Raising a child takes a village, actually it takes the population of the world. We're all in the creation of a human together but we rarely take part. And even in adulthood people need help for survival from those that are not blood. Sometimes all anyone needs is a hug to let them know they aren't alone in the world. That can make all the difference. Some people are just born parents, not just to their own children but all others and they have know idea of the difference they make to others.
Redditor u/GreenChorizo wanted to know who has benefited from the kindness of parents that are not their own by asking.... What's the nicest thing someone else's parents did for you?
The View.
My mother and father in law showed up to my dad's viewing after he died since my wife (my best friend at the time) couldn't be there. I had not expected to see them and I was blown away that they'd come. Hynjia
As their Son.
My best friend's parents basically took me in as their son, I don't have a bad relationship with my parents or anything but when I lived with my dad during the summer I basically never left their house. They took me everywhere with them. I still consider them my adoptive family and see them every week since I moved back to my hometown. alltgethings1776
Refill.
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My girlfriend's Dad refilled my lunch account with money without me even saying anything about it. A swell guy he is. AtticusNari
Tears.
The first time I visited my bf's country his parents cried on the airport while dropping me off and later told me they cried on the car for the whole one hour drive back home. japzilian_de
'Happy Birthday'
One year my dad was in hospital recovering from a heart attack and I didn't really celebrate my birthday because we were all visiting, helping my mum and generally worrying about him. No big deal, didn't matter to me at all.
The next weekend I went to stay with a friend from uni and crashed at her parents' house. At dinner time they brought out a cake with candles and sang 'Happy Birthday' because she'd told them about everything that was going on. I thought it must be someone else's birthday at first! So kind of them and I've never forgotten it. charlie1701
anonymous.....
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When my mother's mental illness was at her worst, my then-bf's mom learned that we had no heat (but electric was okay), and she bought multiple electric space heaters for us.
Later, the mother of my sister's best friend (at least, I strongly suspect it was her, but it was technically anonymous . . . whoever it was though, was definitely a parent) paid for my mother to go to a psychiatric hospital for a week.
Overall, so many parents and teachers in my town pitched in to make sure my sister and I were okay when our single mother's mental health went off the walls. There was the mom who dropped by to check on us every evening when we were home alone for a week when my mom was in said psychiatric hospital; another who brought us food. I'm sure I don't even know all the acts of kindness people did and I'm tearing up just thinking about it. sazed_sassypants
Bye Dad.
I am transgender. When I was 19, I got my top surgery and my unaccepting (at the time) father verbally berated me and manipulated me into thinking that because I went through our insurance, I screwed the family over (he basically told me that insurance works like a credit card and that I used up all the money the family had and no one in the family could use our insurance for the rest of the year thanks to me).
I couldn't handle the verbal abuse, and my family already treated me like garbage, so I decided to live in my car until I could live on my own, but my friends mom (who is a nurse) discovered this, and she offered to bring me in to their home and took care of me while I recovered. She changed my bandages and asked lots of questions so she could learn about my experience transitioning. On the day I moved there, the whole family stayed up late watching bad horror movies and they invited me to join. It was the first time I ever felt part of a family.
On Thanksgiving they even had me eat with them and asked my opinion about a name to give the new family puppy. She even offered to house me longer than I had intended , but I was ready to be on my own. I have always held her in the highest regard. The friend I stayed with is still very dear to my heart, even if we have become a little distant. fayekingdrag
Med School Future.
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Good friend's dad who coached us back in the day in football, was on the head committee at my high school and he fought singlehandedly for me not to get kicked out my senior year, when I got a DUI. Kind of one of those who you know type of situations, but some people told me he was the only reason I got to stay. I feel like it definitely would have thrown my life path off a bit. I'm in medical school now. catfishjimmy39
Teeth.
The dentist mom of a friend identified a dental problem i had upon meeting me once and hooked me up with a cream that helped within a week. The-Tewby
Shoe Help.
Only thing I could think of on the fly was they bought me the steel toe boots I needed for my new job. My first payday was a two weeks away, my payday from my old job was keeping the lights on and food for the family, and I had to start work in two days. I told my buddy my problem, and asked if he had an extra pair laying around.
He said he didn't but he's check with his dad. They called me the next morning and told me they'd go to the store and buy me a pair. I got the cheapest pair they had but it got me started and I was able to pay them back and get me really good pair later. But at the time it certainly was a selfless gesture from two wonderful people. sbashe5
Best Dad Ever.
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After a long term GF and I broke up, her dad would still call me up whenever he was in town and take me out for food because he missed finding new restaurants with me and wanted to make sure I was getting out of my apartment and my head.
I don't miss my ex, but I do miss her dad. i_draw_boats
Escape.
The parents of my best friend let me live with them for a month to help me escape from my abusive mother. I was 14. I didn't tell her but the police did. vankerina
Next Sunday.
Gf's mom helped pay my rent twice never asked her too let her know she didn't have to her reply? "She loves you. your family to us. I would do this for her I'm gonna do it for you" plan on getting engaged next Sunday. tolandxiv
Good people.
My dad died of cirrhosis when I was 17. He went into the hospital and stayed there for 3 weeks before he passed. In that time, my girlfriend's parents immediately offered me their home as my own. The fed me 3 meals/day. Made sure I had clean clothes. More importantly, they were there for me mentally. We had long talks. They legitimately cared about me and I'm so grateful for that. That was over 20 years ago and I still think about them. Good people. Sirnando138
In Grief.
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They came to my dad's funeral. I wasn't expecting them to be there, but the whole damn family showed up. It meant so much to me, that they were there. QueenMoogle
forever grateful.....
My parents thought going to the movies were a waste of money. The only way I can watch them is on cable, many months after. So my aunt found out about that and took my sister and I, along with her own kids to watch awesome movies like the Lord of the Rings trilogy and many more fantasy and scifi films. It sounds so simple but it was a pretty big deal for a kid. I'm forever grateful. rootingfordaenerys
My first love's mom bought me a car. I've always felt guilty about it. I don't deserve good people to do good thing like that for me... That car made it possible for me to do so many things. I probably wouldn't be where I am today without her generosity. Outrageous_Claims
My Fabulous Future.
My future wife's parents treat me as one of their own. They are some of the nicest people I've ever known. They completely accept me and don't judge me. I can safely say they are the parents that I wish I had. Reddit
Include Everyone.
My best friend had divorced parents who struggle financially and an abusive step dad. My parents made it a point to always include her in our vacations, and trips. Always let her spend the night or come to dinner with us whenever we wanted. She was basically my sister. During the summer she'd spend 2-3 weeks just chillin' with us.
Her dad had another family in Mexico and her mom was broke but worked a lot and always told her she was a burden. She's been my best friend for 10 years now. I'm really proud of my parents for including her in everything we did with no question. It was like "of course she's coming, if her mother's ok with it" <3. Admirable-Cat
Stay With Me.
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Let me sleep in their basement, fed me warm meals, and let me shower at their house for weeks while I was kicked out of my house at 18 in the middle of a particularly cold winter.. All against the wishes of my parents who they were friends with. My second family showed up to help when my own family would not. Got so much love for them for that. I felt as though I had lost absolutely everything at that point in my life. They stayed by me. Whodamamuh
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.