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People Share Their Creepiest Experiences At Summer Camp

People Share Their Creepiest Experiences At Summer Camp
Photo by Josh Campbell on Unsplash

Summer camps can be a place where kids form some of the best memories. In contrast, without proper oversight summer camps can lead to some disturbing experiences. From unlikely accidents to scare tactics, some people may not reflect on their time spend fondly.

We had an excellent summer camp close to where I grew up, we went every year and it was amazing. One summer stuck out more than the rest and looking back was a bit creepy. The speakers at that year's bike camp were, let's say, conservative. We had the example give that when we (a group of 12/13-year-olds) sin that God a big ultimate being hates it and will then oppose us. Fire, brimstone, gnashing of teeth, you can fill in the rest.


There was a path down a wooded hillside where logs had been put into the side ending in a fire pit at the bottom. Kind of like a christen camp amphitheater. One night in an act of "cleansing" following a sermon like mentioned above, we were instructed to burn anything that wants of God. These were emblems on t-shirts, fiction books that spoke of magic, and entire CD collections worth hundreds of dollars. One parent threatened to sue after their was encouraged to daughter burn one such collection. I'm not sure if they still officially do this but looking back the brainwashing techniques used were seriously creepy.

Redditor whatsthatpidge wanted to hear more unnerving experiences and asked:

"People who have gone to summer camp as a child, what was your creepy/scary experience?"

Some nightmare fuel...

Went on a camping trip. I was one of the first ones out of the bus and had to use the public bathroom. I notice a few daddy long legs on the wall outside the bathroom and think nothing if it. I open the door and am immediately greeted by thousands if not millions of daddy long legs that are covering the bathroom from top to bottom. (The bathroom was big as well, like 3 stalls and 3 urinals.)”

“That and coupled with the fact that our camp counselors were sadistic and told us pre-teens a bunch of scary stories then jumped out of the woods in the middle of the night screaming with bloody Jason masks. I stayed in my tent most of the time after that.” krill482

Too close for comfort.

As a 13 year old kid, I went out into the woods at like 1am with a headlamp to pee, just immediately behind my cabin, because I didn't want to walk to the wash house. While I'm peeing, I look forward and see a large bear, just staring at me. Would have pissed myself if not for the fact that I was already peeing.”

“Either way, I just finished my stream while he stared at me, and walked backwards back to the cabin. He turned around and walked away, but there was no chance in hell that I would turn my back on a bear and run the other way.“ thevetrenairygamer

Moving Pictures Reaction GIF Giphy

Intruder alert!

“My youth group stayed at a camp site for a weekend trip. We were all in the cabin playing card games when someone with a gorilla suit ran by the cabin and started banging on the door. It really freaked everyone out because it was no one in our group. They came back a couple times until one of the adults confronted the person and they ran away. They never found out who the person was.” iBTGx43

“Helen Keller could have pointed out the breaks on my x-rays."

We were playing soccer and someone shattered my leg, broke it in 8 places. There was no swelling so they said I was faking it and they wouldn't take me to the hospital, they sent me back to my cabin for the night. I hopped around for a day but the next night I was in too much pain to sleep so I limped to the nurses office, broke in and took a handful of benadryl just so I could sleep.”

“That night, a group was doing an overnight in a three sided shelter and decided to have a peanut butter fight before bed. One kid fell asleep with peanut butter in his hair and woke up when a skunk walked into the shelter and pulled a piece of his scalp out.”

The kid punted the skunk out of the shelter, which caused it to spray everyone on the overnight. So they "had" to take the kid for rabies shots so they "might as well" take me along to get x-rays since they were going anyway. Helen Keller could have pointed out the breaks on my x-rays.” Gnarbuttah

Freezing temps...

“My camp counselor thought it'd be a good idea to take her group of 11 year old's out of the warm cabin we were sleeping in and instead sleep overnight on the outdoor stage they used for camp plays. It must've been 10 degrees out. I was so cold, it was unbearable.”

