got to practice asking for support or learning from other people, because they were too busy trying to compensate for their parents' lack of competence.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
