Baffled People Share Their Most Embarrassing "Why Didn't Someone Tell Me Sooner" Moments
Have you ever walked down the street with your skirt tucked into your underwear or your fly wide open, and when you finally fix it, you wonder why NOBODY told you anything?
Reddit user itsMurphDogg asked the embarrassed public:
'What was your biggest "Why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner?" moment?'
Here are some of the best answers.
Vision Impaired
I was suffering from conjunctivitis for almost 10 years. I was told by a couple of Doctors that it was because of my allergies.
So I would stop wearing contacts, treat my eyes with antibiotics drops or gel. My eyes would get better so I started putting my contacts again. A couple of weeks or months later another conjunctivitis! Treat them again etc... etc..
Finally a new Doctor looked at my eyes for 10 seconds and told me that I was probably allergic to my contact lenses solution and eye drops.
I just changed the solution for the one with peroxide in it and since then no more conjunctivitis... Someone should have told me this a long time ago... (Or I should have figured it out) sonia72quebec
Something We All Take For Granted
I never had a family growing up. Holidays were mostly just like every other day, I might get a few presents on Christmas or be served turkey on Thanksgiving but no big gatherings or parties. I didn't even know that people really did that, I thought it was just a thing in movies. When we were dating my wife invited me to have Thanksgiving with her family and I was fucking stunned to speechlessness. There were like 20 people, all gathered together to enjoy each other's company. They were welcoming, loving and just happy. It was the weirdest, most wonderful experience of my life. The food was amazing, no gravy from a giant institutional can, no rubbery turkey slices, I couldn't eat enough. Since then I go all in for holidays, all of them. I throw parties, decorate, send cards, wear stupid sweaters, and just generally make a complete fool of myself, because I've got lost time to make up for. IAmCthulhuAMA
Stay Gold Ponyboy
Ponies are not in fact, baby horses.
Skincare Lifestyle
Coconut oil.
I have been struggling with really dry, flaky skin on my face - think light version Psoriasis. I tried a lot of expensive ointments, including various prescription drugs.
A colleague told me I should try coconut oil (literally the stuff you use for cooking), but I dismissed it due to his overall "alternative medicine" tendencies.
On a whim I bought a jar, because I saw a bunch of it stacked by the counter. I put some on in the evening, and I woke up with perfectly smooth and nice looking skin the next morning. It's been around a year, and I've spend roughly $1 worth of coconut oil to have a normal looking face, applying a small amount every evening. iouoneusername
Broil Me This
Moved out of my childhood home with a double oven into my own which has a single oven with a broiler. "Oh," thought I, "a drawer for pans." 4 years later, my friend helping me in the kitchen finished off garlic bread in there and blew my mind. farawyn86
Bare Necessities
How to use a computer.
I grew up in a house without internet - during the 90's, when dial-up was coming in to fruition. My days were spent playing outside, or going to the library, or watching little league games, and so on. School work involved paper and pencil. As such, I didn't have a need to use a computer.
In High School, one of the classes involved doing some research (can't remember what). The class trudges to the computer lab. Everyone else plunks down and starts researching online, and I'm sitting there wondering how to use the dang thing.
Best part is that the teacher didn't believe that I didn't know what I was doing, and really didn't want to spend the 40 minute class period explaining how to use the computer and look stuff up on Britannica Online. No surprise that I failed that assignment.
This was early 2000's, for what it's worth. F117Landers
Frozen Fractals
In middle school, we had a separate math book for fractions. It just tried to learn all these rules on how they work and they never made sense to me.
2 years later, first year of highschool, a math teacher says fractions are just divisions. Suddenly, fractions made a lot more sense because I knew what they actually represented.
Still want to slap whoever made that middle school fractions book which made it way more complicated than it had to be. To this day I don't know why they would ignore the most important thing about fractions. Chirimorin
Puh-ronunciation
I pronounced the silent P in everything (puhfone, raspuhberry) until high school, and for some reason nobody ever corrected me.
I'm pursuing the psychiatry training program now, and am worried someday I'll say 'puhsychiatry' in front of my colleagues. manlikerealities
Family Secrets
I had a grandmother who I only saw once a year and talked on the phone to occasionally. Typical old lady but would sometimes go on tirades about people living in trees outside her apartment, or she'd call me by another name. I genuinely thought those were normal age things or that she was slightly eccentric.
