People Share Their Best 'I Told You So' Experiences

People Share Their Best 'I Told You So' Experiences

As much as we're not supposed to feel satisfaction upon observing the struggles of other people, it can be hard to resist a silent, internal fist pump when some blunder occurs immediately after we tried to help the person prevent it.


It is all a result of stubbornness.

The person we're trying to help is stubborn. They think they know the best way to do something, or the exact information required for a given moment.

And, on top of that, they think we're being stubborn when we try to intervene.

So all of our attempts to help fall on deaf ears. And the results can be as calamitous as they are satisfying.

TenaciousBrit asked, "What's your 'I told you so' moment?"

Many people chose to talk about the times their friends or family ended up producing some truly entertaining physical comedy.

And the laughter was only enhanced with the knowledge that they'd just predicted the whole thing.

ZAP

"Was picking beans with my sister and mom. To this day I still don't know why the fence was electric but it was. I touched it and I got zapped. It wasn't too bad but it hurt. I jumped away and my sister saw me, I said that it was an electric fence."

"Of course she just thought I was pranking her. I was trying to tell her the whole time we picked beans but she didn't believe me. Right at the end she touched the fence and she didn't see it coming at all... Her face was just like, 'Oh shi-' "

"Loved the car ride home, 'I told you... Idiot.' "

-- SpecialChosenBoi

No Babies, Two Hurt Backs

"My sister and I were out sledding when we were kids at this place with a really steep hill. I had unknowingly gone down a sled path that had a jump in it, and when I landed it really hurt my back."

"So when I got back up to the top of the hill I told my sister 'don't go that way, the jump really hurts.' She called me a baby and didn't believe me that it really hurt so she decided she would go down that path on her sled."

"Well, she hit the jump and didn't get back up, turns out she fell so hard she had broken her leg. When we finally got her back up the hill and to the car, I got to tell her 'I told you so.' "

-- runner_available

Drenched.

"This dumb a**hole woman wouldn't leave the llamas at our petting zoo alone, even after I warned her."

"Eventually they had enough and spit alllll over her. Green goopy spit from head to torso."

"She threw up a bunch and I laughed. Until I smelled it and then I was retching too."

-- craxiom0

Others recalled the times they trusted their instincts, only to be gaslighted by medical professionals.

But they did, eventually, get the help they needed. And the mixture of pride and frustration toward the other doctor was palpable.

Non-MD Spouse

"Had a weirdly dark freckle. The color of chocolate. I showed spouse and he called me a hypochondriac and if I go to a doctor, I'd be wasting their time."

"I went to the dermatologist. It was melanoma."

-- weaponizedpastry

Years of Itchy Apples

"Since I was 14, my throat got itchy when I ate apples. I told my mom but she thought I just didn't want to eat apples and forced me to eat them."

"Went to the doctor's office and got a test for allergies."

"Turns out, I'm allergic to apples, peaches, and many other fruits."

-- CayonSalad

People Break Down The Best Loophole They've Ever Exploited

This Was a Baby We're Talking About Here!

"My newborn baby was projectile vomiting after every feeding. I took her to the doctor several times, always ended up being sent away with suggestions to try a different formula. I tried like 4 different ones, no change."

"The 4th or 5th visit, they sent me away again with the same recommendation even though I pleaded with them to figure out what was wrong with my baby. I left the office and drove to the ER instead. She ended up having emergency surgery that day."

"The surgeon said she would have starved to death (or maybe dehydrated?) had she gone much longer without the surgery. I gave the doctors in that office a piece of my mind."

-- regals_beagles

Dirt: Not Always the Answer

"Went to the doctor on and off for breathing problems to no avail. A lot of 'rub some dirt on it' mentality. Wound up in the ER as a result of an asthma attack. Kept the bracelet on and everything when I went back the next week to see him."

"Not as satisfying as I would've hoped."

-- matthewthegray

NOT Hookey

"I told my mom (who is a nurse) that I am sick and she said I was lying. After 2 months and a lot of blood coughed up she took me to the doctor. I had pneumonia and a double ear infection. I also had a bunch other issues that I can't really remember. I had to take 7 medications and have to use a nebulizer daily."

"That was the biggest I told you so moment I ever had."

And some people discussed the times they knew or predicted a piece of information, but couldn't seem to persuade someone else through dialogue or conversation.

But, of course, the truth always came out.

Chose the Wrong Partner

"Lawyer here. Fired a partner who I found some real irregularities in their spending habits vs. what they were making after he couldn't provide a good answer to where it came from. Other partner left and started a new firm with them because they disagreed with my decision and refused to look at the evidence."

"Turns out he stole 500k of a clients money, got disbarred, and is now facing prison time. I told her to look at the evidence and she didn't listen. 🤷🏼♂️"

-- bigwilliestylez

Sweet Victory

"Someone started talking about a bottle of Newman's Own salad dressing while at dinner with my family and I said something like 'I'm pretty sure that was started by the Actor/Race car driver Paul Newman.' to which one of my siblings replied 'No it was someone else.' "

"I grabbed the bottle and turned it around and started reading the label out loud. The first sentence was 'Paul Newman's career was acting, but his passion was auto racing.' I stopped reading after that."

