People Break Down The Most Embarrassing Phase They Ever Went Through
Reddit user SurfinRay12 asked: 'What’s an embarrassing phase you went through?'
Growing up was full of learning opportunities and expressing ourselves, but some of those phases were more successful than others.
Some of them were so embarrassing or cringey, it's almost impressive.
Redditor SurfinRay12 asked:
"What's an embarrassing phase you went through?"
The Favorite Accessory Phase
"In high school, I would regularly wear a top hat to school because I thought it made me look cool and edgy."
- SadCicada
The Choosing a Style Phase
"I used to wear an old, thrifted black trench coat and fake Birkenstocks to school in the 90s with a knitted beret."
"I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be goth or grunge. But I was mostly supporting myself and definitely didn’t have the money to buy more than a few pieces of clothing a year anyway."
- TheLakeWitch
The Enlightened Phase
"I went through the edgy intellectual phase as a teenager because I read one book on philosophy and was therefore an enlightened genius."
- MagnificentExample
"I bet it was Nietzsche, lol (laughing out loud)."
- ShiroKuroKage
"It was. I felt like I had gained access to secret elder lore that no 15-year-old should possess."
"Thankfully I kept most of my thoughts to myself, and that there was an even more insufferable guy in my year because otherwise I would have been one of the cringiest people in the school."
- MagnificentExample
The Nihilism Phase
"Reading Kurt Vonnegut in high school started that phase for me. That idea that everything is bulls**t along with my parents going through a nasty divorce really turned me off to basically everything."
"I didn't take the SAT, didn't go to college. Never wanted to work in an office. Now that I'm 31, it's definitely changed and I would love an office job, but I still think everything is bulls**t."
- paperpens
The Fake Accent Phase
"I spoke in a fake British accent for a whole month at school."
- buckyhermit
"In middle school, I brought a dry-erase board to school and communicated by writing on it instead of talking for literally no reason at all."
- Zekumi
The Poser Phase
"My ninth and tenth-grade years."
"Black leather motorcycle jacket heavily customized with spikes, leopard print fabric, band patches, and stripes made with white-out. Black jeans sewn tight with more band patches. Black band shirts with sleeves and collar ripped off. 14-inch Doc Martens boots. Studded, bondage, and/or bullet belts placed loosely around the waist."
"And I'm deaf and almost never attended a concert. What a f**king poser."
- schwarzes__loch
The Unique Typing Phase
"I ussseedddd to typeee like thisss."
- scarr3d_angel
"Lol (laughing out loud) I Used To Type Like This !"
- h*eforspaghettios
"I Know Someone Who Uses To Type Like This Too And I Started Doing It Back To Her And Found It Can Become Strangely Addictive Lol."
- anderoogig
"I Used To Talk Like This Too But It Just Looks Like I'm Writing A Book Title."
- imnotnocturnal
"i u s e d t o t h i n k t y p i n g l i k e t h i s w a s c o o l"
- pxstel_flower
The Name-Changing Phase
"That time at 16 when I wanted to change my name to Shampajne."
- PrimCrow
"What a Tragedeigh."
- Brodojour
The Celebrity Connection Phase
"During an 'introductions game' on the first day of second grade (six or seven years old), I told the entire class that Amanda Bynes was my step-sister."
"I then kept up the charade for the school year. One kid even asked for an autograph and I gave him a piece of notebook paper with her name written down in my baby cursive handwriting."
- sleepyselenophile
"I once told a girl in my class that Melissa Joan Hart was my stepsister, and the girl gave me a letter to give to Melissa that said how much she loved her and her show. That's crazy how similar our stories are."
- LepreConArtist
The Emotion-free Phase
"'Emotions are weak and useless. I have no emotions, I'm a logical robot.'"
"Sad girl. Very sad. Emotional unavailability is nothing to be proud of. I'm happy I grew past it."
- Wafael
"Oh my god, I went through that phase, too. I actually recently found my Fictionpress account from 2005, where I described myself as a 'prototypical human' who was 'missing the emotions of sadness and love.' Not really something to brag about, is it?"
- ostentia
The Oh So Classy Phase
"In junior high, I went to Chess King and bought a black nylon button-down shirt with a red Japanese sun cheaply printed on the back and red Japanese characters down the front. It had a big floppy collar and glossy black buttons."
"I wore that s**t to school with the top three buttons unbuttoned. A 13-year-old kid in a rural New England town in 1986 wearing a cheap, shiny disco shirt that's at least eight years out of fashion tucked into his Tuffskin jeans without a belt. Pure class at recess."
- hiro111
The Country Pride Phase
"After I graduated from boot camp in the Navy and finished A-School in Florida, I went home on leave and wore my dress blues to IHOP when I went to dinner with my family."
"This was back when the Military was glamorized, so I considered it celebrity status. I was young and it was the pinnacle of achievement for me and wanted to show it off. And I figured I had the right to because I earned it."
"Now, I cringe every time I think back to when I did that."
- LaughableEgo740
The Tough Breakups Phase
"Crying over dudes who treated me like garbage. Embarrassing."
- Proper-Bid-9732
The Book Series Phase
"I read 'Warrior Cats' religiously in sixth grade, hissed at people when I was mad, and insisted on going by 'Scourge.'"
- Noimnotareddituser
"Dude, I f**king LOVED that series in middle school! I never did anything like that but godd**n did that series have me hooked! Ironically though... I'm a dog person, and allergic to cats."
- Xavak_Stormbringer
The Random Words Phase
"I have a thing where I pick up words and just use them a lot for no good reason and I can't help it. Ever. It happens pretty automatically."
"The worst one I had was Ahoy. Said Ahoy instead of hi and a lot of other things I wish to forget."
"Currently, it's Goofy, which arguably is a lot better than saying Ahoy to everything."
- Possessed_potato
A lot of these were really cringey, mostly because we could see ourselves doing some of the same things when we were younger.
At least we can say that we grew past these things, and now we can look back and laugh.
Puberty is such a weird time for people.
And men need to educate more men.
Times and the body will always be changing.
Redditor Taran6702wanted to hear from the men who were willing to share about those awkward hormonal days of youth. They asked:
"Guys, what's the worst part about puberty?"
Growing up is hard. I hated my body changes. Who can understand?
Hot Days
Chicken My Body Is Ready GIF by GIPHY Studios OriginalsGiphy"You are simultaneously the horniest you've ever been in your life, while having the least amount of game you'll ever have."
MrButtermancer
Skin Issues
"Acne for sure. I never had it too bad but I remember being very self concious about it. I can't imagine how some people I knew who had horrendous acne felt."
Thorst
"Adult acne is wild. puberty isn't just from age 12-18, it continues well through your 20s. Feels like most people dont realize that. I had an average amount of acne as a teen but when i hit 20 it went insane and cystic and awful. 28 now and on a new medication for it, hopefully i’ll have clear skin someday."
klausmckinley801
Bloomers
"Honestly, the worst part for me was some dudes literally went through puberty overnight. Say bye to your short friend Timmy on Friday and on Monday he walk in like 6 foot 1 with a full grown beard. Some dudes literally take their entire teen years to reach a level that feels like 'manhood' and when you're a slow bloomer, it can be difficult to watch everyone around you grow up while you feel like you aren't."
gamesireallylike
Gross
"The smell. I remember the exact day in which my sweat started to stink. Of course it was at school, and of course I was the last one to notice it."
V02D
"Ever get to school and realize you forgot to put on deodorant? That public bathroom liquid soap rub on the pits was something else."
KryptonicxJesus
Mirror, Mirror
Season 20 Laughing GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"All of these answers, and nobody has mentioned that kids in puberty just-plain look freaking terrible. Some parts of your body are adult, some parts are still child-like, and it’s all mixed awkwardly together."
SwitcherooU
What awkward years. Good for all of you willing to share.
No Jeans
jeans GIFGiphy"Being made fun of every time your voice cracks, and having to learn to hide all the boners that constantly start happening. That's when the switch from sweats to jeans happens."
ur_a_donut
bad advice
"Being constantly desperately horny all the time while simultaneously your voice is breaking and you have painful acne and perhaps most importantly adults dismiss your problems or give you horrible advice."
ActiveOppressor
Shave
"Hair in places where razors are not ideal."
pranay-007
"Also as long as you buy a half decent razor and slap some shaving cream on there (though I like to use coconut conditioner), you can shave your scrotum without too much fuss. Hairy scrotums may be the grossest thing on a human body."
LetterkennyGinger
2X
"It happens twice. Your teen years and then … your 30s happen."
Magicallyjazzedup
"Happens twice for women too. Menopause is basically puberty with hot flushes and night sweats. And it can last 12 years for some women. But the symptoms are just like puberty: hormone changes, acne, mood swings, aches and pains, sh**ty menstrual cycles."
Welshgirlie2
All of it!
Snl Queen GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy"Where is the 'all of the above' button on this post?"
Wrong-Ad1907
Puberty is never fun. It's amazing we all survive.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Young children are powerless little monsters. They depend entirely on their parents or guardians for food, warmth, hygiene, and emotional well-being.
Yes, that can be a total hassle. But there is something so endearing, so fulfilling about providing for such a vulnerable person. When that vulnerability has left and gone, that crash-down-to-earth feeling of a parent is palpable.
The means that prove the great shift are varied.
Sometimes it’s a look in eyes. It can be behavior observed from far away.
Or maybe it’s a subtlety of speech: a sly new absence of permission- seeking can hammer it home too.
cyclone1865 asked, "Parents of Reddit, when was your 'Damn, my kid isn't a kid anymore' moment?"
When “Legal” is More Important than “Allowed”
"I was on vacation in the Bahamas. Atlantis resort. I was in the casino at a video poker machine, and my daughter sat down at the machine next to me...drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other."
"For about a nanosecond I wanted to scold her, but then remembered that she was 20."
-- gogojack
Wind Out of the Sails
"When I was starting to get after my son about cleaning his room, and suddenly realized I was looking up at him." -- Sixthman27
"I'm 5'2. I'll be looking up at my toddler in no time." -- Zer_0
A Profound Absence of Question Marks
"When my oldest just recently said, 'Mom, Dad, I'm moving. Here are my plans, this is who I'm moving in with, and here is how I'll handle my part of the bills.'"
"Hit me like a ton of bricks."
-- tarnin
Handing Over the Reins
"Running through the Toronto airport trying to catch our flight that was leaving in 5 minutes. I hear 'Dad! Not that way, this way!'"
"She basically took charge from that moment on because she had a cooler head in that moment than I did."
"We made it to the plane with seconds to spare."
-- imk
He’s Who’s Driving the Bus
"When he hugged me as I buckled into my airline seat -- then walked forward and entered the cockpit." -- pullin2
"Can't wait to do that. Give my mother a great big hug as a thanks for all the stress and hardship my piloting career is gonna give her when I start soon." -- tHaTwAsChEeSy
Outdoing the Master
"My boy who is 3 and a half years old fell in love with Mario kart when I play on the switch. On his 4th day of playing, he drifted." -- JT_the_Irie
"I spent my entire childhood not knowing you could drift, so he's like 15 years ahead of me."-- Sharpman76
Didn’t Even Feel the Need to Share About it
"A local news channel interviewed my 16 year old son about how he was feeling about the schools in our area closing for a month due to the pandemic. Most of the interview clips they showed in the segment were from my son, but he didn't mention it to me."
"A relative sent me a link to the story that evening and I watched it three or four times, with tears in my eyes. His answers were so articulate and mature, and he looked so grown up and comfortable in front of the camera."
"It was kind of like seeing him through someone else's eyes and realizing all of the sudden that he's a young man, not really a kid anymore."
Proof is in the Plate
"When I started plating four same sized plates of food for dinner." -- ncconch
"My daughter's nearly 2 and we're far from this stage at the moment. The other night however, we were eating a pasta bake. This girl would just not stop eating, demolished 2 portions then went on to start picking from my plate." -- Flopper2k19
Conveyed through Materials
"I was separating laundry and I couldn't tell my wife's and my daughter's underwear apart." -- theworldisaniceplace
"My daughter is 8 and my wife wears sensible, comfortable britches. This is me everytime the laundry is done and the first time it happened it was just weird emotionally for me." -- flperson
No Questions Asked
"Besides the fact that he's made me a grandmother (with help from my lovely daughter in law, obviously), there was a recent family tragedy, and they really stepped up and took charge when it was needed."
-- lost40s
Apparently Mario Kart Milestones are Common
"When she was 5, my daughter kicked my ass in Mario Kart. Tbh, I was rusty and she had been playing for months and had gotten quite good."
"I could see in her eyes that she lost a bit of respect for me that day."
To Be Fair, She Sounds Like She Moves Fast
"When she looked at me with disdain & said "take your money back" after the tooth fairy visited. She's 7." -- Pointer_Brother
"Mine was when my twin boys about the same age tried to scam the tooth fairy. They tried to kick each others teeth out. Luckily they told me they had lost a tooth when they got the first one out." -- Ak_Lonewolf
"See, my brother and I just lied about believing in the tooth fairy as long as we could to con my parents. She just gave up a goldmine." -- CultOfWawa
A Wake Up Call that Comes with an Image
"The day I found my Unscented Lubriderm chilling on his nightstand.
"Oh. So that's now a thing." -- LittleMissWu
"I would die a little inside. My son is that age. I'm wondering when or where I will find the evidence." -- HotDem70
The Need for a Entirely New Logic
"I don't remember exactly when or what had happened, but I was talking to my wife about something the oldest did and suddenly realized that I had to start punishing him differently."
"All of the kid things (taking away toys, go to your room, etc) wouldn't phase him anymore as he was no longer caring much about those things."
You're Both Just Employees Now
"Unfortunately, that moment when my kid had to go to work during a pandemic and I got to laze at home." -- billyblue22
"Yeah, my lazy butt is home (job is closed) and my daughter, a nurse, is at work." -- Mysid
Disney Movies: Less Appropriate with Age
"When I was watching an animated Disney movie (no, I don't remember which). There was an adult joke hidden within the normal dialog. I thought it was funny, but was keeping my mouth shut."
"My daughter busted out laughing.....that was when I knew that she was no longer a baby."
-- daddyeart
Socratic Dingbats
"They (similar age) started fighting, but instead of the usual shit flinging or throwing punches, they started throwing actual arguments at each other."
"Like, actually making sense. And they were even replying to each other's arguments with more arguments!"
"It took like 20 seconds before they went back to sh*t flinging, but for a moment I could see the future."
-- Nomapos
Mothering an Adult
"I asked my mom this and she said it was when she had to go to the bus stop to drag my drunk ass home after I had already missed it once. Not my proudest moment."
No one says growing up is easy. Taxes, marriage, buying a car, having kids, going to college, and doing dishes are all exactly as hard as you think they are. However, knowing where the pitfalls will be can maybe give you a chance to bypass them.
Reddit user, u/PersonalMachine, wanted to know the slip-ups you'll make in life when they asked: