Redditor Eli_JMI wanted to hear about the things children have said aloud that left people SHOOKETH, so they asked:
"Parents of reddit, what is the creepiest thing your child has said to you?"
I once had a kid, stop me in the mall and just point at my head and go... "BOOM! HEAD!"
Creep.
Over Him
Big Brother Reaction GIF by Big Brother After DarkGiphy"My then 2 year old accidentally locked himself in a room and was crying hysterically while I tried in vain to coach him through unlocking the door. My then 5-year-old pulled me aside and said, in perfect seriousness, 'Forget about him, Mom. He's dead to us.' I'm a little worried about that kid."
Plus_Cardiologist497
In the Fire
"Not my child but my grandchild. She was about 3 years old when her parents were expecting another baby. She kept talking about how she was so happy she'll have her sister back once the baby was born. The sister that 'died in a fire before.' At the time she only had an older brother and had never had a sister, let alone one that passed away in a fire."
MaggieMews
Before
"My youngest daughter has always had a fear of the water that’s gotten better as she’s gotten older. But when she was a toddler, it would have been easier to baptize a rabid cat than try to get give her a bath. One night at around age 3, I was doing my routine of trying to get her in the tub to wash off when she said to me 'I scared of the water. It’s how I died before.' Yeah, the bath definitely didn’t happen that night."
bluegrassmommy
Wild
"My grandma used to tell this story all of the time! Apparently when I was a young kid, I saw a big blue lifted truck and began talking about how I used to drive one like that, and I had gotten into a car crash and died at a young age and talked about missing my life. Kids either have wild imaginations, or they remember some stuff from an alternate timeline."
NewToReddit4331
Bye Daddy
Excuse Me No GIF by Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy"As I was leaving for work, my daughter said 'bye daddy, have a good day. I hope you don't get shot' and then went back to playing with her toys."
BarkingBagel
Kids know jobs are dangerous.
Think
Okaay What GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"Woke one morning before my alarm went off to my three year old son standing next to my bed. He then says, 'Go back to sleep and think about your life.'"
KJDub6
Dreams
"My son used to say when he was younger that he used to fly around at night. Jumping from lamppost to lamppost in the neighborhood. That it was hard to get there because of the connection to his body through the belly button."
"I would have considered imagination if it weren’t that my dad told me he had the same type of dream when he was little as did I."
felixkatz
The Watcher
"Not my kids but I used to work with toddlers."
"We had one girl who got so upset at changing time. She would cry and say 'No, the man is watching!' When she was on the changing table. She would point to the ceiling tiles (sometimes the wind from the garden door knocked one out of place) and say he was watching."
"Freaked all of us staff out, we all looked but there was definitely no one there. We had to change her on a mat on the floor inside of a stall because she was so upset. We did that for the rest of the year."
"The next years class starts... A little boy (these kids did not know each other at all!) starts crying on the changing table. 'No! The man is watching!' Pointing at the ceiling tiles again. Same situation for the rest of the year. Had to change him in a stall on the floor."
"There was never anyone in the ceiling but it freaked us all out constantly!"
moonchild_86
Oh Timmy
"We were living overseas and the area we lived in had been an old Chinese fishing village. Locals were superstitious about the area because the village had been removed to replace with modern housing and it was supposed to have made the spirits angry. My 5 year old son had an imaginary friend named Timmy but he didn't actually like Timmy. He complained about him so much it got creepy."
"For instance, Timmy didn't like certain people... Timmy told him to misbehave... anything that was misplaced was lost because Timmy took it, etc. I joked that at least we knew Timmy wasn't a ghost because a Chinese kid would not be named Timmy. One day my son drew a picture of Timmy to show me. He labeled it 'Tai Mei.'"
NinaNina1234
Stick with Chicken
Wait What Sudden Realization GIF by Nick JonasGiphy"Went to check on my five year old daughter who was asleep. She rolled on her back, still asleep, and said, 'I must not eat humans, humans aren't food.' Before rolling back over."
tiredandstupid82
Kids are crazy. Thank the Lord I don't have any of my own to terrorize me like this.
Do you have any crazy kid-related stories? Let us know in the comments below.
There's a limit to what part of the animal I will eat...
"When we were kids, my mom said we could each choose one main dish that we didn't like, and if she served that she'd make something else for us."
"Mine was liver, which was one of my dad's favorites."
"I thought it was so gross."
"Recently my wife said she wanted to try it, so we made some."
