{"slug":"mother-ignoring-kid-drowning","name":"Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning","url":"/templates/mother-ignoring-kid-drowning.jpg","w":782,"h":1032,"top":"THE REAL PROBLEM","bottom":"WHAT THEY FOCUS ON","description":"Make your own Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning meme. For misplaced priorities, neglected responsibilities, and things left forgotten at the bottom of the pool.","keywords":"drowning kid pool meme, ignoring meme, priorities meme, neglect meme","year":2020,"origin":"A stock photo showing a mother happily playing with one child at poolside while another child struggles in the pool behind her. The format labels the drowning child as the real, urgent problem and the mother's attention as being focused on something far less important. For a related misplaced-attention format, see Distracted Boyfriend.","format":"template","textBoxes":[{"label":"Drowning Kid","x":12,"y":46,"w":26,"h":10,"placeholder":"The neglected thing","fontFamily":"Impact","fontColor":"#FFFFFF","strokeColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":2,"isBold":false,"isItalic":false,"isAllCaps":true,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":38,"opacity":1},{"label":"Favorite Kid","x":37,"y":27,"w":26,"h":11,"placeholder":"What's getting attention instead","fontFamily":"Impact","fontColor":"#FFFFFF","strokeColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":2,"isBold":false,"isItalic":false,"isAllCaps":true,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":38,"opacity":1},{"label":"Mother","x":74,"y":34,"w":23,"h":10,"placeholder":"Who's ignoring it","fontFamily":"Impact","fontColor":"#FFFFFF","strokeColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":2,"isBold":false,"isItalic":false,"isAllCaps":true,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":38,"opacity":1},{"label":"Skeleton","x":36,"y":76,"w":34,"h":17,"placeholder":"The long-forgotten thing","fontFamily":"Impact","fontColor":"#FFFFFF","strokeColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":2,"isBold":false,"isItalic":false,"isAllCaps":true,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":38,"opacity":1}],"howToMake":["The Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning template is loaded with 4 text fields: the drowning kid, the favorite kid, the mother, and a skeleton at the bottom","Label the drowning kid with what's being neglected, the favorite kid with what's getting all the attention, the mother with who's doing the ignoring, and the skeleton with something that's been forgotten even longer","Labels are pre-positioned on each person: drowning kid at left, favorite kid in center, mother at right, skeleton at pool bottom","White text with a dark stroke reads best against the pool water. Bump the size up if your labels are short","Ready to call out misplaced priorities? Download the PNG or Copy it to paste wherever the neglect is happening"],"exampleCaptions":["MY MENTAL HEALTH","MY NEW HOBBY THIS WEEK","ME","MY 47 ABANDONED HOBBIES"],"exampleAltText":"Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning meme about neglecting mental health for a new hobby while 47 abandoned hobbies lay forgotten","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-02-22","seo":{"aliases":["Drowning Kid Pool Meme","Ignoring the Problem Meme","Wrong Priority Meme","Mother Pool Meme","Misplaced Priorities"],"description":"A stock photo of a swimming pool scene. In the foreground, a mother cheerfully plays with one child, smiling and completely engaged. In the background, another child is visibly struggling in the pool, reaching out for help. The mother is oblivious. The format represents any situation where attention and resources are focused on the wrong thing while the actual urgent problem is being completely ignored.","definition":"Four characters, four levels of neglect. A mother plays with one child at poolside while another struggles in the water, and a skeleton at the bottom of the pool represents whatever was abandoned so long ago it's been completely forgotten.","useCases":[{"category":"Priorities & Neglect","examples":["Drowning: my responsibilities / Favorite: a new video game / Mom: me / Skeleton: the responsibilities from last month","Drowning: my savings account / Favorite: a new pair of shoes / Mom: me / Skeleton: my retirement fund","Drowning: sleep / Favorite: one more episode / Mom: me / Skeleton: my 2019 New Year's resolution to fix my sleep schedule","Drowning: my actual job / Favorite: my side project / Mom: me / Skeleton: my other side project from 2 years ago"]},{"category":"Work & Career","examples":["Drowning: actual deliverables / Favorite: reorganizing my Notion / Mom: me / Skeleton: last quarter's unfinished tasks","Drowning: bug fixes / Favorite: new features / Mom: the product team / Skeleton: tech debt from 2021","Drowning: employee feedback / Favorite: a rebrand / Mom: management / Skeleton: the last employee survey results","Drowning: my career development / Favorite: putting out fires / Mom: my company / Skeleton: the training budget"]},{"category":"Technology","examples":["Drowning: unread emails / Favorite: new Slack messages / Mom: me / Skeleton: voicemails from 2020","Drowning: app performance / Favorite: adding AI / Mom: every tech company / Skeleton: basic accessibility features","Drowning: user complaints / Favorite: a redesign nobody asked for / Mom: the dev team / Skeleton: the original roadmap","Drowning: security updates / Favorite: new features / Mom: the startup / Skeleton: GDPR compliance"]},{"category":"Health & Wellness","examples":["Drowning: my diet / Favorite: a new workout routine / Mom: me / Skeleton: the gym membership I forgot to cancel","Drowning: my mental health / Favorite: overworking / Mom: me / Skeleton: that therapist appointment I keep rescheduling","Drowning: hydration / Favorite: my 4th coffee / Mom: me / Skeleton: the water bottle collecting dust","Drowning: stretching / Favorite: adding more weight / Mom: gym bros / Skeleton: their knees"]},{"category":"Relationships & Social","examples":["Drowning: old friendships / Favorite: new friendships / Mom: me / Skeleton: my childhood best friend","Drowning: real-life connections / Favorite: online friends / Mom: me / Skeleton: my neighbor who I've never spoken to","Drowning: the friend who always texts first / Favorite: the friend who never texts back / Mom: me / Skeleton: the friend I forgot existed","Drowning: quality time with family / Favorite: my phone / Mom: me / Skeleton: board game night we did once in 2018"]},{"category":"Gaming & Hobbies","examples":["Drowning: the game I'm halfway through / Favorite: the new game that just dropped / Mom: me / Skeleton: the 30 unfinished games in my library","Drowning: my current save file / Favorite: starting a new character / Mom: every RPG player / Skeleton: the first character from 200 hours ago","Drowning: learning guitar / Favorite: buying a keyboard / Mom: me / Skeleton: the ukulele in the closet","Drowning: finishing a painting / Favorite: starting a new one / Mom: every artist / Skeleton: the 12 half-finished canvases"]},{"category":"School & Education","examples":["Drowning: this week's homework / Favorite: planning my study aesthetic / Mom: me / Skeleton: last week's homework","Drowning: required courses / Favorite: electives / Mom: students / Skeleton: gen ed requirements from freshman year","Drowning: the essay due Friday / Favorite: color-coding my notes / Mom: me / Skeleton: the essay due last Friday","Drowning: studying / Favorite: organizing my study space / Mom: me / Skeleton: actually opening the textbook"]}]}}