Redditor 20195780 wanted to hear about all the things we've done as children that were more odd than regular, so they asked:
"What things did you do as a kid that you now realize is extremely weird?"
Biggest life lesson... Nothing is normal kids.
Eat Up
I Love You Omg GIF by LifetimeGiphy"Ate rose petals. My grandfather told me they are edible. I still eat one when I go visit his grave."
Unsyr
In my Room
"There were spiders and mice in my room which totally freaked me out so every night before I went to sleep I'd whisper a report of what the weather was outside to encourage them to go outside rather than stay inside and bite me in my sleep."
Jimothy-Goldenface
"That is so cute. Rather than wanting them to be killed or refusing to sleep in your own room, you just told them the weather instead. Super cute!"
tejnno
"This reminds me of what I'd do. I would rotate my stuffed animals that I slept with so they wouldn't feel left out. I did this by putting them in an ever changing line around my bottom bunk bed against the wall. Part of my bedtime ritual was scooting them down by one so I would know which one to sleep with the next night."
"And the one first in line would assume to seat of honor with me on my pillow. As I tried to fall asleep I would think about each meal I had that day and feed each stuffed animal the ghost of that food. I also fed the ghost of my grandfather."
AceTheKid450
Ventilation
"I used to host imaginary science shows where I would get questions from viewers that I had to answer. I don't remember a lot of the questions from my fake audience, but I remember trying to explain that glass actually could let air through, and that was the explanation to how we didn't suffocate when all the doors and windows were shut."
"Young me did not know a whole lot about ventilation."
"I also remembered something else now, my mom worked as a nurse, and she sometimes let me take syringes home with me, both with and without needles (don't really know how I feel about that nowadays, though). I sometimes took a bit of everything from our bathroom (shower gels, shampoo, whatever fluid I could get my hands on basically), and I filled a mixture of the s**t and put into a syringe."
"I then sneaked around the apartment and chose my victim: a poor plant of some kind. I injected a small dose of the magical elixir into the poor plant."
"Super happy this didn't develop some sort of mental disorder for me later."
H-Lunulata
Experiments
"I used to have 'science experiments' in the bathroom sink. Meaning, I’d go the bathroom and lock the door. Once in I’d make sure the sink drain was shut and then proceed to add every cleaner/chemical/ shampoo etc under the sink to the sink in hopes of a reaction. Never got one, but it also never stopped me from trying. In hindsight I probably could have killed myself if I had mixed the wrong stuff. I obviously didn’t."
WilliamHarry
Thief
Stealing Mike D GIF by Beastie BoysGiphy"I used to steal things from my sister when she was mean to me, and then hide them by sewing them into her stuffed animals. She found out a few months ago and was really freaked out."
Pearlhuntress
Ah, stealing, who hasn't done it?
Blended
animation domination fox GIFGiphy"Not me, but my partner used to keep Kiwis (the fruits) as pets. He would name them and take care of them... until his mom took them to blend into a smoothie. That was a rude awakening for him."
spacelordmthrfkr
Eat What?
"I used to eat tissues as a kid. My mum found out one day and yelled at me to stop, (as any sane parent would do) so I started eating them in secret. Sneaking away with a tissue box to another room to eat a tissue or two."
"Until one day when I was about 5 years old I had to go to the hospital. I had no idea what was going on all I knew was that I had trouble breathing through my nose."
"Before my operation I was in the hospital and I overheard one of the nurses say that they just needed to remove the excess tissue in my nose. Naturally I thought that the tissues I had eaten had started getting clogged up in my nose and I never ate a tissue again. I made the realisation at 14 that it was muscle tissue in my nose and not the actual tissues I was eating."
AutisticArmadillo
Jokes on them...
"A few years ago, I was visiting my aunt and uncle, and they had some old film from the '80s of my extended family on a camping trip. There was a full playset there including a trampoline, and my mother was filming my cousins and I playing. I'm not sure why my aunt and uncle had the tape instead of my mother, but whatever."
"I was about 3 at the time, and my mother panned the camera away from my cousins playing on a swing set towards me on the trampoline. Except I was lying face down on the trampoline, full-on thrusting my hips into it as hard as I could."
"Now, I don't specifically remember doing that, but I have a pretty good idea of how my little mind worked at the time."
"I'm certain that I was just trying to see if I could build up enough force to lift myself off the trampoline mat, or flip myself over. Still, not exactly the best thing to be watching with your aunt and uncle, who threatened to save it and show at my wedding."
"Jokes on them; I pocketed the tape when they weren't looking."
gravitydefyingturtle
Almost 60
"Several friends and myself had a fascination with writing in code. We had little pocket notebooks full of codes and deciphering instructions (also in code) and would write volumes of notes between us in code. Notebooks got confiscated by a teacher, we wouldn't tell her how to decode, she tried to get us in trouble. Parents thought it was hilarious. I'm almost 60 and I still have one of these notebooks around somewhere."
kellydean1
Gimme Water
Water Douse GIFGiphy"I used to waste a crap ton of water by turning on the shower and lay on the floor next to it with a towel over my body and fall asleep with a tiny bit of water splashing on my face. I used to imagine I was in a cave and it was raining outside for some reason. ah good times."
Azz*ock
Kids have so much more fun before we learn the truth.
Redditor Specialist-Anybody3 wanted to discuss the aspects of life Americans found ordinary that others don't. So they broached the question:
"What things are normal for Americans but weird for non-Americans?"
We Americans have some funny ways to live.
And everybody notices.
Privacy First
toilet creeping GIFGiphy"Large gaps above, below and between the bathroom stalls..."
KimPTM
"Holy Jesus this! So nice to poop in private in Europe. I have no idea why the US does this!"
hhgfryhjkoo
Travel Tips
"If you drive for five hours in the United States, you’re pretty much still in the same place. If you drive for five hours in Europe, everyone’s talking funny and the cheese is different."
KaimeiJay
"In the US, 100 miles is nothing, 100 years is a lot. In Europe, 100 miles is a lot, 100 years is nothing."
"The stone retaining wall for the front of our property (here in Germany) is dated 1846, and it's nothing special. Many of the houses in the old part of our small town are 1300 and older."
insainodwayno
Dates...
"Writing the date format as mm-dd-yyyy instead of dd-mm-yyyy."
silkybow-
"This actually worked to my advantage. I’m a Brit and moved to the US when I was 20. I’m not a big drinker but was still mad I couldn’t get a beer. Then I realized that my DOB on my driving license would be read backwards making it appear I was a few months older and therefore 21. It never got turned down and I used it a lot."
UncleKodeia
"I work 911 dispatch. We have to write it at work as yyyy-mm-dd. Don't know why, but we do."
TheUnconfirmedk1ll
Mental Gymnastics
"Having to mentally add sales taxes on everything you buy. In Europe 9.95 means paying 9.95."
AaronBenne
"I thought we had this problem in Canada but I didn't realize just how much worse it was in the US until I moved here. In Canada, we have a VAT based tax so in Ontario, you just add 13% to the price to find the final price. Annoying, but not complicated."
"In the US, your sales tax changes based on your location increments smaller than a zip code because tax jurisdictions and zip codes were made separately. You have to basically use the exact address to figure out what tax jurisdiction you're actually in. It's practically impossible to know what actual tax you're gonna have to pay unless you've shopped there before or look it up."
BuccellatiExplainsIt
Nonsense
cbs wow GIF by Big BrotherGiphy"The fact that an 18 year old can drive and buy a gun while still being considered too young to drink alcohol."
Monika396
Some "rules" make no sense to many of us.
Years and Years
back to school college GIF by Rodney DangerfieldGiphy"Paying for college for 30 years after you graduated."
pingerlol
"That happens in England now, as well."
"But agree, for most developed countries, the idea of having an educated population is seen as a good thing that benefits everyone and should be affordable."
dannydevon
Attachments
"Attaching medical insurance to employment. One shouldn’t have anything to do with the other."
jimjamjimmerson
"Also, having a co-pay when you are covered, and a limit on what is paid. So, people are discouraged from seeking treatment early and for preventative care and can get financially ruined despite having coverage. It is a disgrace."
NameOfUserOfReddit
"I know, I've always thought that was odd. That is one thing I will never understand, America's healthcare system. How can your job be linked with your healthcare?"
BabySham8
Control
"HOAs like wtf. No other people who don't pay your mortgage telling you how to maintain your home."
throw_away_17381
"I've always thought this was the dumbest s**t. It's usually the fancier neighborhoods too. If I ever strike it rich, I'm buying a plot of land in the middle of nowhere and doing whatever the hell I want with my house. What's the point in having all that money and a house of your own if you decide to move somewhere where your property isn't under your control?"
Notthesharkfromjaws
'Hey, you need surgery'
"Seeing a possible serious medical problem with yourself and going 'ehh.'"
xx_Fiddler_xx
"I straight twisted a testicle. Since I didn't know this was possible, and I grew up on a farm so apparently my pain tolerance is pretty high, I thought it was no big deal."
"11 hours later is when I finally got off work and decided to go to urgent care."
"A total of 16 hours before I went in for surgery. I haven't gotten all the bills yet, but the one I did get has a doctor charging me $500 just to tell me I needed surgery. Not for the ultrasounds, or the surgery itself, or the follow-ups. Just to tell me 'hey, you need surgery.'"
"The worst part is, this is after the bill was run through 2 insurance programs."
StrayAI
Security
the mystery files of shelby woo nicksplat GIFGiphy"My friend attended his cousin's high school graduation in LA a while ago and he had to go through metal detectors and all that, as if he was going through airport security. So I guess metal detectors at school."
yeetgodmcnechass
We Americans are an interesting people.
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor LiterallyEkam was inquiring about the things we can never unsee and asked everyone:
"What's the weirdest thing you've seen happen at a friend's house that they thought was normal?"
I've seen things that have ended friendships.
No one should be saving hair clippings.
Chow Time
dog human eating GIFGiphy"At every meal, my ex's parents would set a plate on the table for the Dog. The dog would sit in a chair and eat at the table with the people."
WildRonin24
Weird
"When I was in about 1st grade, my best friend at the time had a lot of temper tantrums. We were having a sleepover and I fell asleep in her bedroom. In the middle of the night, I woke up in a different bed with her father. I was so confused, but he explained that she had a temper tantrum and her mom went to sleep in her bed with her so they moved me to the guest room."
"I was young and didn’t understand that’s not normal that he was sleeping in the same bed as me, just him and me. I told my parents when I went home the next day and they were EXTREMELY concerned. I was highly confused because my pure innocent mind didn’t understand the concept of that..."
"Now as an adult I’m like, why didn’t they just move me to the other room, why did the dad have to get in bed with me? Lol. They’re truly good people and nothing happened, but it’s weird."
flowersandchocolate
The Toilet
"More of a date story."
"Was on a date with a guy who was cooking dinner for me and his dog took a giant horse pee in the living room. I jumped up, a bit panicked, trying to get the guy's attention to what just happened. The guy didn't even look up when he said 'Oh yeah, she does that sometimes' and that was it. "
"I asked him if there was a towel and disinfectant I could use to help clean it up and the guy says 'I'll just throw some Febreeze on it after dinner."
"I suddenly realized the musty smell I noticed earlier wasn't from his cool and rustic cabin being under a canopy of trees, or that the floor in the same location that bowed when you stepped over it was because it was old."
"Ate dinner at a table that was couple feet away from the dog toilet. Left. Freaking gross."
Revolutionarysugar6
Bad Applesauce
"Went with a few friends to one of their family's houses for a birthday party when I was like 15 or 16. We smoked, swam, and had a great ole time."
"After eating we settled in to watch a horror movie and at some point I looked around me and everyone in that family was sitting in the same criss-cross-applesauce position and slowly rocking back and forth while watching tv."
"Definitely not the weirdest thing on this thread by far, but something about it was extremely creepy. They were nice as hell, though."
Pollowollo
22
Oh No Facepalm GIF by AminéGiphy"Found out my best friend thought the toilet seat was for kids. He would straight up sit on the rim of the toilet and poop until I found out when we were in college at 22."
ajeezy629
How do you get to 22 without such knowledge? Nevermind...
I Hate You
Live Music Festival GIF by Sticky FingersGiphy"Family had like Styrofoam bricks next to the couch in the living room for the explicit purpose of throwing at the TV if they didn't like the show, or if a character said something stupid."
Garlicholywater
Backwash?!?!
"A similar thread popped up a few months/years? ago and I will never forget the family that shared milk -- if you didn't finish it, it got poured into someone else's glass or the carton... including the friend guest. for some reason, drinking someone else's backwash milk is repulsive to me and has remained a memorable post."
catplanetcatplanet
Too Hot to Handle
"15 years ago. Visit a friend house who live in san Francisco around 3rd street (bad neighborhood area). Upon entering pass by the kitchen 4 gas stove flame was in full blast not cooking anything, no vent, you can literally see a big burn hole in the ceiling all the way thru the 2nd floor room."
"His mom was upstairs one of those rooms far away from the bottom floor kitchen, watching tv in full blast. Long story short. They are basically using their gas stove as a centralize heater for the whole house. Im a certified fire safety director at my work. This almost gives me a heart attack."
manks2016
Hoarders
"Not really weird I guess, but first time in my husband's parent's house (just a friend at the time), I got to see what a hoarder house looked like. It wasn't even a well known term/condition back then so it just really shocked me seeing the giant mounds of stuff everywhere and having to navigate through it all. His room was clean, the rest of the house, not so much."
"They moved and just moved all their junk to where they moved to."
"My mother-in-law told me that she used to be really obsessive about cleaning. She didn't say if anything triggered her obsessive behavior to switch to the other side of extreme."
ArtsySAHM
Florida
Bob Ross Art GIFGiphy"I walked into my GF's living room and out of nowhere their chocolate lab, from outside, jumps through an open window and lands on the couch. I just froze and her sons like 'oh he does that' This was in Florida."
L3aveBlank
This is why I never leave my home.
Do you have any insane stories to add? Let us know in the comments below.