"Nope, still exactly as gross as I thought it was when I was 8."- Fleaslayer
There's a reason they don't offer it at Starbucks.
"Koomis."
"AKA fermented horse milk."
"I mean - growing up in Kazakhstan, it was okay as a child, but I didn't take to it like the other kids and it just doesn't stack up to a good PB&J with the crusts cut off."- YouPeopleHaveNoSense
No cassoulet for me!
"Lima beans."
"Nasty little chalk pellets - NO, MOM, I’M NOT EATING THEM!!!"- OldBob10
Never trust blue, or 'bleu', food...
"Blue cheese once almost made me throw up from nearly the smell alone."
"I had it in a burger and the first bite I took i immediately lost my appetite."
"To top it off i had covid , I wasn’t supposed to taste or smell anything but blue cheese doesn’t seem to obey that rule ."- Noirrr_
It's crunchy, but not much else...
"Celery."
"I understand why it's important in soups and stuff, but god I hate it."- some-girl-online
Some people are literally born to hate it!
"Cilantro even tho it’s genetic."- AccomplishedWaltz802
They should be banned from all salads!
"Endives."
"Raw in a salad or baked with cheese."
"It's still an abomination."- Serge_Karamazov
People really eat this as a treat?
"Black Licorice flavor."
"How the hell does anyone under the age of 80 enjoy this hell spawn poison?"- Anjelikka
Who actually wants to eat a type of fungus?
"Mushrooms."
"I'm fascinated by them but I won't eat them."
"Unless they're magic."- GhettoSauce
psilocybin mushrooms shrooms GIFGiphyNo vegetable should be purple...
"Eggplant."- Suitable_Brain7650
Everyone has their preferences, and no one should have to eat any food that they don't like.
And more than likely, when you're out with a group of people, there's bound to be someone who will gladly eat your side of mushrooms.
As long as you'll eat their lima beans...
Reddit user Deepanjon asked:
"What's the craziest thing a child has ever asked you?"
Don't take my word for it, lets gather evidence from these fine folks.
When You Were Young
Getting Old 30 Rock GIFGiphy" 'When you were a kid, did they even have electricity? Or is that new to you?' ”
"I’m 22???????"
- injury_minded
"My granddaughter asked me 'Was there color when you were younger?' ”
" 'Ummmm yes there has always been color.' "
"I died. It was so innocent. I love that kid."
- FlaOwlLover88
"My 5 year old asked me if we had rocks when I was a kid."
- vonMishka
Catloaf
"Dumb, but truly adorable."
"I got a new kitten and was taking him to the vet. He was sitting in the loaf cat position with his feet tucked all up under him in his cat carrier."
"Little girl comes up to me with a look of genuine concern."
“ 'Hello, excuse me, I’ve never had a cat, I just have a dog (points over at her dog at the vet) and I just wanted to know if you brought the cat to the vet because he doesn’t have any feet?' ”
"I picked him up and she saw his feet and was SO RELIEVED."
- sensualsqueaky
Verbal Decimation
"I was verbally decimated by a 9 year old. ZERO comeback."
"I was hanging out in my friends garage and his daughter came out from the house, and told me that I looked just like her teacher."
"I responded, 'Man, Your teacher must be a very handsome guy!' "
"She responded "Well no, she's pregnant. Are you pregnant too?' "
"WTF! That was a perfect burn. ZERO comebacks."
"My friend was laughing his @ss off."
- CodeBluePools
Why Grandma's Not Dead
"My three year old nephew asked me how old his great grandmother is. I told him she’s 94."
"He asked why she hasn’t died yet!"
"Thankfully she, like a lot of old people, has a sense of humour about her mortality. When we moved this grandma out of her house, I was carrying a box down the driveway and she walked next to me saying:"
" 'Thank you dear. This is my last move. Next time I'll be in the box.' "
"She was also friends with the retired head of the classics department at the local university, and I was a classics major so I liked visiting him from time to time. In the last year of his life he lived in a care facility."
"Whenever I was leaving he'd say 'It's always nice of you to come visit us folks here in the departures lounge.' "
- asoiahats
Jesus The Homie
family guy jesus GIFGiphy"It wasn’t me, but my daughter."
"She was 4 when she met my grandmother, who was 68 at the time. By far the oldest person my daughter had ever met."
"Without missing a beat she turns to my grandmother and says.. 'Was Jesus friendly in person?' Lol."
- bellabbr
#28 Doesn't Always Work
"Not me, but my wife, who is Black."
"Kid: 'Your skin is so dark. Does it wash off?' "
"Wife: 'No baby, this is tanning shade #28. You've only got shade #3.' "
'Kid ran too his mom and said he wanted to go outside and get a #28."
- BigdoggyTN
"My toddler asked me why I was part black. (We are both very white.)"
"I asked her to clarify and she pointed to a mole on my arm and said:"
" 'Your skin tried to be black right there but it didn't work for your whole body.' "
- NeedsMoreTuba
Playing Games
"Because I'm a 27-year-old man who is 4 feet tall and has disproportionate dwarfism, I get a lot of funny/weird child encounters as they try to figure out who I am."
"One of my favourite interactions occurred when I was waiting for a friend who had gone to the restroom in a shopping centre."
"I was going about my business when I spotted a young girl, perhaps about eight years old and already taller than me, peering at me from a few yards away. I didn't think much of it (things like this happen all the time), so I just smiled to myself and kept her in my peripheral view."
"I was caught aback as she stormed directly towards me, an irritated expression on her face:"
" 'I know you're not an adult,' she stated when she got to me. 'Stop playing games!' Just as her embarrassed father raced up behind her and yanked her away; extensively apologizing to me."
"I was taken aback, and then I burst out laughing. I'm going to have to work on my disguise..."
- bonniejfox
The Old People Conundrum
Michael Cohen Yes GIFGiphy"When I was little I remember asking my grandma:"
" 'Are old people smart because they're so old they've had time to learn everything, or are they stupid because they've had a lot of time to forget everything?' "
"She laughed in my face. I thought it was a legitimate question."
- Adelmas
"The answer is 'yes.' "
- scalablecory
During The Diaper Changes
"I work in childcare, mostly with very young children."
"While a coworker was changing a 2-almost-3s poopy diaper (there’s always another certified adult within seeing/hearing range while doing diaper changes or any other more delicate things; child abuse prevention measures!) I hear him say 'ow!' ”
"Coworker says 'I’m so sorry, I have to get the poopy off your little penis so it doesn’t get a rash! Would you like to take a wipe and help?' ”
"And the child responds 'No Ms, not little penis, BIG penis!' ”
"He asked me after he came out from the bathroom: 'I have a big penis right? Right?' ”
"100% told mom about it and she was howling with laughter. Sounds like he’s been hanging out with his older brothers or something!"
"Also my response to him was: 'oh, I’m taller than you, so you are just small to me! Like your hands are smaller than mine!' "
- immabadit
"My 3 year old boy, completely out of the blue while changing his diaper: 'I have BIG peepee!' Heavy emphasis on BIG."
- VisionsOfTheMind
Candy-Colored Gnome
" 'Are you real?' ”
"I was working at a movie theatre, and at the time had pink and blue hair. Also I am just over 5’ and have been told I look like a cartoon character."
"I think the kid had just fallen asleep during a movie and was kinda groggy, then this little candy-colored gnome with a broom walks by and she just needed to check."
- DelsMagicFishies
Point proven, but we're not done yet.
Lets turn it over to the comments, shall we? Tell us the kid-est thing a kid has ever said to you, let's expose them for magnificently hilarious little beasts they are.
Kids are amazing.
Birds and the bees, attack
"We’ve talked about sex with my 11 & 12yo kids relatively openly over the past few years. Told them to ask me anything, anytime, and I’ll give them a straight answer. And then one day over dinner, 'When was the last time you and dad had sex?' For the sake of the children’s future imaginings, 'That’s something I can’t answer'."
" I think they thought I just couldn’t remember, so my then 9yo said to the one who asked, 'Duh! 9 years ago, and then I was born.' Yep, uh-huh, that’s right, kiddo'."
-Gantzish
"My sister's 9yo got the talk and said, 'Do you and Daddy have sex?' 'Yes.' 'Oh. ... Where?' She didn't know how to answer that one lol"
-floorwantshugs
Add it to the will
" 'Can I have your tv when you die'."I had just bought a big new tv and my cousin was over. I has 23 at the time, but kids being kids, see anything over 20 as ancient lol"
-Papa_Smurf87
"My 6 year old asked me the other day if we could have my parents' house when they die. Except instead of just saying 'die', he said 'When they, you know, slides finger across his throat DIE'."
I was like dude, that's hella morbid. Freakin kid says 'What?? We've all gotta go some day!'."
