Top Stories

People Explain Which Embarrassing Things They Did As A Kid That Still Make Them Cringe

People Explain Which Embarrassing Things They Did As A Kid That Still Make Them Cringe
Image by Anita S. from Pixabay

You ever try to go to sleep at night only to find that you can't because your brain won't stop reminding you of some embarrassing thing you did when you were ten?


No?

Anyone?

Oh dear...

Just me?

After Redditor Pyrezz asked the online community, "What did you as a kid that makes you cringe when you remember it?" people shared their own stories.

"I put gum..."

amy poehler deal with it GIF Giphy

I put gum on my balls when I was five and freaked out when I couldn't get it off. Went to the living room crying to my parents, aunt, and uncle. That was damn near 30 years ago and I can still see my uncle laughing harder than anyone since. As a matter of fact any time is brought up he loses his s*** and cant stop cry laughing for about 15 minutes. Hands down my least favorite childhood memory.

Cleverusername18

"I thought my voice..."

I thought my voice was a weapon so I screamed at people.

FallenWings_

"I think about it often..."

My best friend's mom took us to McDonald's, but I really wanted Wendy's for some reason. I threw a fit until she drove us to Wendy's as well.

I think about it often and wonder what made me act like such a brat, and when that behavior changed.

parkpeters

"I sent a girl..."

I sent a girl lyrics to a Korn song and pretended it was a poem I wrote hoping it would impress her.

biggigglysack151

"I put loads of pop culture references..."

I put loads of pop culture references in my school tests, and also did the ninja run everywhere I went.

vijanbf

"I used to just randomly..."

I used to just randomly stare at people and think "I know you can hear me. Don't look inside my head!" I thought I was some mind whisperer.

Zedfourkay

"I'd be lying..."

I snatched my great-grandmother's obsidian urn (that is: she was in) from the mantelpiece once, when we were visiting my somewhat weird and reclusive grandfather. Even though I was only six or so, I'd be lying when I said that I was completely clueless about what the thing was. It just looked very cool and mysterious. I unscrewed the lid and filled it up with candy and expensive meats I'd found in the kitchen.

My "plan" was to use the urn to smuggle the loot back home when we'd leave later. I forgot about it, however, and my grandfather only found out about what I had done a week later, when his living room inexplicably started to smell rancid and cadaverous. It sparked a confrontation between him and my parents, and the next time I saw him he was in an urn as well.

EPIC_BOY_CHOLDE

"I think I was an exquisitely cringeworthy..."

Lassie the dog was my absolute hero and I couldn't watch an episode of Lassie without sobbing uncontrollably the whole way through and for several hours afterwards. I genuinely thought I was somehow descended from/related to Lassie because I could go upstairs on all fours quite quickly, which I used to do every time I went upstairs, and 'run' on all fours quite quickly. Because of this I used to frequently declare 'I'm not just a star, I'm a real life superstar' which my family found utterly hilarious. Once I got over this delusion I swore my family to secrecy about this little phase but I suspect that, at the very least, my older brother has told his wife, but probably also all his friends throughout his life.

Also, my older brother and his friend asked me what was the scariest book I had ever read. They meant books like James Herbert and Stephen King and I said 'Five Go to Mystery Moor' by Enid Blyton.

I think I was an exquisitely cringeworthy and embarrassing kid! A lot of my recollections seem to be of my family in hysterics at something I said in all seriousness which made me really angry which made them laugh even more! Believe it or not I somehow turned out quite a normal adult!

fishfingerchipbean

"It turned out..."

It was in history class, I decided to try and be funny by standing up and dancing when the teacher wasn't looking or facing the class. I did it maybe once or twice but no one laughed.

It turned out there was another adult in the room that was watching while grading the teacher. I didn't notice her until after and she just gave me this stern look like "What the hell are you doing? Stop."

I slowly turned back, fully embarrassed and didn't speak for the rest of the class, surprisingly? She didn't tattle on me or get me in trouble, and I appreciate that. The moment was cringe enough.

RenataFleury

"I was a strange kid."

I once wrote a letter to my best friend that she wasn't my best friend anymore and should try harder. I think I was just insecure because she was hanging out a lot with another girl and I was very jealous of that. Kinda dumb of me cuz' that letter upset her a lot and I think was one of the reasons we're not friends anymore. This was like 10 years ago I think? I still have her reaction letter somewhere. We wrote letters to each other all the time even though she lived in the next street. I kinda miss her to be honest.

Bonus: I used to love hiding under the table in my house or under the desk in my room and see how long it would take before people would notice me. There have been moments that I was literally under that table for like three hours. I was a strange kid.

Someonestolemyoreo

"Scooter Truth..."

spy kids by leo GIF Giphy

I watched a lot of spy kids, so when I would ride my scooter I would wait until I seen people older than me and talk in to my invisible spy watch saying "Got it, I'm on my way" and speed off.

My-Username-Is-Dis

"be great..."

I used to search motivational quotes and copy paste it to sound cool. I was acting a 59 year old when I was 11-13. Crap I am cringing now thinking that.

RizwanIslamm

"My Cupcake..."

I had a fit like that in school when I was 9. I threw a fit (which included me throwing a desk) because I didn't get a chocolate cupcake on someone else's birthday. My parents took me to anger management after that. I still cringe about it.

Fly_Boy_1999

"Wide Open..."

I was 5 or 6 and I saw in a school book a picture of an open mouth, and the epiglottis drew my attention. I wanted to find out if I had one too, so I stuck my finger down my throat trying to touch it.

I puked all over my desk and my teacher had to call my parents to take me home.

I_hate_traveling

"millennium project..." 

All the seventh graders in Mr. Barrios's history class had to complete a "millennium project" where you pick five (ten? can't remember, this was 19 years ago) key moments that defined the last thousand years. i was OBSESSED with michael jackson (like, michael jackson themed bar mitzvah obsessed) and i included the first time he performed the moonwalk at the motown 25 awards as one of those moments. i shudder to think what the teacher thought.

i guess also having a michael jackson themed bar mitzvah qualifies for that too, though everyone loved my faithful performance of billie jean, where i basically recreated the motown 25 performance.

i've come a long way since then... i swear.

melancholalia

"Kim? Is that You?"

Being embarrassed that my parents weren't rich.

Aware-Contract-1862

Ironically I was embarrassed if I said or did anything that made me feel wealthy. I wasn't super wealthy growing up but was like upper-middle class. I felt super awkward if I ever said anything about how much something I bought was or anything that inferred I or my parents had a lot of money to spend.

Mortemulous

Mr. Clean

I once walked into a barbers shop, and asked a bald guy, "What brings you here?" No, he was offended, and my mom told me it was time to leave lol .

ins3rt_namehere

"Greased..."

ronald mcdonald wink GIF Giphy

The bowl cut that was parted down the middle with gel. Looked like a greasy McDonald's arches on my head.

IronRT

"The Yo-Yo..."

5th grade, I broke a window in a friend's screen door (in winter it had glass) with a damned yo-yo. My mom and dad had separated, money was really tight, and I just couldn't face the prospect of her having to pay for it so I just ran. Next day friend's dad called me over to ask if I broke it. I denied it even though he was holding half of my yo-yo that had broken off. But he either understood my then current situation or was just polite enough to let it go. I still cringe about that to this day. I tried to pay when I was 17 but he pretended he didn't remember it happening and refused to accept anything. Now I cringe I didn't try harder to pay.

Tinmania

"I'm Alive"

the little mermaid ariel GIF Giphy

This is middle school related:

I was that weird kid that did gross stuff for attention (and also money).

I licked the entire bottom of my shoe for a dollar so I could get a gatorade. I ate bugs and did other stupid crap too. Climbed up on the roof and they called the fire department.

My 3 years of cringe. After that, it was my, "How did I not die" phase.

iBelieveInSpace

"Becoming Ariel..."

I used to spend hours looking up "how to become a mermaid, fairy, pony...etc." Me and my friends would make potions from shampoo and rocks and thought that this would do something. Thankfully, I never consumed these liquids, but instead poured them on my hands or the ground. Still waiting for my mermaid tail smh.

cosmicscibblez

"I'll take the Chicken"

Asked my friend on AOL Instant Messenger if vagina smell like tuna. Copied & pasted to send to someone else. Dad hops on the computer later and hits Paste. I said I didn't know anything about that, despite my screen name (which contained my nickname) being listed. My family also never talked about sex in any way or even referenced physical attraction.

sloppyjoesandwich

"Angry Jane"

There was a girl in school whose last name was Anger. I made a joke about her family having anger issues and she started crying. I got so scared of getting in trouble that I also started crying. Just two kids crying across from each other in the cafeteria. Then a teacher came over and just told everyone else to let us cry it out.

CameoKing

"Allegiance..."

When I was five or six, my parents had company over for dinner. Before we ate, mom asked if anyone wanted to say grace. We never said grace, but when everyone was quiet for a second, I said I would, and when given the go ahead, I pledged allegiance to the flag.

emjaysea

"Vanilla"

Honestly my home life was very... vanilla. So my childhood I spent trying to figure out where my YA MC traits would be which led to a lot of really cringe-y periods trying out different stereotypes. I hated having such a boring life, but in retrospect it was fine.

SCM1992

"Falling...."