-- Master_of_Beef_Stew

He Knew Immediately

"Bed frame wasn't properly lashed down while moving, partner insisted the weight of the frame would keep it in place."

"Flew into the middle of a major intersection on a left turn. We dodged four lanes of oncoming traffic to collect the pieces."

"I fixed my partner with a look that could peel paint, and he said 'I know, I know, you told me so and you're right. I'm sorry.' "

"I still give him sh** for it every time we move something. It's funny now, but god damn was I pissed at the time."

-- SynchronizedCalamity

Power Blinders

"Any time I'm asked to give an expected time to deliver on a project, give an honest assessment, and then told that estimate seems too large and the bosses give a much shorter timeframe."

"My original estimation is nearly always the more accurate of the two. Why ask questions you don't want to know the answer to anyway?"

-- calabain

Coulda Used That

"I spent months telling my mother to get a dash camera, I even sent her a link to a cheap one on Amazon so she would at bare minimum have something, some time later she got a new car and in less than a week she got into an accident (she was fine), but because she couldn't prove that the other driver was at fault their insurance company would only pay for some of the damage (car was totaled)."

"The worst part is that she still hasn't gotten a damn camera..."

-- DHA_Matthew

Believe the Dog Owner

"I once owned a dog who was very stubborn and independent. She lived a feral life in the mountains as a young pup, and I feel like that played a role. She felt more like a roommate than a pet."

"She was having heart trouble when she got older so she had to get a chest scan at the vet. These two men came out to get her, so I gave them a heads up that she would absolutely dislike being flipped on her back and held there for the scan (flipping a dog on it's back is putting it in a pretty submissive position)."

"One of the guys interrupted me and basically said they were professionals and I had to just let them work. They snapped a muzzle on her and took her to the back."

"A few seconds pass, then I hear a crash and a few yells. One of the guys who took her comes out and sheepishly asks for my help."

"It turns out as soon as they flipped her on her back she kicked out of their arms, unclipped her muzzle, removed it with her front paws, then made a mad dash for freedom."

"I caught her roaming around the back of the vet's office and she was perfectly well behaved while I held her for the scan. I felt bad for two guys she escaped from, but I had tried to warn them."

-- MrBigTimeJim

Talked Out

"I've talked about this cheating scandal at my high school before. Something I never mentioned was my friend was about to ask for the answers to a test that he really needed."

"Told him not to do it, wasn't worth and all. Thankfully, he didn't do it. When the whole scandal came out, three kids got expelled, eight suspended, I know a dozen more were caught but I don't know what happened to them. My friend's teacher ended up giving him and a few other kids an A just for being honest. Apparently, he was one of the few kids in that class that didn't cheat."

-- Hidden24


We can draw a couple of lessons from this list.

First, know that, at the end of the day, you can only do your best to share your opinion. You need to accept that they're going to do what they're going to do.

Second, when someone tries to give you advice, maybe take a moment to listen.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Teacher standing in front of a classroom
Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

It's a teacher's job to leave a lasting impression and set a good example for their students.

With this in mind, particularly in this age of viral videos and social media, teachers have to be very careful of what they say during class hours.

Even so, there are very few teachers who haven't said something they've regretted when teaching a class.

Sometimes to control unruly students, other times when they've simply had enough.

Then too, sometimes teachers leave their students baffled and perplexed by what they say in their classroom, well aware of what they were saying.

Always making for a memorable story.

Keep reading...Show less
woman in white crew neck t-shirt sitting on gray sofa
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

As a kid, I never raised alarm bells even when I started to feel sick. My mom got stressed easily and was busy taking care of my younger brother, so I never wanted to be a burden by making her take me to the doctor only to find out nothing was wrong.

However, in fifth grade, my ears started to hurt and I knew something was wrong. I told my mom, she took me to the doctor, and I found out I had an ear infection.

Now, an ear infection isn't serious at all, and it was easily treatable. Still, I learned something from that experience: no one knows your body better than you. You know if and when you're sick and how serious it is, even if you don't now exactly what is wrong.

Redditors can corroborate this. Many of them have experienced symptoms that told them they were sick in some way -- usually with a very serious illness -- and are ready to share those experiences.

Keep reading...Show less
A couple holds hands on a date, candlelit table and two glasses of red wine
Photo by René Ranisch on Unsplash

When in the beginning stages of dating, it's important to know as much as humanly possible.

The element of surprise is no longer a fun aspect of romance.

Ask the small questions. Ask the hard questions.

Interrogate. Grill. Investigate.

Of course, you should do it with a subtle hand instead of an interrogation lamp.

The truth is all we have.

Ask everything.

Keep reading...Show less
Woman letting go of boyfriend's hand
Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash

As much as we always hop for our dating efforts to be worth it and for every relationship to work out, we all know that some relationships are not destined to work out.

But sometimes relationships end for totally valid reasons, and sometimes the reasons are painful, if not devastating.

Keep reading...Show less