People Who Were Considered The 'Weird' Kid In School Share Their Side Of The Story
Children and adolescence are often completely inept and socializing responsibly.
Their hormones are flowing. They're obsessed with status and social hierarchies.
From Quiet to Manic
<p>"I had undiagnosed mental illnesses and no mental health support system" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq5zlq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">stealtoadboots</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Same. In my case I was the weird quiet kid in elementary school. From Kindergarten to about halfway through 5th grade, I suffered from <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_mutism" target="_blank">selective mutism</a> in school, mixed with severe depression."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Part way through 5th grade I started to talk in school, but continued to suffer from severe and debilitating depression until freshman year of high school. By high school I wasn't the quiet kid in school anymore."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"At that point Bipolar I made its grand appearance, and, while mania may have made me weird, it did not make me quiet. Didn't actually get diagnosed until I was in my late 30s. Everything made a lot more sense after that." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqx7sp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">librarymania</a></p>Hard to Relate When You’re So Far Away
<p>"I had undiagnosed inattentive ADHD so my head was in the clouds more often than not." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq6iw9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">coronaslayer</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Undiagnosed ADHD-PI + social anxiety (almost certainly caused by social rejection by peers in K-8)."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Not fun. And not recognized until I was in college." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnr8o5u?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">PyroDesu</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I have ADHD as well :) It was tough at first but I've learned to embrace it to an extent. It's never too bad to live in the clouds, as the ground sucks sometimes. I hope you're doing well <3" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqa41d?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">blossomb1tch__</a></p>A Pivotal Discovery
<p>"Had Autism, didn't know." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq4juv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">[deleted]</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"It's not very specific and there are loads of varying symptoms. Why it's called a spectrum."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">But biggest indicators for me at least were strong, unusual obsessions. As in I would get extremely obsessed over a topic that there's no reason to be obsessed about. Some other indicators are trouble making friends or maintaining relationships."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Sensitive to bright lights and sounds. Stimming (fidgeting). OCD tendencies. Often people get frustrated or irritated with you about your behavior or things you might have said, but you have no idea why they are."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"And the biggest indicator is if you think you might be autistic, you probably are." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnsh8kk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">drewisawesome14</a></p>Tremors and Tiredness
<p>"Secretly and unknowingly suffering from severe anxiety and depression mixed with a little insomnia to boot." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqb8j8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">perspicacity-404</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Lol I have social anxiety and insomnia, (my sleep schedule is very irregular) for the last two days I didn't sleep and my anxiety was on the top of mount Everest..."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"...I just got a full nights sleep yesterday and the amount of confidence I had today was unbelievable." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gns4gtp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Dry_Ad_7848</a></p>Chicken-Egg
<p>"<span></span>It's a downward spiral. You get picked on a few times, and don't take it well. After a while you learn to not draw attention to yourself by being quiet and withdrawing."</p><p>"When you withdraw, you internalise more, which isn't necessarily healthy."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq6gjz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">AlterEdward</a></p>A Last Ditch Effort
<p>"I guess I'll share my side. I was frequently seen as weird and bullied for wearing pajamas and not looking put together during school, and just being an awkward kid with poor social skills."</p><p>"The reality was my home life wasn't that great, I had undiagnosed anxiety, and I was doing the bare minimum of showing up so people wouldn't think I was dead."</p><p>"When I made valentines letters for my class one year I got teased for trying to be nice and it only hurt my reputation more. This made me scared to talk to my peers, emotional and 'quiet.' "</p><p>"Thank god I graduated."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq3cqs?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">blossomb1tch__</a></p>Laying Low
<p>"I thought everyone hated me, so I stopped talking to people because I didn't want to bother them." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqcom5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">biaforeverwar</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"If complete strangers (aka kids not even in my class) are spending a disturbing amount of time making fun of you, you tend to think that everybody hates you."</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Source: me." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnsy9ba?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">shf500</a></p>Nothing To Speak Of
<p>"There's not much of a story. I just didn't feel the need to talk as much as other people." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq2t3n?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Asriel92</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"I never knew how people could think up new things to talk about every day. I've never had the knack. Plus, I was so nervous of saying the wrong thing." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqxzdh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">BringBackRobotWars</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Yes agreed. I felt a lot of people talked for the sake of saying something but it was nothing of substance." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqgky1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">toast_with_butt</a></p>Eyes on the Prize
<p>"I wanted to go to medical school. I knew I wanted this since I was 6. I was not going to do anything to jeopardize my dreams, so I didn't do anything the other kids did."</p><p>"I didn't go drinking at the high school parties. I never did any drugs. I was a good kid."</p><p>"The few times I got sent to the principals' office, I was laughed at and sent back to class with no punishment. I caught hell for being a 'goody-two-shoes.' "</p><p>"What am I now? I'm a doctor."</p><p><span></span>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnqdnvb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">angmarsilar</a></p>Little Overlap
<p>"I had nothing in common with the people at my school with the exception of 2 friends. I wasn't into anything that my peers were into or that they felt was important."</p><p>"Nothing has changed really."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/llkp32/people_who_were_the_weird_or_quiet_kids_in_high/gnq7i2b?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">you_are_marvelous</a></p>The minds of teenagers are about as mysterious as the outer recesses of deep space or the dynamics of life at the ocean's bottom.
In Public?!
<p>"I used to fake an English accent. Not a particular one, just what a 14 year old from the US South thought people from England sounded like."</p><p>"I must stress that I did this in public. On several occasions."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glboel0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">thoawaydatrash</a></p>Center of the Universe
<p>"Tumblr in 2014 as a 16 year old was brutal."</p><p>"I blasted Lana Del Rey's born to die album as I walked my family's Australian Shepard in our suburban neighbourhood thinking I was extremely mysterious and, of course, the main character."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glc7mc7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">iwliwnoli</a></p>Stomach Turning Reflections
<p>"Straight edge scene kid. I was fu**ing insufferable." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glbo2fb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">ReadingBagder</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The first part would have been me if my mom let me style myself the way I wanted to. The second part was totally me; I was also insufferable." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glcf4c1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Known_Character</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Same. Went from the hippie-looking burnout look into the scenester emo look. Gut wrenching." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glcg7pj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">labbykun</a></p>A Few Favorites
<ol><li>Mom, no one understands me. Neither do you.</li><li>Metal is the greatest genre and unlike other genre of music, it is 'real' music.</li><li>I will wait until they invent a color darker than black.</li><li>Society bad.</li></ol><div>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glc4vfm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">PretentiousLover</a></div>Shameless Fanhood
<p>"I'd have a 'Minecraft Monday' and 'Black Ops Tuesday (II's day).' So Monday I'd wear my Minecraft t-shirt and use my Minecraft lanyard, then Tuesday I'd wear my Black Ops II shirt, hoodie, wallet, and iPod case."</p><p>"This was my sophomore year of high school btw. Probably one of the couple of reasons I didn't have a girlfriend."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glc3e0g?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">thechiangsta</a></p>"Entertain Me!"
<p>"Thought of myself as a legitimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl. A retrospectively embarrassing blend of insecurity, narcissism, and a desire to be seen as 'the one who got away.'" </p><p>"I rejected anything trendy or popular because truthfully I didn't know how to succeed in that aesthetic, but I told myself (and everybody else) that it was because I found conformity tiresome and needed my soul constantly ignited by the strange and unexpected."</p><p>"I still full-body-cringe at my former self."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glc9jjs?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Mesmerotic</a></p>Living a Lie
<p>"I tried to convince myself that I liked the horror genre and watched a ton of horror movies and drew horror sh** until I realized that I didn't like horror and that I was actually interested in mythology and folklore."</p><p>"I think it was because I was really into Slenderman as a 13-year-old or I was trying to break free from my Catholic upbringing. Probably both."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glc13i6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">HiddenMasquerade</a></p>Harder Core
<p>"I saw myself as 'a hardcore' and made it part of my identity."</p><p>"Better believe I'm going to get better at this game than my friends, I'm a hardcore! I'm naturally wired to have more dedication and perseverance than they are."</p><p>"This guy thinks he's going to beat me in the school cross country? Hah, I'll show him! I'm a hardcore. I keep going when others would have given up."</p><p>"Others may have a fleeting interest in something, get mediocre at it then give up and move on to the next silly distraction. Not me! I'm a hardcore."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glbolt4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">flameylamey</a></p>CLASSIC
<p>"Had a 'girlfriend' who 'moved to Florida.'" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glbr8p1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">_Mechaloth_</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"So your girlfriend was...retirement age?" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glccxke?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">RandomGuyWithStick</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"When I was 7 or 8, I told people I had a boyfriend named Casey who went to another school. Really I had a crush on someone in our class whose initials were KC." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glcn0b1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">noisy748922</a></p>Doing More Looking Around Than Reading
<p>"Reading Jean-Paul Sartre's <em>Being and Nothingness</em> on the bus to school in the hopes that a girl would be impressed and strike up a conversation with me." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glbo36y?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">RunDNA</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"Oh god. I was a girl version of you. Dressed like a Wes Anderson character and made a big show of writing in the margins." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glbv1la?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">doittomejulia</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The real question is how much of it did you understand..." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l8b675/what_was_your_cringy_teenager_phase/glcn1n9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">SeasickWalnutt</a></p>Come on, old folks. It's time to do the thing where we give teenagers advice that they will probably forget until it's too late.
