Adolescence is very hard.
For one thing, your body is going through ten million changes and hormones at any given time.
For another, you don't really grasp what's happening to you. Everything feels like life or death. Everybody feels like they're operating in a way that they will nonstop for the rest of their lives.
Though that's not true, that feels impossible to understand.
u/ispeelgood asked:
Parents of reddit, what's something that you think teenagers of reddit need to hear?
Here were some of those answers.
Boundaries: The Musical
GiphyLearn to say No, if a request makes you uncomfortable you can say No, even it's to family or friends! It's healthy to set boundaries and learn to respect others people's too :)
Car Keep Talking Talking Car Talk
As a parent of older teens, I'd like to offer a small bit of advice to parents of younger kids:
Always volunteer to drive them places. Your kid might not voluntarily talk to you at home, but they will in the car. I have no idea why this is, I figured this out quite by accident. I'm certain smarter people than me know why.
Their friends too...their friends will talk to you in the car, and if you have a bunch of kids in the car they'll almost forget you're there & you'll hear all kinds of things.
So yeah, be the parent that they can always count on for a ride.
A Love Thyself Moment
It's okay to take some time to take care of your mental health, nobody will hate you for it.
At my school they're trying to implement mental health teaching around the school. But imo they're doing it wrong. They're teaching to eat junk food and meditate. But it's important to note that caring for mental health can be as simple as reading a good book for a few hours when you're getting stressed
Forgiveness: Can You Imagine?
Your parents are just flawed people too. They are [mostly] trying their best, but will still make mistakes.
I absolutely agree. It is also important as parents to own your mistakes in front of your children. Not only does it teach them that we are not perfect, it shows we are willing to accept when we are wrong, apologise and we will learn to do better, accept their point of view and advice if it is about them personally too. It is important to let them accept your apology in their own time too, it shows that there are consequences, even as adults and it also teaches that sometimes a sorry isn't always enough.
Nobody is perfect, we will all mistakes along the way, it is how we deal with it that matters.
Love As A Verb
That we love and care about them, I think we often get caught up in day-to-day life and forget to tell them this.
I know my mother loves me, but she never told us, nor did she ever hug us or show physical affection.
So sometimes it's still hard to believe that I can be loved.
She did her best raising us as a single mother, and her being left by our father because he didn't love her any more seemed to translate to us a bit. I didn't feel affection growing up, I just remember bitterness and sadness. I know it wasn't easy for her.
If I have kids, I am going to do things differently.
Mindfulness
There's nothing wrong with not liking to talk to people as long as you're friendly. Don't force yourself to be talkative just because others want you to be. You'll still need to learn social skills like gauging trustworthiness, effective communication, and helpfulness. However, you don't need to force yourself to be talkative to be socially adept; you juat have to be mindful.
The List Of Hindsight
Your emotions won't be this intense forever. But they are real and valid. My parents always invalidated my feelings — too dramatic, it's just your hormones, you'll grow out of it, you don't know how good you have it — while on some base level they possibly were right, it didn't mean my feelings weren't real and intense in that moment. Allow yourself to feel what you feel. But don't wallow or feed the Depression Kitty. It DOES get better.
If social media makes you feel sh*tty, just stop. It makes everyone feel sh*tty — even the people whose lives seem so much better and glamorous than yours. Chances are, they're posting that stuff to not feel shitty too. Remember, everyone is posting their Greatest Hits
. Remember, everybody poops — even the girl posting glam pics from Greece, she probably pooped right before or after the pic. Point is, don't get wrapped up in that. Take a month or two break from social media and see how you feel.
You don't HAVE to go to college. And you also don't have to NOT go if you don't know what to do with your life. You'll figure it out, maybe get inspired by your classes. And, as long as it will not launch you into a huge debt, it IS ok to Major in something you might not end up getting a career in. (To an extent). College is more than career training. It's a much bigger learning experience about... everything! People, the world, yourself. Don't dig a debt, work very hard, have lots of fun, and try to keep your eyes on a career path, but also absorb everything like a sponge.
I hated when people told me, "you won't even miss high school when you're older." I did, for a little bit. And now, I really don't. As important as it is as a state of your pre-adulthood, in the big scheme of things, it's just a tiny chapter. So don't get hung up on the mistakes you made or the drama you had. Appreciate the experience for what it gave you, and move on.
Lastly, and where I go all old lady, Please put your phone away in the car. Even at stoplights. Just wait until you arrive. You may be super used to it, but it only takes one second of inattention to become potentially fatal. Someone just died in my neighborhood for this very reason. Sending a snap. It can wait.
(edit to add #6) Teach yourself personal finance basics. Your school and maybe parents probably neglected this, if times haven't changed all that much. But... The internet is wonderful! You can teach yourself. Take an edX or Kahn or iTunesU course. Learn the basics and start saving. Really truly understand student loans before taking them. And save. Saving sounds like something you have plenty of time for later... when you make more money... but tomorrow never comes. Learn and save now.
It Goes Up From Here
A lot of people try to glamorize high school and make you think your high school years are the best years of your life. For a lot of people, this just isn't true. It's okay not to like high school or to feel like you don't belong. You are not alone. It gets better.
High schoolers deal with a lot of heavy sh!t. A lot of mental illness comes to light at this age, including depression and anxiety but also heavier stuff. Many who struggle with these issues won't get help until years later. High school kids also deal with a lot of issues, like identity issues, bullying, pressure to conform, disputes with parents, the pressure associated with juggling work, school and life that often get better once high school is done. Hang in there, it does get better.
Who You've Become
That we miss you & we actually want to spend time with you, not because of how you were (our little boy/girl) but because we are in awe of who you are and want to get to know you better, so you know we love you unconditionally but also that it's ok and fun to hang out sometimes; soon you'll be leaving home, time passes quickly, and we want to create as many good memories as we can for you so you can use them for when the world is not so kind and I'm not around to give you a hug... you're amazing, you've always been and I know your life will be filled with ups and downs but I hope the love we share reminds you that you'll always have a soft spot to land
The Measure Of A Person
GiphyBe calm when arguing your point of view. Accept criticism, shrug off the type of personal attacks and ad hominems that don't contribute to the debate.
And don't measure how right you are by number of upvotes or downvotes.
Stepping back from the curb right before someone runs a light. Catching a mistake at work right at the last minute. These sorts of “dodged a bullet” situations happen all the time—but rarely do they end up affecting others. Redditors came together to share their unforgettable stories of the times when their narrow miss ended up screwing over someone else entirely.
1. The Switch-Up
man in black t-shirt and black shorts sitting on bedPhoto by Ramiro Pianarosa on UnsplashMy freshman year of college my best friend and I requested to live together. Well, housing messed up and put us in two separate rooms with two other roommates. We talked to one of the guys and he agreed to switch rooms with me—but there was something that none of us knew.
It turns out that my original roommate was a 300-lb tuba player who didn’t shower. I felt bad for the guy who switched with me, but there was nothing I could do about it.
2. The Leftovers
person standing in kitchen during nighttimePhoto by Khachik Simonian on UnsplashI went to a Chinese restaurant on Haight Street a few years ago. My friends and I had eyes bigger than our stomachs. We left the place with a huge bag of leftovers.
On the way home we saw a lady in a wheelchair begging for change near the freeway on-ramp. We decided quickly that she needed the food more than us. We gave her the entire bag of food. She seemed genuinely thankful for the food and thanked us profusely.
That night we ALL got incredibly sick from the food. As much as that sucked…all I could imagine was some poor old lady in a wheelchair scrambling to find a bathroom.
3. A Downhill Battle
a person riding a tube down a snow covered slopePhoto by Kostiantyn Li on UnsplashIt was about 10 years ago, My family allowed me to bring two friends with me to Tennessee to go skiing and one day we went to this place where you could rent inner tubes and slide down the side of some mountain slope. So we get to the point where you're handed a tube, I got this super shoddy tube and I just so luckily placed my hand over where it was torn so I could feel the air rushing out. I quickly traded it for another and this girl behind me got the broken tube.
Anyway, I go down the slope and get to the bottom and I look up. What I saw still haunts me. The girl with the broken tube was just stuck in the middle of the slope as some 200-pound man just slams into her knocking her about 15 feet in the air, leading to her ultimately just rolling down the slope without a tube, crying hysterically.
4. A Different Kind Of Draft Dodging
sepia photography of sitting armyPhoto by Suzy Brooks on UnsplashMy grandfather was set to be deployed in San Francisco during WWII. A buddy of his had a deployment in France. His friend had a fiancée and family in San Francisco, and begged my grandfather to trade deployments with him.
My grandfather didn't have much going on in his life and didn't really care where he got sent, so he agreed. He wound up in France, where all the action was essentially long over, and they just relaxed and enjoyed an extended vacation near Paris.
He later found out that San Francisco was simply a staging point where they sent men to prepare for the front lines, and heavy duty combat. Whoops.
5. Stick Em Up
white, red, and gray concrete buildingPhoto by Mehluli Hikwa on UnsplashI was working at a gas station, and asked one of my co-workers to cover two shifts for me while I went on a short vacation. He said yes—but he had no idea what he was getting into.
On the second day, he got robbed at knifepoint. He got a cut on his face and another on his arm. They weren't bad, but they needed stitches. He quit soon after, as he was too scared to return to work.
Oh yes, I felt very bad about it.
6. Never Forget
hanged bunkers suitsPhoto by Matt C on UnsplashThis one's not about me, but an old family friend who used to be an NYC firefighter. There was an NYC mayoral primary, and the Firefighters Union was looking for volunteers to canvas for their endorsed Democratic candidate, Alan Hevesi (who, as an aside, eventually got thrown behind bars for corruption).
My family friend decided that it'd be better to be on a street corner handing out fliers/holding signs/whatever on a beautiful September Tuesday than in his Chinatown Manhattan firehouse, so he switched shifts with another guy in the house. The date was September 11, 2001. That guy didn't make it home.
The family friend was driving in from his home in Westchester to start his canvassing shift at about 10 am when he heard the news, and immediately went to the HazMat station in Queens to get his gear. By the time he made it to the site, both towers had fallen.
7. Falling On The Sword
red shrine in body of waterPhoto by Nicki Eliza Schinow on UnsplashI was coming back from a trip to Japan with a few friends, I had bought a wooden sword from a little gift shop inside Yasukuni shrine, at the time I thought it would fit inside my luggage to take home. Turns out it didn't so I asked a friend if he could put in his suitcase, he said sure. Big mistake.
Flash forward to when we make it back to immigration at SFO, out of the 15 of us, he is the one guy who gets pulled aside for a "random" security screening. He was gone an extra hour because of that wooden sword.
8. The Train Has Left The Station
running red and white train in the subwayPhoto by Mediocre Studio on UnsplashMy friend and I got on the tube together and found that there were no seats. My friend was pregnant so standing would not have been a very good option for her. I asked a man who was sitting if he wouldn't mind giving his seat up for the pregnant woman. The man was more than happy to.
Only then did I notice that the man had no arms. When the train started moving he couldn't hold on and kept falling over.
9. Nickel-And-Dimed
McDonald Drive Thru logo street signagePhoto by a befendo on UnsplashI went through a McDonald's drive-through and was short five cents and the girl waved me through and said it was ok. I went back through the drive-through a week later and the same girl was working, so I gave her a nickel to make up for being short the week before. She had a huge smile and thanked me and went to put the nickel in that automatic change dispenser they have. That’s when disaster struck.
Somehow the front came off of the dispenser and all the change in it fell out. It was full of change. Change fell out of the drive-through window out into the street. She looked like she was about to cry. I parked my car and got out and helped her pick up what I could.
10. Left Holding The Baby
two bronze-colored ringsPhoto by Zoriana Stakhniv on UnsplashMy ex-husband and I started talking about having kids. Well at the time I was on that horrible birth control called Yaz. Remember the class action? Long story short, it made things a little difficult getting pregnant.
Fast forward to a few months later and I make a devastating discovery. I find some girl’s panties in our apartment. Moved out and started the divorce. Sure enough, he knocked up his girlfriend and ditched her when their kid was only a year old. The guy was such a loser—really dodged a big bullet with that one.
11. What Are The Chances
people riding passenger bus during daytimePhoto by Ash Gerlach on UnsplashOne holiday season I had procrastinated on purchasing my plane ticket home and the cost of the ticket went through the roof to the point where it was completely unaffordable, determined to make it there, I decided that I would simply take Greyhound.
If you've never taken Greyhound, it's a real delight. I boarded the bus and it was very crowded and there were only a few seats available, most of them next to some pretty surly-looking young men. I approached the first one, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" "Yeah" the guy nodded. Okay, on to the next. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" "Yeah" the seconded guy replied as he laughed and look at his friend sitting in the seat in front of him. Okay, now I get it, fair enough. I go to the third guy. Uh, hey look man, this bus is sold out so either I'm sitting here or someone else will be so take your pick.
The third guy moves his backpack off the empty seat and I sit down. That’s when it happens. No sooner do I sit down, but another man boards the bus. He appears to have soiled himself, and then bathed in motor oil and brushed his teeth with a tin of sardines. He walks right up to the first guy and collapses in the seat next to him.
Next up is a woman. She's wearing a muumuu, sweating profusely, and is carrying two armloads of various cheese and meat snacks for the trip. She squeezes into her seat and plasters the second guy up against the window as he tries in vain to avoid having to touch her.
At this point, I stand up to remove my coat and say, "Hey guys, great choices!" giving them both the thumbs up!
12. Say Cheese!
man in black t-shirt and blue denim jeans playing guitarPhoto by Marissa Lewis on UnsplashI was working at a photography studio and traded appointments with another photographer. He ended up with two screaming 3- and 4-year-old girls who cried for an hour while their mother and grandmother tried to force them to cooperate. It was 8 AM.
13. What A Thrill Ride
blue roller coasterPhoto by Chris de Tempe on UnsplashMe, my husband and a couple friends went to an amusement park a few years back. We were waiting in line for a roller coaster, and there was enough room at the end of one of the rides for my husband and I to get on, but not our friends too. So we let the couple in line behind all of us go ahead, so we could all go together on the next one.
We waited a REALLY long time for the next ride...then the attendant told us there was a problem and the ride would be shut down for a while. We left the line to go elsewhere, and saw waaaaaaay up at the top of one of the big hills, the coaster was stuck.
I felt bad for getting that couple stuck on what should have been our ride, but I was glad it wasn't us. They ended up having to walk down the tracks to get off, and I kind of have this…THING about heights.
14. Better Luck Next Time
green red and blue round light decorPhoto by Shinnosuke Ando on UnsplashI paid £150 for Olympic Opening Ceremony tickets, but because these were returned tickets mine was separated from the others in my party, so I was sat by myself. My seat wasn’t bad, at one end of the stadium, slightly at an angle. Lady next to me asks if, being by myself, I minded swapping seats with her husband as he was sat in a different location. I thought “Sure, why not” I went over to him, he looked like he had won the lottery and kept asking if I was sure. I'm not the most observant and his seat looked okay, so yeah, I swapped.
It didn't take long for me to realize why he was so happy. If you saw the Opening Ceremony you may remember a huge tree at one end of the track, it was part of the ceremony. There was a section of seating stupidly placed right behind the tree, it blocked the view quite badly.
I kept looking over to them, they seemed so happy together, I didn't want to spoil their evening by swapping back. But I literally could not see anything with this tree in front of me, the people sat around me seemed to be complaining about it as well.
Eventually, with about 5 minutes before the ceremonies began, I asked the guy next to me if he was by himself—he was. I said fine, I'll get you a better seat. I went over to the couple, the stadium is full by now, so it was kind of awkward. I told them that the tree was bugging me and I'd like to swap back, but if they wanted to sit together they now could as there were now two seats available since I got matey to swap as well.
They looked so heartbroken but both went trudging off to the seats behind the tree. The wife, herself, thought twice about swapping and both looked back forlornly as they found their positions. Matey and I enjoyed a great opening ceremony, he couldn't believe his luck but I felt bad for the couple.
15. Lightning Strikes Twice
closeup photo of eyeglassesPhoto by Kevin Ku on UnsplashI used to be an IT intern and we would have to share weekend shifts in the data center. There would be one person there for 12 hours basically all alone with nothing to do. I switched shifts with one of the other interns so I could do something that weekend. Well that day there was a huge storm and they lost power. He had problems with the backup generator and after the UPS ran out the building lost power. I'm not exactly sure how he messed that one up, but the bosses were not happy and he didn't last long after that.
16. Whoops
a close-up of a notePhoto by Laura Rivera on UnsplashIn ninth grade, our teacher handed back our Algebra test and I had missed two problems on it. I wanted to know what the right answers were so I asked the girl next to me if she got them right. She looks at her test and sees that she did so she tells me what she came up with. Our answers were the same but mine were marked wrong and hers were marked right. We bring our sheets up to the teacher and she re-evaluates our tests.
It turns out that we were both wrong but the teacher just messed up grading the girls' test. She marks them wrong and gives the girl a lower grade. I felt so bad since she was just trying to help me out. But that’s not the worst part.
That would be that I had a huge crush on her so my chances went out the door with this incident.
17. Not My Brother’s Keeper
selective focus photography of people on busPhoto by Annie Spratt on UnsplashI was on a 56-hour bus ride. I was sleeping in the middle of the night when a woman began screaming "Stop touching me". The guy beside her tried to feel her up while she was sleeping. The bus driver asked if anyone would switch seats with him, no one was volunteering so I said I would. Only to realize that I just volunteered my brother to sit beside a creep.
18. Buckle Up
white and blue ambulance van traveling on roadPhoto by Jonnica Hill on UnsplashDuring high school, I began volunteering as an EMT and stuck with it for ten years (I actually only just retired a few weeks ago because I'm starting grad school). Early on, before I was qualified to be in charge, I rode a position called "co-pilot:" The ambulance I rode would be comprised of the driver and the officer up front, and I would ride in the back.
When we responded to calls, especially if they were nearby, I often wouldn't take the trouble to buckle my seatbelt and would try to prep equipment and bags so we could get to the patient as quickly as possible. One particular weekend I was riding extra on the ambulance (it wasn't my regular duty, I was just there for fun) and on a whim decided to leave a little early. Two hours later, my ambulance was responding to a call when disaster struck.
Two blocks away from our station got into a really bad accident. The ambulance had the light and had even slowed at the intersection, but they were T-boned by a driver who's pregnant wife was in labor and was racing to the hospital. The ambulance got knocked over and pushed 30' down the road from the impact.
Luckily, no one was injured, the baby was ultimately delivered safely, and the patient they were responding to was not a critical situation. But the equipment in the back was not secured or stored especially well, including the portable O2 bottle, and if I were on that unit I'm sure I would have been severely injured and very possibly wouldn’t have made it.
Afterward (and especially when I was in charge) I adhered firmly to "We're not going anywhere until everyone has their seatbelts on." In recent years, fire departments everywhere have increased efforts to foster a culture of safety, but traffic accidents remain the number one killers of first responders in the US.
19. Taking One For The Team
people sitting inside planePhoto by Hanson Lu on UnsplashI traded seats with a guy on a seven-hour flight so I could sit next to my girlfriend. He ended up sitting next to the two most annoying children on the whole plane. I felt bad during the flight but, I hate to say it, really didn't want to have to trade back.
After the flight, while waiting for baggage, I went up to him and said thanks again and sorry about that, I couldn't have foreseen that happening. He said no problem and that he "took one for the team." Nice guy.
20. Mystery Meat
a person holding a tray of doughnuts on a sidewalkPhoto by Clark Douglas on UnsplashI gave a fellow student explosive stomach problems and physically ruined his appearance before his big speech. I still remember his face.
There was this other guy in our college's required public speaking class who was extremely nervous about this speech he was going to give. Kid had to be just barely 18; definitely a freshman. I had this big break between my former class and the speech class, so I would just hang around the cafeteria finding stuff to do. I noticed him sitting down at a table alone, sweating and reading off note cards. I walked over and offered to buy the guy lunch, thinking I could help him calm down. He accepted.
The special of the day happened to be a meatball sub. His sub made it to the table, mine didn't. I don't remember what I tripped on, but I DO remember my meatball sub falling directly on his suit. It's not as if it simply spilled on his shirt, it's like all his clothing absorbed it. The meatballs had slammed into his suit and rolled down to his pants, enveloping his entire being in saucy goodness.
He didn't even say anything. He sat down in a chair and stared straight ahead. He had gone completely white in the face. I apologized profusely and ran straight off to our bookstore that thankfully sells clothing. I bought him some sweatpants and a sports jacket and ran back.
He was still in the same position. I gave him the clothes, telling him it was the best I could do, and re-apologized all over myself. He went and changed and came back, finished his meal, and it actually looked like he was calm, collected, and ready.
Got to the classroom, he starts his speech, and then it happens. He's halfway on some stupid diagram about how Morse code should be considered a language requirement when he stops literally mid-sentence. He ran to the bathroom. He never came out. The teacher had to give him an F, even though I found out later the sub had apparently given him stomach trouble and made him really sick.
I haven't eaten a meatball sub in six years now.
21. Mistakes Were Made
brown leather 3-seat sofaPhoto by Paul Weaver on UnsplashI had a friend who worked at a furniture store and would get an employee discount of 50%. I was moving and needed a couch, so he offered to buy it using his discount. He asked for my credit card, which I provided, then proceeded to buy the furniture at a discount with my card. His manager asks why it's being run on my card, and fires my friend.
I did think it was weird that he asked for my card, thinking it would be cleaner if I just paid him back, but since he was the one that asked for it I figured either the policy was ok with that, or that the name on the CC wouldn't blatantly be right there, and that he would know better...oops.
22. It’s All Yours
black Ford carPhoto by Michael Jin on UnsplashThis kid I knew ran and jumped into the passenger seat even though a friend of mine had called it. My friend was a super nice guy and let him have it and sat in the back seat. No one had any idea just what the innocent switch would cost them.
The car lost control around a corner and my friend got crushed between a tree and the car and didn’t make it. Sucks hard. The poor kid who took the front seat looked like a ghost at the memorial service.
23. The Unintentional Grinch
grey trash canPhoto by Pete Willis on UnsplashWhen I was a kid, my neighbors paid me to feed their dogs and collect their mail while on vacation. Every day I dutifully collected the mail and placed it in a brown paper bag in our laundry room. Two days before they were set to return, Dad was taking out the trash. He has bad eyes (retrolental fibroplasia), saw the bag, thought it was trash, and took it out with the rest of the garbage.
The worst part was that it was around the holidays, so there were several (quite valuable) Christmas gifts in the bag. Of course, he apologized profusely and paid them for the estimated value of the gifts, and the neighbors were incredibly understanding, but I still felt sick about it for a solid month. To this day, just thinking about it makes me cringe.
24. Cover Me
waitress serving costumer in diner during daytimePhoto by Adrien Olichon on UnsplashI can't think of a time when I've put someone in a bad situation. However, there was a time when I was put in the bad situation. I used to deliver pizza at this restaurant and worked with a guy who was in a band. His band would play shows almost every Friday, but he'd never request off. He'd just forget and try to call someone to cover the day of. Anyway, I got that call one day and said I'd cover for him. Since it was on about an hour's notice, I got to work and told my manager I'd just stay for the busy time (about 5-8 pm) and leave after that. He was cool with it, so I worked until about 8:30 that night and left.
Shortly after I leave, disaster strikes. The owner of the restaurant comes in, sees that I left early, freaks out, calls me up and fires me. I had worked there for 6 years and essentially got fired for coming in when I didn't have to and helping the company. What happened to the guy I covered for? He still works there. This was about three years ago. Yep.
25. Bus-ted
people sitting on bench in front of building during daytimePhoto by Sandy Ravaloniaina on UnsplashA man and I were waiting for the same bus to get home. He asks me if I know when the bus will arrive, and I tell him, though the bus seemed to be running a few minutes late. The bus we were looking for is barreling down the highway as a different bus is pulling into the transit center. I say "Hey, there it is," as our bus approaches. I board, take my seat, and notice that the man was not on the same bus as me. He boarded the other bus that had pulled in.
26. Pizza Peril
person holding pizza in boxPhoto by Arantxa Aniorte on UnsplashBack in 1995, while a student at UF, I delivered pizza for 5 Star Pizza in downtown Gainesville. I got to work one summer day around 5 pm, still very sunny out.
We had the standard first in first out for who got the next delivery. There was only one order to be delivered. It was close by, one block north of a major right, right across the street from the college campus.
I thought I was next up since I didn’t see anyone else logged in before me. I bagged things up and was almost out the door when this other driver—a long-haired skinny hippie type that maybe weighed 140 soaking wet—comes out from the back. He had been there first but I didn’t see him and he hadn’t logged in. So I gave up the run figuring it’s no big deal, they’ll be more soon enough.
He didn’t come back and a couple of hours later we get a call from the authorities. That’s when I found out the disturbing truth. Apparently, he was jumped by six males in their late teens/early 20s. They broke both his cheekbones, nose, jaw, some teeth, and wound up having to have facial reconstructive surgery.
When I saw him again two months later, he said they took his money as an afterthought. They just wanted to beat the snot outta someone.
27. The Price You Pay For Altruism
white sedan parked on parking lot during daytimePhoto by Guillaume TECHER on UnsplashI needed somebody to follow me to the mechanic shop. My car was riding dirty and I was worried it might break down on the way. As I was taking a right onto the freeway, my buddy didn't stop so he could stay right behind me and he got pulled over by a Highway Patrolman. He got a $175 ticket. I paid for half.
28. Winner Winner Burger Dinner
grayscale photography of man's portraitPhoto by Jorg Karg on UnsplashIn the 80s in Oxford, my dad felt sorry for a homeless guy begging for food so decided to take him for a meal at the nearby Wimpy’s. The guy was incredibly grateful and over his burger and shake let loose the tale of his life. Apparently it was full-on tragic. Wife left him, took the kids and the dog, he got dependent on the demon drink. He lost his job, then his house, all his money, this guy was at rock bottom.
But here was this stranger, my dad, buying him a meal, listening to his story—the homeless guy was pathetically grateful. My dad left early with an apology—the guy still eating—he had to get a train to Durham. Full of pride at the good deed he'd done, he had just left Stevenage when he made a chilling realization.
He had forgotten to pay the bill at Wimpy’s, leaving the tab firmly in the hands of the penniless tramp. My dad says he has never felt guiltier in his life.
29. The Picky Eater
a baby crying while laying on a bedPhoto by Katie Smith on UnsplashI breastfed my eldest son. Once, when he was five months old, my husband and I wanted to go out to a ball. So my sister offered to babysit him. When I asked what she was going to do, she told me just to get some formula and bottles, and I'd be right.
So, that's what I did. We went out, had a wonderful night, and my husband won the prize for best dressed.
Now, this was in the days before cell phones were widespread in Australia. I come home six hours after leaving and find out the kid wouldn't take the bottle, and has been screaming non-stop for five of the hours we'd been out. I apologized profusely. The poor thing. She was really cool about it though. Never imposed on her again to babysit—I figure she'd done her tour of duty.
30. The Worst Game Of “Would You Rather” Ever
man covering his mouthPhoto by Kyle Glenn on UnsplashI was taking the bus home from the city to my house (about 40 minutes) and it was EXTREMELY bright outside from the sun. My bus finally came right on the dot at 5:37 PM. But there was something that I didn’t know.
This bus was actually the 260, and NOT the 250 I was supposed to be getting on. However, the bus route is exactly the same, except for the exit it takes on the freeway, which all looks the same to me as a 15-year-old. When it exited the freeway, I knew where I was, but I knew this wasn't where I was supposed to be going. I ask the guy next to me if this was the 250, he says no, this is the 260.
At this point, I'm just like ugh, and quickly head to the front of the bus to ask the driver where the nearest transit center or park ride he was heading to was. He tells me he isn't going near one and suggests I get off here and grab this other bus, so I do.
I notice a Pump It Up—one of those kids' rec centers—across the street, which I recognized because I had driven by it before. Now I'm sitting here an hour away from my home, and I start to panic. I try to calm myself and check my phone, and call my friend who lives in the area, to see if he can tell me a bus I could take to get home.
He picks up right away and I explain my situation, he then tells me some good news. "Ayyyy man we're down at the marina you should come join us mannn, it's a party doooood, not too far from where you're at too". But I'm a bit scared so I ask him if he could just pick me up, and he's like "Ugh fine, hold tight I'll be there in a bit." Big mistake.
So I head over to the Pump It Up and chill there for a bit, but then one of the chicks working there, who were all really nice and let me hang out in the lobby, says that the bus out there goes right to where I want to go to get to the marina. So I call my friend back and try to let him know I don't need a ride anymore. But what's this, my phone’s battery is about to die.
Now at this point, I'm just like ugh how am I going to contact him? One of the girls working there, again, really great people, lets me borrow her phone so I can message him on Facebook, and hope he sees it in time.
So I get on the bus, and then get off at a transit center and mosey on over to the marina. I get there all excited, look around—but I don’t like what I find. I don't see any of my buddies, so I keep on looking around as there's a lot of people there. After about 10 minutes I realize no one I know is there. I walk for another 20 minutes to the local library and ask the librarian if I can call my mom because my phone died and I need a ride home.
Now at this point, I'm sitting out there on the library steps at 8 pm, feeling like a total loser, abandoned by his friends. I use the library Wi-Fi to check my Facebook messages. I notice there's an option to check the locations of where a mobile message on Facebook was sent, as I accidentally clicked on it when going through my messages.
I click on it, and make an irritating realization. I see it was sent from a marina, but not the marina I was at. Turns out they were at the OTHER major marina in the area, across the city, that we hadn't hung out at for like two years. I had gone to the other major marina where we almost always meet up. Now I'm practically fuming and in my head I'm like "WHY DIDN'T THEY TELL ME THIS".
When I get home I send him a long nasty message on Facebook (we're really good friends so I knew it wouldn't be too extreme to call him out like that). He replies and tells me, dude, let me explain what happened to me, and all your anger shall disappear. That’s when I find out the real story. My day was nothing compared to his.
He tells me "I was nearly at Pump It Up and I was waiting at a really long, drawn-out red light. Do you remember how I got my wisdom teeth out the other day? Yeah well I have to take this medication for it. A medication that realllllyyyy loosens up the plumbing and renders any control of them, useless. Now this was a very, very ill-timed light, and unfortunately I didn't make it. I tried to hold it, but it broke through”.
The story continued: “Fortunately I had my bathing suit with me, and turned into the gas station nearby and put that on. I got home and was going to throw them out, happy to be done with this horrific incident, when my mom stopped me and said "Oh no, I paid 20 bucks for these shorts. You're cleaning them out."
Suddenly walking like a loser on the beach and awkwardly looking around only to not find anyone I knew, then waiting for my mom at the library at 8 o'clock at night, didn't feel too bad.
31. Double Whammy
person wearing face mask near trees at daytimePhoto by nick olson on UnsplashMy mom was working at a craft store, as a cashier. It was getting late, and after a long shift she had to go to the bathroom. There were hardly any customers in the store, so she got her friend to cover for her. On her way back from the bathroom, she sees some guy in a ski-mask run up to her friend with a knife. Everybody was freaking out in the store, and the guy made off with a bunch of money. Luckily, her friend sustained no wounds. However, shortly thereafter, she passed out and hit her head pretty hard.
32. The Freshman Fake-Out
aerial photography green and white concrete buildingPhoto by Parker Gibbons on UnsplashFirst week on campus freshman year, I was walking out of a first-year seminar and ended up talking with a moderately cute girl on the way out. Once we were outside, she said she got turned around easily and asked if I could point her to North campus (I go to Ohio State, so it's one of the biggest campuses in the country and extremely easy to get very lost, mostly only your first week though). I lived on North too, but instead of being cool and asking if I could walk her to her dorm, I just pointed her North.
I got a call just as she was walking off and stopped for a minute to talk. During that minute I realized I’d made a huge mistake. I was also turned around and had pointed her South, with South campus being a somewhat shady area to be walking around in after 10. She was too far to catch up to. I just walked back to my dorm.
Two weeks later I talked to her again, she wasn't too angry, but said she was trying to decide if I was mistaken as well or just a jerk. Regardless, I found out we lived in the same dorm.
33. Duck!
save up to 50% Black Friday clip artPhoto by Ashkan Forouzani on UnsplashI was working a double on Black Friday at a store in a strip mall. On my break, I ran over to the Qdoba a few shops down and got in line. The guy in front of me turned and recognized me; I had rung him out a few hours prior, and he asked if I was done. I said no, I was working midnight-noon, and he told me to cut in front of him, he had three kids in the car plus his wife and himself that he was ordering for and didn't want me to waste more time in line. So I said thank you very much and we traded places.
There was now a woman standing behind him holding a baby. Not two minutes after we changed spots in line, this baby projectile vomited all over this nice man's back, and the woman just muttered an apology before rushing off.
That could have been me, nine hours into a (Black Friday) shift with a few more to go.
34. It’s Lonely At The Top
ferris wheel near body of water during daytimePhoto by Patrick Humm on UnsplashI was at a fair a couple months ago, and I was waiting in line with my friends for the Ferris wheel. When we were at the very front of the line, we saw some crying children behind us (I don't know why they were crying). We let them go in front of us, and they got on the last seat on the ride. I’ll never forget what happened next.
As soon as they got up to the top, the Ferris wheel broke down. Everyone was stuck on it for the next hour. I felt so bad.
35. What We’ve Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate
File:DakToVietnam1966.jpg - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgMy grandfather was a Marine who served in Vietnam. He was supposed to take a plane to a different base he was supposed to be at, but the end of the runway had a huge mountain right there. Fearful that the plane would hit the mountain and explode, he refused to board.
Unfortunately the plane did hit the mountain and blew up. Not a single person survived. No one knew that he hadn’t been on the plane. A week later, he went to a store to get bed sheets.
The guy there turned white as a ghost thinking that the man in front of him was a ghost—he’d just happened to have read his obituary!
36. Road Raging
white and blue police car on roadPhoto by Jonathan Cooper on UnsplashI was driving on the highway, passing people and being passed like normal. I pass this one guy and then go back into the right lane once I'm a safe distance ahead. Then I switch on the cruise control. Problem is, I didn't switch on the cruise control. I drop 15 mph before I notice my mistake and the guy behind me rightfully gets angry.
We continue driving, we both pass each other a few times over the next hour or so like normal. But at this point he is so sick of me that absolutely guns it up to 90 mph just to get as far away from me as he can. I can’t believe what I saw next.
Four minutes later I pass him again but this time he is pulled over by a cop on the side of the highway. If you're reading this, I'm sorry I got you a ticket.
37. A Slip Of The Pen
black pen on white backgroundPhoto by Kiran CK on UnsplashOnce in a class, me and a friend were playing a stupid game where we weren't allowed to touch a specific pen. So we would use paper, other pens, etc to push the pen across the table to make the other person touch it. The pen eventually fell and I asked a girl close to where it landed if she could pick it up for me.
She reached down and as she starts to pick it up toward me, I say quickly "don't hand it to me, just set it on the table." She picked up the wrong pen. The one she picked up had broken and ink was all over her hand. Obviously she assumed the whole thing was a prank by me to make her get ink all over her hand.
38. Come On And Take A Free Ride
brown and gray 3-story buildingPhoto by Rosie Kerr on UnsplashI got flown down to New Orleans to compete in Tales of the Cocktail. Flight, hotel and some expenses were taken care of. When I landed, I met up with someone from my home city who offered me a seat in her ride. As we're walking to baggage claim, she points off to the side and says "Is that you?" it's a driver holding a sign with my first initial and my last name.
I thank the girl for the offer and hop in the car. The driver goes to confirm my destination which was different than I was originally told, so I call up my contact. I thank her for the car and ask her if my accommodations have changed. She says, "We didn't arrange a car for you..."
That’s when I enacted my devious plan. I roll with it, have the driver take me to my hotel, and ask her if everything, including tip, has been taken care of. She tells me that it has been and I slip her a $20 figuring she's only a few minutes away from receiving an angry phone call.
39. Missed Connection
shallow focus of a woman's sad eyesPhoto by Louis Galvez on UnsplashI was invited to a party where a girl tried to give me a lap dance. After she was done she told me to meet her in the bathroom. The girl wasn't my type, and I was dating someone, so I sent my friend instead.
Long story short: the two of them hooked up in the bathroom and the girl of his dreams, who was also at the party, found out and never spoke to him again. It turns out that, after five years of knowing him, she started to have feelings for him and this whole situation ruined everything. Oops.
40. Bad Timing
silhouette of buildings under dark skyPhoto by History in HD on UnsplashMy uncle works for Wells Fargo and was supposed to go on a business trip that would take him to their office in NYC, but he came down with the flu the week of the trip and asked a co-worker to go in his place. Well…their office was in the World Trade Center and the trip took place in September 2001.
His co-worker didn’t make it home. I'm glad my uncle's okay, but my entire family feels bad about it. My uncle went to therapy for a while and did everything he could to support and comfort the man's widow, who is a lovely person and never blamed my uncle for what happened.
41. Suzy The Savior
man in blue dress shirt standing in airplanePhoto by Lukas Souza on UnsplashThis very timid-looking mother called a flight attendant over to me and her to have her ask me to switch seats with her son who was two rows up. I had the luxurious aisle seat, and the son had the very awful middle seat, but I said I would switch. I move all my stuff only to make an unpleasant discovery. I find a huge guy has taken the aisle seat. It's a full flight and boarding has finished. I squeeze my way into the middle seat and force my armrests down, only to have the Huge guy inform me that cannot happen due to his size.
During our flight a stewardess came over to our aisle and says to the man that in the future he has to purchase two seats. She sees me in my uncomfortable state and tells me she has something to show me. She takes me to the back of the plane to hang out with the other stewardesses for the remainder of the flight. They had an extra fold-down seat for me. If you are reading this, thank you Suzy the stewardess.
42. Mother Doesn’t Know Best
File:Walmart Electronics Department- Manitowoc, WI - Flickr ...commons.wikimedia.orgAt Wal-Mart back in '99, my mom took me to buy a new game for the N64. I was determined to buy Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. Apparently there was another kid who had the same idea. When we got there, there was only one copy left. I luckily got the game, and the kid wasn't too happy. His mom said, "It's okay, we'll just get you this one instead."
The game she picked out? Superman 64—famously one of the worst video games of all time.
43. I’d Hit The Ceiling
silhouette of man in snow stormPhoto by Zac Durant on UnsplashOne winter there was a huge, freak snowstorm so the hospital I work at rented out a nice hotel within walking distance to ensure there would be enough staff the next day. I put my name down for a room before my dad let me know that he would pick me up and drop me off in his big ol' truck. I gave my spot to a co-worker I barely knew—this cutie little energetic blonde college student.
She was extremely thankful she didn't have to drive back to her dorm several miles away. The next day she looks kind of grouchy and disheveled and informs me that the ceiling caved in on her in the middle of the night OVER her bed and she got an icy, insulation and drywall soup bath.
44. Don’t Be Shellfish
four shrimps on top of icePhoto by AM FL on UnsplashWhile I was going on a two-hour flight to see my parents, this guy asked if I could switch seats with him so he could sit near his family. I said sure and switched seats. Later on, it turned out that the overhead bin over what used to be my seat was dripping on him—but it was so much more disgusting than just a simple leak.
It turned out that someone had carried on a box full of raw shrimp and put them in ice, and it had started smelling and dripping onto the seat. I felt bad but relieved at the same time.
45. Thanks For Your Consideration
two women sitting beside table and talkingPhoto by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on UnsplashI interviewed for a job that I wanted desperately in August 2019. After the initial phone interview, I went in for an in-person interview at 4 PM on a Wednesday. I had a rejection in my inbox by 8 PM and was completely gutted. I don’t know who got the job, but 2020 happened, and they laid off 60% of their staff and will probably go under. I'm thankful for that rejection every day.
46. From Cologne To Stink
grayscale photo of three person sitting inside airplanePhoto by Annie Williams on UnsplashI was traveling by plane from Cologne, Germany to JFK after spring break. Coincidentally, there also was a large group of kids traveling on the same flight, some of whom were delayed. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them, but this literally was the worst flight I have ever experienced.
The first seat I had was next to a friend of mine who was happy to sit next to someone she knew, considering how large the plane was, but I also knew at the time that she had a "thing" for a friend of mine, so when he offered to switch with me to sit next to her, I obliged. Worst mistake ever.
I had to sit next to two kids for the entire 9-hour flight, and both of them soiled themselves in the beginning and middle of the flight. They never went to the restroom once. The smell that lingered in the air around me was so horrid, my eyes were tearing up the entire flight.
The one to my left, who was about 18 or 19, stared at me the entire flight and kept screaming at me in random gibberish. Again, I have nothing against them, but I still had an awful time and I couldn't even sleep because of the screaming.
47. Ready To Pop
parked blue and black Compertur busPhoto by Jonathan Borba on UnsplashBack in the late 90s I was seeing a guy who lived about two hours away. So I would take a Greyhound bus to spend the weekends with him. Well this trip there were tons of people going so they broke it into two busloads.
I was early in line to get on the bus, but decided to wait and let some of the older people behind me in line go first. So I ended up on the second bus. Well about halfway there we see the first bus go off the road to a gas station at some random point and we lost track of it from there.
Once we got to the station, we found out what had really happened to the bus.
There had been a very pregnant girl on the first bus who couldn't fit in the bathroom stall. She begged the driver to stop at a gas station because she HAD to go. He refused. So she returned to her seat and simply couldn't hold it any longer. She soiled herself.
