Nurses And Doctors Reveal Their "They Never Taught Us This" In School Moments
Nurses and doctors have to be quick on their feet and know how to prioritize––they never know what's going to come through the hospital doors. You'd think that'd keep them on edge, but the best medical professionals are skilled at keeping cool under pressure. People's lives depend on them after all.
Still, there are plenty of times when they are surprised or taken aback by what they've encountered. They don't teach you everything in school.
(1/25)
This one was fun:
Patient in ER gets a standard urine drug screen. Positive for ethanol (alcohol.) Patient insists he does not drink alcohol. Test is repeated. Positive. Patient is very upset. He does not drink alcohol. Blood test is drawn. It's negative.
We checked everything we could think of. Did we have the right urine? The right blood? It should be impossible to test positive on urine and negative on blood.
Meanwhile, I finish his regular urinalysis. High white blood cell count, and really high glucose. Elevated white cells means you need to look at it under the microscope because they probably have an infection. It's loaded with yeast.
The man was diabetic, (obviously,) and had high glucose (sugar) in his urine, along with a yeast infection of the bladder. The yeast was fermenting the glucose to ethanol within his bladder. He was The Man Who Peed Beer.
(2/25)
I was in my first year out of family practice residency.
The specialists like to sneeringly refer to us as jack-of-all-trades/master of none.
I was on call from the ER. A normally unshakable ER doc was beside himself. Had a very preterm mom in active labor. And fog wouldn't let us fly her out. He was the only ER doc and the transferring facility wouldn't take her in transport without a physician on board (probably not legal but we needed her to be at a hospital with a NICU and L&D so they called me).
In route I was trying to coach her to breath through the contractions. But she felt something coming out. I looked and saw a foot.
So we're in the back of an ambulance delivering a footlong breech preemie. We delivered about a minute or two out of the hospital.
They were expecting a mom in preterm labor. Not a micro preemie. We were met in the ambulance bay by one nurse. She took a look at me holding the baby with a blanket and oxygen and said follow me.
We ran through the hospital to L&D and turned on an incubator. Peds wasn't in house and the baby's heart rate was low. So I proceeded to intubate her.
That was 12 years ago. She survived and is doing great.
I wrote my program director at 4 am that morning when I got back home thanking him for all the training. I think I used 100% of my training that night.
(3/25)
A patient being treated for HIV purposefully tried exposing staff members to his fluids. That was a sobering experience.
(4/25)
Nurse here.
A very panicked nursing assistant came running to the desk one day saying, "you have to come see this! I don't know what this is!"
The NA brought me into a patient's room where she was giving a bath and points to an area on the patient's buttocks. "What is that?"
I lean in for a closer inspection, when the patient starts to turn back around and says, "IS THAT MY EYE?!"
Sure enough, I didn't receive in report that my patient had a prosthetic eye which at some point came out of the socket and became suction cupped to her buttock.
I left the room and had never laughed so hard in my life.
(5/25)
Nurse here, they never taught me to cover up someone's butt with a bed pad as you give an enema. Sh*t can sometimes explode out while you hold the tube in place. The first time I ever gave one my whole arm was covered in sh*t by the time it was over.
(6/25)
Took care of a young man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He had many complications. He was in the hospital for over a year. He had an ostomy bag for a while, but when they finally removed it he was so nervous because he hadn't pooped in so long. His call light goes off and he says "Go look in the toilet, you're never going to believe this!" I go in there and there is poop in the toilet!! His first solid poop I had seen in over a year! I walked out and gave him the biggest hug. He was so proud of his poop. I walked out of his room with tears in my eyes. Nursing school never prepared me for crying outside of a patient's room because I was so happy they had pooped.
It warms my heart to know this comment made you smile and was relatable to some of you. Good luck to those who are on their own ostomy journey! It stinks (literally) but always keep hope. And always remember: it's the little things. -a grateful peds nurse
(7/25)
How to put a fake eye back in. A patient came in from a a not-so-nice nursing home with a multitude of problems, one of which was a disgusting, draining fake eye that had to be removed for treatment. Upon discharge, we had to put it back in. Simple enough we thought. But we had no idea how and struggled to figure it out. I suppose that is why the nursing home staff never took it out to clean it. This was decades ago. Fake eye technology is probably much better today.
(8/25)
How to react when a patients bowels pop out of their incision. This happened when I was a brand new nurse, but off orientation. Quite a learning experience but came in handy because a few years later it happened to a different patient and I knew what to do.
(You have to keep the bowels very moist, cover with sterile gauze, and patient is rushed to the OR)
(9/25)
Wow. So many things. I think one important thing that was never taught is how to deal with a patient dying for the first time. I couldn't stop picturing his last breaths, the yelling of his family. All of it played through over and over. Hospice is tough, but it still is one of my favorite jobs I've ever done.
(10/25)
When I was a student I accidentally degloved a patient from the elbow down. They were incredibly sick, probably already brain dead, and had one of the worst case of TEN/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis I've ever seen.
Any way I'm in there holding this ladies inside out arm skin like an idiot, with the family standing in the corner horrified, and I just froze.
My first thought was to kind of slide it back on, but thankfully one of the senior nurses rescued me and snipped that shit off.
(11/25)
One of my first dressing changes as a new burn RN involved removing the dressings from a guy's hand. While I am unwinding the dressing, the tips of his fingers crumbled away. I thought I had done something horribly wrong and just froze. THEN my preceptor decides to pipe in "we were thinking that might happen." Like, thanks for the heads up??
(12/25)
The first time I had to tell someone their loved one didn't make it.
Though they address it, no one *really* tells you how to break bad news to someone, how shitty and impotent you'll feel doing it, the fact that you won't be able to answer their panicked questions, what it's like to realize that there's nothing you can say to family members that will truly bring comfort, how shocked or even angry you'll be when some people don't really care about Mom going downhill, how ashamed you might feel when you look back and realize that you're becoming numb to it all after a while. Yeah, you probably had to click through some presentation on the 5 stages of grief at some point and maybe a generic lecture on what NOT to say, but until you've stumbled through it a few times, you're winging it, and probably poorly.
(13/25)
Respiratory Therapist here!
How to act when we unplug the ventilator to let go a patient. Especially when the family is around.
To their defense they do warn us it's going to happen, but it's never until you actually do it that you realize the weight.
I like to talk to my patients even if most are already brain dead at this point (although I did have to unplug conscious patients, that was hardcore to say the least). This gives me a sense that at least if even a small part of their consciousness is still alive at this point, they know they're not alone. I tell myself that at least from now on they won't be suffering anymore.
(14/25)
Student nurse here... How to hide looks of shock when something very surprising or awkward occurs. I remember one time a doctor grabbed me when I was in the hall to hold something for him while he was putting a patient's prolapsed rectum back in. Awkward...
(15/25)
Digital disimpaction. I can only imagine the partnering instructions for that. No one poop for 2 weeks then come to class and buckle up
(16/25)
How to sit in bed and hold your patient as she profusely vomits and delivers her 16 week old dead fetus.
Yes they teach you that compassion and empathy are the backbone of nursing, but absolutely nothing can prepare you for this type of situation.
(17/25)
They never really tell you how to cope with being berated by family members, patients, and even co workers. Part of being a nurse means that you realize you are dealing with people at their most vulnerable, at the worst time in their lives. And you know this in the back of your head. But being an emotional (and sometimes physical) punching bag for days at a time requires a certain mental toughness that you can never really prepare for.
(18/25)
All those things you encourage your patients to do (eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, etc) also apply to you. I know too many nurses who don't take care of themselves mentally, physically or emotionally in a very draining environment. Self care is incredibly important and sometimes we'll lose sight of ourselves in trying to take care of others, but we're of no use to anyone if we're running ourselves ragged.
Edit: First, thanks for my first gold stranger!!! I didn't expect that at all, especially on a comment about how we're not taking care of ourselves. And second, please please please try to take care of yourselves!! I know it's hard. I know we've all seen some shit and have all probably had nightmares from it so it's probably not high on our list of priorities to make sure we're okay. But you're no good to yourself, your loved ones or your patients if you don't. If anyone ever needs to just vent about anything please feel free to just message me!!
(19/25)
As a sonographer, I have to keep a poker face a lot of times when I am seeing something very alarming or sad on the screen. Luckily, most people have no idea what I am looking at so that's a plus. I'm not allowed to give any results to patients (doctors deliver the bad news) so I have to stay neutral. It's really hard.
(20/25)
That dead people can still fart. Middle of the night, all alone with the body and you hear that. Scared the hell out of me!
(21/25)
Hospitals/health care facilities are emotional places, and there are a surprising number of murder/suicides at healthcare facilities. Side product of this is a large number of healthcare professionals who've been in active shooter circumstances. I bring this up first because it's becoming more common around the world in general and we should be better trained and also to bring up that PTSD is already prevalent and under reported in our field and this would certainly be another cause of it.
Take care of yourselves out there.
(22/25)
Nursing school did not prepare me for how decomposed a person can get before they are actually dead. Work in the ICU and patients have horrible bed sores or weeping open skin that just sloughs off their body while we are pumping them with vasopressors and what not to keep them alive. We all have moral issues with this ... It's a terrible part of nursing.
(23/25)
Working as a nurse on an oncology unit, I will never get used to the number of patients that don't make it and we have had 5 deaths in the last month. Cancer sucks.
Pain control related to the specific cancer is something I definitely didn't learn in my one lecture on oncologic care in school. The patients gain tolerance to the drugs and require more and more to keep them comfortable, and you can't think of it as drug seeking or addiction because their tumor burden is just that painful.
Caring for family members at the end of their loved one's life is definitely not something I was prepared for. They will ask you how much time they have left when there is no real way to predict that, they will beg and plead to bring a do not resuscitate patient back, and then there are the ones who show no emotion and it just seems worse.
Compassion fatigue wasn't a topic in school for me. You hear about burnout more often, but compassion fatigue on a total care/difficult to care for patient is important to recognize too.
(24/25)
When you have to euthanize a 91-year old woman's ancient cat who belonged to her husband and when you set the cat on the hospital blanket, you ask the sweet old woman who lost her husband and daughter in the same month, "Would you like your blanket back?" And she answers with tears in her eyes, "I just want my family back."
No, it doesn't get easier.
(25/25)
Registered Nurse here. Nothing in nursing school really prepared me for comfort care patients. Comfort care patients are those that we have stopped all life saving measures on per the patient/family wishes and they are basically just there to have a comfortable death with the help of morphine/Ativan.
Never knew that it was going to be my call when to give patient more morphine, knowing that it may be the dose that makes them pass. Never knew that I'm the one who turns off the oxygen that's keeping the patient alive because the family is ready to say goodbye. What's crazy is that I've come to see it as truly providing comfort. Giving the ultimate comfort sometimes is death.
Whether we like it or not, the fact that each and every one of us will expire one day and go off into whatever the next phase of existence is is a harsh reality.
So we might as well make the most of the time we have while we're here and leave our mark.
What kind of legacy would you want to leave for the succeeding generations?
Curious to hear from strangers online about how they want to be remembered posthumously, Redditor D_And_R_Gaming asked:
"What do you want written on your tombstone?"
There is still humor in death.
Misunderstanding
"I asked to be cremated what the hell"
–Aksjer
"I was going to say 'Bacon Cheeseburger' but then realized that’s Jack’s, not Tombstone."
– ImAF'kinLiar
Life Is A Crapshoot
"I've made many dumb decisions in my life, and only one of them got me killed."
– kinda_fruity_ngl
"Russian roulette without the roulette."
– Aquahert
People got creative.
Keeping Score
"A Steam review of Life:"
"309,936 hours played 'It's OK.' 👎 Does NOT Recommend "
<em>– Anti</em><span></span><em>Theory</em>
-Reddit
Old School
"(My Name)"
"1964 - 2137"
– TrailerParkPrepper
"My spidey senses tell me you are from Poland."
– itstoolatebro
Careful What You Wish For
"Slightly off topic….but I saw a picture of a headstone once that had a cookie recipe on the back of it. The poster said that while grandma was alive, they’d ask her for her famous cookie recipe and she’d say, 'over my dead body'. So, when she died, they found the recipe and put it where she always said - over her dead body."
"I don’t care if it’s true or not; that’s savage and I’m here for it!"
– Fluffy_Momma_C
There seems to be no limit to what you can have on your epitaph.
We Have Options
"GAME OVER
[ ] Continue
[X] Save & Quit"
– theyusedthelamppost
"GAME OVER
[ ] Continue
[ ] Save & Quit
[X] Quit
I don't have to be saved"– Mor_Hjordis
Spirit Rises
"My body lies but still I roam."
– twistedsister78
"Roamer, Wanderer, Nomad, Vagabond, Call me what you will"
– cooperkfb8
Message To Mortals
"GET OFF MY DAMN GRAVE!!"
– LucyVialli
"In really small writing... 'you're standing on my balls'"
– reiveroftheborder
Only The Strong Survive
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
– parataxis
"Evidently you didn't get stronger."
– 69420memes
How Bewitching
"A short melody in sheet music carved into the stone that causes bad weather and time travel paradoxes when repeated."
– MrLuxarina
A Lasting Impression
"I dunno but when I was a kid I came across the tombstone of a world war 2 vet. And on the tombstone was his picture. He has very long canine teethe like a vampire, on the stone was a poem that read"
“'Beware kind friend as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you soon will be. Prepare for death and follow me.' It’s just something I’ve never forgotten."
– Ok-Hovercraft2713
I remember being amused as a kid waiting in line to ride Disneyland's iconic Haunted Mansion attraction.
Up on a hillside adjacent to the Antebellum-style manse were a series of headstones with darkly humorous epitaphs.
One that particularly drew my attention was one that read:
"Here lies good old Fred. A great big rock fell on his head. R.I.P."
At the time, I really did think gravestones explained how the deceased perished, and that this one was intentionally funny.
Can you imagine?
People Confess Which Articles Of Clothing And Accessories Make Someone Instantly Unattractive
Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel once famously quipped, "before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory."
Indeed, sometimes it is truly remarkable how one item, be it a wrap, a hat or a brooch, can ruin the whole effect of an outfit.
In some extreme cases, it might also result in making someone's physical appearance seem worse than it is, by inadvertently emphasizing one of their less flattering features.
Then too, there are various accessories or types of clothing which simply never look good on anyone, under any circumstances.
"What is a piece of clothing or an accessory that makes a person immediately unattractive?"
In Case You Needed Reminding...
"Any shirt that has a long statement about how the person wants to be viewed."
"'I'M A BEER DRINKING, HARD WORKING, GUN OWNING REAL MAN WHO EATS MEAT AND NEVER MAKES EXCUSES OR TAKES SHORTCUTS IN LIFE'."
"'IF YOU'RE TRIGGERED, TAKE A NUMBER. I'LL GET TO YOU IN ABOUT A YEAR'."- Delica
"I'll bet Gas Station Kino shirts, with the angry flaming skeletons pointing two guns at you, declaring I'M A FORKLIFT OPERATOR WE WORK HARD AND WE PLAY HARD."- MontrealChickenSpice
"Any of that aggressive STOMP MY FLAG ILL STOMP YOUR A** sh*t."
"Makes me feel like they’re just stupid and angry, a dangerous combination."- neermif
A Sight No One Needs To See
"Pants worn below buttocks."- anonnautilus
"Pants that are their size they just don't hold them up with a belt and show their whole underwear, or shrugs."- Jaceie
Million Dollar Smiles Shouldn't Be Taken Literally...