-Platypus211
"Remember it and include it in your will someday."
-Pokabrows
Telepathically
web series comedy GIFGiphy"6-year-old kid: 'Hey, watch this!' "
"blank stare for something like 10 seconds"
"Kid: 'Guess what?' "
"Me, bewildered: 'What?' "
"Kid: 'I was talking to you inside my head!' "
-maleorderbride
"I did this to people when I was a kid lmao"
-Cambuhbam
"I remember when I discovered what thinking was"
-genZhippie
You will help me!
"To wipe their butt while already bending over holding their butt cheeks open. Incredibly uncomfortable at a childrens birthday party especially since I was newly dating the person who brought me to it and this child’s parents were nowhere to be seen"
-BellJar_Blues
"Omg. Children have no shame! Do they need help with something? Are you an adult nearby? Then I'm asking you!"
"I volunteered at my daughter's class back when she was in kindergarten. Despite the room always having 2-3 staff member adults, the number of kids who came up and asked me to do things for them was astounding. Most of them had no idea who I even was."
" 'Can you tie my shoes?' 'Can you put my hair in a ponytail?' 'Will you clean up my mess for me?' 'Will you help me dig this hole?' 'Will you help me go the the bathroom?' Said no to that one."
"On the bright side, every one of them was polite, even the more rambunctious ones."
-Wonderful-Custard-47
Mmm eyeballs.
season 8 episode 10 GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy"Asscrack of dawn, startled awake by a toddler hovering an inch over my face. Oh, is she going for a kiss? Nope. 'Mama, I want to eat your eyes?'."
"When I declined, she elaborated reasons including: they're beautiful, I think they'd be goopy, and I bet they taste salty. Was then quite upset that I would not let her 'even have just a taste'."
-InannasPocket
"Maybe you're well past this stage now, but I really feel like this should be leveraged any time she doesn't want to try a food for the first time"
"Something like 'you know, it's probably yummier than my eyes'."
-schmiggen
How does THAT work?
"I'm pregnant and my 9 year old daughter asked how the baby got there. I tell her the mechanics of it. She asks a few questions and then says 'wait, does that mean S/O did that to you?!' I said yeah. 'Wow, that's weird mom'."
-brunette_mermaid93
"Also pregnant, and my 4 yr old is very interested in how the baby gets out."
"'I'll go to the hospital and the doctor will help the baby out' worked for a little bit, but now he wants specifics."
-toocoolforgruel
Dad jokes.
Cute Dog Wearing Doctor Costume GIF by ViralHogGiphy"A little girl (possibly between the ages of 5 and 8) When I informed her my service dog was working (I'm horrible at ages), she asked me what I meant. I told her that he informs me when I'm sick.
" 'Oh, so he's your dog-tor!' says the narrator.
"To be honest, it's also a pretty telling sentence for that girl's future."
-maryjgilbert
"She’s gonna be a dad!"
-saviorofworms
if the aim is good...
"When I had my middle child, I called the eldest at his grandparents to tell them that the baby was born. He asked to tell him the story. I gave him an age appropriate version that mom's water had broken, we we went to the hospital and with the doctors help she came out. He went silent for a minute then asked 'Why didn't you let me use my slingshot to break your water balloon?'"
-imnotaloneyouare
"It's a good question. Why didn't you?"
-RolyPoly1320
Mammals Ice cream.
Thinking Reaction GIFGiphy"Actual conversation: 'Cows are mammals and they make milk, right?' "
"Me: Yes"
"Kid: Ice cream is made from milk, right?”
"Me: Yup”
"Kid: If walruses are mammals, too, how come we don’t have walrus ice cream?”
"Me: …………….”
-_Thosearentpillows
"I mean, my city has an ice cream place called Walrus Ice Cream, so technically we do..."
-only-if-there-is-pie
"Lol loosely related but I worked at an elementary school for awhile. One of my students had a book of drawings. She proudly showed me them."
"They were all caricatures of people as walruses. Ironman walrus. Jack sparrow walrus. Elsa walrus. It made my day, one of the funniest and most creative things I had seen."
-TurbulentLily
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Curious to hear about horrific experiences from strangers online, Redditor titanic_trash asked:
"What’s something f'ked up you witnessed as a child that you were oblivious to until you grew up?"
Although they may never volunteer information, many families have skeletons in the closet.
