People Reveal Which Small Things Their Significant Other Does That Makes Them Feel Loved
It's not just pet names or little gifts.
It's the little actions and the looks. It's the quality time. It's a swift kiss on the cheek or a perfectly cooked dinner.
There are so many ways your significant other can make you feel loved.
u/nokanjaijo asked:
[Serious]What is a small act your SO regularly does for you that makes you feel deeply loved?
Here were some of the answers.
Very considerate.
I have chronic pain which is exacerbated by lack of sleep, and he snores, so he sleeps in another room. But I love falling asleep with him there. So he sits in bed and reads until I fall asleep and then sneaks out quietly.
As he should.
He rings me every single time he sees a cute dog. Like every time. And will describe in detail how cute/fluffy/happy etc the dog was and if possible will also send me pictures (if he's had the chance to ask permission), because he knows how happy dogs make me. It makes my day every time.
The Little Touch
GiphyHe never passes me without contact. There is always a gentle touch somewhere each time and if I pass him instead then he always reaches his hand out for me. It's incredibly comforting and loving.
That's nice of him.
Whenever I feel down he can tell and we have little therapy sessions. I don't open up about my feelings a lot and it's easier when it's just over the phone because I don't have to look at peoples faces and feel judged. We did it before we even started dating.
We're similar so he can help with a lot of my problems and when he needs it, I'm there.
A Simple Convo
Every day, he leaves work at 4.30pm and he will call me and talk to me for the whole 45 minutes it takes him to drive home, I hear him pull up outside the house and he'll say 'bye, see you in a minute' then comes in and says hi and kisses me as though we haven't just spent the last 45 minutes talking.
He's done it for ages.
I look forward to my phone ringing everyday at 4.30pm. Even after all this time.
Now THAT'S cool.
Repairs my clothes. (She's a professional tailor so these things are really easy and quick for her.) If I lose a button or there's a tear in one of my shirts or something, I'll find the button replaced or the hole repaired, even if I don't mention it to her or notice it myself.
Occasionally, when she's done something more elaborate--since she's insists I just let her do the tailoring as opposed to spending money--she'll sew a note into a hidden place in the clothing. A pair of jeans has "Hey Handsome" stitched into the inside waistband, for example.
Details
He pays attention. If he goes to the store to pick up something he needs, he will bring back something I am out of or almost out of without my asking him to. This last time it was face wash - "I saw you were almost out so I picked some up for you" - and it was the brand and type I always use.
Very useful.
My boyfriend always charges my phone. I'm scatterbrained and my phone is on low battery probably at least once-twice a day, so he takes it without me saying anything and plugs it in for me.
It's so sweet.
Cute.
There's no one small act for me and my SO. It's lots of little acts that show me that he loves me. It's the touch as I walk past, the glances when we watch tv or read our books, it's the times he cooks dinner even though it was my turn that night, or when he does the chores he knows I hate.
Every day I feel lucky to have found him, as every day he makes me feel loved.
Corn Corn Corn
Whenever I say, "Honey, I'm about to go *do some sort of task/activity alone* I ask, "Is there anything you need before I go?" (We have kids and they are Legion) When he doesn't have anything he needs help with, he responds, "I need you." and usually hugs me and won't let go for a bit. Corny, yes, but hey what can I say, I'm from Indiana and all I know is corn.
How sweet.
He writes me a little note on the bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker every single morning.
Home In Your Arms
He'll always comfort me during thunder storms. I'm not afraid of bad weather, nor have I ever been, and I don't know where he got the idea from, but the way he wraps me in a soft blanket and cuddles me in his arms is so comforting to me. I've never felt so protected and loved in my life before.
That's the best.
Listens to me about my story ideas. Remembers my character's names and comes up with randomly little funny scenes with them sometimes. Remembers their accents and personalities.
He's the only person that really has ever acknowledged and paid attention to their personalities. Sometimes he even thinks about them when he's at work. If only he knew how much it means to me!
The Greatest
Since we aren't able to really see each other yet, she makes me profile pictures for my birthdays. She's very sweet, she actually made my current profile pic! She's the greatest sometimes.
Beautiful
Up until the day he died in March, holding my hand. Even in his deepest dementia, I could hold his hand and say I love you and he'd squeeze it.
Shower & Shave
When we shower together, she'll grab my razor and shave my back while I lean against the wall under the stream. Then she'll wash my back and give me short massage. Finally, she'll wrap her arms around me, lean into my back and rest her head on my shoulder blades.
She knows I hate having a hairy back, she knows my shoulders are always tight and she knows that running water beating on my head, shoulders and back relaxes me like almost nothing else. Combine that with her holding me and I'll stay there until the hot water runs out.
Take note, other guys.