"Teeth Grills"
"They look f*ckin ridiculous."- DavosLostFingers
Can They Even See Through Them?
"Eyelashes that are too obviously fake."- LawInevitable2213
No One Really Wants To Be Compared To A Vegetable...
"The thing I find most disgusting currently is the broccoli haircut."
"Looks so bad."- Guilty-Ad-2762
Well Worn, But Not In A Good Way...
"Those God-awful jeans dudes wear with the random ribbed patches on the thighs."
"You know the ones."
"ABOLISH THEM!"- muffinbaby000
No Matter The Interpreter...
"Anything with the joker on it."
"Double that if there is an edgy quote on it as well."- Maleficent-Elk-3298
Bigger Is Not Always Better...
"Giant, long fake fingernails."
"And dinner plates in the earlobes."- sam_the_beagle
"I Am A Material Girl"...
"I'm not a fan of clout-chasing branded clothing."
"It screams materialistic consumerism and that is not cute to me."- coddiwomplecactus
Dude, Where's The Boat?
"The preppy frat man/boy style."
"Salmon shorts, a pastel vineyard vines button-down, and Sperry’s."
"Sorry but it makes some people look like overgrown toddlers at Easter mass."- Mirrorflute88
Unless You're Diana Ross, Maybe...
"Anything with the word Supreme on it."- ILLogicaL_FALLacies
It Must Complicate Eating...
"The older I get, the sillier tongue piercings seem to me."- deltree3030
Needless to say, one's taste in clothing is a personal decision.
But as the saying goes, true beauty comes from within, and those who make a determined effort to improve their appearance, often end up doing just the opposite.
I've embraced the single life.
It's been a decade, so I really had no other choice.
And I can tell you there are plenty of pros to the situation.
When we're single, it seems like we're addicted to focusing on the cons.
But if you start by appreciating yourself more, the pros list grows.
Not watching rom-coms is a big one for me.
And, of course, having a plethora of pins and voodoo dolls of your loved ones and their partners.
I kid. A little.
Redditor thunderchild10 wanted everyone to count all the ways not having a life partner is great, so they asked:
"What's the best thing about being single?"
Money!
That's my favorite part.
I just spend it on me!
Peace Out
"You can leave family functions on your own terms."
bruteski226
"I’m a huge advocate of the Irish exit. Why do you need to say goodbye to everyone if you know you’re going to see them again in a few days."
Aeokikit
No Food Sharing
"I can eat whatever I want for dinner. I don't have to consider anyone else's opinions. I can plan out whatever I want."
lady_laughs_too_much
"Legit one of my concerns. I have what I call a peasant’s palate… I like simple meals, and I will easily eat the same thing over and over again. I made a chicken and broccoli casserole thing on the weekend and ate that for four days in a row. Sometimes I have chips for dinner. I’m happy with my weird menu, and I’m not looking forward to accommodating someone else."
ReadySetTurtle
Ah, yes... silence
"Peace and quiet."
Earnastus
"This is the big one for me. I spend all day listening to people talk, often distressed. So it's nice to come home to quiet. No more talk. Just the ambient sound of my local neighborhood, markedly muffled by double-glazed windows and soundproofed walls."
"The occasional quiet grunt from my dog. The quiet whirl of the refrigerator motor. My own thought as to why it's spelled refrigerator, but when we shorten it, we put a d in there, and make it fridge. The sound of me typing these thoughts on the keyboard in front of me. The quiet eeeeeeeeeeeee of my tinnitus backed all of it. Ah, yes... silence."
OzzieBloke777
So much space...
"Of all the perks I think the best one has to be getting the bed all to myself."
Salsa1212
"My partner and I sleep in different beds and I would 100% recommend if you have the space. Started out when we were working different shifts, stayed because we both had AMAZING sleeps."
TheFalseLion
"Can confirm. Haven't had the bed to myself in 7 years. Have upgraded to sharing with the partner AND toddler now. King-sized bed never seemed so small."
Friendly_Grocery2890
Everything!
"Loads of things. Mostly around being able to act exclusively for your own betterment without having to consider anyone else."
monkeybawz
The list just gets longer and better.
Just Me
"That you can do whatever TF you want without having to answer to anyone."
CapG_13
Anxiety Free
"Not living in fear that my relationship will fall apart."
"God bless anyone who is going through this. It sucks really hard when you try to make things work but you just don't get enough assurance from your partner."
MaybeNot_MaybeYes
"After a few years of marriage, I actively did everything to make my relationship with my ex fall apart. Granted he was abusive and I was terrified that he would kill me for asking for a divorce because he frequently told me that he would, so I just made his life as uncomfortable as possible until he was the one who asked for a divorce."
TwirlyShirley8
Calm Entrance
"Knowing exactly what to expect when you come home and open the front door."
P4S5B60
"Holy s**t, this resonates. I'm recently divorced and I can't explain how much anxiety I had when coming home and opening the door. The even keel of the emotional landscape now is pure bliss."
boltershmoo
"Saaaaame. That moment I would hear the garage door open when my former partner was getting home: most anxiety-inducing moment/sound. I would go into panic mode: hell did I clean enough/do enough/be productive enough so that I don’t catch some shi**y attitude from the partner."
kusava-kink
Focus
"Not being a slave to someone else’s emotional state."
90sTVGuru
"Deada**, this is the first time I’ve been able to focus on my emotional state in forever! My mental health has never been better. And I was even able to wean completely off of SSRIs. My ex was quite literally one of the biggest triggers of my anxiety and depression."
jets3tter094
"As someone who is recently single, this is a big one. Sometimes I felt like my partner's emotional state was too chaotic for me and I was a sponge to it. Not being a slave to it anymore has made my anxiety calm down a lot."
chubberbubbers
You First
"You get to put yourself first. Take care of yourself. You're your own biggest fan, and the only one you've got. 100% learn to love yourself."
happier_days
Well sounds like some of us should embrace being alone.
Apparently, it ain't all that bad.
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Too many of us were told to grow up or that it would be wrong to continue to enjoy the things that made our childhoods worth remembering.
But now as adults, some have figured out that there's nothing wrong with enjoying a nice bowl of sugary cereal while watching those Saturday morning cartoons. Quite frankly, it feeds the soul.
Redditor iStoleurvalor asked:
"What is 'for kids' that you continue to thoroughly enjoy as an adult?"
Outdoor Playtime
"Playgrounds in general. Since becoming a dad, I can bring my kids to the playground and have fun with them on the slides, swings, monkey bars; most things."
"I wish there were public/free adult-sized playgrounds. It'd probably encourage us to get out a lot more. It feels like everything geared for adults nowadays charges admission, and it's not cheap."
- densetsu23
The All-Fours Climb
"Going up the stairs on all fours will always be fun."
- Curious-Kaylee
"I’m a huge advocate for climbing stairs on all fours, but I’m now imagining how horrifying it would be to see that in a public setting, lol (laughing out loud)."
- metallic_buttcheeks
"'LOOK OUT, KIDS! SHE'S COMING!'"
"*kids screaming*"
- KeepCalmSayRightOn
"I need to try this. But the only steps I regularly take are at work, lol (laughing out loud)."
- tittilizing
"I race up the stairs at work on all fours to assert dominance."
- JoshPlaysUltimate
Animated Movies as an Art Form
"Animated movies in general. I can still enjoy them. When I've had a rough day or if I'm just feeling down, I can put on something wholesome, funny, or nostalgic and it makes me feel better."
- catching_signals
"'Emperor's New Groove' is my favorite feel-good movie."
- Compulsive-Gremlin
Sticker Collections
"STICKERSSSSS."
- ObviouslyKatie
"F**K YES."