I accidentally caused the (at the time) bratty neighbor girl to fall off her bike and skin her knee pretty bad. We'd had issues for awhile at that point, and I stuck out my arm as she went by yelling mean things at me, and she wiped out. I didn't mean for her to fall and get hurt, and I still feel bad about it today. That said, we were okay after that, and she's grown into one of the sweetest people out there and just a great person all around. But oh man, I still cringe about that. I really never intended for her to fall, and I know it was just a skinned knee, but that stuff does hurt pretty good.

navikredstar

"Snaked"

Angry Saturday Night Live GIF by HULU Giphy

Hissed at people x_x.

fluentinsarcasm_

"Skid Row..."

As a kid in the 90s me and my rag tag team of misfits were bored looking for things to do in tie neighborhood. We thought it was a good idea to pull our trousers down and run around the neighborhood.

One day we decided to do this while spreading our buttcheeks.

One of my friends didn't wipe his bum properly and we were caught by a traumatized security guard shortly after.

beerushentai

"Everyone but Me..."

In 4th grade I auditioned for the school talent show. I wanted to do a gymnastics routine, because I thought I was awesome at it, even though I had never had a class or anything. But I could do a cartwheel! And a somersault!

Just before it was my turn, another girl who was REALLY good and actually had lessons did a routine to the exact same song I was going to use! They called me out next, and I wanted to walk off but went for it, and did my series of random bad dancing and cartwheels. It was terrible, and halfway through I just stopped and said I was done.

They posted the list the next day of who would be in the talent show. Everyone's name was on it but mine.

rleash

"When you gotta go..."

Once when I was either 3 or 4 my mother let me skip school to go to a friend's house. When I was at her house she was showing me the upstairs. She then showed me the upstairs bathroom and said to me, "I heard when guys pee they stand ON the toilet! Imagine if a girl did that?!" So I lifted up the toilet seat, stood on the toilet, pulled down my pants, and PEED all over her! I didn't even say sorry cause I was little and stupid and thought what I did was cool and normal.

She ended up cleaning the floor and drying herself off (since she didn't have time to take a shower). Luckily she didn't tattle on me but I do remember her saying to me "We will not tell ANYONE about this!!!" Her mother then walked in asking why she smelled so bad. I then went home not saying a word. Whenever I think of this, I feel like moving to another planet.

VisitSecure

"Meow..."

happy cat GIF Giphy

During my "cat obsession" phase in middle school, where I acted like a cat, I jumped on the back of a taller girl who refused to get out of my way even after I said "excuse me". I hissed and clawed at her trying to get her butt to move.

I only got off with a warning for it, though. Ultimate power move, right there.

geico_fire

"Le Sigh"

We had a French teacher who would always compare us to french kids saying things like: "French kids don't behave like this" "French kids are amazing" "French kids know how to listen" "You English kids always misbehave, french kids aren't like this"

After a few months of this, me being genuinely curious, said to her in front of the whole class "miss, if you like french kids so much why don't you go back to France and teach them instead?"

I was genuinely wondering why you would move to a country and teach kids you hate so much if the ones back home are so amazing. Looking back though I realize how offensive that was.

So yeah, that's the story of how I told my teacher to go back to her own country. 🤦.

ItIsWhatItIs118

"Don't Speak..."

Made a stupid comment online and the week after that the FBI was at our door.

randomassdude89

"Don't be Racist"

I told a boy I really liked that I couldn't go out with him because my dad told me that it was against the Bible and I believed him (I'm white he was black). I've never forgotten him and I want to punch myself in the face every time I think of how hurtful that had to be to hear. Forget parents who teach their kids racist crap. My daughter recently brought her black girlfriend to my dad's house, it was lovely. :)

cherokeeinjen

"So real"

4th grade. We had a local artist come and teach us how to use oil pastels and draw some fish. Anyways she's showing us examples and I was impressed. They looked so realistic! I raised my hand and asked in all seriousness if the fish was dead. I MEANT, was it real. It looked so realistic. Not that it looked like she painted a dead fish. I saw this disdain in her eyes and she just sat there for a second before asking for another question.

SweatyGazelle11

"Unzipped..."

I did not know how to zip my pants after peeing in first grade when i asked to go out. So there I was entering the class with my zipper wide open and asking my teacher to zip it for me. The class watched, thanks God that everybody was dumb back then.

Krazevix

"Just Ewww..."

If I needed a tissue while I was in bed at night, instead of getting up to find one, I wiped my boogers on the back of my unicorn poster.

Out of sight, out of mind, because six-year-olds don't really think about consequences.

Of course, one day it finally tore away from the thumb tacks that held it to the wall and revealed a very diverse collection of dried-up boogers. EW.

NeedsMoreTuba

"Armed Response"

arms party hard GIF Giphy

I asked my dad to break my arm because I wanted a cast, and got mad when he refused...

UnseasonedPasta

"Just Breathe"

I tried forming a holy brotherhood in high school. Managed to recruit classmate, one lunchtime when we were walking with our rosaries in hand, an upperclassman came and put me in a chokehold for about 20 seconds, whole time i was saying "i forgive you" and my fellow member just stood there saying "its alright".