I was 14 when she died and only at her funeral through talking to people did I realize she had pretty severe Alzheimer's which apparently everyone had known for years except me. ihopeyoulikeapples
Survival
I grew up a sickly child. When I was a baby/toddler, my parents would discover me with blue lips and they'd rush me to the ER for a breathing treatment. I would get sick often, and if I got a chest cold I had it for weeks. I would be so sick, I'd have to sleep sitting up because I'd cough too much to lay down and also I wouldn't be able to get enough O2 in my lungs. When I was in grade school, I was so amazed that all the other kids would keep running even though their lungs were on fire. Turns out, only MY lungs were on fire.
In my senior year of high school, I got extremely sick for 4 months. I was so sick that I'd have to walk at a very slow pace, and I'd have to pause halfway up a flight of 13 stairs (to get to my high school's entrance). On my fourth visit to the doctor, I was diagnosed with bronchitis. I was prescribed oral steroids, antibiotics, and an inhaler. It changed my life!! Now I just recognize how it feels and tell the doc that I have bronchitis and he/she listens to my lungs and gives me the drugs I need to heal me.
Finally, when I was 24, I was diagnosed with allergies. I now take a metric ton of allergy meds, but I can breathe. I've only had bronchitis twice since then (nearly 2 decades). Damn_Dog_Inappropes
The Simple Things
Was in the hospital for a stem cell transplant, being absolutely miserable during chemo and surviving on ice water and popsicles because hospital food is gross (even the call-to-order special stuff I could get).
Second to last day I was there, one of the nurses mentioned you know you can order literally anything you want and we will make it right? Butter noodles, a quesadilla, whatever - as long as we have in the ingredients we can make it. Meanwhile, Ive been struggling with gross soup, mashed potatoes, and the worst scrambled eggs thinking my only options were the gourmet dishes listed on the menu.
I pass that info along now to everyone I meet going in! katbonk
Temperature Change
For my entire childhood, my father was incredibly stingy about heating and air conditioning. He'd always tell us we were spoiled and should dress warmer/colder and/or toughen up rather than using energy for heating/air conditioning.
Then, when I was in my early 20s, he started getting really weird about air conditioning. It would be turned up full blast all the time, and if I set the thermostat to a warmer temperature or even just mentioned that it doesn't need to be so cold, he'd scold me and tell me to put on a sweater - and this was on extremely hot summer days! He was still as stingy as ever about heat, but had become completely bizarre about air conditioning!
I just wrote it off my father being weird, moved out of my parents' house soon afterwards, and didn't give much thought to the whole thing apart from repeating it as an anecdote in conversations about parents being weird.
Fast-forward a decade. I'm now in my 30s, filling out a family medical history for a new doctor, who asks me at what age my mother reached menopause. I don't know, so I ask my mother. And she said in her early 50s.
Which is right when my father started getting weird about air conditioning!
Back in my early 20s, I knew menopause was a thing, I knew hot flashes were a symptom, but I hadn't put any thought or research into what age it happened. My grandmothers had reached menopause before I was born so I'd never seen anyone go through it before, and my mother never let on that anything was different with her, so it just wasn't on my radar.
If someone had told me my mother was having hot flashes I would have cheerfully put on a sweater and cranked up the air conditioning so my mother could be comfortable, and I would have perceived my father as a loving husband.
But instead, I obliviously ran around reseting thermostats for my own comfort, thereby inadvertently making my mother uncomfortable, and at the same time concluded that my father was being a contrary ***hole. jednorazowa
Ear Buddies
Like 4 years ago my friend got me a pair of these Shure earphones for Christmas. They were pretty good earphones, not the best, but they pretty good sound quality and decent noise cancellation.
In October of this year we took a bus up to Minnesota to visit a friend for a few days. We chose the late bus so we could just sleep during the 8 hours it would take us to get there. We're getting settled and I see him pull out his earphones, which were the same as mine, and put them on like this over the ear. I never wore them like that. I just kind of jammed them in a way they fit. I asked him about wearing them like that and he said, "What do you mean? That's how you're supposed to wear them. How do you wear them?" I showed him how I typically wore them and he laughed and said, "Wearing them the right way gets a better seal for the sound."
