Ah, parents. The true grey area when it comes to forming relationships. And while many children have to, unfortunately, learn from their parents mistakes, other times they tell us what we really need to hear. These Redditors are going to tell you the best wisdom that their parents ever gave them.
Reddit user iamrootnotgroot asked:
Adults, what's something your parents did right raising you?
This is so important.
"I remember being told it was very important to admit when you're wrong, and I think that was solid advice. But I could be wrong."- ixnayupidstay
Giphy"My mom always made a point of apologizing to us after we had a fight with her and admitting anything she'd done wrong."
"I remember having one big fight when I was in high school where I threw a complete tantrum and screamed at her."
"Afterwards, she came upstairs and said, 'You were right; I was being unreasonable'."
"That was maybe not the most mature way to tell me, but you were right and I'm sorry'."
"It made such a difference to know that my mom would actually listen to and respect the things I said, and it made me do the same for her."
"It totally baffles me when parents don't want to apologize to their kids or admit they're wrong because they think their kids won't respect them anymore."
"The fact is your kids already know you're wrong, they want to know if you know it and if you respect them enough to admit it."- palacesofparagraphs
So wholesome.
"Supported my (then) unusual interests."
"I was into astronomy as a younger kid and they bought books and telescopes and drove me to/from the local astronomy club at late hours."
"Later (this was the 80s) they bought me a series of computers which were pretty expensive for the time and for their income."
"I'm grateful they supported what I was into."- Dapper_Presentation
That's good.
"They instilled a good work ethic."
"If you do something half-a**ed, you'll have to put 2 a**es in to fix your f*** ups."
"If your name is going on it, make it your best."
"They also always encouraged my creativity."
" Never told me I wasn't capable of something."
"They always told me I can accomplish anything I want as long as I put effort into it."
"My parental units are awesome."- HanginWithLucretia
Yes yes yes.
"You can do whatever you want but you are responsible for your choices."- Arriabella
"This is the single biggest thing my mom did in raising me."
'I never had curfews or restrictions and she trusted me to not be a dumba**."
"If I was a dumba**, it was my own fault and I'd have to fix it on my own (within the scope of capability at a given age)."
"My mom operated on 'I'll trust you unless you give me a reason not to'."
"I never gave her a reason not to trust me and we never had problems about it."
"We still argued over religion and other normal parent/teen stuff."
"But not about where I went or with whom and when I'd be back (again, within reason and respective to a given age)."
"I believe people who say they had strict or controlling parents, but I can't relate to it."- JerseyHurricane
Schitts Creek Comedy GIF by CBCGiphyGreat advice.
"They made sure I understood money, money management, saving for retirement, etc."
"Made my life so much easier have never had to worry about money or debt a day in my life."- FlameFrenzy
More parents should be like this.
"They treated me like an adult."
"Never belittled what I was feeling or what was meaningful to me, and explained practicalities of life when need be."
"'Because I said so' was NOT a common phrase."
"Also, they were the most supportive parents anyone could ask for, and they had the time to get involved with the things I did."
"My dad taught me scientific wonder and mentored my robotics team."
"My mom volunteered for all my theatre and music stuff while simultaneously serving on school boards, PTOs, Friends of Music, curriculum committees, and about a hundred other things."
"They are just incredible people."- nernthestrudel
GiphySounds like a great dad.
"My dad always made my brother and I take the lead."
"He would obviously always know what was going on and would be a few steps ahead of us."
"If we were in a new city, we would be in charge of working out which bus to take, or if we were cooking, we'd be reading the recipe and telling my dad what to do, etc."
"It's pretty simple but it meant we were pretty good at doing things ourselves and were already really independent before leaving home."
"We were visiting London once and I managed to get on the tube before the doors closed, but my dad did not."
"I knew where we had to change so just got off at the stop and waited for the next train with him on."
"I think most 8 year olds might have freaked out a bit."- ThisArsehole
A useful life lesson.
"My mom always made me try a bite of any food in front of her before she'd allow the 'I don't like it' line."
"Now, thanks to her, I'm willing to try any food/drink once, even if I think I won't like it."
"I'm glad she did that."- dontaskmethatmoron
No free rides.
"Made me work."
"There wasn't a free ride, chores and working on the farm weren't an option, they were mandatory."
"As long as school work was done and I wasn't at practice or a game, I was expected to be helping, and that meant work all summer long too."- sitdwnandhngon
Giphy.....can you give me some tips?
"Never gave me a cent to spend."
"I earned every single dollar of my wealth throughout my life."
"I'm in my mid 30s and if I lose all my money tomorrow I won't even be that stressed because I know how to earn it back because I've done it before."- vadermustdie
Well that took a turn.
"Father: Taught me in the early 00's (when I was 16-20 or so) how to use computers, so I wouldn't be one of those people later in life going 'dUr wHaTs A cOmpUtEr1!1'"
"Godfather: Taught me not to spend money foolishly, but don't be afraid to spend it."
"You can't take it with you when you're gone."- DemonKyoto
There are benefits to playing sports.
"They pushed me into basketball and sports in general, even though I wanted to quit every other weekend."
"I was pretty fat as a kid and I naturally didn't like it at all at first, but it ended up being great for me, both for health reasons and for socializing."
"The latter was also very important, cause I had no long-lasting friends since my parents moved every year and I always had to change schools."- I_hate_traveling
GiphyOld school advice, but still useful.
"Controversial one but as a kid but don't start any physical violence but if someone punches you, punch them back."
"I seemed to be targeted for bullying and violence in school and this helped."
"As soon as someone knows you will fight back, 9/10 will give up."
"Definitely different as an adult though."
"As an adult I'd rather just avoid any physical violence entirely because the chances are, if they are getting into physical violence, they probably don't have a lot to lose and you don't want to get stabbed or something."- SlightlyIncandescent
You never know how people will behave
"My dad taught me that no matter how mad you are, it's best to apologize than to make things worse because it will often do no good to get more riled up than is necessary."
"My mom taught me that not everyone is going to like me and thats okay and if they don't like me, they're missing out."- Dropped-Croissant·
They set me on the right path
"I'm very grateful that my parents raised me 'Liberal' and always with a critical and open mindset, that was almost the reason why got good grades and the friends I have now."- Deutschi
Register To Vote Election Day GIF by Creative CourageGiphyTaught me essential skills
"My mother taught me how to cook and sew in effect making me very self-sufficient."- mehdihs
Consequences for bad decisions were punishment enough
"My mom never set any rules for me, she let me figure things out myself and supported me if I made the wrong decision."
"She never punished me for anything, negative consequences was my punishment (like drinking too much and vomiting)."
"She constantly told me about stupid sh*t she did as a teen."
"I always felt loved, supported and free."
"I never had any reason to rebel or lie to her."
"She treated me like a person and she was always so proud of me."
"She was my best friend and I’ll always be so grateful that I got to have such a wonderful mother for 18 years."
"I miss her with every heartbeat."- MjauDuuude
Excited Season 2 GIF by Gilmore GirlsGiphyOpened my eyes to new experiences and healthy food!
"Mine were mostly a**holes so the good stuff stands out lol."
"Two things compete for the title of 'Best Thing They Taught Me'."
"One was their enthusiasm for diversity."
"They were always hanging around immigrants or foreign visitors, both to give them a hand settling in, and to hear all about their homeland, get a taste of their traditional foods, etc."
"They took us to various multicultural stuff from visiting Chinatown, Little Italy etc whenever we were in a city big enough to have such areas."
"To attending festivals where those of assorted backgrounds showed off their traditional art, costumes, performances and foods."
"I absorbed the idea that, when you encounter something that is new and strange, rather than being uncomfortable, you should be excited that now your day is more interesting and you are becoming more cultured."
"And the idea that minorities are our friends, colleagues and neighbors, not some Other, who Our Kind avoids."
"This was pretty revolutionary because we lived in a region without much diversity of culture, faith or race, and were surrounded by bigots."
"The other one was healthy eating."
"Some health nut parents raise their kids badly risking rebound."
"Like a gal at my gym, last I heard her kids were around 5, and had never tasted sugar or flour, or many other things like chips/crisps."
"I'm sure that works about as well as abstinence-only sex ed y'know?"
"Those kids will be drawn to the mysterious and forbidden junk food items, out of curiosity and rebellion."
"As soon as they are old enough to sneak around they will be huge gluttons."
"My parents on the other hand didn't try to forbid anything."
"If I ate a third helping of dessert they would just say 'hm wonder why that is!'"
"When I mentioned a sore stomach later helping me notice consequences for mistreating my body."
"The way they pushed me to adopt their healthy way of eating was, more carrot than stick."
"My mother would flip right out about something like 'OMG you have GOT to try some of this melon!'"
"'It is the best melon I have ever had!'"
"'Wow, check out the texture, the flavour, wowww!'"
"Repeat for a good batch of carrots, beans, broccoli, nectarines etc.'"
"I absorbed her excitement over some batches of produce being better than others, which translated into an excitement over buying produce."
"Or 'Mmm sample a spoonful of this soup I just made!'"
"So rich in taste and texture eh?'"
"'So comforting on a cold day like this!'"
"'I can hardly wait to get back from our outing and have it for supper!'"
"She never argued against junk food just argued for health food."
"Like on a wintry day she never said 'Hot chocolate is unhealthy, full of sugar and caffeine'."
"'You should have this pureed squash soup instead, a much healthier way to warm up'."
"And indeed, once in awhile she was in the mood for garbage and brought out the cocoa and marshmallows herself."
"She didn't make unhealthy food seem off limits, just demonstrated choosing it seldom, and choosing healthier stuff as her normal default habit."
"To this day I default to veggies and other nutritious snacks, and fail to see any magic in junk food."- StopPoopinInMyLilacs
fitness eat clean GIFGiphyA penny saved is a penny earned
"They gave me an allowance and took half of it and put it in a savings fund."
"Meanwhile if I wanted to buy anything I had to use the money I had earned from my allowance."
"They wouldn't buy me toys or video games unless it was my birthday."
"It's made me better at appreciating my money and saving no matter how much extra I have at the end of the check."- Mehtevas52
Never underestimate logic!
"My dad taught me critical thinking skills, particularly in investing."
"Things like, 'If it sounds too good to be true it probably is'."- Nelsb85
The lessons our parents and guardians teach us can last a lifetime. What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
Sometimes there is no specific reason a person gives others the heebie-jeebies.
Certain people are just born with that vibe.
And other people are just flat-out crazy.
There are small mannerisms and big ticks that just send a clear message to stay a few yards back.
More often than not, we can't exactly put our finger on it... but something inside us just knows.
Better to know and be warned I guess.
Redditor TheRealOcsiban wanted to hear about the people who left many of us with a deep sense of unease, so they asked:
"What made the creepiest person you ever met so creepy?"
People who stare for a little too long without speaking always freak me out.
It's rude to share.
What are your evil eyes really saying?
On Camera
Giphy"He followed me for 3 miles after I left physical therapy and only f**ked off when I went into a store that I knew had cameras all over the place."
isapika
Rambo
"Was kayaking a river when some dumba** decided to dive off a cliff head first into a rock below the surface of the water and had a huge gash in his head. A guy came running out of the woods full Rambo attire headband and all. Poured moonshine over the cut and bandaged the guy up then ran back into the woods. Pretty creepy but probably saved that guy's life."
Over my Shoulder
"(25 Female) Was working out at a fairly busy gym with one other person in the gym at the time as it was late at night. He made a point to only work out on the equipment directly behind me, and every time I would move to another, he would move to the machine behind. It happened so many times that I started to text my boyfriend to tell him I was getting kind of creeped out by a guy at the gym and I was uncomfortable because I was alone in the building with him."
"There’s an entire wall in this gym that’s just a long mirror so you can see the entire room through this giant thing. I look up at the mirror as I’m texting my boyfriend and this man was standing behind me and reading my text over my shoulder from behind the machine. Instead of freaking out and making the situation more dangerous for myself, I stood up and got off the machine and put my phone in my pocket, and briskly walked to the front door without even turning around."
"I walked out and got in my car safely but by this point, I was full of adrenaline and fear. Luckily he didn’t follow. I don’t know why he would have done that, or what his intentions were but I noped the f**k out of there. Reported it to my gym the next day and was told they would investigate and handle it. Never saw him again, thank God."
UndiagnosedOtter
Chilled
"Random guy walks into the restaurant I was working at before. He asked for a crazy coworker (we didn't interact at all) if she was working or if I can give her the schedule. I declined both because it was information he didn't need to know. Told another coworker at the time, and she told me the same guy would sit at a corner table and watch her work."
"At that point, I told her that he was banned and to let a crazy coworker tell him he was banned and can't come back. I also informed the cooks to have the cooks make sure she left safely. This only happened because he happened to give me a creepy chill down my spine when he walked in and asked the question."
lazyfoo_3
Contact Ended
"He kept looking at my feet and ankle and asked to rub my feet the first time I decided to hang out with him. Luckily when he approached me, while he was cute, I was cautious and made our first hangout a group hangout which now I am so glad about. He got creepier the second hangout (public again) and then when I decided a couple of hangouts were enough and I ended our contact, I later saw him in the news arrested for trying to break into a girl's house and trying to attack her."
AgitatedCress7062
Okay, that is too much. The foresight to do a group hang was really something.
Dogs Know
"He had no friends so to be nice one day I invited him over after school to trade some cards. The second my dog met him doggo's body language shifted to tense and alert."
"The dog wouldn't let us be in the same room without sitting between us and straight stared him down the entire time and it was the weirdest vibe. Never did that to anyone else. Creepiest dude I ever met, to be honest. While he was over he openly told me he stole a girl's wallet so he could 'find it' and ask her out. I didn't hang out with him anymore after that."
Achaern
You know nothing...
"Dude called other people NPCs (non-player characters) and couldn't understand that women have their own thoughts that don't involve trying to impress men. Like... he couldn't understand that women have hobbies because they're fun. Weird, narcissistic, and creepy. Oh yeah, he doesn't like it when he gets called creepy."
haunted-poopy
The Crazy Influencer
"He stalked me, threatened me, got me involved in a cross-country legal thing, caused me to beg for a restraining order which was finally granted, lied about me, harassed me, and showed up to my house with a gun. Why? I was his coworker at a retail store for a few months and said “no” when he wanted to date randomly. I barely knew his name at the time… he’s an 'influencer' now that he’s out of jail."
AleshiniaLivesStill
My Protector
"I had a client whose dog protected me from him. He had a creepy fake smile, and that pit bull sat on my foot, staring at him, and keeping herself between us. He laughed and said she's always protecting him, but if she was, she wouldn't have her back to me. She was keeping him away from me."
Hopefulkitty
Listen to the gut...
"I can't put a finger on why I was creeped out by him the first time we met, but a few months later he murdered two people."
"So I'm really glad I was creeped out by him the first time we met."
Ok_Whatever_Buddy
This is why I try never to leave the house.
Some people have lost their minds.
Be safe out there!
It's true that sometimes we just can't understand what someone's going through until we walk in their shoes.
This can be especially true of physical ailments, particularly the less visible conditions that many would rather assume are figments of the sufferer's imagination.
On the flip side, we can try to be empathetic, but truly, sometimes until you've experienced it yourself, you just can't imagine how bad it is.
Already cringing, Redditor fyflate89 asked:
"What's way more physically painful than most people realize?"
Endometriosis
"Endometriosis. I end up bleeding for two weeks straight if I miss a dose of my birth control. Last time I was bedridden for at least three days and could still barely function the next few days."
"When I had to drag my a** out of bed because my grades would drop if I missed any more class (I’m a college student), I was in so much pain, anemic, dehydrated, and nauseous..."
"But, ya know, it’s just 'cramps,' right? Get over it."
- ChipTheOcelot
Ear Infections
"Ear infections are no joke."
"I had an eardrum and canal infection in my right ear. Completely deaf for a week with a ruptured eardrum."
"I couldn't so much as touch the right side of my head without being in complete agony. I could barely talk or eat because opening my jaw was excruciatingly painful."
- izzyishot
Degenerative Disc Disease
"Degenerative Disc Disease in C4/5/6.I look completely fine and can't get disability."
"I also can't look up for longer than 30 seconds, drive for more than 15 minutes, mow my lawn, work on my jeep, or even change my brakes or oil without being laid out in pain for days afterward."
"At its worst, it causes ocular migraines that partially blind me and both arms go numb and I can't hold anything."
"The disability Judge said I was exaggerating my symptoms. F**k him. I hope he gets the same thing."
- Demonae
Depression
"Depression. When I get it bad, my bones and my skin ache. I can feel it in my teeth."
- Darfer
"Colors fade, too."
- knee_bro
Nerve Pain
"Nerve pain… Mine has come and gone at different intervals and intensities throughout the last 10 years, and I can completely understand why people go through serious depression and thoughts of suicide when they feel so helpless because nothing helps reduce the pain."
- theithe916
Not Even for the Worst Enemies
"Getting a colposcopy (cervical biopsy where they rip out a piece of your cervix to test it for cancer)."
"Getting a uterine ultrasound with contrast dye that is injected into your uterus to see if your fallopian tubes are clear (felt like someone punched your uterus from the inside)."
"Getting an intestinal blockage. Getting an intestinal blockage that results in gangrene."
"Those are the most painful things I’ve experienced and my wish for you who read this is to never experience them, especially the intestinal blockages. I wouldn’t wish any of these on my worst enemies."
- iamcrazy4cats
Everyday Pain
"I once worked a six-hour shift as a cafe manager with active appendicitis, when I showed up to the ER (after my doctor and my boyfriend demanded I do), they were astonished I’d been running around and lifting/serving for that long."
"Two years later, I was diagnosed with stage 3 endometriosis, and I had a cyst the size of a golf ball. Parts of my organs were stuck together and they’d always been dismissed as 'normal period pain.'"
"It’s amazing how much pain you can go through when everyday pain is your baseline. A good endo day for me, pre-surgery, was a three or four out of a ten-point scale. A bad one had me on the tile floor clutching a heat pack, feeling like I’d been stabbed in the front and taken a shotgun to my back."
- burntknowledge
Period Pain
"Periods."
"I'm a dude so I've never experienced them, but I've had two girlfriends, completely healthy young women, who've needed to be carried to the bathroom due to the pain."
"My boys, we lucked the f**k out on this one. Be respectful."
- Wazula23
Kidney Stones
"Kidney stones."
"Hear me out. People think passing them is what hurts and they couldn’t be more wrong. Passing them is a minor inconvenience."
"The part that hurts is when the stone is making its way to your bladder. Three- to five-hour bursts of unimaginable pain that has no way of being subdued. I was dizzy, nauseous, and walking around like Quasimodo when those bursts happened."
- PewpyDewpdyPantz
IUD Insertion
"The unexpected pain of having an IUD insertion was actually traumatizing. There’s no f**king reason they shouldn’t warn people about that beforehand."
"They said, 'Oh, it’ll just feel like period cramps.'"
"NO, you f**king id**t, I couldn’t see straight, I had an actual fight-or-flight response where I had to be held down because I was trying to get off the table and run out of the room with no f**king underwear on, I was bleeding heavily for DAYS afterward, and I had cold pain sweat all over my body."
"That s**t was the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life and I cannot believe they do that procedure every day without ANY sort of anesthetic."
"I was curled up in a ball and wouldn’t let anyone touch me for like two weeks afterward."
- Pippified
Gallbladder Issues
"A gallbladder attack. I've undergone so many spinal surgeries, my family literally lost count. I know pain. I know pain very well."
"I was in such agony from my gallbladder freaking out that I had it taken out as fast as I could possibly have that done. I wasn't about to f**k around and find out."
- an_ineffable_plan
Dental Problems
"I've never been happier that dentists exist AND get paid as much as they did until I got my broken, aching wisdom tooth removed. Instant pain dissipation, and even though I was awake during the whole thing, he always made me feel comfortable and taken care of."
"When people say rotting teeth used to kill people back before modern medicine, I 100% believe it. I wanted to kill myself at a couple of points, and I didn't even have tooth decay."
- Pariah0119
An Abscess
"There’s toothache and then there’s a full-blown abscess. The kind where the side of your face is swollen. It’s not a toothache anymore. Now it’s a migraine and earache."
"The pain is always there and comes in waves of pain excruciating pain. No pain meds work. Only antibiotics will take the pain away."
- King_Baboon
Broken Ribs
"Broken ribs. Typically no outward signs to anyone that you're injured, but trust me it's painful as h**l and takes a long-a**ed time to heal."
- waywardcowboy
Migraines and Cluster Headaches
"Migraines."
"I'm not talking about bad headaches. I'm talking about the absolute h**l that is an actual blurred-vision, face-numbing, uncontrolled vomiting-inducing, skull-splitting classic migraine."
"Have you ever contemplated death over pain? A particularly nasty migraine will make you do that."
- SupertrampTrampStamp
"I get cluster headaches. There was this one medication, sumatriptan, that worked a third of the time, and you may have heard about treating them with mushrooms, but that's also a dice roll. Sometimes it's immediate release and a preventative. Sometimes it just pushes a worse one two weeks down the line."
"It's not as comprehensive as a migraine, it's a single spot in particular. There's a tiny demon on my trigeminal nerve with a tiny lava/wasp sting knife. Most of the time they don't last long. Sometimes ibuprofen and a frigid shower are enough. But at the worst, it's definitely asymptomatically approaching suicidal."
- AudiieVerbum
These conditions leave us cringing to think about, especially the ones that leave the sufferer wondering if they can make it to the other side of the pain.
The most important thing to remember is how invisible many of these conditions are, even a broken rib, and that even if you can't see what someone else is going through, doesn't mean they are struggling through it.
Particularly for the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s kids, a lot of businesses and jobs have gone out of style or have been eliminated entirely with advancing technology and societal needs.
While we can all understand how that happened, some of these businesses were arguably gone too soon.
Redditor SilentJoe27 asked:
"What's a profession you've seen phased out in your lifetime?"
Paper Routes
"Paperboys. Having a paper route used to be a thing, but now there are very few people who get a daily physical paper. The route must cover a lot of miles now."
- cmoellering
Video Rental Stores
"Video rental stores."
- wetlettuce42
"This is so sad, too. I used to do the Blockbuster mail rentals, and for a time you could exchange them in-store for other movies (and it would flag yours as returned)."
"The people in the store knew their movies. I would hand them the three I got, tell them what I thought, and they would make three recommendations, and I was never disappointed."
"Even before Blockbuster, the Ma and Pa rental places were great, even if I was never allowed to go 'behind the curtain.'"
- draggar
Quick Photo Development
"Photo Booth operator."
"Back in the 20th century, there used to be small huts in parking lots where a person would develop your film in as soon as one hour."
- HoraceBenbow
"I remember one-hour photo places in the mall where you could watch the photos developing in the window. Also, one-hour photos used to cost a lot more than regular developing, which could take a week."
"Sometimes it really blows my mind how I can have instant photos at any time."
- PinkSugarPills
Radio Hosts
"Radio disc jockeys."
"They're not gone yet, but they are dwindling toward extinction. Local disc jockeys are fewer and fewer as radio stations consolidate under corporations."
- InfernalWedgie
"They once played records they liked in addition to the hits. A DJ could single handily make a new band famous. Now it’s basically software playing the same predetermined top 40 songs on rotation."
- asimovsroomba
Toll Booth Operators
"Toll booth collectors."
- deckpumps_n_deldos
"Dude, that was one that was on its way out but then got absolutely DELETED by the pandemic. RIP."
- TheAero1221
Movie Theater Projectionists
"I used to be a projectionist at a movie theater. Most theaters are all digital now with the projectors on timers."
- 72scott72
"And theaters have suffered because of it. Masking is all over the place. No respect for proper brightness. The screens are filthy. These are major reasons people go to the movies less and it starts with the end of protectionists."
- wilsonh915
An Extensive List
"I'm in my early 50's. Here are some."
"Executive assistants and secretaries. When I started my career even low-level managers had a person to write memos, answer their phone, and plan their travel. I worked in a company of 3,000 people and I bet there were 100 of them. Now I'm guessing there are two."
"The entire industry of pricing guns. Everything in the store had a small white sticker with the price on it. The UPC code and scanner eliminated this and probably half of the jobs that stock shelves."
"Small Engine Repair. Sure, there are still some people out there doing this, but small engines used to fail constantly and everyone had a few of them. The reliability of the devices has reduced the number of people doing this."
"Cobblers. There used to be people that fixed shoes and shined shoes. Every town had one. Every man had his shoes shined often."
"Manual processing. Factories used to be full of people doing ordinary things, like flipping over a different piece of metal every eight seconds or pulling green apples off of the conveyor belt. Now that robotic systems are easy to program and cheap to buy, those jobs don't exist."
- PriveCo
Photography and Videography
"I used to make a nice living as a photographer. I worked for Warner Bros., Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, etc. There’s really hardly any money in that anymore."
- suffaluffapussycat
General Repairs
"Repairmen. When I was a kid and something broke, you would just take it to the local repairman and he would fix it."
"Stereo, TV, vacuum, lawnmower, bike... These guys could fix anything. They had a small shop where they had parts for everything; in some sort of comforting chaos."
"And I have been looking for a couple of years now to find someone to fix my 1960s toaster. Even the company doesn't have any ideas where I could send it."
- sonia72quebec
Typesetting
"A typesetter. The guy who would physically lay out all the fonts and arrange how a newspaper or magazine page would be printed."
- flipping_birds
"I've worked for a commercial printing company going on 22 years. It's amazing how much different it is now compared to when I first started. Never had to old school 'typeset' like you're talking about but we did have to burn negatives for every single printing plate we used."
- Holsinger60
Long-Distance Operators
"Telephone switchboard and long-distance operators."
- brushpickerjoe
"An aunt was an AT&T operator. When they were broken up, she received some 'throw-away' stocks in the new company NYNEX, which she kept. It's now Verizon."
"She doesn't need to work but is a health care aid."
- Rojodi
Door-to-Door Sales
"Door-to-door salesmen. You used to see them pretty frequently back in the 60s, never see them now."
- javanator999
"I remember vacuum salesmen still showing up and doing a 30-minute demo in the late 80s. Now you just go to Walmart and get a vacuum for $100. Things have gotten so cheap."
- turniphat
Medical Transcription
"Medical transcription. Trained editors in medical language have resorted to spot-checking s**tty dictation done by Dragon. Once an important profession now replaced by technology."
- MYOB2023
Encyclopedia Sales
"Encyclopedia salesmen..."