Right then and there i realized times changed since the 1960's. Few months after it was all about them witches. But i always cringe about the choking part, like really bro? "I forgive you"? Ugh.

jinboy___

"Sweaty Plams"

First or second grade 'music' class (so, 6 or 7 years old), we were supposed to hold hands with the classmates on either side of us, for whatever reason, to sing some stupid little song. I absolutely hated being touched, let alone being forced to hold someone else's clammy, sweaty little hand. I loudly stated I was a virgin and wasn't going to be touched.

I don't remember the fallout, but we were never asked to hold hands before singing again.

Abused_not_Amused

"The Count"

dracula dead and loving it GIF Giphy

I was that kid that tried to convince everyone I was a vampire.

EmmFred

"The Biter"

Bit a girl on the nose at a birthday party. Admittedly they we're mean girls and blocking me from going to the bathroom, but my response was to bite one real hard on the nose then hide in a closet until my mom came and picked me up.

Luckily it was a party for a girl I barely knew and I didn't know any of her friends so I didn't have to encounter them again at school or anything, but that memory haunts me.

HellfireMe

"Escape Artists"

I used to watch videos on how to survive the apocalypse, the Bermuda Triangle and also how to escape quick sand, I'm yet to use any of that knowledge, but when the time comes for it I'll be ready.

MeasurementFriendly6

"Hear Me"

Since I'm actually Autistic, there is a wide array of answers I have. But, in particular, one very cringe thing I used to do was essentially flex my vocal chords; I would start by groaning quietly and slowly erupt into a yell. I thought it was hilarious. My family hated it.

Dr_Charisma

"Chopped"

I tried to shave a little bit of hair off the side of my head because i thought my side burns were uneven but didn't cut them enough to be symmetrical so my mom ended up shaving my head entirely because I had messed up my hair so bad.

rip169

"Little Me"

This happened in my 1st/2nd grade combo class (I was in 1st grade). It was the 2nd day of school, show and tell day. There was a 2nd grade kid at my table and he had a glass dog. A glass one. Pretty cool glass dog. But little me couldn't remember the word "glass" so I said, "I like your metal dog, it's cool!".

Now the boy hates me and still does! <3

alien_hotline

"Dear Diary..."

This happened in the school. I liked this guy so much that I got obsessed with him. I wrote in my diary about him, I tried to see what he was doing, I looked for him when I was in the playground... When I remember the things I did and said... OMG please kill me right now.

linki_arts

"Ms. Granger..."

emma watson GIF Giphy

I went through a phase in 5th grade where I tried to make my hair as frizzy as possible because I thought it would make me look like Hermione Granger.

My friends and I also regularly wrote Harry Potter fan fiction (which we inserted ourselves into) and pretended to be Harry Potter characters at recess. I wish I could erase it all from my memory so I wouldn't have to acknowledge what a total weirdo I was. I also wore dresses to school everyday and occasionally spoke in a British accent for some reason.

Cowboychickenmouse

"We hate you Victoria!"

When I was about 7 or 8 years old we took a field trip to the Field Museum here in Chicago. During our lunch break and I wandered off to the gift shop to see what they had. I had a huge crush on this girl named Victoria in my class and I saw this lady bug ring for a couple of dollars. I knew she liked lady bugs and I had money my parents gave me to buy something at the shop, so I decided to buy the ring and give it to her.

I was really nervous and kept waiting for the right time to do it. I eventually decided to just go for it and walked up to her near the end of the trip. She was with some of her friends which made me more nervous, but I found the courage to do it. She looked at the ring and laughed. Her friends joined her and she then tossed the ring in the trash.

I was completely devastated and tried hard to hold back my tears. Even though I'm over it now, that completely screwed my confidence with girls for a long time. Looking back, I may have embarrassed her too giving it to her in front of her friends, which is why she reacted that way, but even still it makes me cringe when I think about it.

-eDgAR-

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

People Describe The Creepiest Things They Ever Witnessed As A Kid

"Reddit user -2sweetcaramel- asked: 'What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?'"

Four mistreated baby dolls are hung by barb wire
Photo by J Lopez

For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.

Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.

The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.

Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:

"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"

Serious Danger

"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."

"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."

oofboof2020

Waiting for Food

"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."

"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."

nowhereboy1964

Captain Hobo to the Rescue

"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."

"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"

"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."

FartAttack911

Survival

tsunami GIF Giphy

"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."

faithfulpoo

These Tsunami stories are just tragic.

On the Sand

Scared The Launch GIF by CTV Giphy

"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."

oyloff

Be Clever

"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."

OstneyPiz

Bad Jokes

"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."

Alegan239

YOU

Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN Giphy

"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"

PrettyLola2004

Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.

No one should talk to others in the dark though.

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...