I still wore them my way, until he fell asleep and then I decided to give his way a chance. HOLY SH*T it made such a huge difference. The sound was better, they felt more comfortable, and they were so much better at cancelling out noise. When we got to the first stop I told him, "Why the hell didn't you tell me I was wearing them wrong for so many years?! This is so much better!" He told me I should have read the manual, but in my defense I didn't think I had to read the manual for a pair of ear buds. -eDgAR-
For My Sake
during this time last year i was happily going to work because i was told a raise/promotion was coming soon. on top of that, i was happy going to work because i actually cared about my co-workers and saw some of them as actual friends.
eventually, i got tired of being overworked/underpaid and i was mentally/physically exhausted. it also didn't help that a physical problem started to get worse, which was a result of me constantly working my ass off. if left untreated, i would've developed chronic lower back pain and i'm just now getting over it, nearly 2 years since it initially started.
it was towards the end of february when i realized that me busting my ass wasn't worth it, even if i did care about my co-workers and i knew they relied on me.
it was only after i quit my job that people started to let me know that they had a feeling that things would end up that way. i wish they would've said something to me while i was still working there, but i doubt i'll ever know why they didn't say something along the lines of "you're being played, look for a new job or try to figure something out". Alejandro4891
Bus-ted
I was 19 when I left for college. My overprotective father was trying to drill any last minute life tips into my head that he could before I left, like dont answer the door if youre home alone and never forget to turn off the stove, things like that.
I moved into an apartment a short bus ride from campus and on one of my first days living on my own I wanted to go to the school gym. The bus stop was right outside my apartment and I was told by my roommate any bus would take me right to the stop I needed. I had never taken public transportation before (because, you know, overprotective father) but hey, how hard could it be? So I march my happy ass down to the bus stop and get on the first bus that shows up. The bus stops at each of the stops between my apartment and the school gym and people get on and off, everything is seeming to go as planned.
The bus begins to approach the stop that I need and I prepare to end what was my first ride on public transportation. However, the bus isnt stopping at my stop the way it did at all the others. My anxiety starts to kick and as we pass the school gym I begin to panic. Im looking around and no one else seems to be worried so I just sit there and wonder what the hell Im going to do. A couple minutes later, a boy sitting a few rows ahead of me lifts up his arm and pulls a yellow cord running along the side of the bus. It makes a bell noise and the bus stops at the upcoming stop. I practically RUN off of the bus and immediately take out my phone to call my dad.
I know how to lock my doors and turn off the stove Dad, but why the hell didnt anyone tell me to pull the cord if I needed to get off the bus?! hauntedhatbox
Sugar Sugar
Not shaving at all. All the time I wasted shaving...all of the awful razor burn....all of the money spent on shaving cream and a razor. Nope. Never again. I make my own sugar wax, it's cheap. It's long lasting and wax is more effective in terms of time and money. I just wax for Summer, and trim the rest of the year. This I will never change. PlantsMcGheefus
An End In Sight
Menopause.
I knew since about age 7 that one day I would have a period and it would be one of the worst experiences of my life, and it would be repeated over and over and over again.
I dreaded it for years until one day at around age 11. My mom and I were visiting my grandparents at their beach condo. My mom unexpectedly got her period and sent me and my grandmother to the store for tampons. My grandmother was super embarrassed. She said that everyone would know Im too young for the tampons she was buying and she was too old.
Too old?! You mean it stops?! I dont have to bleed until the day I die? It was a relief. Ive been looking forward to menopause ever since. Im worried about the hot flashes but it doesnt outweigh how excited I am to stop bleeding. mandy6059
Meeting New People
I came to America about 5 years ago. Where I come from it is kinda hard to talk to people. Walking up to strangers is considered weird and even rude. I believe it is like that in the rest of the world actually. Well while I was in college here in America, I was shy most of the time, except during my senior thing where I actually decided to be "weird" and tried walking up to people and saying "hi". For the most part, people were great, friendly, welcoming. I wish someone had told me. I wish I had been able to do this since my sophomore year, I would have made many more friends. DrumhellaFountain
Who Wears Short Shorts?
Shorts feel great in the summer. I'm 27 and my entire life I wore nothing but long pants. I never understood why anyone would ever wear shorts. I thought they were impractical, they don't cover anything up, if you bump you leg while you work you're going to get scraped. If you work outside you'll get your legs all scratched up by small bushes and plants. Then my mom gave me a nice pair of cargo shorts on a whim. When I walked outside... It changed my life. It was a hot summer day and I was actually comfortable. In 27 years I never realised shorts could make such a huge difference. Cuboos
Slurs Will Be Slurs
That the n-word was as big of no no as it is. Im a white guy that grew up in a mostly white rural community. I grew up watching classic comedians that I really looked up to. People like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock. These guys were my heroes and they used it for humor, and I saw no difference between them and myself. I never used the word in a hateful way, and always knew it was offensive, but Id only ever say it to make jokes. Not even racist jokes, more to try to take some of the racist power away from it. Didnt figure just how wrong my thinking was until I was 25 and lost a permanant Federal job because of it. Lesson learned. I never meant to hurt anyone, and I think that point was conveyed, but policy is policy. dubforty2
Success Is Malleable
I struggled with reading in grade/high school but did well enough in math to try out junior college. During the first two weeks of college my English 060 professor identified me as having dyslexia. She taught me strategies and showed me the free resources on campus. Today I'm working on my PhD dissertation. davihodg
Baby Mama
Breastfeeding.
