There are a lot of things that moms do that other people just, well, don't. Some of these habits are essential to make it through the day, while prioritizing what's best for your kids and keeping them safe, healthy, and hopefully happy too. Others are a little bit different. Sometimes, moms do things that border on weird or creepy that independently don't seem like they can be off-putting, but they are, especially to people who are non-parents. Some of these signs that you're a creepy mom you might recognize, either because you've witnessed one of your mom friends do it, or because honestly, you do them yourself.
And that's okay because all moms get a little creepy from time to time. Usually they mean well, but their actions can veer towards creepy territory, instead of thoughtful, loving, or, well, normal, as they'd intended. When you shush a crying kid that you don't know, talk baby talk to people who definitely are no longer babies, or invite yourself to be friends with a group of moms you don't know at all, you might unintentionally raise a few flags to people who, frankly, just don't get you. That being said, fellow moms — especially fellow creepy moms — will definitely understand. Motherhood is an entirely different beast than any other phase of life you've experienced thus far. Sometimes you do what you have to do, regardless of if it's going to be perceived as a little bit creepy or not.
If you're feeling self-conscious of how people are perceiving you, here are some signs that you're a creepy mom to keep in mind. But also, as long as you and your kids are safe, healthy, and happy, there's no need to give AF about what other people think.
1You Stare... A Lot...
Do you tend to stare a little bit more now that you're a mom than you ever would have before? Whether it's at babies, other kids, or other moms, some moms stare a lot and don't even realize what's happening at first. In a post on mom blog The Leaky Boob, Jessica Martin-Weber wrote about how she stared at a mom who was breastfeeding her baby in church and then thanked her for simply taking care of her baby during the service afterwards. Martin-Weber acknowledged that this was probably a little bit creepy, but all creepy moms have done something similar before.
2You Told Someone Their Baby Is So Cute You'd Eat Them Up
This is a thing that moms — and people in general — just tend to say when they see a cute baby, but, if you think about it literally, that's actually a really creepy comment. In the previously-mentioned post from The Leaky Boob, Martin-Weber also wrote about how that's another one of her creepy mom tendencies. Bonus creepy points if you say this to a parent you only kind of know or have just met.
3You Lurk Near Moms At School, The Park, Just About Anywhere
It can feel isolating if you're a mom who doesn't have a lot of mom friends. Therefore, it makes sense that you'd try your best to figure out ways to meet them whenever you're around them. If you kind of awkwardly lurk near moms at school, the park, the grocery store, your kid's gymnastics class, or anywhere else, you might be a creepy mom.
4You Save All Your Kid's Baby Teeth
Yes, baby teeth are precious and they're a reminder of how sweet and tiny your kid used to be, but it's also kind of creepy to keep them. It's nearly impossible to do so without looking like a character from a horror movie. I know you mean well, but I can't say the same for everyone else.
5Your Conversations With Prospective Mom Friends Get Deep Right After You Meet
You might be a creepy mom if your conversations with prospective mom friends get deep right after you meet. Oh, you just met on the playground and you're already telling her about the ins and outs of your relationship with your partner and getting real graphic about your delivery? As writer Lauren Elizabeth Gonzalez wrote in a piece she penned for the Missoula Current, deep conversations with an acquaintance are kind of creepy.
6You Invite Near-Strangers Over For Play Dates Right After Your Kids Meet
Your toddler made a friend at the library — that's great! You were desperately hoping they'd be social and make some new little friends, so you're thrilled that they seem to have done so. As a result, you immediately invite them over to your house for a play date. That's nice, and you don't mean for it to be creepy, but, well, it kind of is.
7You Get Caught Watching Your Kids Sleep, Like, All The Time
Probably every mom watches her kids sleep at one time or another. You're awestruck, watching that little being that's yours sweetly slumber. To outsiders, however — or if it wasn't your baby and you were watching someone else of any age sleep — it's a little bit creepy.
8You Know Way Too Much About 'Puppy Dog Pals'
Kids love their kids shows, and even if you always swore you'd never be the mom that let your kid watch TV, chances are they've seen an episode of some trendy cartoon at least once or twice. Because they love them as much as they do, you know entirely too much about their favorite shows and to people who don't have kids (in particular), that can come off as more than a bit bizarre.
9You Check Out The Gear Other Parents Have — Sometimes Without Their Knowledge
Have you ever looked into the windows of the mom's SUV parked next to you to get a closer look at that fancy carseat or baby toy setup that she has in her back seat? Then you might be a creepy mom. In your defense, you're just curious! But TBH you were also creepin' and judgin'.
10You Notice Other Moms' Hair-Washing Habits
When clean, styled hair is a rarity in your own life, you start to pick up on it more. That means you notice when a fellow mom has her hair freshly washed, and that you're able to calculate that it's Tuesday because you know that that's her hair-washing day. According to a post from Mom.me, moms also love to hear that you noticed. Give your friend a compliment and own your creepiness.
11You Smell Your Kid
Kids are stinky creatures, but you're definitely going to go out of your way to smell them at least once. While this isn't a weird thing for moms, don't be surprised if you creep everyone out by taking a deep whiff of your kid's diaper to see if they need to be changed. Until you had your own baby, you probably though this was a creepy habit too.
