Listen up kiddies! The people who have lived it know better. It is just fact! Of course when our hormones were raging we didn't listen either, but don't repeat our mistakes. When you are a teen you think you're invincible and the world is an open journey. Use your seatbelt and a condom. Start learning about politics and for the love of God..... get good grades. You will regret utilizing high school.
Redditors u/Mjagos09 wanted all the grown ups to sit down give out some wisdom by asking..... Adults of reddit, what is something every teenager needs to know?Don't know it all...
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Adults don't have it all figured out.
They are just used to the fact that they are not and are usually quite good at hiding it.
Dealing with your emotions will become easier as you grow.
Even if someone says that their high school years were the best time of their life, doesn't mean that yours should necessarily be, there's a high chance your best years are far ahead of you.
Not You
2 related messages.
- almost nobody gives a crap about you
- that is amazing news. Kryten_2X4B_523P
I always used to cringe when I remembered an embarrassing situation that happened to me, because I would worry about what others thought of me. Nowadays I don't really care and I always keep in mind that everyone has been through some embarrassing things as well, which means they probably cringe more about themselves than me, the same way I cringe about myself and totally forget about others.
Tell the Truth
Parents mess up too. Good parents openly admit their wrongs and use it as a teaching moment.
This! Apologize to your kids if you mess up! I can't tell you how many times I have yelled or placed blame when I shouldn't have. I always, always apologize and explain-- we are only human and we mess up too.
When you don't apologize to your kids, you teach them to be unapologetic when they are grown as well.
The Best
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I came here to say what my father told me the day before I started high school- don't ever let anyone tell you that this is the "best time of your time". Yeah you should enjoy this time, its fun because you start to get more independence and start to become your own person but life SHOULD keep getting better and more interesting as you get older.
the clean-up
Basic household "management". Learn how to cook a couple of meals, know when to tidy/clean up a bit etc. Speaking from someone who moved out at 18 and had no clue. Oh and look after yourself physically and mentally.
The summer before I went to university, my mom gave me a bootcamp in adult self-reliance.
I did the laundry, the dishes, cooked most meals and kept a big chunk of the house clean.
She also required me to demonstrate at least three or four main meals, a breakfast, and a dessert to a decent standard.
She wanted to be sure that when I was living under my own steam I'd be able to look after my space and feed myself more than just toast and instant noodles.
Turns out, most of the people I lived with in university couldn't do half of that, and the best way to make friends in university is to offer chocolate cupcakes on day one.
Years & Years.....
Right now you have a massive span of life in front of you. Enjoy it. But remember ten or twenty years from now you're going to be much happier if you both had fun and also thought ahead.
Read. Exercise. Hug your friends. Show your loved ones you love them, whatever that means to you.
This thread might be filled with ways to be a responsible adult and a successful person. Try as hard as you can to be a happy one too.
Edit: Thanks for the awards, and thanks for being you. Sorry for the typo. And yes, maybe wait til Covid is over before hugging everyone? Just keep it in mind for when things are better.
be crazy.....
You will make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes will be huge. But, that's ok. Whatever problem that mistake produced, it's only temporary. You can correct it. It may not be easy and it may take time, but you can do it.
wicked GIF by NBC
Just.... Don't.....
Don't blow your student loan on drugs.
Don't blow your load in someone you don't want kids with.
Don't blow off family/friend gatherings. They won't be around forever.
Don't blow your cool if you can help it. It rarely solved anything.
back in the day...
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You won't give a crap about things that happened in high school when you're in college/working.
Keep Running
I played sports in high school and I was a pretty good runner. I was also a musician in the school band. Now in my 30s the only thing I still care about from high school is that I wish I hadn't let myself get out of shape, or stop playing music. Those things become harder to find the time to improve at as you get older.
I did eventually start running again to lose weight and I'm still a runner today but I'm no where near as good.
be okay....
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Don't compare yourself to others too much. No matter how perfect someone may seem, they're not. Nobody is. Everybody has flaws and makes mistakes. You're okay.
Make a Mess
Learn how to screw up. We spend too much of our lives trying to do everything right, but the best lessons come from learning from our mistakes.
I'm reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k by Mark Manson right now. He does a really good job explaining why only pursuing positive experiences in life is itself a negative experience. I highly recommend anyone who is interested to read the book.
Feeling Good
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.
To add to that, you gotta take care of yourself. Not just your physical self, your mental health too.
The world will ignore it but you gotta protect and care for yourself like you would for a close friend. Even if you have tons of friends, be your own best friend too. Look out for that dude, he'll thank you later for it.
HR Issues
No matter where you work, HR is not your friend.
This was a rude awakening for me working for a so-called social justice organization and learning that behind the scenes its just a company that runs a low-wage front line like any other company. old fashioned worker exploitation.
Simply the Best
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If somebody tries to tell you "these are the best years of your life", that's absolute horse-crap. Your quality of life and how much fun you are allowed to have is not dictated by your age. And it's naïve to assume all teenagers have it easy.
Soap it Up
Personal hygiene is critical. You need to shower regularly (soap on armpits, crotch, and ass crack), use antiperspirant, brush and floss, and do your laundry. Other people will notice your funk long before you do and once you're known as the smelly person, it's nearly impossible to clear that reputation.
Make it a rule that you don't leave your house unless you've showered within the last 24 hours, are wearing clean underwear, and have brushed your teeth and put on deodorant within an hour prior to leaving. It sounds silly but there is sadly a large population that needs to improve their hygiene.
The Add Up
Everything compounds: your savings, your reputation, your career, etc. Get started early because playing catch up is hell. The one thing I would really emphasize is to learn about household finances/budgeting, saving, and investing. Take the standard of living you want and figure out what level of income it will take to achieve and sustain it. Then compare that income to your "follow your dream" job.
It is fine to follow your dreams, but know what the trade-offs are, the likely outcomes will be, and have a plan B. Start saving now and open an investment account and an education IRA. It's amazing what a few thousand wisely invested as a teen can grow to over a lifetime.
Get a Pen
3 things I wish I had known:
Figure out what you want to do....
Not what you want to learn about. Think about the actual work you'd be doing in a "field". Science is exciting but are you ready to stand around in a lab all day writing stuff down in the most thorough way possible?
Money stuff....
You don't get rich with the money you earn, you get rich with the money you don't spend. Be careful spending money on trends and be aware of things you want to actually keep, not that you want to have right now. Also Excel is your friend, learn to budget as soon as possible.
Use every opportunity you get....
It may feel like there's always a next time but there's also no reason to not do it now. Whether it's that trip with your buddies or the chance to have a private moment with your crush. Don't wait for a perfect moment, not even a good one, use the moment you have, because you won't always get another one. And you most certainly don't want to have a "what if I did that" thing haunting you. There's always a million reasons not to do something. You only need one reason to do something.
We Know
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The adults giving you advice to avoid certain mistakes will most likely of been told the exact same thing and choose to ignore it, which would of been expected as they too ignored the advice.
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The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
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"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
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"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
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"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
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"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
