Nothing screams "I have no power" more than your mom's extremely bizarre and/or undesirable BF when you're like 7 years old.
Okay so first let's acknowledge how hard single parenting must be. I barely manage to eek out cooking for 1, being on time for doctor appointments, and not spending my money almost entirely on band t-shirts so I can't save any money.
But when your head's on fire taking care of work, yourself, and your--possibly multiple--kids, it might put your love life in a total fugue state.
u/lifeingminor asked, Children of single parents, who was the worst person your parent has dated?
Major Beefcake
My mom dated this guy named Rick. He always smelled like beef. All the time. He would come over and the living room reeked of BEEF!! I would beg my mom to let me leave whenever he came over but she said that would be rude. So I just had to be in the same house with that rotting meat basket called a man. He was over one morning when i had a late start. I went to school and a girl called me "Beef Bitch". I cried for hours. Rick and my mom broke up because he got a job in another state and they hadn't been dating too long so they decided to split up. My mom still wont tell me why he smelled like beef. She says it's his personal business
Giphy
Picturing This One in Those Candy Cane Stripes
Ronnie, He was a carny that my mother met at the local fair....whirlwind relationship that didn't last long, he didn't appreciate being dumped. He broke into the basement of out house late at night and used a set of tires and gasoline to start a fire under the stairs......I woke up in a house fire.
I taught my kids to tie their shoes and never trust a carny
Giphy
They Were Outta Dip, I Didn't Know What Else To Bring
This woman brought a loaded pistol to a party my dad was at because she couldn't get in contact with him (this was before cell phones)
What is Convenient About Marrying Elvis??
A a semi famous at the time Elvis impersonator/singer for a band that had some success and he's incredibly cocky and arrogant. My mom ended up marrying him but they live in different states and only see one another here and there. It turned out to be a marriage of convenience after a few years.
Giphy
It's the Cat That Gets Me With This One
One wanker called Darren. I have a viral infection once that mimmiced meningitis and he kept banging on about if I died he wasn't cleaning it up and that I may need a wheelchair. I punched him once when he tried throwing my cat outside into the rain. He's fu**ed off now thank god
And How Exactly Did She Expect That to Happen?
My dad started dating a woman who firmly believed that I was part of his "old life" and that he needed to cut ties with me.
I was 14 and became terrified my mum would find someone who would do the same, and I'd end up with no family.
Specific About a 10 Year Old is a BAD SIGN
Some guy she met at a bar. He was really interested in meeting her children; specifically 10 year old me. Within two hours of him coming into the house he had invited us all out to a nude beach nearby. It was very freeing, he insisted, and he thought I would love it there. Mom didn't make him leave the house for the night, and I slept in her room with the door locked.
Old Flames
My mom got back together with her old high school boyfriend for whatever reason. Guy was like 60 but looked about a minute away from death. Super lanky, reeked of cigarettes. Not a bad guy but his general hygiene and health made him hell to be around.
Who In God's Name is This Person's Uncle
His name was Jeremy, the only man my mother ever had around me. He would beat me and try to bribe me with toys, but I wasn't a normal child, I wasn't interested in toys and couldn't be manipulated. A very long story short, I told my big uncle, the criminal, the one that was fiercely protective of my mother and I and Jeremy was literally never seen or heard from again. Whatever my uncle did to make him go he did a damn fine job, he made sure I knew he was always there for me.
Polite, I guess?
My mom dated a guy named Mike, he had this weird rule that when he called the house (this is 1997-98 before we had caller ID) he would let it ring twice, hang up and call again when we would be good to answer it. I was probably 10 during this, I remember not liking him and would answer the phone first ring every time just to piss him off. He wasn't a bad guy, just a giant douche.
The Spook!
The spook. My mom had a thing for government operatives during the Vietnamese war, particularly this guy Roy. Once when I was on the phone too long and she out with him and was trying to reach me, he had the phone company operator break into my conversation and put her on the phone to me. He was also running operations in Cambodia and Laos. Creepy guy.
Just As Fast As He Came In
Definitely the guy, who after over a year of dating my mom and seemingly caring for both her and I, called her one night and said he never loved her and to not contact him again. No signs showing this is how he felt. He broke my mom for awhile. I definitely wanted to find him.
Thumb Ring's are Strange Beasts
I mean there were so many but I think it's a tie between the pathological lier, the one with anger management issues and the weed addict with the thumb ring.
Woah.
My dad DATED this lady that had like 4 kids. They lived with us for a couple months cause their "apartment wasn't ready". It was weird. Also she's the lady my dad cheated on my mom with and she cheated on her husband.
Little of the Secret Sauce in There
My father dated a weird lady who used to casually tell me how he was an amazing lover (I was like 9, so disturbing). I'm also pretty sure she tried to kill me once. She had really long fake nails and "lost" one as she was making cabbage rolls but didn't say anything until after I almost chocked to death on it. My choking did not seem to surprise her one bit, she didn't move a muscle to try to help me or even apologize after.
Giphy
Dammit, Chad
"Chad" is the only swear word in our house. Our mom used to date this douchebag when my littlest brother was a couple years old, and sadly he picked up some of his habits. Funniest thing was is this a**hole got karma big time. He adored his cars so much and every time he got a new one he'd hit a deer.
Giphy
At Least You Can All Go Out for a Drink
My dad is currently dating a girl my age. He's 53 we're 22. So there's that.
Walter White as a Stepdad
He turned out to be a high profile dude related with crimes. I can literally search his name on google and articles about his deeds will appear.
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
fire burning GIFGiphy"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
