People Explain Which 'Minor' Childhood Loss They're Still Not Quite Over
Image by lisa runnels from Pixabay |
I had a stuffed animal I loved very much. It was a little dog. I took that little dog everywhere I went. I loved that dog dearly. Then one day, being a kid, I placed that dog on a stovetop for "safekeeping." The stovetop was in use. The poor dog was charred significantly and I soon had to toss it away. It was a silly, childlike thing; these things happen. Young children don't know any better. But I still think about that little guy now and again, even though it's been quite a few years since that incident!
After Redditor In_the_end_there_was asked the online community, "What 'minor' childhood loss are you still not over, and why?" people shared their stories.
"A couple weeks after..."
I wanted to have an afro in high school, but my mom was pretty against it but said I'd have to take very good care of my hair as it grew out if I wanted one. I agreed; I was DILIGENT with upkeep and even though it took a ton of work I didn't care. Eventually I grew my hair out and it was great! I'd also moved to a new high school at the time so it gave me something to talk to new people about.
A couple weeks after I'd had the full afro for awhile my mom starts going off about how she hates it and that I need to cut it off. I say I don't want to because I'd done the work and wanted to enjoy my new hairstyle. Eventually, she just tells my dad to shave my head bald and he grabs his razor and just does it. I'm obviously super upset and the worst part is I got grounded for talking back.
I don't think I'll ever be over it. I still have her try to give me hair advice sometimes, too.
"I went to the infirmary..."
This was in boarding school. I had a pretty nasty stomach bug, and the same day someone stole over 200€ from the kids' pocket money. The money was stored in an office in the dorms.
I went to the infirmary with a fever, and a few hours later I was joined by my best friend. I thought she was sick too, so we spent our time suffering together and condemning the person who stole that much money from us.
Turns out she was the one who stole it. She ended up confessing to the nurse and left the infirmary. For some reason, I felt so betrayed that it stuck with me all these years.
"We all lived..."
We all lived in a house when I was little. When I was around 10 years old my parents decided that they were done with houses and we moved to an apartment. The apartment did not allow dogs. So my father gave our family dog to a man he worked with at the steel factory. When he got home that night he told us about how his buddy's little crippled daughter just lit up when she saw the dog. She was the happiest girl in the world at that moment and apparently, our dog took to her right away. That story made up for the loss, and I eventually stopped grieving.
I was in my 40s when my sister told me that the story was a lie. My father had actually taken our family dog to the pound where it was immediately killed. Although I got over losing my dog I to this day have never gotten over what my dad did that day.
"We only have one stationary shop..."
I remember having a fountain style pen. I loved it. Till it went missing and the guy sitting across from me had the exact same one. We only have one stationary shop in our small town and I bought it in the city. I knew 100% he stole it from me and I'm still annoyed.
"At some point..."
When I was about 6 or 7, would've been early 70s, I had a stuffed Ronald McDonald doll that I loved. I carried that thing with me everywhere and slept with him every night. One morning, my older sister, probably 9, woke up early in the morning and decided to take a bath. She turned on the water, put the plug in the drain, and promptly went back to sleep. When my mom woke up a little later, the whole house was flooded.
At some point in the night, my Ronald doll slipped off my bed and got soaked in the flood. I was so distraught. My mom took him, I thought to dry him out, but later that day I saw him on top of the garbage can in the backyard. I can picture him. Still dripping wet. It broke my heart.
"There was a lunar eclipse..."
There was a lunar eclipse in the middle of the night of my 12th birthday. My parents were going to wake me up to see it. I woke up the next morning, confused and disappointed. Apparently my mom tried to wake me, and I sat up in bed so they went down and assumed I'd join them to look at the eclipse. My mom went back to check on me a few minutes later and I was back asleep. She thought I had just decided to go back to sleep, but I was never actually awake. I remember being so frustrated and mad that I didn't get to see the eclipse on my birthday.
"I took my comfort stuffed animal..."
When I was in about 4th grade, a girl who was kind of mean to me invited me to spend the night. I went, and was excited that she wanted to stop fighting and be friends. I took my comfort stuffed animal from when I was a baby with me. She hid it from me and acted like I had lost it.
"As time went by..."
My toys, especially Clipper. He was a classic 1980s My Little Pony that you had to collect Proofs of Purchase and mail order to get.
As time went by, I stopped playing with My Little Pony. Slowly, my enormous collection was whittled down into the trash or donation bin, but I kept Clipper (and Barnacle, because the pirate pony was awesome). Then one day, he wasn't there. Mom carelessly said she'd thrown it away, again because I don't play with it. I could never even explain why I wanted it, it was babyish, we're cleaning.
I didn't learn the word "nostalgia" for a while after that and I still regret losing that one. Wish I had it still, because he'd definitely join Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and all my daughter's new ponies.
"Have never trusted..."
Not a physical loss, but trust. As kids, we all had to do chores - 3 kids in my house. My brother and sister sucked at it and would drag it out forever. I hated working with them. I negotiated to do all yard work by myself and they would do the housework. We all agreed as a family.
The next weekend my mom said company was coming and they needed extra help with the housework. Next week another excuse. Then another. They clearly had no intention of honoring the agreement. Have never trusted any of them since that time. I have a good relationship with them, it's just not based on trust.
"These days..."
I won a very naturalistic looking stuffed bunny in a jellybean counting game at a church Easter party when I was little. Waiting for my ride home, bigger girls grabbed it from me. The church got me another bunny when they heard about this, but the new one was solid, bright yellow.
These days, I still buy myself stuffed soft animals, especially if they have very natural coloration.
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The Best Responses If A Christian Claims 'You're Going To Hell' For Not Conforming With Their Beliefs
In spite of the separation of church and state and the fact that anyone should be able to freely practice any religion they choose, an ever-increasing number of far-right conservatives have used their Christian beliefs to espouse hatred and bigotry.
An all too common attack they utilize is telling someone who disagrees with them that they're "going to Hell."
Unfortunately, this prediction rarely leads people to quake in their boots as was intended.
And instead, they're the ones who often find themselves at a loss for words when the people they verbally attack have a comeback line all prepared.
"What's the best response to a Christian saying 'you're going to hell'?"
How Else Would They Know?
"'See you later!'"
"A skater boi dropped this one on holy rollers in college, the rest of us thought it was absolutely brilliant."- Ishidan01
"See you there then."- CuddleDemon04
He's Always Listening...
"It makes Jesus sad when you say that"- OperationBackground2
Can I You Show Me On A Map?
“'Where?'”
"Act like you’ve never heard of it—concede none of the authority or credibility they are used to having."
"'What do you mean, after I die—how can I go somewhere after I die, I’ll be dead?'"
"'My what?'"
"'Do you see these souls often, friend, is one in the room right now?'"- RidesThe7
Some People Have Heard Worse...
"Shrug, say 'Ok' , and walk away."
"You not caring riles them up even more."- ExRetribution
I See It Differently
"Yeah, well, that's just like, your opinion man."- EnvironmentalPack451
Animation Disagree GIF by Moving Picture ShowGiphyWhen Was The Last Time You Actually Read A Bible?
"Judge not, that you be not judged."
"For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."
"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
"Matthew 7, 1-3."- Aas-im-Aermel
“'Live a good life'."
"'If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by'."
"'If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them'."
"'If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones'.― Marcus Aurelius."- Trygolds
"I thought God is the only judge of our soul?"
"Who are you to take his place?"
"It's better to attack them using their own teachings and beliefs that contradict their statement."- ZaiJianDada
Bible GIF by GlorifyAppGiphyTell Me Something I Don't Know...
"Aren't we all already here?"- YaMa-Ma
When The High Road Doesn't Seem To work...
"The Australian thing to say is "Get f*cked c*nt!"- IllTruck3645·
Give Them A Taste Of Their Own Medicine
"According to your God, so are you for doing his job and judging."- Reddit
Episode 5 Burn In Hell GIF by The SimpsonsGiphySay. Nothing...
"Stare at them blankly and don't hide your confusion."
"Don't say anything."
"Let them talk."
"They will keep talking, and the more they talk, the more uncomfortable they will make themselves."
"If they ask you any direct questions, don't answer them, just keep looking more and more puzzled."
"At the very most, shrug in total confusion."
"Do your best quizzical dog impression."
"They will give up and walk away, and regardless of how they try to seem outwardly, they will feel defeated, and question whether being an enormous a**hole is worth it."
"It may not last once they get back into their bubble of people who think that's a great way to act, but realistically, it's the only way to fight back."
"The minute you engage with them at all, you lose."
"Any comeback feeds into the victim complex inherently baked into Christianity."
"The only winning move is not to play."- PowermanFriendship
Will Ferrell Blank Stare GIFGiphyIt can be very easy to judge others.
But one can't help but stifle their laughter at those who judge others for not being as devoutly Christian as they are.
As they are all but literally going against the beliefs they are supposedly practicing.
Life is chuck full of annoyances.
Every day, in every way there is something or someone ready to set the rest of us off.
This is why we need meds, therapy, and chamomile tea.
When the simplest things can send you into a blind rage, you need a little relaxer.
But what is it about these small things that can cause such a stir?
I mean the world hasn't ended, but it feels like it.
Let's discuss...
Redditor ItzFlexyBoi wanted to discuss all of the things that drive us crazy, so they asked:
"What is a mildly inconvenient thing that annoys the hell out of you?"
I can't stand when business hours differ in person than what is listed online.
How does that happen?!
Get UP!
Dropping Michael Scott GIF by Prime Video UKGiphy"When I drop something small onto the floor and have to pick it up. I've completely turned into my father. I usually roll my eyes, sigh as I bend down to pick it up, and then growl angrily when it takes a couple of tries to actually pick it up."
JMCrown
I'm NOT Done!!
"When a motion sensor sink turns off before I’m done with it."
YourSecretSidepiece
"When I was little I hated the concept of taking a crap in the supermarket because I did one time and the automatic toilet flushed twice while sitting on it. Don’t get me wrong, automatic toilets are a great concept, reduce germ spread through touching a handle and whatnot, and they suck in execution."
"Update: used an auto toilet at a highway rest stop and it flushed while I was peeing in it. Damn."
Tra1nGuy
Wire Snap
"Getting wired earphones caught on a handle and having them ripped out of your head. I instantly rage."
CalvinSays
"This used to happen to my husband in our old house, mainly with pockets of pants. I never really understood how maddening this could be since I'm shorter and it didn't happen to me."
"We moved and now in our new place, this happens to me because the handles are at my pockets' height instead of his. I suddenly understand his past frustration at this small thing!"
spinozasnodgrass
Where is the HELP?
"Please remove the item from the basket, please add the item to the basket, and please wait for assistance."
Rollthembones1989
"What they do now also is there will be different bays with about 6 self-checkouts per bay. Instead of having one employee watching each bay checking IDs, helping out, etc, they will have one employee watching 20+ self-check-out machines frantically running from one person needing help to another."
Rollthembones1989
Trickles
Water Se Laver GIF by Benjamin SiksouGiphy"Washing your face in the bathroom sink and the water trickling down your arms towards your elbows."
AlgernonZX
Seriously. Why does water want to splash all over us, all of the time?
NOOOOO!!!!!
Angry Rooster Teeth GIF by Achievement HunterGiphy"Charging your phone and sleeping then find out that it wasn’t charging overnight and it’s about to die."
Aquahert
"The wooooorst."
Milfshake23
Not Again
"Having to wait 3 extra seconds for YouTube ads every time I want to watch a 30-second video."
JoyIsDumb
"My biggest pet peeve is getting the same ads over and over again. Sometimes I have to close my eyes and mute the audio/look away because after seeing the same ad 100 times it feels like a torture technique out of a CIA manual."
DroidLord
"Even worse when it’s two 15-second unskippable ads."
Tra1nGuy
1 ITEM Issues!
"Leaving something in the other room and remembering I need it after I sit down."
Preszidenmt
"Sitting down and your drink/remote/phone etc... is just slightly out of reach so you have to stand up again."
Robinho311
"I do that with the grocery store. Driving home when I remember 1 item that I went for and forgot."
Famous_Bit_5119
"My husband can NEVER tell me everything he needs from downstairs at once. So I end up making 4 trips."
Rahallahan
Lane Chick
"Getting in the wrong (slowest) checkout line."
PongoWillHelpYou
"I ALWAYS get in the line where someone wants to pay in change, needs to cash a check, or doesn’t know how to use a card reader. Every. Time."
musteatpoptarts
"Nothing like stopping at a gas station on your way to work only to get stuck behind the guy who's buying 75 lottery tickets."
TaintedLye
"Or switching lanes and you end up in one that's even slower."
DeathSpiral321
MOVE!!
Giphy"Slow walkers and people who stop walking in the middle of a crowded area and don't move despite people being behind them. Head to a wall or seat and check your phone there, don't just stop walking in the middle of a crowd. FFS."
NeonSugarSorbet
Library Volume Please
"People who listen to things in public areas without headphones. PLEASE I do not want to hear whatever crappy TikTok you're watching."
starrfast
"My partner does this ALL THE TIME!!! We could be watching something together and she'll pull out her phone and start watching TikTok."
"And she doesn't seem to think it's rude. One time she did that and I paused what we were watching and said 'I didn't wanna interrupt.' Another time I changed it altogether since she wasn't interested."
"But if I glance at my phone once I'm 'on my phone a lot.'"
AnytimeInvitation
I approve of every item on this list.
But like I said, I'm easily annoyed.
Even if you weren't alive, chances are, you know about Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin being the first two people to ever walk on the moon. In fact, you may know someone who was alive when it happened and watched it on TV.
The fact is, an estimated 530 million people watched the moon landing on TV, and yet, some people still think its fake.
There is a conspiracy theory out there that says we faked the moon landing to convince the Russians that the United States had won the space race! It's crazy, strange, and most of all, stupid. The proof is in the pudding (or in the American flag Armstrong planted on the moon).
Redditors know of lots of stupid conspiracy theories, and they are only too eager to share!
It all started when Redditor willywonkerbonker asked:
"What is the stupidest conspiracy theory?"
Flat, Flatter, Flattest
"That the earth is flat"
"Edit: I have come to the conclusion that the earth is in fact the shape of a doughnut."
"Second edit: I have come to my second conclusion to the fact that mars is indeed a chocolate bar"
– CivilVolume
Tracker
"Microchip in vaccines. If the government wanted to spy on you, they could do it a thousand times easier by tapping your phone."
– Nikola_Turing
"Anybody with a smart phone voluntarily agreed to be tracked and followed 24/7 the moment they turned it on haha"
"lol people are so silly.."
– BeginningCap2333
It's A Bird, It's A Plane!
"That planes can't actually fly because the claimed weight of fuel cannot fit into the size of the tanks and even if it did, it would make the plane too heavy to fly."
– teefau
"If planes aren't flying... How do people fly in planes and get out the other side....."
– ftmtxyz
They've Already Won
"I'm from the UK and the theories about this alarm system the government are putting on the phones is wild."
– _Rare_Smoke_
"“They’re doing it to control us!!!” They’re the government. They govern you. They are the law makers. They already control you. They don’t need to make a big conspiracy to do that."
– Mushroomc0wz
6 Continents
"That Australia does not exist"
– germany_science_1
"They say that everyone in Australia are payed actors. If that’s true then where is my bloody check?!"
– Drunky_the_Snowman
"Still waiting on mine"
– willywonkerbonker
My Cat, My Choice
"A former friend and mentor called me up one day and said that she read somewhere that pets in America consume more meat than the entire country of France. And since raising livestock is bad for the environment, the article said liberals want all pets destroyed. That's why she lives in a red state and has so many guns, to protect her cats from the liberals. I asked her to send me that article but she never did."
– Squatchopotamus
"Pretty sure pets are loved by liberals and conservatives alike lol. At least, all the ppl I know in both sides have at least a goldfish."
– Jessiefrance89
Famous Clones
"That Avril Lavigne was replaced with a look alike, as if aging and plastic surgery aren’t things."
– babythrottlepop
"This has been going on since Paul McCartney was accused of being cloned. Look up the Paul Is Dead theory"
"After that it was Eminem"
"Now Avril"
"Soon will probably be Justin Beiber or Kid Laroi or something."
– Fun-Adhesiveness9219
True Freedom
"The idea that "walkable cities" is some NWO/WEF plot to "control" people and keep them confined to small areas."
"Walkable cities is how most cities, and even many suburbs and small towns, used to be. My mother grew up in South Boston in the 60s and 70s, and she points out how she had almost everything her family needed within a 5-10 walk of her house: grocery stores, delis, banks, pharmacies, corner stores, schools (two on her block and one across the street), liquor store, boutique, shoe store, toy store, post office, candy and ice cream, barbers and hairstylists, playgrounds and parks, bars and restaurants, repair shop, hardware store, a family doctor, a dentist, laundromat, coffee and donuts, and pizza."
"More was reachable by bike, the rest of Boston by public transportation, and her father and friends had cars to go elsewhere...they just didn't need to use their cars to go everywhere, because the basics were readily accessible to them. But sure, being wholly reliant on cars and having to shell over tens of thousands of dollars to auto makers and oil CEOs to spend time idling in traffic just for the basic necessities and daily services of life, that's Freedom™."
– Dahhhkness
"I lived for a year in the city centre of Munich, I had every type of shop and restaurant within walking distance, everything else was connected by a super cheap and reliable tram, bus and subway system. Parking was a premium and people with cars tended to only really use them to go out to the countryside or if they worked in a space outside the city slightly too far from a train station."
"It was expensive but nowhere near London levels for example. And not needing a car frees up a lot of income."
–Wind_Yer_Neck_In
Gone But Not Forgotten
"All the “dead celebrity is secretly alive” crap."
"2Pac and Biggie were both peppered with bullets with multiple witnesses and you think they faked it?"
"Michael Jackson, the biggest singles artist in modern music and arguably the most famous person alive at the time, is still going somewhere and left his family in mourning?"
"Don’t even get me started on the Elvis gang…"
– International_Ant217
Truly Real
"Thinking that "global warming" was just invented to raise taxes, or whatever. It is so massively stupid to think that all governments and serious scientists, scientific institutions, etc - worldwide - is in on some conspiracy, to what.. raise your taxes? They could do that anyway..."
"The flat earth, no moon landings, etc - that's all for people who simply aren't all that bright to begin with - but the fake global warming conspiracy is widely believed, and accepted in mainstream politics even. Doesn't get much more stupid than that."
– normalguy_AMA
"I love how global warming deniers think that climate scientists are all swimming in piles of research grant money like Scrooge McDuck, but fossil fuel CEOs are honest, salt-of-the-earth people whose only passion in life is making sure people have jobs."
– Dahhhkness
We Are Needed
"That vaccines are an intentional plot to kill people. This isn't a Marvel movie. We don't need to get rid of large segments of the population. The 1% need us alive, buying things, and providing the services they depend on, like cheeseburgers and trash removal and truck driving."
– notreallylucy
All Aboout Lizards
"The “meteor” that hit earth was actually a spaceship that the dinosaurs left on so they could avoid the ice age. They sent back lizard people to purposely control industries and warm up the earth back to the dinosaur’s ideal temperature. The lizard people are purposely trying to invoke nuclear wars to clear the landscape again for dinosaurs."
– Element202
Uh...Where Did This One Even Come From?
"Birds aren’t real. The US government systematically eradicated and replaced all birds with surveillance drones in the FIFTIES."
– w0lfn0ise
People don't actually believe that...do they?
Money makes the world go round.
It contributes to the betterment of society.
Well, that is what we're led to believe, right?
That is why so many of these big billion-dollar companies get fabulous tax breaks.
But sadly so many big-money jobs only help themselves.
In fact, a lot of fancy, money careers only focus on the green and not the people.
Redditor ThurnisHailey wanted to discuss the careers that leave little to help the world, so they asked:
"What high-paying jobs contribute very little to society/humanity?"
Anti-Robinhood
Real Estate Realtor GIF by South ParkGiphy"My sister makes a lot of money in real estate. She helps rich people get even richer."
Ieatalot2004
"To be fair, most jobs are helping rich people get richer."
nBrainwashed
Useless
"As a marketing manager, I can tell you I have one of the most useless jobs in the world."
erose994
"What do you actually do as a marketing manager? I'm just curious."
bertolintus
"Mostly wrangle the opinions of 8,000 people who all think a project should be executed differently and all feel like it needs to be done yesterday. And pass that project through a complicated and overly bureaucratic system of approvals until it inevitably stalls out in a VP's inbox, and you have to send them 3 reminder emails just to get it done."
"Other than that... Talking to agencies (at least where I work, we outsource our graphic design, social media, and advertising work to third parties), building annual strategies, planning social media and email content, and occasionally getting to do something fun like writing a blog post."
"Oh, and managing budgets. But it's budgeting season right now so that's a touchy subject."
erose994
Data Collection
"Some of the best-paid people are figuring out how to collect as much data about you as possible to show you the best adverts. Or how to shave off milliseconds off a trading decision and build better arbitrage strategies to buy and sell the same thing millions of times."
Weak_Commercial_7124
The Middle
"IT middle management. I always thought they did nothing, then I was promoted to one and now I can actually confirm it."
"Do nothing, contribute nothing. Worthless."
RedditWhileImWorking
"I honestly think middle management is all about what you make it. If you're motivated and WANT to make things happen for the better, I think you generally can, but it's also very easy as a middle manager to just maintain the status quo and literally do nothing but collect a paycheck."
TinaBelchersBF
Complicated
people love GIFGiphy"Hospital administration. Obviously, hospitals are important and are complicated systems that need proper management, but any doctor, nurse, etc. can tell you that hospital admins aren't exactly looking out for your health and safety."
dancingbanana123
It's sad to learn hospitals are a scam. Tragic.
Office Time
Staring Episode 2 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Administrators who spend a lot of time inside an office in calls or meetings but have very little to do with the hands-on work that actually advances stuff."
Ukhupa
Dirt
"I'm using a burner account. I'm a political strategy advisor which is code for opposition researcher. I work for a federal government party in my country. I research for gossip or dirt on our political opponents and feed stories to the media to disparage them and have us win elections. I feel all I do is make people more disenchanted with politics."
Clean-Elephant9363
Moochers
"During the pandemic, didn't you notice that the 'essential workers' were often paid minimum wage? Seems like the important jobs that actually keep everything running are not being paid much at all, most of the time. All the value of their labor is being sucked out of them by the wealthy moochers who just happen to own the company but never do any work."
Pipboypipboycheerio
Liars
dominic cooper preacher GIF by Amazon Prime Video UKGiphy"Megachurch preachers are evil AF."
MpVpRb
"The fleecing of gullible sheep is a story as old as humanity."
wittie2
Well, people certainly had some feeling about these career paths. What do you think? Do you have anything to add?