- Flipperpac
"I remember when our family bought a set in the early 80s. It was such a huge help for me and my siblings to not have to go to the library to work on every research assignment. It was kind of a bummer how quickly they became outdated to the point of being almost unusable, though."
- Zolo49
Phone Book Deliveries
"Phone books. It used to be major money in ad sales."
- WhiskeyTangoFoxy
"I'm not saying I got all Navin Johnson about the new phone book arriving, but it always had a wealth of information and good coupons along with the phone numbers and addresses. I just got our new one a few months ago, and it was very disappointing."
- typicalamericanbasta
While it's understandable that available jobs will change will societal demand, it seems there were some jobs and destinations, like video rental stores, that were simply gone too soon. At least these businesses created lasting memories for those who were fortunate enough to experience them.
Whether we like it or not, the fact that each and every one of us will expire one day and go off into whatever the next phase of existence is is a harsh reality.
So we might as well make the most of the time we have while we're here and leave our mark.
What kind of legacy would you want to leave for the succeeding generations?
Curious to hear from strangers online about how they want to be remembered posthumously, Redditor D_And_R_Gaming asked:
"What do you want written on your tombstone?"
There is still humor in death.
Misunderstanding
"I asked to be cremated what the hell"
–Aksjer
"I was going to say 'Bacon Cheeseburger' but then realized that’s Jack’s, not Tombstone."
– ImAF'kinLiar
Life Is A Crapshoot
"I've made many dumb decisions in my life, and only one of them got me killed."
– kinda_fruity_ngl
"Russian roulette without the roulette."
– Aquahert
People got creative.
Keeping Score
"A Steam review of Life:"
"309,936 hours played 'It's OK.' 👎 Does NOT Recommend "
<em>– Anti</em><span></span><em>Theory</em>
-Reddit
Old School
"(My Name)"
"1964 - 2137"
– TrailerParkPrepper
"My spidey senses tell me you are from Poland."
– itstoolatebro
Careful What You Wish For
"Slightly off topic….but I saw a picture of a headstone once that had a cookie recipe on the back of it. The poster said that while grandma was alive, they’d ask her for her famous cookie recipe and she’d say, 'over my dead body'. So, when she died, they found the recipe and put it where she always said - over her dead body."
"I don’t care if it’s true or not; that’s savage and I’m here for it!"
– Fluffy_Momma_C
There seems to be no limit to what you can have on your epitaph.
We Have Options
"GAME OVER
[ ] Continue
[X] Save & Quit"
– theyusedthelamppost
"GAME OVER
[ ] Continue
[ ] Save & Quit
[X] Quit
I don't have to be saved"– Mor_Hjordis
Spirit Rises
"My body lies but still I roam."
– twistedsister78
"Roamer, Wanderer, Nomad, Vagabond, Call me what you will"
– cooperkfb8
Message To Mortals
"GET OFF MY DAMN GRAVE!!"
– LucyVialli
"In really small writing... 'you're standing on my balls'"
– reiveroftheborder
Only The Strong Survive
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
– parataxis
"Evidently you didn't get stronger."
– 69420memes
How Bewitching
"A short melody in sheet music carved into the stone that causes bad weather and time travel paradoxes when repeated."
– MrLuxarina
A Lasting Impression
"I dunno but when I was a kid I came across the tombstone of a world war 2 vet. And on the tombstone was his picture. He has very long canine teethe like a vampire, on the stone was a poem that read"
“'Beware kind friend as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you soon will be. Prepare for death and follow me.' It’s just something I’ve never forgotten."
– Ok-Hovercraft2713
I remember being amused as a kid waiting in line to ride Disneyland's iconic Haunted Mansion attraction.
Up on a hillside adjacent to the Antebellum-style manse were a series of headstones with darkly humorous epitaphs.
One that particularly drew my attention was one that read:
"Here lies good old Fred. A great big rock fell on his head. R.I.P."
At the time, I really did think gravestones explained how the deceased perished, and that this one was intentionally funny.
Can you imagine?