12You Want To Know The Ins And Outs Of Your Kids' Bowel Movements — The More Detailed, The Better
When did your kid last go? What did it look like? What color was it? Creepy moms want to know it all. If your kid isn't regular, you're going to know about it. If they are, you'll know that too.
13You Ask To Hold Strangers' Babies
You love baby snuggles (who doesn't?), but it is slightly creepy to ask if you can hold someone else's baby if you don't know the person all that well. Stick to holding your own baby or ones you know instead of those you don't.
14You Save Locks Of Baby Hair
Baby hair feels different than other hair and their color and texture can change as they get older. So, in some ways, it's understandable why moms would want to save a little ringlet from their baby who may end up with straight hair when all is said and done. But it's also creepy to hold onto hair. There's no getting around it.
15You Lurk Near Your Kids
Just like you lurk near other moms on the playground, you also lurk near your kids. You're there if they need you for anything, you're there to make sure they don't do anything they're not supposed to, you're just there. All. The. Time.
16You're Always Around When Your Kid Needs Their Nose Wiped
Since you're already lurking near your kids, you're definitely always there to wipe their nose, which you do with whatever you have on hand: a tissue, a wipe, your sleep, your hand. There won't be any snotty noses on your watch and you'll be in and out of that situation before anyone realizes because that's how good you are.
17You Invite Yourself To Other Moms' Plans
While you're lurking around the other moms outside school, you overhear them planning to grab coffee tomorrow after drop-off, so you pop in to say that you'll go too. Technically you weren't invited, but since it wasn't a formal thing, it's not a big deal, right? TBH, it is a little bit creepy that you were listening and lurking, waiting for your opportunity to pounce.
18You Respond To "Mom" Even When It's Not Your Kid
When you're conditioned to respond to "mom," it can be really difficult to ignore it just because it wasn't your kid that said it. That being said, when the kid farther down the aisle at the store is calling for their mom and you respond, well, it's going to get awkward.
19Your Partner Tells You All The Time That You're Being Creepy
If it's bad enough that your partner keeps bringing up that you're being creepy, then you're probably being too creepy. Ease up for a little while. It'll pass.
20You Check To Make Sure Your Kid's Still Breathing. All. The. Time.
You just can't help it. You have to know whether or not they're breathing. While you're watching them sleep, you wait to make sure that you see an obvious inhale and exhale so you can rest easy yourself. And then you probably stand there for an uncomfortable amount of time until someone yells at you from the other room to leave them alone.
21You Dress The Same As Your Kid
Coordinating is one thing, matching is another. I'm not exactly sure what about it is creepy, but it just is. Are you trying to emulate your kid or vice versa? Either way, wear your own clothes and let your kid do their own thing as well.
22You Stalk Your Kid's Social Media Pages
If your kids are older and have social media accounts, you might read them rather intently, no matter how much you trust your kids to do the right thing. Sometimes, it's the best way to know what's really going on with them. That being said, it can come off as a little bit creepy when you know the intricacies of their friendships based on the social media profiles you read every single day, and then feign total ignorance if they ever decide to share the juicy details with you.
23You "Shhh" A Crying Baby That's Not Yours
This is instinctual, you can't help but try to soothe a distressed baby, but when it's not yours, things can get a little bit weird. You absentmindedly shhh the baby crying, not even realizing how strange that may seem afterwards.
24You Baby Talk To Adults
Baby talk is a contentious issue, with some thinking it's annoying and some thinking it's totally fine — if you're talking to a baby. When you use baby talk with people who are definitely not babies, however, it's weird.
25You Won’t Throw Away Your Baby’s Umbilical Cord
Umbilical cords are kind of weird. They are of the utmost importance when your baby is in the womb, but afterwards, not so much. Keeping that beef-jerky looking thing it as a memento instead of tossing it out after it falls off your baby's belly button might start to push you into that creepy mom category.
26You Read All Your Kids' Text Messages (Without Them Knowing)
If you read your kids' text messages without them knowing because you just have to know what's being sent and received, that can get a little bit creepy. You probably don't mean it that way — you're just trying to keep them safe and happy — but we definitely don't want to be in the room when your kid finds out.
27Your Friends Jokingly Refer To You As The Creepy Mom
If your friends all think that you're a creepy mom, chances are you are one. They might laugh and joke, but you've clearly done something in the past that might be a bit creepy. Good thing they love you anyway.
28You Tell Everyone That Your Kid Is Your Best Friend, And You Actually Believe It
When you tell people that your toddler is your best friend, they might think you're just joking, but if you actually believe it, well, good luck to you. You can't help it though, you're such a cool mom, right?
29Even Your Mother-In-Law Thinks You're Too Much
Not only do your friends and your partner tell you that you're being creepy, but now even your mother-in-law thinks you're a little bit... much. Somehow this is the ultimate diss and it's the one time that we can say if your MIL thinks it, it must be true.
30You Won't Let Your Kids Have ANY Privacy
Kids, like anyone else, occasionally need some privacy. They may write in a journal, talk to friends, or need to spend time away from people reading or drawing or listening to music. But since you're always lurking near them, they really can't get any privacy. You know all and see all.
Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:
Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch.