I hated my teenage years. I'd redo them again just to be young, but the drama isn't worth it. I'd say I could be a little scandalous and rebellious but, rebellion as a teen is seen in the eye of the beholder.
I will say kids today are surprising me. Having walkouts in class. Being active in social discourse, that's impressive.
But kids will always be kids. They will always mess up in epic proportions, that's part of the fun.
The times you acted out will be the best stories you have, all the way until the grave.
Act out a bit. But be smart. And not cruel.
RedditorHeyhey-_wanted to discuss the years of lost youth when we were invincible, they asked:
"What is the most rebellious thing you did as a teenager?"
I skipped school a bunch. And I stole.
I didn't rob a bank or anything. I just stole from church.
Yes, I stole from God. He forgave me.
My mother? That's a different story.
Days Off
"I missed 34 school days. You'll fail the year if you skip 36. If they were going to grant me vacation days, I figured I'd take use of them." ~ Active_Combination78
GiphyLucky that I got down...
"Friends and I were going into an old nightclub when we were 16. To get in you had to climb over loads to rooftops and get in a hole in the roof."
"We also got our 18 year old friend to buy us cider. As we were climbing up I spotted a woman look at us funny. I had a bad feeling so got down."
"My friends continued. Went back to another of my friend's houses. After being there for 10 minutes his mum tells us the guys had been arrested."
"The woman contacted the owner of the building and rang the police."
"2 of my friends turned themselves in, one of which lied about being 17 when he was 18, the other 2 fled to the roof which was very high and the whole town could see them on the roof with police cars below."
"Fun times. Lucky that I got down." ~ StickyBlackMess69420
You stole what?
"I stole a thong from Macy's when I was 15 because my mom refused to buy me one. Me and my friends got caught and got 'arrested' by the mall cop."
"He handcuffed us to a water pipe below the main level of Macy's. Never stole again and looking back, that was super creepy." ~ Illustrious_Big_8485
Best Memory Ever
"I took a train to a different city that i barely knew to watch a concert of my favourite band at the time. I was under age, got in with a fake ID and went all by myself."
"Had the best night ever, danced right at the front of the stage, managed to get the drumstick, autographs and had a photo taken with the lead singer."
"Stayed over at a hostel that only cost me $25 and took the train back the next morning. It was amazing and no one ever found out :)."
"The band was called SOJA (soldiers of jah army) and it happened when I was on exchange in Australia. I guess that made it even more exciting!"
"I got away by telling my host family I was sleeping over at a friend's house and leaving her phone number (purposely misspelled) at the table to look legitimate lol."
"Luckily they never even called her. And yes, that was one my favourite memories ever!!"
"It happened 8 or 9 years ago so i can now talk about it without getting into trouble hahaha." ~ SnooApples25
Good Samaritan
"Stole the battery out of some guy's truck who was trying to drive home drunk from a party and left it on his parents doorstep with a note explaining why it was there." ~ kg1206
GiphyRebellion to save a life?
That's bada**.
Don't drink and drive. That's not rebellion, it's just stupid.
Epic Punishment
"Had a pretty awesome house party when they were away."
"It was epic but lots of things got broken and they were so mad at me they gave my bedroom to my brother and I had to have the tiny little bedroom for the rest of my time living at home." ~ VodkaMargarine
Giphy"hands off"
"My parents are very liberal hippies who believe in a 'hands off' parenting style. They were all saying things like 'society sucks, don't be normal', and so on."
"As a result, my elder sister rebelled by becoming a cheerleader, earning straight A's, and refraining from using drugs. The funniest rebel of all time." ~ ConditionCortoonist
People Share Their Unexpected Happiest Moments | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While many of life's big events like weddings and births bring us joy, even the smallest of gestures or gifts can leave a lasting impression. Especially if y...Donut Stop
"Caution: there will be bad**sery ahead."
"At 11:00 p.m., I snuck out of the house. I went to the store and purchased junk food."
