Kids are far more clever than we give them credit for. We should know, we used to be kids ourselves! Their imaginations are in overdrive, their wittiness is off the charts, and they have their ‘snappy comebacks’ levels set all the way to 11.

Today we’re featuring the times that kids outsmarted their parents with some hilarious and genuinely impressive power moves, as shared on the r/madlads subreddit.

Scroll down, upvote your fave posts, and let us know in the comments which of these made you giggle the most. And be sure to read on for Bored Panda’s chat about parenting and how kids like to test limits with relationship expert Dan Bacon, a loving father of two.

Oh, and if any of you Pandas reading this are parents, we would absolutely love it if you’d share your own fun experiences raising your kids.

#1 This Kid Deserves An A For Creativity.

Image credits: Jetty_Boy

Relationship expert and father of two Dan explained to Bored Panda what the right balance should be between strictness and fun when it comes to raising kids. According to him, patience is key. As is the understanding that children love to see what they can get away with doing.

“In order to be good, functioning citizens of a society, children do need to be shown what is good and what is bad. However, you have to remember that a child is a clean slate and is effectively innocent,” he said.

#2 Absolute Mad Lad Dad

Image credits: DeeGeeZ

#3 Madlad Kid

Image credits: farrukhsshah

According to Dan, kids are constantly testing boundaries and checking to see what their parents will and will not allow them to do at home.

“The child will often say and do things that could make you angry if you don’t understand that he/she is simply testing to see what is okay or not, or what the limits are. Without testing, the child will just sit there, be quiet and do nothing, which isn’t going to happen,” Dan explained.

#4 Not Sure If This Counts But Madlad Strikes At His Mom?

Image credits: Boundless_Influence

#5 D E S T R O Y E D

Image credits: AVRGMXXNY

#6 9 Year Olds Being Absolute Madlads

Image credits: RCRZ

“The child wants to explore the world around it and see what he/she can and cannot do. The child will also regularly forget what is right or wrong at times, or remember that something is wrong, but do it again anyway to see if you have a different response this time,” the dad of two pointed out what parents should be aware of.

“By doing it again, the child often shows you that it doesn’t need to follow a particular rule because the rule was too strict, or unnecessary, which then results in you changing and allowing the child to do it from then on,” he said.

#7 Honestly I Would Do That

Image credits: yossarian_10

#8 Madlad's Mom Has Got It Going On

Image credits: KoenigEnte

#9 You Cant Speak Chinese Here

Image credits: EfthymisMilts

“So, you need to be patient as the child grows up and figures out how to behave and approach life in a way that suits you and himself/herself. One way to think about expecting a child to change or follow your orders is to remember how long it can take you to change a certain behavior as an adult,” Dan mused.

“Sometimes it can take weeks or months for you to stop a habit, change a behavior or take on a new behavior that people are asking of you, so you shouldn’t expect a child to change everything overnight and be completely obedient to every new rule you come up with," he said.

#10 Child Mad Lad

Image credits: ptp0160

#11 Lad In Progress!

Image credits: ChronicallySad

#12 Once A Madlad Was 7 Years Old

Image credits: projec9

"You have to love patiently, otherwise being a parent will make you feel stressed all the way through the child’s life," Dan said.

Some of us honestly think we peaked in terms of humor and wit and creativity when we were kids (and it was all downhill from there!). So it’s no wonder that we’ve been trying to recapture some of that magic. One of the ways to do it is to remind yourself what it actually means to be a child: speaking boldly and without a filter, setting our imaginations loose, and finding interesting ways of looking at the world.

#13 Bro, He's Just A Kid

Image credits: NotMudkip

#14 Hope He Didn't Get Detention

Image credits: reddit.com

#15 Mothers Children Are Absolute Madmen. Out Of Control.

Image credits: Dantadow

Recently, Bored Panda went in-depth about how clever kids can be. Comedy writer and single mom Ariane Sherine said kids take after their parents in terms of wit, sense of humor, and creativity.

“Both I and my daughter’s dad work in the media, and from an early age, she’s wanted to be a pop star, writer, and actor. I don’t know how much of her creativity was influenced by seeing her dad’s writing in the newspaper and seeing me go out late to perform at musical comedy gigs. She definitely has creative talents, but how much of that is nature or nurture I don’t know. As for sense of humor, she’s far more sassy and sarcastic than me, so I think her sharp wit is all her own!” she told Bored Panda.

#16 Power Move

Image credits: Breyze19

#17 Madlad Son

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#18 This Little Mad Lad's On A Mission

Image credits: GallowBoob

“My daughter loves starring in my social media posts. She actually asks me to tweet about her! When she does something cool or impressive like skateboarding or graffiti writing, she asks, ‘Can you put it on Twitter?!’ Then she loves to read the comments. I guess some kids are more shy and retiring, but I like the fact that mine is confident and happy to show the world her talents,” she said.

#19 The Dedication Of This Mad Lad Nephew

Image credits: hdpe125

#20 This Kid

Image credits: GallowBoob

#21 My God Her Daughter Is A Madman

Image credits: VioletWinters

Ariane told Bored Panda that she is a very liberal mom because she had very strict parents herself.

“I think being liberal encourages creativity as it gives kids the confidence to express themselves fully, and my daughter is usually very sweet-natured and well-behaved. She’s also a lot of fun, while I didn’t dare to be fun in such a strict environment when I was a kid, so I’m really pleased that I’m giving her a happier and freer upbringing.”