“I couldn't conserve any body heat bc I had a stick for a body and my sleeping bag wasn't made for that type of camping. I remember being tense and scrunched up in a ball. Every movement I made was like dipping my legs in ice. The outside of my sleeping bag was wet and cold from condensation which made it worse. Eventually we walked back at 4am bc all the kids couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't creepy but it was scary to be so so cold and tired in the dark. I still remember it!” 211adderall

They made her sit in the sun and wouldn't allow her to have any water...”

“I went to girls scout camp when I was around 8 years old, so around 2001. All the counselors were young twenty year olds. There was a girl in my group who did something to piss off the counselors, I don't remember what but I know it was minor. It was the middle of summer and super hot, and she was moderately overweight. They made her sit in the sun and wouldn't allow her to have any water as punishment. They were terrible people, made me super afraid of them as a kid.” rhaianon19

“...kid holding a arrow at full draw and lets go...”

“Went to a boys scout summer camp in the mid-late 90's. They had an archery range where we all were learning how to shoot. They were big on safety, but it was the 90's so..... Anyways everyone shoots, and we are down range getting our arrows then we hear someone yell out in the covered shooting area.”

“I look up and see the semi special needs kid holding a arrow at full draw and lets go. Hits the kid standing 5 feet from me in the arm. Its chaos every ones running around and screaming. The kid with an arrow stick out of him is just standing there in shock. next year there was no more archery training.” streetmitch

camp archery GIF by Capital District YMCA Giphy

“...the reason we were in the woods was so that he wouldn't find us at the cabin.”

​“I was about 12 and I was at sleep-away camp and the councilors took us on a hike into the woods for a night. When it came time to go to bed, of course none of us were actually falling asleep and we overheard the councilors talking about the police looking for someone.”

“We later learned one of the kids was in the middle of a serious custody battle and that the dad was planning on taking the kid and that the reason we were in the woods was so that he wouldn't find us at the cabin. No idea if it was actually dangerous, but looking back it definitely is unsettling.” atlantis_airlines

Tornado warning...

“Stayed at a week-long camp in the early 80s, our cabins were a mix of old (lumber, built in the 40s or 50s) and new (cinder block from the 70s). A series of storms hit one night and my (old) cabin was shaking like a ship at sea.”

“A camp director banged on our door and told us to grab a sleeping bag, a pillow, a jacket and our shoes, and we hiked (mostly in the dark) to the Rec center basement. Tornado sirens were blaring and we could hear (but not see) trees crashing in the woods around us. We made it and hunkered down thru the storms, but that walk was the longest half mile of my life.” bladel

That had to hurt...

​“During scout camp I had a tree branch fall on my head. I was under tree when I heard a cracking noises above me. I could tell it wasn't safe so I attempted to move somewhere safer, and I guess the universe had it out for me because I only made it about four feet before the branch landed squarely on my head. Luckily it wasn't that big and was soft from being rotten so it didn't cause any major damage, did hurt like heck though and put me in a lot of shock.” saneolo

Dark figures at Camp Howard...

“I was about 10 years old. I went to a summer-camp in Oregon named Camp Howard. (Since some people have called my stories into question in the past, here's their web page: https://www.cyocamphoward.org/home )”

“This was summer 1994. The camp is a Catholic Youth Camp, but really feels more like every traditional summer-camp you might see in movies. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to go skinny-dipping, over-the-top camp-fire horror stories, all manner of activities, it was a blast.”

“This story concerns said late-night skinny dipping. 4 of us boys really hit it off. Nothing erotic, just as a disclaimer here, just that we all had similar thoughts and comfort about being nude around one another. Our cabin was near the old pool, dating back to ww2.”

“It was concrete, old, and mostly still and moving water. They had a proper lake, but none of us felt comfortable walking that far in the dark. They also had a brand-new swimming pool, but that was fenced off and had a security buoy that would screech if something disturbed it too much.”

“It was about 2 weeks into my stay (Howard offered longer blocks back then), when my new ‘camp besties’ decided some midnight skinny-dipping was in order. For the purposes of the story, I'm going to name then Sean, John, and Eric. Sean was like me in both looks and attitude.”

“Both loved pretty much the exact same things. John and Eric were quite friendly and open-minded, but our interests were a bit off outside of swimming without clothing. John loved country-music, horseback riding, and model building (I'm not), and Eric was into hardcore-Gangsta-Rap, Basketball, and DC Comics (I'm not). Sean could've been my brother.”

“Both of us were raised in very nurturing and progressive families, we both loved the same music, video games, comics, books, the work. And, both of us had discovered we were gay at an early age, so there was also that going for us.”

“The 4 of us snuck out like ninjas in the night (I was skinny as a rail back then, and quite adept at sneaking), and my eyes have always been exceptional in anything other than total darkness. Meaning no light particles at all. So, I didn't really need a flashlight, though we took one just to be safe. Our plan was to go, strip, swim, then get out and walk the trails just a little in the buff to air-dry, then return to our beds unnoticed.”

We made it to the pool, undetected. We chucked our clothes and began to swim. Sean and I sat next to one another, and were talking about boys we liked back home. Eric and John were in the middle of a 'who can hold their breath the longest' contest."

Sean was telling me about this boy in class he was sweet on, but was too afraid to ask him out or anything. I said we're still 10, lets worry about dating in high school. He agreed, worried that there might be some law or something he'd be breaking anyway."

“It was very shortly afterward that Sean put his hand on my chest, hard. I want to re-state, this wasn't a romantic advance, it's that 'oh my god' kind of slap to the chest. Much like a parent would to prevent someone from walking into danger.“

"'Oh my god. Someone's out there.' Sean shivered. (Note, the water was cold, but not freezing. It was still around 80°F outside, so I figured if I wasn't shivering then everyone else should be fine, right?) 'Where?' I asked. Sean pointed and even grabbed my chin to point me in that direction."

He was right. Even in the dark, at around say the 6-foot to 6 and a half foot height were a pair of eyes and a shadowy shape of a man. The eyes, behaved much like a cat's when it reflects light, that animal like yellow-green in the dark, yet it was at the height of a man."

Sean and I whisper to John and Eric to get over to us. They do, and we show them the shadow. John damn near screamed, but just did that sudden squeak and slapped his hands over his mouth. Eric uttered an obscenity, and wondered if it was a counselor on night patrol.”

“We asked, why wouldn't they have said anything then. Shine a flashlight, yelled ‘hey you kids!’ or something. Eric insinuated something fairly dark, that I won't repeat, but the irony of telling Eric that his argument didn't hold water isn't lost on me. Sean asked what we should do.”

“I said, we grab our clothes, and run. We hold hands so nobody gets lost, and we book it. I said I'd take the lead since my nightvision is the best. We get close to our cabins, throw our cloths back on, climb back into the cabin and get into bed.”

Turns out generations of kids have seen this same apparition.

They agreed. I counted to 3, and we ran. We grabbed our clothes. I hadn't thought to put our sandals back on, so, let me tell you running on that trail hurt for days after. We ran, looking over our shoulder.”

The figure seemed to be following, but still getting further and further away. We made it to the ‘rally point’, got dressed, and climbed into the cabin. We slipped back into our bunks, and no one was the wiser. Every now and again, while walking to camp-fire, we'd swear we'd catch glimpses of the figure.”

All summer long, it was this eerie presence. My counselor one night sat the 4 of us down. He noticed a drastic change in our moods/behaviors. We said we'd tell but we don't want to get in trouble. He said he wouldn't, on the contingent we fess up.”