He will always get me my favorite candy bar or snack when he goes to the gas station. Even when he asks if I need anything and I say no, thanks, he will still pick it up just in case I want it for work the next day. Super sweet.
Amazing.
I'm almost four years sober. Whenever we're looking to treat ourselves to a night out for dinner, she always researches to make sure wherever we go has fun nonalcoholic drinks.
How sweet.
He always makes me a cup of coffee or tea, and when I'm sick or sad he will set me up in bed with a laptop and a hot water bottle and it makes me feel like someone is taking care of me in a way that hasn't happened since I was a little kid.
Rainbows Always Mean Love
I come home and find that all my shirts have been organized in the closet according to color, forming a rainbow-like effect (with dark colors on the left and lightest colors on the right).
Likewise, the socks drawer is arranged by color, so it's easy and convenient to find what I'm looking for.
These are little things, but very thoughtful and much appreciated.
It's the little things
I have a small glass of water that I keep on the kitchen cabinet. He always makes sure it's full. If it's empty he fills it. If it's half full he fills it. Never once have I asked him to do this. It started because I would try pouring water from the Britta pitcher while the top was full and filtering, but it's turned into the always filled glass of water.
It's such a tiny detail, but never fails to make me smile.
Shower or sleep?
He wakes me up in the morning and asks if I want to take a shower with him. Usually I do, but some mornings I just roll over and fall back asleep. He makes sure I'm covered up and kisses my forehead before he leaves for work.
Every introvert needs this.
Being my social "shield", he handles all the small talk when answering the door, in an Uber, at a party where we don't know anyone etc. I can just sit back and not come up with water cooler topics, huge relief for me.
Awww
When he's half asleep, he'll often mumble my name and tell me he loves me, or he'll reach out for me to hold me, almost like I'm his teddy bear.
Similarly, whenever he wakes up from a bad dream, the first thing he does is call out for me and look around frantically for me. It's just really sweet and genuine that I'm his first thought in those moments.
You & Me & All Other People
On the weekends when he wakes up in the morning, we lay in bed and he plays with my hair while we plan out our day. It may be small, but it's the only time that we aren't rushing around and have time to just enjoy each other's company. He's done this every weekend for the past 10 years. ❤️
Thoughtful
I doubt I'll ever have a SO again, but I did get to watch my parents have little things like this. My favourite is that my dad would make my mom's favorite sandwich for her the night before so she could have it for lunch the next day at work.
He'd wrap it up and put it front and center in the fridge. He did this for almost 43 years.
Thinking Ahead
He leaves tea on my nightstand and kisses me goodbye even when I'm still asleep. And on Mondays he puts an extra sugar cube in my tea to motivate me.
I sometimes find sweet notes in the morning. When I started my first job in the US I was a little nervous, and I found a note taped to my steering wheel that first morning, saying how proud he was of me and how he knew I was going to do great, etc. etc.
Wonderful
He makes sure that I eat everyday (recovering from an eating disorder and having multiple allergies makes it hard for me). When we go out he checks the restaurant menu beforehand to makes sure that the place has alternatives for me.
Happiness Is A Hand Hold
GiphyIf we are walking around the city and about to cross the street, he grabs my hand, walks ahead and looks both ways to make sure I'm safe to enter the road. We are both grown men and it can seem a little silly, but it makes me smile every time.
You saw nothing.
I'm a coffee addict. Every time she goes grocery shopping and see a sale, she surprises me with new coffee grounds (I drink just about any coffee).
Also whenever she comes over, she'll "discreetly" put in new coffee filter in the machine for me. If she got caught, she'll exclaim "you saw nothing". So lot of time I play dumb, but it always put big smile on my face.
How sweet.
I dated a girl who would run her fingers through my hair while I slept. I have some childhood trauma and ptsd and that caused nightmares. By doing this she ensured once I went to sleep I didn't wake up from a night terror.
She never once complained about it, never threw it in my face. I truly miss her.
Yum.
Sometimes he prepares little surprises for me in the kitchen like a homemade lemonade or just cutting up a fruit. When I try to enter the said kitchen, he screams "It's a surprise go awayyyyyy! It's the little things.
What an awesome boyfriend.
When I work mornings, he'll make me coffee and a bagel to go.
When he notices I'm having trouble walking cause of my intense foot pains he'll help me if it involves stairs or when I'm standing up.
He'll make sure my arms and such are covered when out in the sun because of my sun allergy, or stand in a way to shade me.
He's truly wonderful.
That's the best.
The ability to do our own thing and have out own time separate but together. Like she can draw, I can write or play video games, not say or do anything to each other but be completely happy together regardless.
A Little Bit Neat
I never make my bed, he is neat and organized and I'm a bit chaotic, but every time he stays over he makes my bed in the morning for me. I'll be getting ready for work in the bathroom and when I go into my room to change, I smile every time I see my perfectly made bed.