All women I talked to said it was so calming to the baby, natural, helped them bond, and that overall it was a beautiful experience. The first 2 weeks were the worst of my life. It felt like glass on my nipples and the baby never seemed to be full. But there was this weird pressure from women I've never met, the lactation consultants, and even some family members that breastfeeding was the only option. The moment I introduced the bottle was this weird sense of guilt and relief, but I feel like it made me a better mom because I wasn't so fearful of ever time she was hungry.
A month into it, it wasn't torture, but it remained a chore. Then, when I told other women about how much I disliked it, they would suddenly remember how much of a chore it was too! It is a great experience and I do love the way my daughter will turn to my breast for comfort. At the same time, though, it takes a lot of time, energy, and even sometimes tears, to get it right. Katiebyrd93
As Simple As FloNase
Nasal spray. I spent my whole childhood being sick and was never given any medicine except Tylenol for fever, or when I hit mid teens, some mucinex. My immune system is still a wet paper bag to this day and colds are hell. At 21 years old, I was sick, and my husband brought home nasal spray for me to try. I figured it couldn't hurt, so why not?
Oh. My. God. I could breathe! Through my NOSE! I was taking actual breaths! I wasn't gasping, it wasn't hurting! I could even sleep like this! My mind was blown, and I was so relieved I legit started crying. Why didn't anyone ever give me this?! All the wasted years-!!! TywinAteMyBaby
Uniformity
We wear these horrible ugly uniforms at work. (I try not to complain, as they're fairly comfortable and hide my body from the many perverts on site) We were due to get new uniforms, with our names stitched and all that fancy stuff. I noticed a rack of uniforms sitting in the break room for a few days, but didn't think much of it. The day after the uniforms were removed, a coworker asked if I had tried on the uniform sizes. Cue my look of confusion and a roundabout conversation, leading to the realization that I was supposed to figure out what size my 16 uniforms needed to be. Nobody mentioned anything about it to me, including my supervisor. The uniforms where supposed to arrive yesterday, but I wasn't working so I don't know what is waiting for me next time I go in. Anyway, that's my "Why did nobody tell me until AFTER the trial uniforms were gone?!" moment. SheSkisS3s
As Simple As FloNase
Nasal spray. I spent my whole childhood being sick and was never given any medicine except Tylenol for fever, or when I hit mid teens, some mucinex. My immune system is still a wet paper bag to this day and colds are hell. At 21 years old, I was sick, and my husband brought home nasal spray for me to try. I figured it couldn't hurt, so why not?
Oh. My. God. I could breathe! Through my NOSE! I was taking actual breaths! I wasn't gasping, it wasn't hurting! I could even sleep like this! My mind was blown, and I was so relieved I legit started crying. Why didn't anyone ever give me this?! All the wasted years-!!! TywinAteMyBaby
Uniformity
We wear these horrible ugly uniforms at work. (I try not to complain, as they're fairly comfortable and hide my body from the many perverts on site) We were due to get new uniforms, with our names stitched and all that fancy stuff. I noticed a rack of uniforms sitting in the break room for a few days, but didn't think much of it. The day after the uniforms were removed, a coworker asked if I had tried on the uniform sizes. Cue my look of confusion and a roundabout conversation, leading to the realization that I was supposed to figure out what size my 16 uniforms needed to be. Nobody mentioned anything about it to me, including my supervisor. The uniforms where supposed to arrive yesterday, but I wasn't working so I don't know what is waiting for me next time I go in. Anyway, that's my "Why did nobody tell me until AFTER the trial uniforms were gone?!" moment. SheSkisS3s
As Simple As FloNase
Nasal spray. I spent my whole childhood being sick and was never given any medicine except Tylenol for fever, or when I hit mid teens, some mucinex. My immune system is still a wet paper bag to this day and colds are hell. At 21 years old, I was sick, and my husband brought home nasal spray for me to try. I figured it couldn't hurt, so why not?