Mom's Mental Condition
"When I was 5 or 6, my mom used to never want to get out of bed and just kept saying she was sick. Finally, my stepdad took her to a hospital, where she stayed for nearly a month. I thought it was so cool that her hospital let her do arts and crafts all the time, plus she got better and started doing arts and crafts with me too when she got home. I remember telling her that I wished I could go to the hospital and draw all day."
"She sat me down and told me that she hoped I would never get sick like she did, but if I do, there's nothing wrong with needing help to get better, even if you have to go somewhere for a little while to do it."
"It wasn't until I was probably 12 or 13 and didn't want to get out of bed myself that it clicked that the hospital she had gone to was a mental health hospital. But because of her, I've never felt shame about needing therapy when things are getting bad, or even just to maintain a healthy mindset."
– kenda1l
The Drunk Uncle
"I wasn't a child but when I was in college I lived with my uncle Tom, who was only 4 years older than me. He used to come home from work with a six pack of beer and would crack one open as he walked in the door and offer me one."
"15 years later, just before he died a meth addict, we talked about the good 'ol days when we lived together. He confessed to me that after work he would but a six pack and a 40 oz beer. He would drink the entire 40 oz bottle and then walk into the house like he was just cracking his first can of beer. That always stuck with me."
– Loggerdon
Deep Depression
"My mom attempting suicide in front of me on more than one occasion, as well as being in the car as my dad drove her to the hospital after said suicide attempts."
– Resident-Mention-481
Lighting Up
"My mom used to let me watch cartoons late at night in her room as long as I didn’t turn around or be too loud. I would always hear her flicking a lighter but didn’t think too much about it. Years later I found out she was smoking meth right behind me and blowing it out the window, she would use me as a excuse as to why she was awake if my step dad woke up and caught her."
– dirtydandii
Major Withdrawals
"My uncle withdrawing from drugs. He was always the fun loud crazy uncle. I was around 10 and my mom and I came home from somewhere and when we pulled up he was sitting outside and said he needed a place to stay."
"My mom had to work the next day and he and I were both hanging out at the house and I could tell he didn't feel well and was dry heaving. It was really scary."
"I asked him if I should call 911 and he said no he'd be okay. I had no idea he had drug problems until I became an adult. He passed away not too long ago from liver failure."
– CoolHipLady
Complimentary Grandma
"When I was probably around 4-6 years old I used walk my grandma up stairs at her house every time we visited. She said she liked holding my hand. When I went to her room she’d always compliment my shirts and be like 'what’s this on your shirt here called?'”
"And I’d say 'Oh that’s Winnie the poo' Or whatever I was wearing. And she’d go on to tell me stories about the character or talk a bit about it."
"When I was 16 I learned she’d been blind for years. She’d ask me to hold her hand up the stairs so that I could help guide her to her room. She’d ask what was on my shirt bc she could feel a pattern on it."
"Idk why but that kind of made me feel both sad and very loved? Like she couldn’t see anymore but she never wanted to let me worry about it and still managed to compliment what I was wearing all the time. She passed away while I was still very young but those memories stuck like glue."
"Edit: Waking to everyone’s replies on this post was so nice! Thanks everyone for all the love for grandma! _. I’m glad people found this post heartwarming in the midst of the rest of this thread."
"I guess I found it f'ked up just bc while she was alive I thought I would have wanted to know bc there were times where I (as a 5 year old) would think to myself 'man’s grandma always forgets who Mickey is' LOL And when I later found out I remember thinking 'oh god I’m such an idiot' or felt bad that I thought she just had bad memory or something."
"My immediate thought was I wish I would have known so I could have given her even more love. But as I got older (almost 30 now) I realized it probably made her really happy to hangout with someone for a while who didn’t ever think of the disability and just spent time with her. So yeah, thank you again, I appreciate all the awards too I know those cost money so wow, thank you!"
– ADirtyCasual
Predatory Grandfather
"I have a big family (aunts uncles cousins ext) and whenever a reunion came around all the adults told us not to be alone with our grandfather (their own father). It turns out that he was a child molester, even his own kids couldn't escape him until adulthood. They lived in very rural Rocky Mountains where the closest neighbor was five miles away."
– Express_Topic_4081
This is why proper vetting of adults as role models is crucial.
The "Odd" Babysitter
"My really odd babysitter got fired after she broke her glass table. I was playing with her son in another room when we heard a crash. She actually used to lock us in his room a lot. I don't recall much but I remember a big commotion soon after."
"I remember my dad screaming at my mom that night about how I was banned from going over there ever again and how it was my mothers fault for letting me go over there (which I didn't understand)."
"Grew up to find out that babysitter was shooting up and fell through that glass table. Neighbors had heard the crash and rushed over and found her high as a kite with 2 kids locked in a room (me and her kid)."
– NotBadSinger514
Her Foaming Mouth
"Damn. I have a similar story. My babysitter was having trouble with her bf and tried to commit suicide while watching My sister, brother and I. My brother and I were 3, sister 4. She drank bleach and bee spray."
"I can vaguely remember looking at her foaming mouth in curiosity. My sister had the wherewithal to call my mother at work and tell her that Audrey was foaming out of her mouth because of what she drank. My mother called 911 and Audrey made it. Years later she asked my mother for a reference LOL 😆"
– GiantBlueSmurf
Church Secret
"A guy who was forced out of the church and none of the kids knew why. 30 years later he was arrested for pedophilia dating back to when he was kicked out of the church. All the kids loved him as he always showed a ton of interest in us. Turns out, the church covered for him to not lose face and he went on to molest more kids across the state for 30 more years."
– ph3l0n
The "Kind" Officer
"In 5th grade when we had the D.A.R.E program, there was this police officer that came to my class to teach us about drugs and drugs prevention and whatnot. He for some reason had a fondness for me. He told me I looked like his son and from then on would call me 'my son.' He would always massage my shoulders and ask me about my life and sh*t. At the time I thought it was kinda cool, because the police officer gave me more attention than everyone else. A bunch of years later, I saw in our local news paper that that police officer was arrested for child molestation and child pornography."
– HAN_CH0LO
Taking Advantage Of Innocence
"My friends in Junior high (around 13-14 y/o) having relationships with older men... Men in their 50s. They were so proud of it, also they were so proud of being sexually active with them. And when I was a kid I never once thought that was weird, I would just think oh it's their boyfriends... So that's ok, yes?"
"Then I grew up, learn things about the world and realized how f'ked up that was, I wish I knew better and I wish I had gone to the police. I still feel bad to this day in my 30s."
– PenutLover
People from broken homes or in abusive relationships often avoid talking about their situation.
The Trigger
"Finding out that breaking a cup or spilling a drink wasn’t a big deal was quite an eye opener, watching my girlfriend look at me like I’m nuts while I apologise for 20 minutes about dropping a glass of water made me reevaluate a lot of my childhood."
– HELLFIRECHRIS
Bruised Mother
"Went to a friend's house on the weekend to play video games at the age of about 10. We had a good time and played a lot of games on the ps2. His mom came upstairs from the basement to ask if we wanted food."
"I turned around and said yes please and before I could finish saying please I noticed she had a black eye. I asked my friend what happened to his mom's face and he said 'I can't say.' 10 year old me just said oh okay and we preceded to play video games. I didn't realize until I was about 19 this happened."
– bardownhockey15
The Lonely Girl
"On a day out with my dad when I was little I was playing in the park with a girl same age as me I didn’t know her but she was on her own , me and my dad left after an hour or so leaving the girl on her own again , obviously my dad asked where her parents were etc..."
"Later on that night there was a big story on the news about a girl who had been abducted and all my family kept asking me question about this little girl . It went right over my head at the time being about 5 yrs old . 40 yrs later I still think about her."
– Eve-76
The Friend Who Changed
"From 4th to 6th grade, I would go to a friends regularly. For most of the friendship his mom was super nice and engaged with us as kids, while his dad had always been this mysterious person at a high powered job that everyone tip-toed around once he got home."
"My friend’s attitude started changing near the end of our friendship, being abusive to his dog that he used to be obsessed with and overall high strung. Parents were a little off compared to before."
"I stayed for dinner one night like I had before many times and his mom sits down with a black eye. I was confused, like, how did she get hurt? It was a bit awkward, but the dad was there and those meals were more about finishing up than chatting. I guess everything was always less fun when he was around."
"My friend was not the same as he was before. More aggressive and that wasn’t my style. Our friendship just kind of waned off."
"I didn’t realize till many years later that his dad was likely an abusive a**hole, was hitting his wife, and maybe his sons. I'll never forget the weird anxiety that filled the house in those last few months, and that my presence may have been a kind of reprieve period where the dad had to play it cool."
"That anxiety did end up pushing me away, and looking back I hope my friend, his brother, and Mom got out of the situation."
– DogsBlimpsShootCloth
The Slap
"When I was about 10, my dad offered to buy me candy and stopped at a store to run in. We had a long drive back and I asked where the candy was. He said in the bag in the back but that he’d get it for me when we got home since he was driving. I said 'it’s okay I can reach it' and as I reached for it he slapped me and said yelled that I can wait until I got home."
"My father had never hit me before that, and never did again after. The most confusing part to me was the look of utter sadness and shock on his face after he hit me."
"My dad was an alcoholic and killed himself before my 18th birthday."
"It wasn’t until I was older that I understood he had bought a bottle of vodka and forgot to place it in its own bag…or that I hadn’t seen him drinking water all those times he disappeared to his truck and I snuck to the window to watch where he went."
– WhatATravisT
Domestic Violence
"my dad drowning my mom on her birthday. he grabbed her and went outside to the front yard and placed the hose in front of her face and turned the water on. he was laughing while my mom was screaming and crying. neighbors saw and didn’t do anything. after a few minutes he stopped."
"my mom went inside, changed and went to work. i could only imagine how my mom felt afterwards."
"till this day i think about that when it’s her birthday."
– itbelikewat10
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
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Traumatized Redditors recall some of the most horrific images seen on the screen when they were kids and have grown into adults who are still afraid of the dark.
"What was a movie that traumatized you as a child?"
Don't be fooled by family-friendly films from the 60s through the 80s. There's nothing G-rated about these films.
The Flying Car
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the kid-catcher kept me up at night."
"The scariest part of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was the creepy scene where they pretend to be clockwork dolls. Gave me nightmares about dolls for years and they still creep me out."
Neverending Nightmare
"The Neverending Story. The Swamp of Sorrows, the Sphinxes and the knight's corpse, the giant syringe for Falkor, and goddamn Gmork, especially that scene in that cave..."
"It used to be on the Disney Channel a lot in the early 90s, and if I saw something that thought even might be that movie coming on, I'd run to turn the TV off in a panic."
Not About Cute Bunnies
"Watership Down."
"My parents thought it was a cute cartoon about rabbits. Had no idea how violent and disturbing it was."
"This is the only correct answer."
"I also thought it was a cute bunny movie."
"I'm almost forty and f'k that movie to this day."
Not In Kansas Again
"Return to Oz. My grandparents bought it thinking it was going to be like the first one. Spoiler: it isn't. Comes complete with wheelies( these things that had long bicycle wheels as arms) a headless witch, and a talking jack-o-lantern that gets tied to a couch that can fly."
Golden Ticket To Terror
"Interestingly enough, I was always terrified of Willy wonka and the chocolate factory. When I watched it, I was the only one able to understand that it was child murder. Also I couldn't make it past the violet blueberry scene."
These scary films—one of which is oddly a music video—have scenes that kept people up at night for years.
The Moonwalking Werewolf
"Not a movie, but the Thriller music video by Michael Jackson at the part where he turns into a werewolf is the scariest most disturbing thing to this day."
That Bloody Indy Scene
"I walked in on my parents watching indiana Jones and the temple of doom. The exact moment was the scene with the guys heart being ripped out which scared me for years. Didn't know what film it was until I stumbled on the scene on YouTube a year ago!"
Iconic Possession
"The Exorcist."
"Far far far from it bro lol. They rereleased the exorcist in theaters in 2000. I was 7. For some reason I'll never understand my dad took me and my cousin to watch this. We literally ran out the theaters crying when she floated and her head spinned. She was my main nightmare , I was scared of dark because of her. She's still my main fear if I'm in the dark lol"
The Exorcist GIF by filmeditorGiphyPeople Avoided The Water After Seeing This
"Jaws. Was taken to see it as a kid in 1975, so I would have been around 6 years old. I spent the next year or two sleeping with my legs tucked up tightly beneath me, coz you know... bed sharks!"
"Also the scene with the head popping out of the sunken boat, I don't think I have ever been as shocked by a jump scare since."
– Lojen
Japanese horror films contain haunting images that are indelible.
The Wretched Curse
"The grudge. I'm 21 now and still afraid of attics until this day ."
Murderous Video Tape Footage
"The ring."
"I saw the Ring when I was 18. I told my boyfriend I wanted to leave within the first 15 minutes and he made me stay anyway. I spent the next few months in absolute freaking terror."
"It's been 20 years and just thinking about that girl makes me sleep with the lights on."