“We told him the whole thing. We admitted to sneaking out, the skinny dipping, and the shadow-figure. At first, he laughed. He told us that he started going to Howard back in the 70's, and sneaking out to skinny dip was practically tradition among young boys - and we shouldn't do it, but he said it was really a no-harm-no-foul instance.”

“His expression darkened, and he confessed that as far back as 1978, the last year he attended as a youth, he also saw the same figure. He told us that he told his counselor roughly the exact same story. He and a much larger group of boys had snuck out for a skinny-dip, when they also saw the figure.”

“My counselor said, that his counselor told roughly the exact same story from when he was a camper there. In the end, we've learned that as far back as the 1960's, this phantom has appeared near the upper pool, very late at night.” Damionstjames

Good old-fashioned Bible camp yep...

“I grew up going to Baptist church and school. Summer camps were the church camp. One night while we were in the small amphitheater around the campfire (I think I have that camp photo bear the beginning of my post history), listening to some riling sermon, some girl started whispering to others that she saw the devil coming up out of the flames.”

As it spread through the kids (8-12 yr olds) girls started crying and screaming, and group hysteria took over and I still remember everyone running as a giant panicked mob across the camp grounds, back to the cabins, passing the farm area where the devil was now slaughtering pigs that we heard squealing.”

It was ~40 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. I drove up to the camp last summer with my dog to look around. It's all exactly as I remember it. Church camp. Good times.reubal

Fire Burn GIF by Burger Records Giphy

“...watching them try to shake her limp body awake...”

My girl scout troop went camping one year, and stayed in the same area as another troop. I went with 3 girls from the other troop to go hang out in the woods by the lake next to camp. I was sitting under a tree reading, and the other 3 were climbing up this big tree that had fallen sideways.”

“They'd gotten up on this huge branch, and one girl wanted to keep going while the other 2 wanted to stop. So she started trying to climb over the other two. I heard a scream, and looked over just in time to see the girl who'd been climbing over falling out of the tree, straight on her back.”

“She hit hard and didn't move when she landed. We all scrambled over to her, and she wasn't moving or responding. The other two kept insisting that she's a prankster and must be faking. When she finally came to and started crying, they finally realized how serious this was. She miraculously didn't break anything and only had a concussion, but I will never be able to forget watching them try to shake her limp body awake and thinking that I had watched someone die.” JeSiusShortie522

People are f**ked up."

Stayed at a YMCA camp in the Texas Hill Country (Kerrville) in the 1970's. In high school I worked one of those jobs cleaning tables at the picnic court in the local mall. An obese man came to the mall one day and he knew my boss. I told my boss that I recognized same obese guy from when I was at summer camp.”

“When this guy found out I remembered him, we reminisced for a few minutes. He then asked me if I wanted to go with him to Vegas and make some good money. I politely declined.”

“I realized right there and then that when I was at summer camp with my friends that we were surrounded by pedophiles. They were eventually arrested a few years later. People are f**ked up.” EK92409

walked in the girls cabin and watched them sleep...”

This happened when I was 10, my parents sent me to summer camp when I got on the bus going to the campsite our camp counselor was like a old dude in his late 40s , one night I decided to go the the restrooms to pee while I was walking by the girls cabins I noticed that the counselor walked in the girls cabin and watched them sleep for 15 mins and walked out, he saw me and said ‘dont tell anyone’ I ran back to out cabin.”

The next night I saw the counselor walked back to his cabin and I noticed that he left his bag outside, curious I peeked through the window to make sure his asleep and he is, I opened the bag only to see girls underwear, when I got home from summercamp I told my parent of what happened and they called the cops to start an investigation it turns out that the man was a child pedophile and rapist. I was left traumatized for 7 years after that incident.” Crying_Child_2015

Encounter with a brown recluse...

My trip to a local two week summer camp. Everyone had bunk beds. So, the guy I was going to be sharing the bed with and I decided to play Rock Paper Scissors for the top bunk. He beat me. Well, fast forward to the next evening and he got bit by a Brown Recluse on his hand.”