"Then, after it had closed, my pals and I went to a playground. We ate donuts and fought with lightsabers until the cops arrived." ~ Acceptable_Stage79
"feet"
"I had a big party my senior year. I got everything cleaned up, or so I thought."
"My mother had a glass cutting board on rubber 'feet' on the kitchen counter. My one jacka** friend who 'didn't like the taste of beer' apparently spilled the screwdrivers he was making on the counter, and it pooled under that cutting board."
"They got home, she moved that eventually, saw OJ, smelled the vodka, and I was done." ~ Jealous-Network-8852
Take your meds...
"I would bring a box of Good & Plenty (licorice) to school, and when I wanted out of class I'd take a white one and show my teacher and say 'I need to go take my medicine'."
"They'd give me a hall pass and I'd wander the school like ahhhh freedom." ~ Delica
Giphy"no running in the hallways."
"My middle school had a policy of "no running in the hallways." Anyone who rushed through the halls received an automatic detention. So there I was, skipping down the corridor one day (skipping... not running). When a teacher sees me, he says "Hello there, there! Stop! You've been given an after-school detention!"
"I spun around in the middle of my skip, looked him in the eyes, and said "no." Then I kept skipping down the corridor. I felt euphoria, pride, and delight because I had defied the system. I never had to go to detention." ~ Sensitive_Future343
stole/begged for food most days...
"I left home without warning for about a year and spent some time being homeless in other countries. If iIhad money it'd be backpacking, since I was dirt poor I slept in the streets of many cities and stole/begged for food most days. When i got home I took a shower and went to bed in my room and the day after i attended breakfast and my dad who I lived with never said anything about It. Ever. Healthy relationships ftw/s." ~ Rhamba
I'm Out
"Skip school, get drunk and pass out in football fields." ~ Reddit
Drunk Happy Hour GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphyTrashed
"Broke into an abandoned school with a buddy of mine and trashed the place. Looking back on it; one of the dumbest things we ever did without a doubt, but on the flipside a giant paintball war in the old halls is one of my fondest memories." ~ James_a420
"plan heists"
"In 6th grade I was around some bad people, we stole parts out of my schools computer room. We would also "plan heists" for our local grocery store, it basically went like this: We would go in there as a group (4 or 5), while two had empty backpacks."
"We filled them up in a corner where the camera wasn't able to film us, then just grabbed something cheap and walked to the cash-register to actually pay for. The ones with the backpacks would just walk through and wait outside. Then we walked back, everyone takes what they packed in and we would just walk to class." ~ KAaadIsReady
Mexican Buddha XD...
"According to the meltdown my mother had, it was me wanting to attend a different church." ~ Kaio_00
"When I was a teenager I wanted to attend the Buddhist temple in our neighborhood. I was raised Catholic, so my Mom was very bemused and humored me about it."
"I even went on a day long Buddhist retreat and it was fun at the time. I got to learn about another culture and religious beliefs. My parents are from Mexico so my Mom once bought me a Buddha statue from Mexico. It was so cute and hilarious! That Buddha statue looked like a stoned Mexican Buddha XD." ~ LusciousofBorg
The Most
"The 'most'. Probably taking my ankle monitor off, committing a new crime and leaving the state for weeks. I wasn't trying to be a "fugitive", I was just a bit crazy." ~ throwawaysmetoo
Prison Break Running GIF by The Ugly BoysGiphyTypical
"I did the typical teenage stuff, smoke pot, smoke cigarettes, sneak out at night to party with my friends. Drinking. I think the most rebellious thing I did was sneak out one night and tag a bridge with my then boyfriend and our best friend. But idk if it counts as rebellious because I never got caught and my parents never knew. I got really good grades so my parents just assumed I ran with a different crowd than I actually did. Now we are all grown up and we don't speak anymore. I miss those guys." ~ Alohamora95
Ah youth.
How do yo handle it? It's impossible to appreciate it when it's happening.
Oh well, guess we just keep living.
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Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor lilac_cup asked:
"Which tv series has aged like milk?"
The handling of these controversial TV story lines seem so careless in retrospect.
Addressing Child Abuse
"The very first episode of Hill Street Blues has two cops breaking up a domestic disturbance caused by a woman finding her man f'king her 15yo daughter. The man is told not to be sh**ty, the woman is told to put out more and the child is told not to be so tempting. Then the cops leave, patting themselves on the back for a job well done."
– kifferella
The Teacher's Secret Relationship
"Pretty Little Liars. I think even at the time, the teacher dating his 16 year old student storyline was considered creepy, but in 2022 it’s honestly unbelievable that was ever portrayed in any kind of positive light. Also that her parents didn’t immediately just report him to the police."
– ColdFIREBaker
Forbidden Attraction
"Not the whole series but Ally McBeal. In one episode Ally found out her bf is bi and her reason breaking up with him was she afraid that one day her bf would be attracted to their son."
– thrussie
These reality shows would never fly in a "woke" world.
Racist Cringe
"There was a reality show on Fox called 'Black. White.' Where they put a white family in blackface and a black family in whiteface."
"Just reading about it, it turns out the white family wasn't even a real family. They were unrelated actors."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black._White.
– MichaelJAwesome
Extreme Makeover
"Extreme makeover. I remember watching this show as a kid and being like oh wow they’re fixing all these ugly people with plastic surgery and making them happy. I just think that caused a whole generation to think they could change their body with money. Show lasted like 4 seasons. Couldn’t imagine that show today."
– thenightshifters
Teen Exploitation
"Secret life of an American teenager."
"Just what…."
– carlirodriguez8
A Critique
"My god this show was terrible. My wife’s sister was into it and we ended up watching a lot of it when we were dating. I think they tried to make the banter like Gilmore Girls, but it ended up being the characters repeating their current plots and arcs over and over. I don’t remember the characters at all, but the main character was such a horrible person, and the audience is supposed to root for her."
"The main things I remember about it were the religious girl claiming she killed her dad by having sex with her boyfriend, and apparently you go to Bologna to get bjs."
– MachFighterG
So-Called Expert
"You Are What You Eat."
"Host Gillian McKeith (or to use her full medical title, Gillian McKeith) was an absolute quack with an online medical qualification from a Mickey Mouse university. She pretended to be a scientist by being recorded standing around in a lab wearing a white coat, spouted unscientific nonsense that anyone who had done a GCSE in science could see through, and was obsessed with getting people to shit in Tupperware boxes."
"It got cancelled after the final series when you had to have her move in with you. In the last few years she popped up again as a prominent anti-vaxxer once COVID vaccines became available."
– MattBD
These pageant shows glorifying good looks and talent would never be greenlit today.
Performing Pressure
"Dance moms- used to be entertaining, now all I can see is the psychological effects it must’ve had on those girls."
– KE789
"Americas Next Top Model has to be #1."
"From all the behind the scenes sh*t that went on in production to what the show actually shows. It’s all just horrendous."
– Nickster1619
From Ugly To Beautiful
"The Swan, was 2 women who are considered 'ugly ducklings' participating in a pageant against each other after undergoing a three-month transformative process aka having heaps of plastic surgery."
– twozedzed
Psychological Downer
"Right?! How were they allowed to do so many procedures in such a short time while completely isolating these women from their families? Making them diet and exercise while healing from a tummy tuck, breast implants, and veneers?! The 'therapy' sessions were a joke and were just for show while these poor women with low self esteem were preyed upon for entertainment. Just out of a safety and medical prospective…wow."
– Snoo-8746
Judging The Reflection
"Didn't they also not allow the contestants/patients to have mirrors the whole time so they were surprised when they saw themselves? Psychologically having massive changes like that and it being sudden is extremely bad for your brain, you can end up rejecting the reflection because it's not 'you.'"
– Delouest
As audiences evolve, so does the writing and development of all forms of entertainment.
But because the changes are gradual, it is jarring when looking back and noticing how offensive and isolating some of these shows can be.