"Never enough stickers. I had a s**tty childhood (like most of us) but stickers always made me happy, especially the fuzzy ones. Suddenly understanding why I'm still bonkers for stickers."
- limeporcupine
Gotta Catch 'Em All
"Pokemon. Started with Red when I was five and haven't stopped since. Doubt I ever will. If anything, my enjoyment of Pokemon is becoming more childlike."
- The_Prezzy
In Cracker Form
"Goldfish. It's hard to resist when my niece is having them for a snack. I make a big show about me being a shark and eating them just so I can have some."
- Drew-
"I really thought you meant actual fish at first..."
Travelerofhighland86
"Fish are friends, not food."
- Phoneking13
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Of course, it isn't solely for kids, as he made each episode with a mind towards parents watching them with their children, but he's so wholesome and kind, so deliberate and thoughtful with everything that he put on the show."
- Puddnhead_Wilson
"I’d never watched it before and my husband wanted to watch the Tom Hanks movie. But he wanted me to see the real Mister Rogers first. So there we sat, two adults over 30, watching episodes of Mister Rogers. And I loved it!"
- Ankylowright
Favorite Stuffies
"I remember a Reddit post from several years ago where this guy who was in the army or Marines or whatever gushed about his plush Magicarp. He even sent a picture of the Magicarp next to an automatic rifle."
- Mind101
"I'm almost 40 and not ashamed to say I still have my teddy bear, Wally, my mom made when I was two. His arms are lopsided, his ears are wonky, and he is made from upholstery fabric from a 70s couch cushion, but I love that dude."
"I did eight years in two branches of the Marines and Army and did three deployments, and you bet Wally was with me. Either stuffed in a pack or seabag, but he was there because I needed him."
- Jaymakk13
Gotta Love Disney
"Disney animated movies."
"I am a big, mean-looking 40-year-old man. I drove to work listening to the soundtrack to 'Moana.'"
- mkicon
"Second big, mean-looking 40-year-old man here. I may or may not have sobbed on my way to work while kind of singing the soundtrack to 'Encanto' this morning through my tears."
"I'm with you, bro."
- SHABDICE
Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?
"Not me, but my 55-year-old dad still loves SpongeBob. He'll wake up on a Saturday morning and have his juice and breakfast while watching Spongebob."
- Hwetapple
"Dude, same. Almost every time I go over there, he's always watching SpongeBob. He recently found out he gets Boomerang on his Roku, so he's just been watching 'Tom & Jerry' and 'Loony Toons.'"
"I also love those cartoons so I'm definitely not talking s**t."
- Theren_Alister_XIII
Chocolate Milk, For Sure
"Chocolate Milk."
- Toy_Guy_in_MO
"Who says chocolate milk is only for kids?"
- transformers03
"Ice cold chocolate milk is amazing."
- SigridBaginnses
Skipping Down the Sidewalk
"Skipping. If you haven't skipped in a while, do it. You'll realize how much faster it is than walking, and how much more ground you cover."
- trx0x
Coloring
"Coloring."
"Not with craft paper and high-end pencils adult coloring, either."
"Nope. With a 'Moana' coloring book and the 64-count Crayola box."
- TheSquishyPaleDuke
They'll Never Go Out of Style
"I cannot stop making summer camp-style knotted friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss."
"It keeps my hands busy while I'm working/watching TV/traveling and I don't get sucked into my phone."
"Now I just leave piles of bracelets everywhere."
- andtheIToldYouSos
Breakfast of Champions
"Breakfast cereals... all of the fruity, sugar-filled candy-like cereals. It is totally my weekend treat. Nothing during the week."
"Fruity pebbles (Dino bites now. Post changed the recipe a while back) is totally my jam. Who doesn't like destroying the roof of their mouth on some Cap'n crunch?"
- hammerraptor
These are great reminders of some of the good things we had in our childhood, but it's an even more important lesson that there's no harm in doing something for our inner child every once in a while, maybe even every day.