“His skin had become necrotic (turning black and beginning to fall off) around the bite and he was taken away in an ambulance. I never found out if he ended up being okay. I also slept in a different cabin after that. F**k Brown Recluses.” ComcastDirect

Arson and a machete at church camp...​

Church camp I think freshman or sophomore year of high school. One of the other church pastor's grandson and a couple of his friends were attending that year and they were a little troubled. Started out with small pranks, knocking on doors at 1AM, toothpaste on handles etc. All in good fun we thought But then they caught the carpet outside our door on fire, somehow cut the power in the dorms we were in, and on the last night they began wander the halls in scream masks holding machetes.”

They got reported and rooms were searched. The friends of the grandson pretty much flipped on him immediately and in his room were the machetes and a loaded gun amongst party favors. He booked it and was on the run the entire night. Cops found him the next morning looking like he'd been sleeping in a thornbush.” FleetRiskSoultions

Creepy counselers...

“A grown a**, like 30+ yo male counselor standing in our cabin in total darkness and observing us quietly for like 20 minutes ‘waiting for us to fall asleep’ because we ‘were making noise after the curfew’. The thing is we were quiet before he went into our cabin, just had our lights on for late reading/brushing teeth etc.”

We were 13 yo girls back then, and we started arguing with him so he finally left but after that I slept with a heavy flashlight under my pillow for a few days in case he decided to get closer to us. I'm not sure why we didn't say anything to other camp counsellors, it was recently that I recalled this memory and realised how creepy he was” swietlistosc

If one thing is for certain after reading these accounts, parents really need to research and review camps before sending the kids away. Yikes!

Jobs That Seem Easy But Are Actually Incredibly Challenging

Reddit user CeleryLover4U asked: 'What's a job or profession that seems easy, but is incredibly challenging?'

Woman stressed at work
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

When we hear about other people's jobs, we've surely all done that thing where we make assumptions about the work they do and maybe even judge them for having such an easy or unimportant job.

But some jobs are much harder than they look.

Redditor CeleryLover4U asked:

"What's a job or profession that seems easy but is incredibly challenging?"

Customer Service

"Anything customer-facing. The public is dumb and horrendous."

- gwarrior5

"My go-to explanation is, 'Anyone can do it, but few can do it for long.'"

- Conscious_Camel4830

"The further I get in my corporate career, the less I believe I will ever again be capable of working a public-facing job. I don’t know how I did it in the past. I couldn’t handle it in the present."

"I know people are only getting worse about how they treat workers. It is disturbing, embarrassing, and draining for everyone."

- First-Combination-12

High Stakes

"A pharmacist."

"You face the public. Your mistake can literally kill someone."

- VaeSapiens

"Yes, Pharmacist. So many people think their job is essentially the same as any other kind of retail worker and they just prepare prescriptions written by a doctor without having to know anything about them."

"They are very highly trained in, well, pharmacology; and it's not uncommon for a pharmacist to notice things like potentially dangerous drug interactions that the doctor hadn't."

- Worth_University_884

Teaching Woes

"Two nuggets of wisdom from my mentor teacher when I was younger:"

"'Teaching is the easiest job to do poorly and the hardest job to do well,' and 'You get to choose two of the following three: Friends, family, or being a good teacher. You don't have enough time to do all three.'"

"We all know colleagues or remember teachers who were lazy and chose the easy route, but any teacher who is trying to be a good teacher has probably sacrificed their friends and their sleep for little pay and a stressful work environment. There's a reason something like half quit the profession within the first five years."

- bq87

Creativity Is "Easy"

"Some creative professions, such as designers, are often perceived as 'easy' due to their creative nature. However, they may face the constant need to find inspiration, deal with criticism, and meet deadlines."

- rubberduckyis

"EVERYBODY thinks they are a designer, up until the point of having to do the work. But come critique time, mysteriously, EVERYBODY IS A F**KING DESIGNER AGAIN."

"The most important skill to have as a designer is THICK SKIN."

- whitepepper

Care Fatigue Is Real

"Care work."

"I wish it could be taken for granted that no one thinks it's easy. But unfortunately, many people still see it as an unskilled job and have no idea of the many emotional complexities, or of how much empathy, all the time, is needed to form the sorts of relationships with service users that they really need."

- MangoMatiLemonMelon

Physical Labor Generally Wins

"I’m going to say most types of unskilled labor and that’s because there’s such little (visible) reward and such a huge amount of bulls**t. I’ve done customer service, barista, sales, serving, etc; and it was all much harder than my cushy desk job that actually can be considered life or death."

- anachronistika

Their Memory Banks Must Be Wild

"I don't know if I'd call it incredibly challenging, but being one of those old school taxi drivers who know the city like the back of his hand and can literally just drive wherever being told nothing but an address is pretty impressively skilled."

"Not sure if it's still like this, but British cabbies used to be legendary for this. I'm 40 and I don't think most young people appreciate how much the quality of cab service has gone down since the advent of things like Uber."

"Nowadays it's just kind of expected that a rideshare/cab driver doesn't know exactly where you're trying to get and has to rely on GPS directions that they often f up. Back when I was in college, cabbies were complete experts on their city."

"More even than knowing how to get somewhere, they could also give you advice. You could just generally describe a type of bar/club/business you're looking for, and they'll take you right to one that was spot on. Especially in really big cities like NYC."

- Yak-Mak-5000

Professional Cooking

"Being a chef."

- Canadian_bro7

"I would love to meet the person who thinks being a chef is easy! I cook my own food and it’s not only OK to eat but I make a batch of it so I have some for later. So, to make food that is above good and portion it correctly many times a day and do it consistently with minimal wastage (so they make a profit), strikes me as extremely difficult."

- ChuckDeBongo

Team Leading, Oof

"Anything that involves a lot of people skills and socializing. I thought these positions were just the bulls**t of sitting in meetings all day and not a lot of work happening but having to be the one leading those meetings and doing public speaking is taxing in a way I didn’t realize."

- Counterboudd

Not a Pet Sitter At All

"Veterinary Technician."

"Do the job of an RN, anesthesiology tech, dental hygienist, radiology tech, phlebotomist, lab tech, and CNA, but probably don’t make a living wage and have people undervalue your career because you 'play with puppies and kittens all day.'"

- forthegoddessathena

Harder Than It Looks!

"Sometimes, when my brain is fried from thinking and my ego is shot from not fixing the problem, I want to be a garbage man... not a ton of thinking, just put the trash in the truck, and a lot of them have trucks that do it for you!"

"But if the robot either doesn't work or you don't have one on your truck, it smells really bad, the pay isn't what it used to be, you might find a dead body and certainly find dead animal carcasses... and people are id**ts, overfilling their bags, just to have them fall apart before you get to the truck, not putting their trash out and then blaming you, making you come back out."

"Your body probably is sore every day, and you have to take two baths before you can kiss your wife..."

"Ehh, maybe things are not so bad where I am."

- Joebroni1414

Twiddling Thumbs and Listening

"Therapist here. I’ve always said that it’s pretty easy to be an okay therapist—as in, it’s not that hard to listen to people’s problems and say, 'Oh wow, that’s so hard, poor you.'"

"But to be a good therapist? To know when your client is getting stuck in the same patterns, or to notice what your client isn’t saying? To realize that they’re only ever saying how amazing their spouse is, and to think, 'Hmm, nobody’s marriage is perfect, something’s going on there'?"

"To be able to ask questions like, 'Hey, we’ve been talking a lot about your job, but what’s going on with your family?' And then to be able to call them on their s**t, but with kindness and empathy? Balancing that s**t is hard."