Times sure have changed in the world of entertainment–mostly for the better.
Curious to hear experiences from strangers online, Redditor WallStreetDoesntBet asked:
"People who moved out of the parent’s house before 30, how?"
Most people can't afford to live on their own.
Roommate Is Key
"yeah this exactly. I've never lived by myself, was roommates until I got a serious girlfriend and now fiance. There's exactly 0% chance of me being in the same position I'm in financially if I had been paying full rent all those years."
– lick_me_where_I_fart
Not A Care In The World
"I was 17, we had 4 of us in a ghetto 2bd apt (bunkbeds) we had a beer bong on a lanyard screwed to the ceiling. We'd have keggers, party's every weekend and always had randoms crashing on the floor. Could barely afford to feed myself and pay bills but still not a worry in the world and it was the best time of my life."
– ApprehensiveAd6006
One inconvenience shared by many was the sacrifice of a good, home-cooked meal.
Change Of Scenery
"Just needed a little R&R."
"Roommates and Ramen."
– SudoPuff
The "Wild" Years
"This, lol. I was kicked out at 16 and after couch-surfing for a few months I moved into a studio apartment with 4 other people."
"When I say we were poor, I mean poor - most of us didn’t have jobs. I lived off the worst of the worst food. Knockoff ramen. Dollar store canned veg. Rice and terrible year old pasta."
"It was a wild few years."
– Vetiversailles
Rice For Life
"Or rice. I lived off rice for a full year. Fancied it up by adding some salsa, and then extra fancy by also adding ranch dressing."
"Those were hard times."
– Ok_Opinion_
Having work definitely makes things easier.
Saving Up To Leave
"Started working while I was in school. Got out as soon as I could."
– ReallyIdleBones
Not Much Fanfare
"Yep, moved out for college in 2006. Came back for the summer in 2007, but thereafter I got an internship so I just stayed in the city. Got a job at the same place after I graduated."
"It was never some big moment for me (my parents are fine, just annoying), just a natural progression for me."
– Zerole00
Building A Life
"At 18. Worked in construction. Lived on a couch with 6 buddies in one house paying for college. Bought cheap land during the recession. Then built my own house."
– ReubenZWeiner
Not moving out by choice seemed to be a common shared experience.
High Turnover Rate
"Got kicked out at 14. Finished high school sleeping on friends couches while serving tables. Had a ton of roommates for the next 10 years. At any given time I was living with like 3 or 4 people, it was never boring haha"
– herriotact
Different Parenting
"I am hearing that so many people are actually kicked out in the really young age is well."
"But i am not getting that why parents are so tough because in my country they try to keep them under their wings."
– wowoao
Tough Love
"My friends parents were going to kick him out immediately after he graduated high school simply because 'That's what their parents did when they were his age.' His Dad fully expected him to go out at 18 and buy a house because 'he was able to.'"
"Then his Dad got pissed when my friend did not buy a house and went to live with his uncle instead. Even after his uncle broke down the whole 'Your mortgage is $2200/month with taxes and you expect your son, who works part time at $7.25 an hour to afford a mortgage? With no credit history?'"
"Some parents do it out of tough love. Some parents do it because they shouldn't have had children. Some parents still think the world is the same as it was in the 70s-80s and think minimum wage part time employees can thrive."
– bangersnmash13
Placed Expectations
"My parents didn't kick me out, but there was definitely an expectation for me to be moved out and financially independent at 18. My mother walked into a job as a radio DJ at the age of 18 and then became a journalist with only a high school education a few years later (early 1970s), so she had this expectation that I could do the same. The thought of me being able to do anything like that in the 2000s was laughable."
– pie12345678
I moved out of my parents' house because I booked my first professional gig on a cruise ship.
It couldn't have worked out better. I was paid to perform on board in the shows while my rent was already taken care of since I lived and worked on the ship.
I packed one suitcase and traveled the world doing what I loved for about two years. It was the best way to transition into an exciting new chapter in my adolescent life.
What's your moving out story?
