The Viral ‘There’s a Woman in a Boat’ Riddle Is Trickier Than You Might Think—Can You Solve It?

There’s a woman in a boat on a lake wearing a coat riddle

When it comes to riddles, there are two types of people: people who love them and people who hate them. While some individuals are naturally really good at solving riddles and appreciate their overall challenge, others find them incredibly frustrating and annoying. If you’re the type of person who finds them enjoyable, then the latest viral one is for you!

The most recent riddle that everyone is obsessed with is making waves online. It’s called “There’s a woman in a boat.” While the riddle itself doesn’t appear to be hard at first glance, it’s leaving people of all ages completely puzzled. The brain teaser is so tricky that people are blankly staring at their phone screen for long periods of time and continually guessing the wrong answer over and over again.

If you feel like you can beat it, give it a try! It’s not like other riddles where you have to use math skills to solve it, it’s more of a mystery that needs to be decoded. So, what are you waiting for? Put your detective hat on and see if you can solve the viral “There’s a woman in a boat” riddle. Warning: there are spoilers ahead so read on with caution. Good luck!

‘There’s a Woman in a Boat’ Riddle

Riddles come and go, but this particular one has been around for a while and it keeps baffling new audiences whenever it pops up. If you haven’t already seen it, the brain teaser goes: 

“There is a woman in a boat, on a lake, wearing a coat. If you want to know her name, it’s in the riddle I just wrote. What’s her name?”

Hints for the Riddle

It seems like it’d be simple to figure out, right? However, it’s been stumping so many people online that it’s gone viral! If you want to be one of the few to solve it, here are a few hints that might help you.

  • To figure it out, make sure you read over it slowly.
  • Try not to think too hard about it because it’s actually not as hard as you’re probably making it out to be.
  • Keep in mind that the name you’re looking for isn’t common, so try to replace words with your name to see if you can make sense of it.
  • Focus on the first half of the riddle.

Answer

Did you figure it out? If not, we’re about to tell you the answer, so stop reading now if you don’t want to know quite yet. Once you learn what it is you’ll probably feel a little silly because you’ll wonder how you didn’t solve it sooner. The good news is, you can then tell it to your friends and family and see if they can solve it!

The woman sitting in the boat doesn’t have a traditional name by any means. Because of that, it tends to throw people off and leave them really confused, which is why it usually takes everyone a long time to guess it correctly. When it comes to the woman on the boat in this riddle, her name is…”There.”

Riddle Answer—Explained

The reason why this particular riddle went viral is simple: it’s short and leaves you searching for the answer in all the wrong places. The riddle does a great job because the name is a play on words.

When you first read the riddle and the opening line says, “There is a woman in a boat, on a lake, wearing a coat,” you don’t realize that her name is “There.” However, if that sentence had another name in it, like “Tessa,” you wouldn’t have a problem figuring out the answer: “Tessa is a woman in a boat, on a lake, wearing a coat.”

Little Boy Cries & Begs Mom Not to Take Him to Daycare until She Storms into Facility – Story of the Day

A three-year-old throws tantrums and begs his mother not to go to daycare. Worried, she goes in unannounced and what she sees shocks her.

“No, mommy, no!” Johnny threw himself on the floor and started screaming. Marla Evans sighed. Not again! She looked at her watch. If he threw a full tantrum, she would be late yet again.

She gazed at her three-year-old with exasperation. Johnny had been going to daycare for two years and always loved it. For the last week, out of the blue, he’d been making a scene, begging Marla not to take him.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

She’d spoken to her pediatrician, and the doctor had told her that toddlers often went through the ‘terrible threes.’ “Stop it!” Marla heard herself scream, then she saw the look of fear in her son’s eyes. Something wasn’t right.

Marla sat down on the floor next to Johnny and coaxed him into her lap. He sobbed, pressing his little face against hers. Marla decided this was more than a tantrum, but what could be wrong?

“Honey,” Marla said gently. “I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t mean to snap.” She rocked him until he stopped crying and asked gently, “Why don’t you like daycare anymore?”