Sounds like it.
Every morning when I wake up there's a hot cup of tea next to my bed. He's awesome.
A Moment Of Solace
She runs her fingers through my hair as I lie on her chest. Between her warm and smooth skin and the head massage I get extremely calm and comfortable. My mind tends to race with one random thought after another, but when she does that, I am at peace.
He loves you too.
He goes to work very early in the morning while I sleep, and after finishing buys croissants before coming home. He wakes me up with a kiss and tells me breakfast is ready.
He makes the best ham and cheese croissants in the world. I love this man.
Yay!
He asks me to dance every day. In the living room, in the driveway, in a parking lot... anywhere. We'll put on a song and just take a minute to dance. Sometimes they're slow dances but sometimes we do something silly like the Macarena hahah!
He always tells me he liked seeing me come out of my shell so by doing this it kinda makes me go out of my comfort zone. We've been together just about a year and we have so much fun doing this!
I love that he always makes sure to take a few minutes to stop and just be together. It's kind of our "pause" button.
Boop the snoop.
If he sees that I'm upset, he plays this game where it's his goal to get me to laugh or smile at least once. Usually, he can get it to work by just poking me on the nose and going "boop the snoot".
That and he ALWAYS gets me a snack at the gas station. Even if I don't ask for one.
A great relationship.
She works part-time in the afternoon, so usually I'll get up earlier than her to eat breakfast, hit the gym and take a shower.
Before I leave for work, I'll cuddle up to her and hug her. She'll always semi wake up, let out a affectionate "sigh" and call me "love."
I can feel she feels loved and loves me back, and it gets me every time.
One Step Ahead
I always tell my husband that i hate doing this, but he would help me oil my hair and condition my hair, because i don't like to do it all the time, but its really sweet of him to do that. Also he would critique my makeup and watch make up tutorials. He's just the sweetest guy.
Candy Kisses
GiphyHe drives me to work every morning, and before I get out of the car he kisses me. Every morning. And if I try to get out of the car without my morning kiss, he will say "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Until I turn and kiss him. And if he's particularly needy, he'll kiss me a few times, and as I go to pull away, he'll look at me and say "one for the road?" Before kissing me again.
The Keeeeeees
My husband always touches me as he passes, usually a head scratch because he knows they're my favorite. If he gets up to grab a snack he'll ask if I need anything. If I say no he'll go "not even a keeeees?" I love the way he draws out the word kiss in such a silly tone. He will act absolutely insane and ridiculous and when I ask him wtf he'll loudly proclaim "it's all for the laughs!" Because no one can make me laugh like he can.
That's kind of him.
Money is tight. Always.
My husband and I share all our money in one bank account.
But sometimes my husband gets cash in addition to his monthly salary, and my husband will hand it over to me and say "here, buy yourself something you need"
And "something I need" can be anything. A manicure, toys for our son, dinner out, etc.
A lot of people hate the idea of a husband giving his wife an allowance, and let me say that's not what this is in our case.
My husband and I don't have "extra" money, but when we do, he gives it to me and doesn't question what I spend it on.
Contagion
Whenever we're together, she'll very often just stare at me with a light smile on her face while I'm doing just about anything. I can feel when she's doing it so I'll look at her and her smile will widen and I can't help but just smile back at her because her happiness and love is so contagious. We're almost two years in and it feels like we still grow closer and closer every day. I'm such a lucky woman.
Something to be proud of.
Tells me he's really proud of me when I get through grocery shopping without having a panic attack. To a healthy person it should be nothing, but to me it means the world.
Fun while it lasted.
We used to spend about 15 minutes together every morning having coffee. Looking back 9n that small about of time, quiet, and affection was one of our foundations for our relationship.
We are still close today but not in a relationship. Distance wasn't for us.
Helpful
He moves uneaten food from my plate to his because I have this irrational fear of being judged for not eating everything.
People Break Down The Dumbest Thing Someone's Ever Accused Them Of Without Any Evidence
When on trial for a crime, no matter how great or small, you are still innocent until proven guilty.
Sadly, when it comes to your friends, family, or bosses you may not be presumed innocent and might find yourself scolded for a missing piece of clothing or technology, forgetting to close a window, or any number of menial, inconsequential things.
In spite of the fact that you, in fact, didn't do it and there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that you did.
Nonetheless, whether their judgement is clouded by frustration, or they were simply looking for a reason to scold and yell at you, you still might find yourself at their wrath.
Even if you can't help but giggle at what you're being accused of.
"What’s the dumbest thing someone accused you of without any evidence?"
You Expect Me To Use This?!?!
"My mother-in-law accused me of buying a sh*tty brand of hair spray, leaving it in our guest bathroom for her to use, and trying to trick her into thinking it was hers."
"She actually brought it to our house the previous time she visited and left it behind. It was totally hers."- thecooley
He Must Have Run Quite The Distance...
"Throwing stones at her goats."
"I would not throw stones at goats, but she went to my mother’s house and accused me."
"She said she had just chased me off after I did it."
"My mother told her that, if that is what she saw, then she would punish me the moment that I got home, if she would like to wait."
"My mother supplied her with tea and biscuits and, later, a light snack."
"Offered her a stronger drink, too."
"After a long time, the goat lady asked if my mother had any idea what time I would be home."
“'Well, he has only been gone a week, so another two weeks, I imagine'.”
"My mother replied, as I went to a boarding school and stayed away for three weeks at a time."- Pedantichrist
Goat Bleating GIFGiphyMaybe She Planted A Bug?
"A college roommate reported me to the campus police for selling drugs."
"She stated that she was in our dorm room and overheard me selling drugs to another student in the laundry room."
"Our dorm room was on the 12th floor, laundry room was in the basement of the building."
"She got pissed when campus police laughed at her statement."- MissConduct0120
How Dare You Not Break The Law To Help Me!
"I once had a co-worker write to my manager to complain I was racist because I wouldn’t pirate a copy of Norton Utilities and give it to her."- Yorkie_Mom_2
Wrong Ex, maybe?
"One time I started getting a bunch of texts from an ex accusing me of being on a trip with some other girl and throwing all kinds of insults my way."
"Not only was she my ex and I was not talking to her or planning to reconcile, so that if I was in fact on a trip with some other girl it was none of her business, but I was actually literally sitting on my couch with my dog watching TV."
"I told her I hadn't the slightest idea of what she was yelling about and sent her a picture of me and my dog in my living room."
"She replied, "F*ck," and I didn't hear from her for weeks until the crazy ultimately outweighed any embarrassment she felt."
"To this day I have no idea why she thought I was on a trip in the first place, especially since her texts were pretty specific and she mentioned where she claimed I was and other details."- Tough_Stretch
Work From Home Dog GIFGiphyCould Have Been Worse?
"I was accused of throwing a potato at a shed, totally not true."- bobbejaan79
They Were At Least Half Right...
"Insubordination for failing to report in to work for over a month."
"I resigned a month earlier."- Fifth_Wall0666·
Wrong Place At The Wrong Time
"I was in either first grade or kindergarten, and the chain link fence on the side of our playground had fallen over / caved in."
"Me and my friends looked at it and wondered how it happened."
"Then a teacher came by and yelled at us for breaking the fence and we all got put in time-out for the rest of recess."
"WE WERE 6, HOW WOULD WE MANGLE A CHAIN LINK FENCE WITH OUR HANDS?!"- Rabid_Chocobo
buster keaton fence GIF by MauditGiphySome Might Consider This A Compliment...
"In High School, half the school thought I was Gay, and the other half thought I was a vegetarian."
"I'm neither, and I have no idea how the two related."- Group_of_no_one
When All You Were Doing Was Trying To Help...
"One day when I was in 5th grade a female collie followed me home from school."
"I walked around the neighborhood trying to find the owner, but nobody knew whose dog she was."
"I left my neighborhood and crossed a four lane."
"I carried her so she wouldn't get hit by a car (I didn't own a dog leash)."
"After knocking doors and asking around, I had to go home but she just kept following me."
"I picked her back up and carried her back across the four lane, put her down and we walked another block."
"Then the owner pulled up, stopped in the middle of the intersection, got out of his car, and called her."
"She ran to him, and hopped up in the car."
"I told him I'd been trying to find her owners for hours."
"The old bastard said, 'Yeah, someone saw you carrying her'," implying that I stole her."
"Then he plopped his fat a** back in his Cadillac and sped away."
"No good deed..."- TheC0zmo
border collie dog GIF by Rover.comGiphyPunished For Being Poor
"Being a thief because I was a student."
"Money was going missing from the tills in the bar I worked at on some evening and weekends."
"Walked into work and got called out back with the manager."
"Was told money was missing and was suspended there and then."
"I asked when this money went missing and it wasn’t even when I was working!"
"I asked why I was the prime suspect and the managers wife pointed the finger at me because I was a student and therefore must have needed the money."
"About a week later the actual thief was caught red handed putting money from the till into his pocket by the manager."
"This was back the mid 90s so no cameras to view, which would have cleared it up straight away."
"Instead, they cast blame with evidence that actually proved it couldn’t have been me because the times the money went missing, I wasn’t even there, but hey ho."- idiBanashapan
Clearly, these hasty accusers must never have heard the saying "let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
Sadly, it's sometimes easier for people to just place blame as fast as they can.
Even if evidence and logic are not on their side.
Movies are meant to make us feel things.
What those things are is intimate to each individual.
Art shines a light on the here and now.
And no art or film is better at that than documentaries.
Thanks to the golden age of television we are inundated with documentaries.
They give us a glimpse into real life.
And real life... is horrible.
Some documentaries leave more nighrtmares than Michale Myers.
Redditor CoatedTrout4 wanted to discuss the documentaries that have made us feel uneasy, so they asked:
"What Are Some Disturbing Documentaries?"
I've been SHOOK by far too many documentaries.
But they are so important.
Unreal
"The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez :( heartbreaking and so upsetting as the audience learns about how many opportunities this boy’s life could have been saved."
SandwichMore1508
"Sixty complaints were filed against the abusers between 2005 and 2012. Sixty. F**king. Complaints. Teachers called social services. A family called social services. Police officers reported it to their Sheriffs, risking their jobs in the process. And yet nothing was done. It's unbelievable. I can't wrap my head around it."
elizabethbennetpp
Two of a Kind
"Tell Me Who I Am. It’s about two twins, one of whom lost his memory after an accident at 18. They unravel a dark secret that only one remembers. Worth a watch but really dark."
Crab-Dragoon
"It's crazy how you can look at both of them. The one with the memories looks so tired and worn in the eyes, the other doesn't have that same look. Then there's that moment you realize you were so wrong with your assumptions of the story."
Ajwuvsu
"I know, it's really sad. It was nice to see that they otherwise seemed to have a great relationship. I can see how having those memories while your brother did not make you bitter."
Crab-Dragoon
Obsessed
"Abducted in Plain Sight is strange. Man is obsessed with a friend's young daughter, kidnaps and 'marries' her twice, somewhat with the parent's consent."
"I heard about it in a similar Reddit thread a few years ago. Available on Netflix."
rock_and_rolo
"When the parents went to press charges and the ole boy said 'Press charges and I'll tell the press how I had sexual relations with both of you' so the parents DROPPED THE CHARGES because apparently - their reputation was more important than the well being of their daughter. What a bunch of bulls**t. That girl deserved so much better."
josims88
In the Wilderness
"Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog. It's about bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell who went to live with Alaskan brown bears during the salmon spawning season. It's only slightly disturbing, but it is fascinating.
PeteyMax
"I remember getting increasingly frustrated with this guy the more I watched this - especially when he would treat the other animals like pets, change the water flow after the rains, and basically give the middle finger to the park officials when they told him he had to move after so many days to you know... avoid potentially getting attacked/eaten."
"What was really interesting was how this guy's friends/family thought he was doing so much good, and everyone else who was interviewed said he was doing the opposite."
bananasareappealing
This is why I only sleep in at home and in real buildings.
Trauma
"The Act of Killing is pretty wild."
Sundazed
"The Look of Silence. Family of the victims watching The Act of Killing and decide to meet the killers."
Lexlexleeee
"I was a therapist for survivors of war trauma for years. This movie was fascinating and horrifying. I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about the torturers, just the tortured. But most humans are not equipped for hurting others. This knowledge is reassuring and mortifying."
"There isn’t a lot of free will to be exercised in a war. War is a meat grinder, it’s just disgusting every time. There is no justification good enough, no glory, there’s just the propaganda machine of war. We’re not meant to kill each other. How dare we ask others to kill for us, then bring home the survivors, call them heroes, but shame and silence them when they tell us how they suffered following the orders they were given."
madestories
Return to Sender
"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a devastatingly disquieting documentary."
Both_Feed_601
"It's just so disturbing because the woman was so obviously unhinged, and she was continually allowed access to the child."
DamnGoodOwls
"Yep and as soon as I said this guy has a great friend, I hope his son appreciates what his friend is doing for him. I wonder where his son is now, then you get the bombshell, and I was pure seething rage at that moment."
NE_GBR
No one knew...
"There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane."
Kelsburger2go
"While I'm fairly certain that her husband and sister-in-law are mostly pushing the she had a medical issue, no one could have seen this coming narrative to reduce liability in the subsequent lawsuits, my major takeaway from this doc was just how many people have no idea that their loved one is an alcoholic."
"I'm an alcoholic, and for the majority of my active addiction, no one knew. I drank mugs of red wine first thing in the morning from the 4L box I kept by my bed. I did shots of whiskey before major presentations to keep myself loose. I can tell you with 100% certainty that if you met me during that decade, there was no way I was sober. I worked in finance and did client meetings/presentations eight hours a day, five days a week."
"And I was so incredibly drunk the whole time. No one knew, and I know this because when I got sober two years ago, multiple people who had spent significant amounts of time with me during my drunk years were shocked that I thought I had a problem - 'You only drink on weekends!' No, you only saw me drink on weekends."
"Alcoholics don't all wander the earth falling over, slurring, and pissing their pants. For some of us, we just get what we need to survive the day and make sure nothing can stop that from happening. Like letting pesky family members who could cut us off in on the secret."
"ETA: If you need support in figuring out your relationship with alcohol, r/stopdrinking is a great place to start asking questions."
archersarrows
Manipulations...
"Tickled was pretty f**ked up."
CliffMcFitzsimmons
"Cannot believe I had to scroll this far down to see this. This documentary is insane. It has such a simple premise, then it gets weird, then it gets weirder, then it gets downright scary, and by the end, you are made painfully aware of how easy it is to manipulate other people’s lives and their public perception if you have enough money."
yakayummi·
Hell on Earth
"'Killing Fields,' the movie documenting the slaughter of millions of Cambodians at the hands of Pol Pot's people. Skulls, pelvises, and spines lying everywhere in the blood-filled ditches. The purest form of Hell on Earth."
D**kpuncher_Dan
"Late to the party here, but if you can find a copy of A Cambodian Odyssey by Dr. Haing Ngor, grab it with both hands and don’t let go."
"Dr. Ngor played Dan Prith in the movie, but he himself has the most amazing and tragic story of surviving the Khmer Rouge. Made it to America, won an Oscar… and was gunned down in LA. I treasure my copy of the book."
LadySiren
Appalachia
"The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Follows the White family who just completely neglects their kids, the parents, rampant drug and alcohol abuse, and attempted murder. It’s a sad look at the daily life of severely impoverished folks in stereotypical Appalachia."
InvalidUserNemo
SHOOK
Oh No Wow GIF by The Great British Bake OffGiphy"Evil genius, is a true crime story of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck. He is a victim of some very disturbed people."
Suzzert
"I was shook by this one. I love documentaries and am rarely really affected by them, but this one did it. Just knowing that you are going to die and no one can help you. And we see it unfold in front of us… chilling."
marabouxroux
Documentaries are too much.
I need fiction.
People Explain Which Books They Read In School That They'd Never Let Their Kids Read Today
CW: graphic depictions of novels.
When I was in eighth-grade honors English, our first book of the year was Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Unlike with other books, our eyes didn't glaze over as we read. In fact, we were enthralled.
We were very invested in the characters, we all cried at the end, and even though the book didn't have a happy ending, we bonded through the sadness and were still happy we were able to read the book.
My mom, who passed on her love of reading to me, always read the books we were assigned for school. She hated this one.
While she could appreciate the story and understood it was a product of its time, she thought the story, especially the end, maybe a bit inappropriate for students my age. She was not the type to make a stink about things, but she let me know her feelings.
My mom's opinion was not all that unique. There are lots of parents who weren't always fans of what their kids had to read for school.
Sometimes it's because they would've liked their child to be a little older when they read a particular book. This was my mom's complaint about Of Mice and Men. Other people don't think particular books are appropriate for school at all.
Those people took to Reddit to share what books they read in school that they wouldn't want their kids to read in school today...at least, not until they are a little older.
It all started when Redditor masterbuildera asked:
"What book did you read in school that you would never want your child to read?"
The Horror
"My 5th grade teacher read the Stephen King short story Survival Type to the class. For those who haven’t read: the narrator / mc is a drug smuggler who crash lands his plane on a deserted island. He ends up doing all the heroin he recovered from the crash and cannibalizes himself. We didn’t know at the time our teacher had early onset dementia..."
– iamtommynoble
"Holy sh*t! I was in my mid 30s when I heard that story(was listening to the audio book) and was cooking dinner. Had to save all of the food for later, no way I could eat after listening to that. I can't believe a teacher read that."
– pop_skittles
Obsolete
"“Microsoft Publisher 98 for Dummies”"
"Seems kinda pointless at this stage."
– CuppaMatt
"imagine dragging your tik tok watching kid trough that today"
"lmao 💀"
– TheVoidKilledMe
Questionable Choice
""A Day No Pigs Would Die" was pretty rough in 6th grade. Basically Charlotte's web with HAUNTINGLY graphic depictions of animal husbandry and slaughter. I don't remember getting a lot of value out of it at 11 years old, just pig-blood soaked nightmares lol"
– BizarroBuffalo
...*Shudders*...
"I recall being in 6th grade and a fellow student writing a book report on an erotic novel she had read about an extremely overweight man collapsing on a sex worker while mid intercourse and she rips off his jaw and uses it to sever off one of his limbs and get out from under him."
"I remember being 13 years old and thinking “this is pretty f*cked up for a 13 year old.”"
– Silvertongued99
"Holy crap. Yes, that’s a bit much. In that vein, Flowers in the Attic and the rest of the series."
– Pinkbeans1
Too Early
"Maybe this isn’t the question, but I read A Child Called ‘It’ as an elementary aged child. I bought it at the school’s Scholastic Book Fair, and was maybe 9 years old. Why on earth they thought that was an appropriate book for small children to be purchasing and reading, I will never know. The 90’s were a trip."
– YaBoyfriendKeefa
WAY Too Early
"I was in a gifted class and we read 1984...in the fourth grade. Great piece of literature, but maybe a titch intense for nine-year-olds, y'know?"
– Bratbabylestrange
Father Knows Best
"The Kite Runner....my dad saw me pick that up at a book store when I was in the 7th grade and he said no, I wasn't allowed to read that till I got older. Me being the rebellious little sh*t I was convinced my friend to buy it and we took turns reading it. Yeah that book is not for kids....I learnt some things that day :("
– Severe-Experience333
Unrecovered
"I read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns in high school, they were trauma in paperback form."
– bananaphone92
"A thousand splendid suns BROKE my heart. Beautiful book, but traumatic."
– bakedNdelicious
"Same. Read it in college undergrad actually and was destroyed and cannot imagine how my emotional maturity would have been affected had it come out a few years earlier. Still one of my favorite books and authors of all time. Haunts me to this day."
– abeshius
Bonded
"I know it’s weak, but the ending to Of Mice and Men really messed up my 13 year old brain."
– usernames_are_danger
"My English class read it together (taking it in turns to read aloud) when I was 16 and it was a lovely experience - we hated it at first, and then by the end we were invested, and a bunch of people cried - including the cool girls who usually sat at the back giggling. My friends and I read ahead and knew the ending. We didn't spoil, but we were smug about knowing what was coming!"
"Probably a bit heavy for a 13yo though."
– Lornaan
"We read the stage version at my high school, not as homework but as a sort of "table read" where we went around the classroom with everyone taking a turn to read a line/lines."
"I don't think I'd ever seen the entire class so invested in something. Not just kids approaching my own level of nerdiness, but everyone - even the troublemakers and barely literate kids. It kinda blew my friggin' mind. And then, when we finished the story (over the course of a few classes, I think), we all suffered together through the ending. Trauma bonding, yaaaay!"
"Honestly, that book was probably the only worthwhile book in our curriculum, as far as I can remember."
– Eleventy_Seven
Easy As 1, 2, 3
"Advanced Mathematics."
– SamuelVimesTrained
"A lesson book on calculus now that's hell"
– ToruMiz
"There are 3 kinds of people in this world:"
"Those that understand math, and those that don't."
– edlee98765
Personal Battles
"Was given The Things They Carried in HS and had nightmares for weeks because I had a brother overseas in combat at the time. Part of me never wants my kids to read it because of how much it negatively effected me, which I know isn't a good reason. I do think it is a worthwhile book but it will always, always make me uncomfortable."
– readyplayer_zero
The Wrong Message
"Hear me out, this is a weird take:"
"Cyrano de Bergerac"
"Not because it isn't a good story, it is. But because I think high school boys get the wrong message from it and it fuels this incel, neckbeard fantasy of "I am truly special, and I will pursue this woman until she realizes how special I am. She only likes that other guy because he's cute, it definitely isn't that I'm an a**hole." I don't think that's healthy for them, I think a lot of them don't get that it's satire because it's in middle english."
"I'm not saying they can't read it, but it shouldn't be required as part of the curriculum either (it was for me at least)."
– Nik_Tesla
"I’d go nose to nose with you about this one. (Not really, you’re right and make good points.)"
– tasareinspace
Not A Kid's Book
"I still wish I hadn’t read Where the Red Fern Grows though…cause I haven’t stopped crying and it’s been 25 years."
– jdino
"I was assigned this as a first grader. Apparently the teacher hadn't finished the book to know how truly traumatic the last chapter is. Plus the boy that bleeds out (that blood bubble on his lips always stuck with me). I reread it recently and cried so f*cking hard"
– gallopingwalloper
"I remember in I think my freshman year (hs), one of my friends who isn't a reader wanted a book suggestion when we had to pick one from the library. One of the first I looked at was Where the Red Fern Grows, I recalled it being good and gave it to him. Teacher refused it because it "was a kid's book.""
"I mean yeah, but f*ck you, no."
– Rectal_Fungi
Oof! Yeah, that one was a hard one to get through.
What do we really know about famous people?
Not much if we're honest.
But that doesn't stop us from prying into their lives and dissecting and destroying it.
It feels like society needs to have people to build up and tear down.
Is it that we all need an enemy?
Or is it just another form of reality tv?
So many people, celebrity and non-celebrity have been heaped on with vitriol.
Their lives often take a downturn.
Then in hindsight, upon re-examing, we learn maybe society went too far.
And those people too were just trying to survive.
Redditor wild-wolf-woman wanted to name the people we all may owe a few apologies to, so they asked:
"What famous person didn't deserve all the hate that they got?"
As a Madonna fan.
I'm livid with many people.
She didn't deserve any of the trash thrown at her.
Kevin
Screaming Macaulay Culkin GIF by Home AloneGiphy"Macaulay Culkin."
"For Redditors old enough to remember, the young Home Alone star got a bunch of hate for being a spoiled brat when he sued to divorce his parents."
"The truth of the matter is his father was a physically abusive a**hole, and his parents were going to take the $15-20M he earned from acting and leave Macaulay with nothing."
happy_snowy_owl
In Vienna
"Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis"
"He was a Hungarian physician and scientist, described as the 'savior of mothers.' He proposed the practice of washing hands with chlorinated lime solutions in 1847 while working in Vienna General Hospital's First Obstetrical Clinic, where doctors' wards had three times the mortality of midwive's wards."
"Some doctors were offended at the suggestion that they should wash their hands and mocked him for it. In 1865 he allegedly suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to an asylum by his colleagues. In the asylum, he was beaten by the guards. He died 14 days later from a gangrenous wound on his right hand that may have been caused by the beating. His findings earned widespread acceptance only years after his death, when Louis Pasteur confirmed the germ theory."
SuvenPan
She Deserved Better
"Lindsey Lohan- overworked and used by her parents."
HRPurrfrockington
"Was looking through the comments to see if Lindsey Lohan would be mentioned. not to mention the disgusting behavior of the media and the public in regard to her addiction issues. that one David Letterman interview with her is almost unbearable to watch. she deserves a huge apology from the world."
clownteeth222
Good Guy
"Guy Fiere is in the same vein. His entire career is giving small businesses a national platform and boosting them up, hiring folks most others won't, and being a huge advocate for LGBTQ rights (including officiating gay weddings) but because his shirt is on fire and it looks like he got electrocuted by mountain dew that spun his glasses around, everybody is so mean to him."
A_giant_dog
"He also goes out to disaster areas and serves food to emergency workers. He was here in Santa Cruz County during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire serving free food. Genuinely cool guy."
adventureremily
Chill
f. murray abraham amadeus GIF by MauditGiphy"Salieri. Pretty chill dude. Mozart's biggest supporter. Lent him his librettist so he could write Figaro. Took care of Mozart's kid after he passed away."
veriverd
"That's a damn good movie, though. But it also does him dirty as well."
MajoraOfTime
That movie. That play. Those people.
The best and worst of drama.
Let her sing...
friday rebecca black GIFGiphy"Rebecca Black got death threats for her song Friday. It's just a song, an annoying one, but just a song guys."
EMdesigns
Shocking Truth
"Parents of Azaria were ridiculed and hounded by the press and the grieving mother's statement became a pop culture reference. They were accused of murdering their child. Many years later it was finally proven that a Dingo had, in fact, eaten their baby."
Stinkyminge123
"Lindy Chamberlain was, in fact, found guilty of murdering her child and sent to jail for a number of years. Her conviction was overturned, and it's now accepted that a dingo was responsible."
"However, jokes about it are still made. I can't imagine how awful it must be to have the world laugh for decades over your child's horrific death."
brownhedgehog
Blame it on the Rain
"Milli Vanilli. They were a late 80’s R&B duo who were 'exposed' for lip-syncing their music during a live performance on MTV. In reality, the two members Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus were capable singers and performers, but their record label didn’t allow them to sing on their records or during live performances. They had signed their record contract in German, a language neither of them spoke, and actively fought with the label behind the scenes to sing and perform their own songs."
"After being 'exposed,' they were forced to relinquish their Best New Artist Grammies, and their label toured the actual singers as 'The Real Milli Vanilli.' The media backlash was severe, and Rob Pilatus fell victim to addiction. He overdosed and died in the late 90’s."
"Rob could speak German. Most of this information is from a Fab Morvan interview, and when he said he couldn’t speak German, I wrongfully assumed neither of them could. My mistake."
HomePlastic
Poor Mama...
"Mama Cass Elliot."
"She was an absolutely beautiful, intensely powerful voice. But because she was... gasp fat, in the 60s-70s she was bullied relentlessly by the media."
"She died of heart failure and a random doctor said she 'could’ve died choking on a ham sandwich.' The media just dropped articles that that is how she died. If there is any reason for me to despise older generations it’s how they treated Mama Cass."
holyerthanthou
They Tried...
anakin skywalker GIFGiphy"Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin and the child actor of Anakin. They both got sooo much hate... and I still don't get why."
TheDudeOnHisRug
We really need to do better as a people.
So much judgement.