"Anybody can have empathy, but knowing when to use empathy and when and how to challenge someone is so much harder. And that’s only one dimension of what makes being a therapist challenging."

- mylovelanguageiswine

Constant Updates

​"For the most part, my job is really easy (marketing tech). But having to constantly stay on top of new platforms, new tech, updates, etc etc is exhausting and overwhelming and I really hate it."

"Also, the constant responsibility to locate and execute opportunities to optimize things and increase value for higher-ups. Nobody in corporate roles can ever just reach a point of being 'good enough.' More and better is always required."

"Just some of the big reasons I’m considering a career change."

- GlizzyMcGuire_

Performing Is Not Easy

"Performing arts and other types of art. People think it’s a cakewalk or 'not a real job,' not realizing the literal lifetime of training, rejection, and perseverance that it takes to reach a professional level and how insanely competitive those spaces are."

- ThrowRA1r3a5

All About Perception

"I suspect everything fits this. Consider that someone whose job is stacking boxes in a warehouse has to know how to lift boxes, how many can be stacked, know if certain ones must be easily accessible, know how to use any equipment that is used to move boxes around."

"Not to mention if some have hazardous or fragile materials inside, if some HAVE to be stacked on the bottom, if a mistake is made and all the boxes have to be restacked, etc."

"But everyone else is like, 'They're just stacking boxes.'"

- DrHugh

It's easy to make assumptions about someone else's work and responsibilities when we haven't lived with performing those tasks ourselves.

This gave us some things to think about, and it certainly reminded us that nothing good comes of making assumptions, especially when it minimizes someone else's experiences.

Left-handed person holding a Sharpie
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Many of us who are right-handed never even think about how the world is designed to cater to us.

It probably doesn't even cross your mind that 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

Because of this, there tends to be a stigma for being left-handed since society tends to associate the left with negative things.

For example, the phrase "two left feet" applies to those who are clumsy and therefore, incapable of dancing.

Curious to hear more about the challenges facing those with the other dominant hand, Redditor johnnyportillo95 asked:

"What’s something left-handed people have to deal with that right-handed people wouldn’t even think about?"

If only manufacturers appealed to an ambidextrous world.

Furniture Obstacle

"Those desks or couch chairs that have a small desk attached. They do make left handed/sided ones but they are few and far between."

– Prussian__Princess

"And they’re only on one side of the lecture hall, and it’s never a good seat. There is ONE front row, lefty desk in the entire room and it’s in the far corner, obscured by an ancient overhead projector."

– earwighoney

Everyday Objects For Everyday People

"as a left-handed person myself, one thing we often deal with is finding left-handed tools or equipment. many everyday objects, like scissors or can openers, are designed with right-handed people in mind, which can make certain tasks a bit more challenging for us lefties. we also have to adapt to a right-handed world when it comes to writing on whiteboards or using certain computer mice."

– J0rdan_24

Dangerous Tools

"The biggest risk is power tools. I taught myself to use all power tools right handed because of risks using them left handed."

"Trivial, I love dry boards but they are super hard to write on."

– diegojones4

It's hard to play when you're born with a physical disadvantage.

Sports Disadvantage

"Allright, Sports when you are young. Every demonstration from PE teachers are right handed. You cant just copy the movements they teach you you need to flip them and your tiny brain struggoes to process it. As well, 98% of the cheap sports equipment the school uses is right handed."

– AjCheeze

No Future In Softball

"I tried to bat right handed for so long in gym class growing up because the gym teacher never asked me what my dominant side was and the thought never occurred to me as a child to mention it! Needless to say I never became a softball star."

– Leftover-Cheese

Find A Glove That Fits

"In softball and baseball we need a specific glove for our right hand that's often impossible to find unless you own one, and we have to bat on the other side of the plate."

– BowlerSea1569

"I was one of two left-handers in a 4-team Little League in the 1980s. Nobody could pitch to me. I got a lot of "hit by pitch" walks out of it."