Raising a child is about setting and respecting boundaries.

Johnny shivered in her arms and whispered, “I don’t like!”

“But why, sweetie?” Marla asked. “Are the other kids mean?” But Johnny wouldn’t answer. Marla sighed. “Baby, mommy needs to go to work, but I tell you what… I’m going to come and get you from daycare early today, OK?”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Johnny sat up in her lap. “No lunch?” He looked up at her anxiously. “No lunch, mommy?”

Lunch? The worried mom frowned. What was happening with her son?

Marla dropped Johnny off after promising she’d fetch him before lunch. He walked into the daycare quietly but threw Marla a pleading look that left her heartbroken.

She went to work and asked her boss for the afternoon off to deal with a personal issue. Thankfully, her boss was a mom too and understood!

Marla was determined to get to the bottom of Johnny’s reluctance to go to daycare. She decided to drop in — not before lunchtime as she promised Johnny — but during the meal.

Johnny’s daycare didn’t allow the parents into the children’s playrooms or the dining room, but each door of the facility had a large, clear glass window. Hopefully, Marla would be able to see what — if anything — was going on.

When she arrived, the receptionist told her the children were having lunch. Marla walked to the dining room and peered in. The kids were all sitting at their tables, eating.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

A teacher or an assistant supervised each table. Marla quickly spotted Johnny. There was a woman Marla didn’t recognize sitting next to him.

As Marla watched, the woman picked up Johnny’s spoon, scooped up a portion of mashed potatoes, and pressed it against his lips. “Eat!” she cried. Johnny shook his head violently, his mouth firmly closed, tears running down his cheeks.

“Open your mouth and eat!” the woman said angrily. Johnny was looking deeply distressed. The woman cried, “You are going to sit here until you clear your plate!”

Marla saw a small portion of mince, mash, and vegetables left on Johnny’s plate, and she knew her son. Johnny was not a big eater; she never pushed it when he told her he’d had enough.

Johnny opened his mouth to protest, and the teacher quickly pushed the spoon in. Marla saw her son choke and sputter. She’d had enough! She opened the door and stormed in.

“Get away from my son!” she cried.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

The woman looked up, and her mouth hung open. “Parents aren’t allowed in the dining room!” she cried.

“Then they should be,” Marla said, reining in her anger. “Can’t you see Johnny’s had enough? He’s a healthy boy, but he is not a big eater. As an educator, you should know how traumatic force-feeding a child can be.

“Being forced to clean up the plate is an old-fashioned notion. You should be aware of the statistics and the causes of obesity and eating disorders in children.

“And one of them is making food an issue! My little boy is an active child, and if he feels he’s had enough, you need to respect that and not force him to eat.

“As for shoving food into a child’s mouth in that way, it is reprehensible! You should certainly know better. These children are not puppets for you to manipulate at will!

“They are little people with needs and a will of their own. If you don’t respect their boundaries, you teach them they don’t deserve respect. I don’t think that is a message you want to pass on!”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

The teacher flushed a bright red and got to her feet. “I never…” she cried.

“That’s a pity,” Marla said crisply. “Because if this happens again, I will ensure you are out of a job! I’m not sending my son to daycare to be brutalized!”

Marla walked over to Johnny and tenderly wiped his mouth. “Come on, honey,” she said gently. “Mommy promised you a treat this afternoon!”

Marla had a long talk with Johnny, and there was no tantrum the next morning. Over the next few weeks, she popped into the daycare at lunch times just to keep an eye on things.

The teacher never forced Johnny to eat again, and the boy recovered his good humor and enthusiasm.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

What can we learn from this story?

  • Children and their boundaries should be respected. Johnny’s teacher was teaching him that adults had the right to impose their will on children against their welfare.
  • Raising a child is about setting and respecting boundaries — theirs and ours. A child whose boundaries are not respected is insecure and has low self-esteem.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a little boy who learns all about love by watching how his father treats his mother.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.

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