Life Already Started
<p>Addiction, debt and pregnancy are the big ones. But avoid waiting for life to begin. It already has. Go in some positive direction even if you're not sure it's the exact right one.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge56i3i?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">picksandchooses</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge56i3i?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"></a>One easy way to start this is to do one thing that's new, or makes you feel uncomfortable each day.</p><p>Even if that's walking into a store and saying "hi'' to the cashier before they say it to you. Or go out in a shirt that you wouldn't normally do.</p><p>Or post something anonymously on Reddit about how YOU are starting to write a cyberpunk book, even if it's only for you and no one else will ever read it.</p><p>One small step each day. Never skip the day, always take that one tiny, almost immeasurable step. Because in a month, you'll be able to look back and see that you've actually made a ton of progress.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge60m5p?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Weary_Enthusiasm</a></p>The Dentist
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg1NjI0NC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjU5NTI2Nn0.LfcnZgDp8fNnrcrBCyLYrxdRwHKYnXOP_z1Yjt6hdCE/img.gif?width=980" id="62c23" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f7c073c30eb8340f189b2eeda3547996" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="460" data-height="259" />ryan reynolds dentist GIFGiphy<p>Avoid skipping the dentist. Even if money is tight professional cleanings and preventive maintenance will pay dividends later in life.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge4z2tc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">GrowBigBuds</a></p><p>A horror story to prove the point: I caught a bad bad spell of depression some years ago and stopped taking care of myself in many ways, including flossing and going to the dentist.</p><p> I ended up having to have surgery to hollow up and fill out a completely rotten tooth, costing insane amounts of money. I was in so much pain. To make matters worse, there was a SURPRISE NERVE in one of the roots of my teeth meaning they nearly drilled while the area wasn't completely anesthetized. </p><p>I've brushed my teeth religiously since, but sometimes we still find surprise holes from that time where I couldn't take care of myself for a few months. TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH!</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5d89c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">RustyCopal</a></p><p>30F here and I've got two fake teeth on a partial denture from neglecting my teeth and not going to the dentist in my late teens early 20s. Biggest regret in my life 100%</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5oo1p?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">wwlddarm7</a></p>Don't Wait To Figure It Out
<p>Procrastination. Not as big as the other ones but my God, procrastination can get so bad and affect you so horribly if you let it get out of hand.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge53i89?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Sw3at3rboi</a></p><p>Yes. Teenagers need to hack themselves and figure out their own personal formula for productivity. Pays off bigtime.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5miek?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">pastdense</a></p><p>Yes. Nip this one in the bud <em>now</em>. It is so much harder to develop a work ethic as an adult.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5h368?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">dahhhkness</a></p>Approval Online
<p>Social media and seeking others approval. That sh*t will destroy them for years.</p><p>Cyber bullying can leave a huge emotional impact on teens that give them mental health issues or body image issues. I know people that have taken into their thirties to recover from these kinds of things.</p><p>- <a href="Cyber bullying can leave a huge emotional impact on teens that give them mental health issues or body image issues. I know people that have taken into their thirties to recover from these kinds of things." target="_blank">bigtrav118</a></p><p><a href="Cyber bullying can leave a huge emotional impact on teens that give them mental health issues or body image issues. I know people that have taken into their thirties to recover from these kinds of things." target="_blank"></a>This terrifies me about my two kids. I was bullied as a kid in elementary and then high school. I had the ability to go home and forget about all of them and escape by playing video games.</p><p>F*ck me, kids these days don't get an escape.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5wgqx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Blahyaddayadda24</a></p>No Drugs ... Yet
<p>Drugs. absolutely Drugs. Teenage brains aren't developed enough to handle that kind of dopamine</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge4x113?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">nargakenzo</a></p><p>I'm pro-weed, pro-psychedelics, pro-legalize everything; and yet I still want the recreational age for all of that to be 21.</p><p>Brains need to fully developed before you start soaking em in fun juice.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge50uj2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">AmbivalentAhole</a></p><p>As someone who did harder drugs as a teen this one would be at the top for me. </p><p>It permanently f*cked me up, body, mind and all. It's been 8 year since I quit and I've actually continued to decline even more since I stopped. </p><p>We're not being squares. A lot of us have been there and done that already. I wish I'd listened. </p><p><br></p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge526x6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">DreamApocalypse</a></p>Hearing Loss Sucks
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg1NjI0OS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDk4NjU0MH0.hBRqXQeL1uC0xHNUt6w_NDTjp1MzKPRv7c8qAZZIjBE/img.gif?width=980" id="c92e3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6f2e11f360e0cf90764f21a810a0a09b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="224" />Deaf GIF by memecandyGiphy<p>Really loud music, I mean the kind at a concert front row loud. Tinnitus really sucks.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5a8k0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">iamacomputerperson</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5a8k0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"></a>And not only tinnitus. I damaged my ability to hear certain frequencies when I was a teenager by going to loud punk gigs. It makes it really hard to hear people speaking over background noise. Doesn't sound too major, but it makes socializing in a pub or club or public place that bit more challenging. I guess I lost the frequency range that distinguishes speech from general noise.</p><p>When you're a young adult, you do a lot of your socializing in such environments, so don't add an extra challenge to your social life.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5yuzb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">99thLuftballon</a></p>Don't Fall For The Fakes
<p>Fake friends. It's honestly better to have no friends than people who gossip about you and make snide remarks to you. I know everyone says this but you will find your people.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge50hg0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">upsidedownaliyah</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge50hg0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"></a>I agree with you... but to a teenager, no friends is infinitely worse than bad friends. Sitting alone in the cafeteria or in the hall?</p><p>Transferring from one group to another is hard.... but that's the key.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5msfa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">pastdense</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5msfa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"></a>As someone who put up with being the butt of my "friend"-group's jokes for years... I can say that cutting out the toxic people in my life has helped me out tremendously.</p><p>Keeping a small group of high quality friends, is so much less stressful.</p><p>Work and hobbies will help you find like minded people in my experience.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge6fc81?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">WindJDM</a></p>You're Probably Pretty Average
<p>Avoid self destructive attitudes is a good one. </p><p>Probably 95% of people alive are decently attractive. You can lose that extra 15 pounds, you can shave those unwanted hairs.</p><p>If you look in the mirror and think you are below average.. you are probably closer to average.. which is fine! Average people are perfectly good looking enough. </p><p>If you look in the mirror and think you are absolutely hideous.. maybe you are slightly below average.. but truly ugly people are rare and more often then not they have 13 out of 10 charisma and it makes up for it.</p><p>You're Fine.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge68ksa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Bolsmackie43</a></p>Time Gives You Time To Discover
<p>My mom found her dream job in her thirties and my current stepdad in her fifties. </p><p>Don't be too concerned with whether the things you're doing now is gonna be forever. Do what you can to open doors for yourself, but don't feel forced to think you need to know who or what you should spend the rest of your life with <em>at this point. </em></p><p>Time gives you time to discover more things. Discover more things, and eventually you'll find your way - even if you didn't realize it. Stop thinking in today and forever. You got all the time to figure it out. Just get yourself a solid foundation and explore.</p><p>Except for drugs. Don't explore things that you could get addicted to for the rest of your life.</p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/k3t53e/what_are_some_things_that_a_teenager_should_avoid/ge5dpi7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">RustyCopal</a></p>High school, well adolescence really, is a super confusing time. Emotions that you don't quite understand hold you in their grasp. More often than not it can lead to some "questionable" behavior. Let's just be real.... high school is a hotbed of crazy and a social soap opera. Bad behavior can run amok. But the stories are fascinating to tell decades later.
Redditor u/humbert-ridingLolita wanted everyone to fess up and share some salacious tales about the good old days by asking.... What's your wildest high school secret?Hey Jack
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2ODcxMS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDY1MjAzMH0.ozSquCWKZIwrwdEDUA_1mtVcumBTT94YFUR7iUmlbls/img.gif?width=980" id="65edd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="daaab9133f7e728c80a0c3bacbfc0504" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="500" data-height="281" />Happy Hour Reaction GIF by CheezburgerGiphy<p>There's still a good pint of Jack Daniels hidden inside the ceiling from 10 years ago. I checked last year day when my nephew was graduating. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb15d9x?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">chazcollabs</a></p>A+ Sir
<p>I was at a party in my senior year of high school. I didn't know the guy who lived there so I didn't investigate when I smelled pot coming from the back of the house. But I did notice that among the half dozen or so teenagers coming out that room later, a couple of adults were with them. One of them was my chemistry teacher who seemed rather surprised to see several of his students in the room. He quietly left the party. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb0dc7f?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BaconReceptacle</a></p>Muddled
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2ODcyMi9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTc0ODE2MH0.uQvo3-cyjGeG7UH2jxfqamoSIxp7zivyt7Xtaxka2oM/img.gif?width=980" id="9d467" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="21b0f6f23895ef3b9a565d5d037e1964" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="465" data-height="303" />poop GIFGiphy<p>I pooped myself freshman year and then fell in mud on purpose and made sure everyone saw so I could say it was all dirt. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb0wgst?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">guitarnxc</a><span></span></p>Never waste TP!!
<p>Our boarding school mascot was a tree (lol) that was on the campus in a prominent spot. On Mischief Night, I had study hall with two other students; we were all sociable but not close friends with one another. We decided to completely TP the school tree, and stole loads of rolls from the library bathroom. We snuck out of our dorms after midnight, absolutely covered this massive tree in toilet paper, and snuck back in.</p>The Bad Seed
<p>A kid at my high school ended up lighting his house on fire and killing his dad, brothers and some of his sisters I think? I remember his mom and one sister were alive. His one brother who I was kind of friends with was over at his friend's house for the night.</p><p>It was completely intentional. They found him at the hospital trying to kill his mom and sister. Maybe not a secret but it was still wild. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb16gwy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Phan2112</a></p>It's a Soap Opera
<p>The school has had 4 microwaves blown up, over the course of 4 years.</p><p>The first time I told a guy to put in a pack of raisins, explosion.</p><p>The second time, some freshman put in bag of sour patch kids, explosion.</p><p>The third time, a senior put in 8 bags of popcorn into the single microwave, explosion.</p><p>The fourth time, someone put some sort of metal thermos in it, explosion.</p><p>Also, there have been 3 sexual encounters in only one bathroom in the 4 years I've been here</p>The Heck
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2ODgyNy9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODQ1MzAzMH0.LqciQIdmhM6PD9WRGsRD30rbI13VlnqQmt37chCHAW4/img.gif?width=980" id="04d35" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2e5637997c30bf3fadb9adbdb58fbeb6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="380" data-height="190" />mood GIFGiphy<p>Before school started us marching band kids would have "heck week" where we practice marching band stuff all week so we were ready for the first games of the season.</p>In the Cabinets
<p>My friend's mom was a math teacher. The summer before I was in her class I had the brilliant idea to find notes or tests or whatever to cheat with because I was terrible at math. Whenever I was at their house I'd try to stealthily look around.</p><p>After a few visits I was getting frustrated at finding nothing and expanded my search zone eventually leading to the parents' bedroom once when everyone was outside. </p>It's on Y'all!
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2ODg1NS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDMyMjQwMX0.sFvB9emmO9JlJg2gclbbVDTT11g-Mi7zxG9G_jjQm-8/img.gif?width=980" id="1ff3c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cf6a84c144f5a4a6e9f5ecc0a12d204d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="500" data-height="281" />high school teacher GIFGiphy<p>It's sounds so stupid now, but in chemistry class we had a student teacher who was absolutely awful. </p>Down the Pipes
<p>We went on a school trip to Germany and the hostel we stayed at had windows that could be completely taken out in fire emergencies. So me and my friends would take out the window at night and use the drain pipe to scale down the building (was only like 2 floors up) and go take in Germany's night life, nothing like coming back at 4am and drunkenly climbing the pipe. </p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb0zbhf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Legit_Data</a></p>Hidden
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4MjQ0OC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDc1MzE3OH0.sKU-LeHC3BpBHDpP-Ny21k3kflV-WhcoJn6sRifAZkg/img.gif?width=980" id="fd6b5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ce6d25b879561f84b6dfe5a95a476728" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="500" data-height="275" />pregnant beyonce GIFGiphy<p>I managed to hide my pregnancy. I had her 2 weeks after graduation. No one in school knew. Thank God for hoodies and being a very small woman, even when pregnant. It helped that there were 5 other pregnant girls that year for people to focus on. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb12i4e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MNJane</a></p>Re-skinned....
<p>In the 90's, the school districts and local liberties all used the same BBS software that was just re-skinned to their specific use. This software was also used in a lot of local boards. There was a pretty know backdoor that that allowed you to gain admin rights if you hadn't applied the appropriate patches. </p>In Colorado
<p>I went to a small school in Colorado. In 8th grade our pottery teacher fell asleep with a lit joint or something and his house burned down. The cops found his stash. He had to give a really cringey "I have been living with my secret drug addiction" speech to all of us in class.</p><p>Thing was most the teachers in that town were doing a lot worse drugs then pot. We had math teacher come to class trippin' crazy on acid one day. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb03l4k?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">larvistar</a></p>Bottoms Up
<p>brought a 1 liter of coke to school, 50/50 mix of bacardi and coke.</p><p>put it down in the center of the lunch table and the underclassmen around me all took swigs and passed it around. i was 18 at the time and they were all minors.</p><p>vice principle even walked by us a couple of times but didn't stop to investigate. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb0rl0o?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">iclimegud</a><span></span></p>When in Club
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4MjQ2MS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTA5MDc1Mn0.CHAikJfoi2zLmxVrMYlTxlOVkL9qdEFieEc7jcYku5o/img.gif?width=980" id="08f94" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f2a2906c550d09d3d2dd9f98bc9b8bf7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="500" data-height="349" />brad pitt GIFGiphy<p>All those cuts, bruises, grass stains, cracked ribs, and broken teeth weren't from playing football. Sorry mom.</p><p>There was fight club at school with like 30 members and we did not go easy on each other. I guess it can still be a secret if it's a shared secret. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb0le9q?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">PM-me-Sonic-OCs</a><span></span></p>Lucky Strike It
<p>The 'wildest' thing I did in high school was the time I snuck into the library during the afternoon pep rally. Now at the time, I was running the gaming club, so I had the then brand new nintendo switch, its dock, and a copy of breath of the wild in my bookbag. Our school also had these giant touch-screen monitors with HDMI support in every classroom, including the library's computer lab. </p>keys to the kingdom....
<p>I went to boarding school.</p><p>Over the course of about a month, I reverse-engineered the school's master key system and cut myself a master copy. So when everyone else was locked in their dormitories sleeping I could go wherever I wanted. I explored the whole campus. The IT building, the gym, the decommissioned building that had all the asbestos in it (not the best idea, in retrospect). </p>Finals
<p>The principal likely used her connections with local and regional politicians to cover up a huge scandal involving cheating during the finals.</p><p>Some seniors managed to send one of their parents (a lawyer, no less) infos about the exam's topic and the mom put the answers on the school's bathroom windowsill. </p>2 Lives
<p>i lived a double life in high school. My home life was spent manufacturing amphetamines while i played nice at school. None of my friends knew for years that i was a cook. I gave my friends weed to keep them away from the harder drugs. Once i got older about 17-18 i realized the people who raised me were messed up and manipulated my loyalty. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb0f2dc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">GoopConsultant</a></p>For the "A"
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4MjQ2OC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODk5NTAyNX0.vIqUkHp5ibeTC3_12_9Eucfhx64LzB85wH0RAKmzBpQ/img.gif?width=980" id="00126" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a649c492cc51be8afd2ec4fb61d0ed30" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="245" data-height="142" />emma stone GIFGiphy<p>Senior year, i got directed by a Janitor to grab some towels from the Janitors Closet to clean up a spill in my classroom, to get to the closet I had to pass by the teachers/staff break room. I saw an open teachers edition algebra book and no one around.... Easiest year for math. </p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jna2wt/whats_your_wildest_high_school_secret/gb10h6q?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">kingly434</a></p>At around age 5 or 6, we begin to attend school.
On a personal level, that is the day that we begin to make years-long friends, develop interests, grow more comfortable with adults, and learn how to function in society.
But if we take a bird's eye view, that is the day we become one individual student shepherded through a massive, complex, and influential institution.