– Jef_Wheaton

These examples are understandably annoying.

Shocking Observation

"Having right handed people make comments whenever they see us write, like we’re some kind of alien."

– UsefulIdiot85

"'Woah! You're left-handed????'"

"I find myself noticing when someone is a lefty, and sometimes I comment on it, but I try not to. I'm primarily left-handed (im a right handed wroter but do everything else left), and every single time I go to eat with my family, someone says, "Oh hey, give SilverGladiolus22 the left hand spot, they're left-handed," and inevitably someone says, 'Wait, really?' Lol."

– SilverGladiolus22

Can't Admire The Mug

"We never get to look at the cute graphics on coffee mugs while we’re drinking from them."

– vanetti

"I just realized…I always thought the graphics were made so someone else could read them while you drink. Hmmm."

– Bubbly-Anteater7345

"I'm right-handed and I often wondered why the graphics were turned towards the drinker instead of out for others to see."

– Material-Imagination

The Writing On The Wall

"Writing on whiteboards is a nightmare. I have to float my hand, which tires out my arm quickly, and I can't see what I've already written to keep the line straight."

– darkjedi39

"Also as a teacher, it means I'm standing to the left of where I'm writing, so I'm blocking everything I write. I have to frequently finish writing, then step out of the way so people can see, instead of just being able to stand on the right side the whole time."

– dancingbanana123

Immeasurable

"Rulers."

"How the f'k is no one talking about rulers? It's from 30cm to 0 cm to me, or I have to twist my arms to know the measure I want to trace over it."

– fourangers

Just Can't Win

"EVERYTHING. The world has always been based around people being right handed. As a Chef, my knife skills SUCKED until I worked with a Left Handed Chef. Then it all made sense."

"Literally, everything we do must be observed, then flipped around in our heads, then executed. This is why Lefties die sooner, on average, than Righties."

"I had to learn how to be ambidextrous, just to complete basic tasks (sports, driving a manual, using scissors, etc). I am used to it now, and do many things right handed out of necessity, as wall as parents and teachers 'forcing' it upon me."

"But, at least we are not put to death anymore, simply for using the wrong hand (look it up, it happened)."

"Ole Righty, always keeping us down."

– igenus44

The world doesn't need another demographic to feel "othered" for being different.

But if you're right-handed and tend to make assumptions about left-handed people, you may want to observe the following.

Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin told CNN:

"We shouldn’t assume much about people’s personalities or health just because of the hand they write with."
"And we certainly shouldn’t worry about lefties’ chances of success: After all (as of 2015), five of our last seven U.S. presidents have been either left- or mixed-handed."

Word.

Dog lying down on a bed
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.

While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.

Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.

Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.

For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.

Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:

"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"

The Tiny Issue Of Water...

"Absolutely not."

"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649

Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...

"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."

"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."

"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."

"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep

The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...

"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."

"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3

Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen Giphy

What Do You Mean Allow?

"I have no choice."

"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412

"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show

Hug GIF by The BarkPost Giphy

Who Needs An Alarm Clock?

"I let my two cats sleep with me."

"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."

"And so do I."

"We've all developed a lil routine."

"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

"Yes."

"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."

"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor

"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."

"Would not come out."

"Got some food and some water in dishes."

"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."

"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."

"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."

"She was too busy eating."

"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."

"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."

"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."

"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."

"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."

"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."

"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."

"She would not go."

"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."

"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588

sleepy kitten GIF Giphy

Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...

"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."

"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."

"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle

Saying No Just Isn't An Option...

"'Let'."

"Lol."

"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren

Felines Only!

"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz

Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official Giphy

Is That My Hair On That Pillow?

"My dog is perfect."

"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."

"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."

"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester

It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.

Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...


Close up of an owl tilting their head to side, looking bewildered
Photo by Josh Mills

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

Giphy

"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

Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine Giphy

"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."

REDDIT

"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

Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace Giphy

"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

Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office Giphy

"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.