Oh. My. God. I could breathe! Through my NOSE! I was taking actual breaths! I wasn't gasping, it wasn't hurting! I could even sleep like this! My mind was blown, and I was so relieved I legit started crying. Why didn't anyone ever give me this?! All the wasted years-!!! TywinAteMyBaby
Uniformity
We wear these horrible ugly uniforms at work. (I try not to complain, as they're fairly comfortable and hide my body from the many perverts on site) We were due to get new uniforms, with our names stitched and all that fancy stuff. I noticed a rack of uniforms sitting in the break room for a few days, but didn't think much of it. The day after the uniforms were removed, a coworker asked if I had tried on the uniform sizes. Cue my look of confusion and a roundabout conversation, leading to the realization that I was supposed to figure out what size my 16 uniforms needed to be. Nobody mentioned anything about it to me, including my supervisor. The uniforms where supposed to arrive yesterday, but I wasn't working so I don't know what is waiting for me next time I go in. Anyway, that's my "Why did nobody tell me until AFTER the trial uniforms were gone?!" moment. SheSkisS3s
Escape Room Employees Describe The Weirdest Ways Customers Have Tried To Free Themselves
I don't see the appeal of these rooms.
Why would one enjoy being trapped in a room?
When you watch people trapped in a movie you cheer for their release.
But this activity has gotten super popular.
And people have gotten real creative in their escapes.
Redditor CaptainCatButt wanted to hear confessions from the great escapes. They asked:
"Escape Room employees, what's the weirdest way you've seen customers try and solve an escape room?"
I haven't tried these rooms yet. Not sure I want to. Highly claustrophobic. Convince me...
No touching...
"I used to work at one. I can’t tell you how many people thought that power outlets were a prop and tried to stick keys into them. Guys. There was a lamp plugged into it and a 'do not touch, not a part of the game' sticker on it. It’s not a trick, don’t do that."
brasscassette
Shackles
"A friend of mine works for an escape room and he told me one about a puzzle where the key to the next door was shackled to a desk by a combination lock. What you are supposed to do is figure out the combination for the lock from the clues around the room to free the key. What one group decided to do instead was get a guy on each corner and pick up the 150 pound desk and carry it across the room, slide the key into the lock, and then rotate the entire desk to unlock the door."
sharrrper
'Yale'
"I am not an escape room employee but I did a lot of em and talked to the employees often. One of them told me there was a simple lock (opened by a key) that had 'Yale' written on it (the name of the lock company) and a lady (not native English speaker) thought it read 'yell' and legit shouted 'OPEN!!' at it, expecting it to open."
Dorza1
searching the fountain...
"Recently went to an escape room with my co-workers. Before we started, we were explicitly warned not to touch or drink the bright blue water coming out of a fountain because it would turn our skin blue - clearly people had tried searching the fountain as part of the escape room previously and now they have to warn everyone."
babers1987
Voice of God
"I was in an escape room once where one puzzle involved some objects that needed to be manipulated inside a structure that made it very awkward."
"We were all looking at it trying to figure out how to proceed when I said 'Well, the bottom is held on with screws and I have a screwdriver in my purse, but that would probably be cheating.' Instantly the Voice of God came over the intercom 'THAT WOULD BE CHEATING!' So we didn't do that..."
Miss_Speller
Well people really do get creative at this game... don't they?
Reverse
"Had a group of engineers who were familiar with the style of the lock effectively reverse engineer the lock. They showed us how they did it afterwards."
Snowf1ake222
Smoked...
"When I was in one they told us several times that the fire extinguisher is NOT part of the puzzle. They said it so many times, I'm 98% sure someone once used it lol."
Zirael_Swallow
"I always wait to see if they say not to disassemble smoke detectors, if they have that warning, I ask about it, and every time they will always have a story about a dumby who ignored the warning labels and disassembled the smoke detector."
cleverplaydoh
Group of 4
"There was a story on here a while ago about a guy in a group of four who took a broom from the first room because 'it had to be for something.' He said it looked too out of place to not be needed. Well he was half right. It was out of place but that's because it was the broom used by employees to clean the room."
"It was simply forgotten when they cleaned last time. The guys giving hints thought it was hilarious that this guy carried a broom through four rooms expecting it to be the key to their escape at some point. I thought that was funny as hell."
PCCoatings
Damages...
"Take in a screwdriver and dismantling furniture or taking doors off hinges... all the while we specifically tell them not to use force and that furniture is just furniture. Though I don't care cause they gotta pay the damages. Also had some groups press our panic button cause that opens all the doors (for emergency cases)."
"So they can skip puzzles and be faster. Makes zero sense to us cause they are paying for an hour of playtime and to solve puzzles, not like the prize is reduced cause you solved less in fewer minutes. Especially since our prices aren't cheap."
karmasabitterpill
Idiots
"Breaking EVERYTHING. Trying to eat or drink things they should totally not be trying to eat or drink."
Radiant-Comb9058
Even though there are a million ways to escape, I'm still gonna pass. My claustrophobia won't allow it.
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Different cultures are fascinating and add color to our world.
While many cultures should be celebrated, there are some individuals who just can't help but reserve their opinions about those whose behavior and customs differ vastly from their own.
At the risk of coming off as offensive, some might even call these customs, "weird."
European culture got the spotlight when Redditor CoffeeBoy88 asked:
"What is something weird about Europe that Europeans don’t realize is weird?"

Apparently, there's never a dull moment in European nations.
"German tourists are OBSESSED with mooses."
"/A swede."
– worldkeeponspinning
No Offense
"The UK has 30 accents per square mile. And if a large man calls you duck in Stoke … that’s okay."
– InItsTeeth
Nighttime Exposure
"Norwegians don't close their curtains when it gets dark."
– judochop1
The Swarm
"The amount of mosquitos in Finland, Americans go crazy in Spring because of it."
– TheFargus
Redditors discuss what it's like traveling around Europe.
Come And Go As You Please
"How incredibly inconsequential it is to cross country borders. Cycled through France - Belgium - Netherlands and there is barely even a sign."
– sicknessandpurgatory
The Contrast
"You drive five hours in the US: you’re basically still in the same place."
"You drive five hours in Europe: everyone’s talking funny and the cheese is different."
– KaimeiJay
The Short Commute
"The first time I was in the UK my husband wanted to go to Wales and I looked at the train route from London and was like 'It’s all the way on the other side of the country! We’re only in the UK for a week. We don’t have that kind of time!' And my husband was all, 'you know it’s a 2.5 hour train ride, right?' I thought it would all day."
– KateDinNYC
Germans In Transport
"the absolute lack of air conditioning even at 40°, german transport gets sticky and stinky quite fast and nobody seems to care, many people even shut the windows to avoid the 'annoying breeze.'"
– ahorasimeaborregue
Maintaining distance was a thing long before pandemic measures recommended people to be socially distanced.
All About Respect
"Finnish people are silent, small talk doesn't exist. Their personal space larger than COVID-19 social distancing rules, and it's considered normal. Don't speak unless spoken to, and don't invade other people's personal space - it's seen as a sign of a respect."
"Those Finns, who haven't been to abroad or haven't met too many foreigners, don't often even recognize this behaviour being unusual in the global scale."
– RockNRollNBluesNJazz
The "Safety Coffee Cup"
"I'm from Finland and one European thing that all Finnish people hate is cheek kisses when greeting. Its mostly southern european thing but still. There is this saying in Finland that goes 'Everyone has their own safety coffee cup' meaning the closest distance someone should get to you should not be closer than your coffee cup when you're holding it."
– eelisonparas
Let Them Shop In Peace
"Weird at first but I appreciate and wish for it. It might be just a Germany thing but from what I’ve been told German Walmart failed because the North American style of customer service was very unliked. From the greeter at the door to clerks asking if you need help unprompted. German shoppers just want to shop and go home as undisturbed as possible."
– UnusualHospital9579
I remember being weirded out when I went to Paris and asked for some ice at a cafe.
The waiter served me coke by opening the room temperature can and poured some of the contents into an empty glass. With no ice.
When the server came back, he had with him a spoon with one ice cube on it. I thought it was stingy but it got worse.
He poured the rest of the coke over the ice on the spoon he was holding and then walked away with the ice and spoon.
I guess the coke was colder than when I had my first sip, so according to the server, it was viola: mission accomplished!
Do the French not like ice-cold beverages? Weird.
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Just because a therapist is there to expertly evaluate our emotional challenges throughout many of life's adversities and crises, it doesn't mean they always hold it together.
People tend to forget that therapists–the professional we seek for guidance when we're vulnerable–are also human and are just as prone to feeling the feels.
Curious to hear from therapists who've exposed their emotional vulnerabilities in front of their clients opened up when Redditor Unkw0n_pers0n asked:
"Therapist that have cried in a session, why?"

A patient who feels seen and understood reinforces why therapists endeavor to help people in the first place.
It Wasn't Her Fault
"I was working with a deeply depressed client who had a lot of negative self talk about how she was always a failure. We were exploring the origins of this and how young she was the first time she felt self-blame. She told me her earliest story of when she was in 2nd grade."
"Afterwards, as we were processing it, I expressed that 'it wasn't your fault' about the story. She just broke down sobbing and said 'nobody has ever said that to me before' in between sobs. It hit me and I cried a little."
– Ayzmo
Relatable Experience
"i cried after i worked with a kid who described an emotionally difficult situation with a sibling. the kid’s experience aligned very similarly to something i went through with my own sibling when i was the kid’s age and i hadn’t realized how much hurt i was carrying from the experience."
"being a therapist sometimes means being confronted with things you didn’t realize had such a strong impact on you. luckily, i have a stellar therapist of my own that i can work through these moments with."
– rejecteddroid
The Patient With A Disorder
"I was doing a cognitive assessment for a girl. We were doing tests and at one point she started crying she was unable to tell me why, she was fine just one moment before. I let her collect her thoughts, then she said softly 'I don't want to be more stupid than my friends'. She wasn't actually, she was very bright, but she didn't know that she has dyslexia, dysorthograpy AND dyscalculia. I realized that she went through THIRTEEN years of school without help. Her parents didn't want to do an assessment as they thought she was just lazy. I told her that she was very brave to decide to get help and things would get better after our assessment and I felt tears in my eyes."
"Edit: first of all, I have great empathy for parents, for most of all is just a matter of ignorance, fear and parenting is hard. If you are a parent and you see your kid struggling, PLEASE listen to professionists, we are here to help, not judge, and we will find ways to help you and your kid. Disorders don't go away, don't underestimate it, the sooner you get help, the better the outcome can be. It's ok to be scared but we're here for you and we understand you."
"Second, I'm really sorry to read so many heartbreaking stories about people that weren't believed and struggled being undiagnosed. I wish you all the best, I hope you are in a better situation and you got or you'll get all the help you deserve, because you do deserve it."
"Third, if you think 'something's wrong with me', get help if you are in a position to do so. Worst case you understand yourself better and have a chance do make peace with parts of yourself."
– ---honeybadger----
A patient who has already accepted their heartbreaking fate recalls seeing their therapist getting emotionally involved during a session.
A Mother Who Didn't Want To Let Go
"My therapist cried while 'mediating' a discussion between my mom and I. I have a neurodegenerative disease and she is my full time caregiver. Because of my severe disability, she also has legal guardianship of me, even though I am in my 20’s (this is all fine with me, I need the help, and I agreed in court to all of it. This was the first true 'disagreement' that we ever had.)"
"I am ready to die. I am in pain, unable to do anything for myself, and it’s only getting worse. I asked my mom to sign a DNR, because I have been resuscitated before, it was a mess, and I don’t want it to happen again."
"She refused. She doesn’t want to lose her child and wanted to do everything medically possible to keep me alive."
"The session was essentially me begging her to let me go, while she sobbed and said she could never sign a paper that would lead to my death. It was a terrible situation. No one was 'the bad guy', no one was trying to hurt the other. It was someone wanting their suffering to end, verses a mother not wanting to lose her child."
"My therapist agreed that I should be allowed to make this choice, but certainly didn’t think my mom was manipulative or evil, just already grieving and trying to hold on to me as long as possible. I saw her wipe her eyes several times, and they were red by the time we were done. She actually hugged us both at the end."
"The situation wasn’t resolved during the session, but my mom came around shortly after. She wouldn’t sign the DNR, but gave me legal permission to do so (so, in her mind, it wasn’t her making the final decision.)"
"BTW, my mom and I have a GREAT relationship! This was just one issue that we couldn’t come to an agreement on ourselves. But it worked out, and I’m now in palliative care and have a great team looking after me, INCLUDING my mom!"
– fightwithgrace
The following examples continue to demonstrate how therapists are more emotionally invested in their patients and clients than you think.
Responding To Tragic News
"I cried in a substance treatment group. A client’s mom had reached out via email to me to say that her daughter died from an OD. She called during my group so I chose to take the call and spoke with her briefly. I thought I could continue with the group. Ended up in tears instead."
– ChicagoOwls
She Patient Who Felt Unloved
"My patient cried and said 'there's nobody on this planet who loves me anymore.' I cried when I left because I knew she was right. For context: she was 95, her husband and son had died, she had a personality disorder that made her behaviour unbearable for her environment after her husband died and every person still in her life were paid for to be around her. She died a few months after this conversation."
It is unsurprising that therapists are compassionate people.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be in the room to help someone who is struggling internally.
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Much of the nation continues to reel from the news that a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will move to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
Many people remember what it was like in the days before women could seek an abortion; many innocent women died in the absence of proper medical care or were forced to birth children they could not afford, trapping them in poverty.
But could a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade signal the loss of other rights in the future, especially those decided on the right to privacy, on which Roe was hinged?
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor thisiscubes asked the online community,
"Americans of Reddit, what are your thoughts on Roe v. Wade being overturned by SCOTUS as per draft reports?"
"It was the single most traumatizing..."
