The art of scaring children (or making them cry), filming the reaction, and posting it on the Internet so random strangers can laugh at somebody who doesn’t understand what’s happening and can’t defend themselves… usually annoys me.
Then I discovered the Scaring Children subreddit, and some of it, I admit, is rather funny.
Make no mistake: innocent kids are roasted here for Reddit’s delight. But there are a few videos that don’t feel exploitative or mean or bullying. Here are a few of the best—the ones that made me laugh but didn’t leave me feeling guilty for having done so.
Honestly, this trick would scare the crap out of just about anybody. Girl has the only correct reaction: Get the hell away from that scary-ass thing.
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I once sneezed and scared my then-baby son—then laughed myself silly about it—so I can totally relate to these clips. Especially when that one dude tells us, “I’m not a bad dad. He just doesn’t like daddy when he cries.”
This is beyond creepy, but it also teaches the child a valuable lesson: Don’t stick your feet out of the car window while on the highway. Because the next person who grabs your feet might have hooks for hands.
Next up, we hope the long-lost kid of this story got around to reading it:
Finally, zoo animals will always get a free pass on scaring kids.
The subreddit is seven months old and beginning to grow in popularity, but be warned: Some posts are mean and too easy and are, therefore, not worthy of your time. Still, there’s gold in there, and you’re already going to hell for that other thing—right?
Screengrab via Funny Baby Videos—Joking Kids/YouTube