"I used to be pro-life for the most part but felt abortion was necessary in certain situations (i.e. rape, incest, whatever). I thought I would have never had an abortion myself. I thought I could always give up the baby for adoption."
"Until I gave birth last month. It was the single most traumatizing experience I've ever gone through. I'm healthy and my pregnancy was not complicated but my heart stopped working after getting an epidural. I coded."
"Once they got me stabilized again, my baby then starting decompensating. They literally had to rip him out of me because I was too far along to convert to C-section."
"I still can't control feces leaking out of me, even 6 weeks later. What a quality of life improvement /s."
"I wanted this child so having my body absolutely wrecked for the safety of my child seemed worth it, despite the pain and complications I experienced from it."
"But now, having gone through that, I cannot imagine any woman being FORCED to go through what I went through. Against their will. So I’m pretty pro choice now."
tensorfascialatte
We are so sorry you had to go through that. We agree that giving birth can be harmful and traumatic, even for a wanted child, and no woman should have to go through that.
"I am currently..."
"I am currently in an OB triage hospital room waiting for a shot of methotrexate, which is considered an abortion."
"This pregnancy was so wanted. I had a miscarriage in February. I wanted this baby. But it is ectopic and it will kill me. And I am still crying so hard."
"My doctors have been amazing and caring and made this process so much easier. F*ck anyone who thinks the legal system needs to be involved here."
DuckDuckBangBang
We are so sorry you have to go through that. It’s none of the government’s business.
"Roe wasn't the start of abortions. It was the end of women dying from abortion."
badhmorrigan
We can't clap enough for this one.
"Get our your wallets..."
"You think our social services are overwhelmed now. Get out your wallets because there is about to be a generation of babies born where moms won't have the means to feed, clothe, and care for them."
milk2317
Sadly, this is all too true. It is a crisis in the making.
"My cousin had to terminate..."
"I had an abortion at 21 that saved my life. It was a terrifying and isolating experience, and the best decision I have ever made."
"My cousin had to terminate her pregnancy in the second trimester due to the fact that the fetus developed without a brain. She described the care she received as what kept her alive through her grief."
"If abortion was not an option, she would have had to carry to term."
I’m sick to my stomach over this. Women, especially women of color, are going to die."
kates6666
Sadly, the statistics are on your side on this. Many women, especially women of color, are going to die, and many children will grow up impoverished.
"Scared."
"Scared. I work with survivors of sexual violence. I am a survivor myself. I, and many other folks, have had our bodily autonomy stolen from us before. To see it on a federal level is horrifying."
ParticularAd2645
It is indeed frightening and survivors of sexual violence no doubt feel victimized alll over again.
"My daughter will never have..."
"As a woman, I will be legally lesser than males because I have a womb. My daughter will never have full autonomy over her body. Intersectionally speaking, women of color and under resourced women will bear the brunt of this. Nothing will change for white women of means."
LadyOfTheOddNight
White women of means can fly wherever they wish and get an abortion there. That will never change.
"The foster care system is proof the government doesn’t care about unwanted children yet want to force more to be born. It’s all politics though guarantee if any of them ever got in a sticky situation illegal or not an abortion will be had available."
jessiealabama
The United States' welfare system is also awful and that seems to be by design.
"My wife had a miscarriage last year. Because we were well past the point of most miscarriages (not quite to the stillbirth cutoff, but not far away), we were told the odds of my wife passing the fetus on her own were slim and that surgery was the safest option."
"We were required by law to acknowledge in writing that the procedure would terminate the (dead) fetus and that it came at risk of infertility and death. Our doctor was required to tell us the developmental age of the (dead) fetus and which developmental milestones occur around that time, as well as offer us an ultrasound to see the (dead) fetus."
"We cried the entire time. We desperately wanted this child. Our doctor cried, apologizing every step of the way that we had to go through this insensitive BS on top of losing the pregnancy."
"This fetus was dead in every sense of the word but because the procedure in question is also used for abortions we had to jump through these goddamn hoops to avoid putting my wife's health at risk."
"And it's not like my state doesn't offer alternatives for nonviable fetuses, conception due to rape or incest, or instances where health is at serious risk. This WAS the alternative. If we were actually getting an elective abortion it would have been significantly more time consuming and soul-crushing. You literally have to take an online course."
"Abortion access in this country is already a joke. All this is going to do is get people killed."
broganism
This is a heartbreaking story and we are sorry that you and your wife had to go through that.
As you can see, overturning Roe v. Wade has significant consequences. While the actual opinion will not be released until the summer, it's safe to say that the United States is entering a new era and that an entirely new wave of activism has begun.
Have some thoughts of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
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