That's when the driver finally decided to pull off to a gas station. There was an RN on the bus who helped her clean up. I felt so bad for her and the other passengers. I couldn't believe that driver wouldn't make an exception for a woman who looked ready to pop at any moment.
48. Smile!
man standing in front of a poolPhoto by Kenny Eliason on UnsplashMy brother covered my shift at the pool we lifeguarded at while I was at freshman orientation for college. He was helping the manager change the large CO2 tanks for the filtration system and when he pulled on the safety cap to tilt the tank the cap popped off and he essentially punched himself in the mouth with a couple pound piece of metal...broke all four front teeth. Top and bottom. He spat shards of teeth out into his hand and the manager had to drive him to the emergency room. I felt so bad.
49. Spice Roulette
cooked meat on panPhoto by Taylor Kiser on UnsplashA co-worker and I ordered a delivery of Indian food after a successful business trip. There was a homeless man that perched outside the hotel we were staying at and we'd seen him frequently on smoke breaks. He would wait until a large crowd was entering and beeline to the lobby bathrooms to freshen up. Seemed like an all-around nice guy, just must've had a tough break.
Anyway, when the food arrived, we both saw the look on his face across the street and promptly opened the bags to give him some naan and "whatever was in that top container". They were all those plastic takeaway Tupperware things so we couldn't tell.
Wrapping this up, when we ordered the food, we were just asking for things that had cool names, and when we got to one item, they asked us how spicy we'd like it. We answered, "As spicy as you can make it." Nothing in our meal was spicy when we ate, and we didn't see him the next day. I can only assume what happened and hope he was okay.
50. The Never-Ending Journey
plane wing through glass windowPhoto by William Bayreuther on UnsplashMy roommate and I were flying to Germany on buddy passes and his priority level was wayyyy higher than mine, I was booted off the flight if he went so he sacrificed himself and got the next flight that was a city over so I could get on this one. So his plane turned out to be an hour late, then they couldn’t take off because of something wrong with an engine, so they sat on the runway for four hours.
By the time they found a new plane the pilots had been on the clock for too long, so they had to wait two hours for new pilots, then the next plane had computer problems that took two hours to fix. Then he finally landed in Germany, but since it was the next town over he had to take a train to the city we were staying in (Frankfurt) and his train was two hours late from electrical issues.
Isn't it Ironic, don't you think?
A little too Ironic.
Oh, Alanis was really onto something.
Too many of us get unintentionally burned by our own actions.
Our words, our thoughts, our inactions can come round back and give us a big bite on the hiney.
That's why lawyers tell famous people or politicians indicted for crimes not to speak in interviews.
Your words can burn you.
And what about inventors and creators?
Can you imagine being killed by your own project?
That's like being run over by your own car after you put it in PARK, but really it was REVERSE.
Or a house that you built collapsing on you.
It's a lot worse than rain on your wedding day...
Redditor TopDoggo16 wanted to hear about the inventors throughout history who were taken out by their own creations, so they asked:
"What are some examples of an inventor getting killed by their own invention?"
This is why I never played with Legos or got into construction.
If I build a wall, it will fall on me.
Homemade Horror
Helicopter Abandon Thread GIF by Black Rifle Coffee CompanyGiphy"That Indian lad who was flight-testing his own, homemade helicopter. Part of the rotor sliced open his head."
peekedtoosoon
"Damn, I watched the video and it was so unlucky. The tail rotor broke and pinged up into the main rotor which broke at an angle that hit him. I mean any number of things could have gone wrong in a homemade helicopter but it's just crazy how that sequence of events occurred. Could just as easily have pinged in a different way and not killed him."
postvolta
Tangled
"Thomas Midgley Jr., a key contributor to leaded gasoline and the usage of CFC in refrigeration. After contracting Polio, he created a system of pulleys and whatnot to help him get out of bed. He was found dead at age 55 after getting tangled in his device and being strangled by it."
heyoyo10
"Just because it wasn't mentioned here I figure I would. Thomas Midgley Jr. not only almost solely responsible for probably the worst environmental and ozone damage from a single cause. He is solely responsible for the death of 100,000,000 people from CFC and TEL."
theglizzymonster
BOOM!!
"Max Valier tried using alcohol-based fuel for rockets, it blew up in his lab killing him."
LemonsForLimeaid
"To be fair, a lot of people have died trying to make rocket propellants. The stuff does tend to go BOOM, all of a sudden."
Lone_Beagle
"Alcohol is a common fuel for amateur rockets. Also, I believe the Soviets used alcohol as fuel in a couple of their rocket engines."
BDady
"Alcohol fuel was used extensively for the V2, but I don't know if it's the same mix. The Nazis found it had an unusually high rate of 'evaporation.'"
wolfkeeper
Afterglow
"Maria Skłodowska-Curie was one of the discoverers of radioactivity. She discovered Polonium and Radium. As far as I know, researchers did not know/believe that radioactivity might have a negative impact on their bodies and therefore they used little to no protection."
Equivalent_Meal2688
"Oddly enough, it was her work with x-ray imaging that is thought to have done her the most harm."
cramduck
"She used it as a night light. I’m really not joking, it was reported that she would keep some on her bedside table at night."
"As per the Nobel Prize website..."
"Pierre, who liked to say that radium had a million times stronger radioactivity than uranium, often carried a sample in his waistcoat pocket to show his friends. Marie liked to have a little radium salt by her bed that shone in the darkness."
"She lies in a coffin with inch-thick lead, and her remains are expected to be radioactive for at least another 1500 years."
Eviscerate_Bowels224
Cupid Failed
Online Dating Flirting GIF by LIEBESLEBENGiphy"Not killed, but the founder of Match.com, Gary Kremen, lost his girlfriend to a man that she met on Match.com."
OneGuyJeff
Those apps and websites were always going to ruin everything.
NEXT!
homer simpson submarine GIFGiphy"Horace Hunley, who killed himself and a bunch of others aboard a submarine he built over 150 years before the current whack job."
tuckerx78
"Yes. Drowned the entire crew, they dragged it up, drained it out, and shouted, 'NEXT!' Then it sank after detonating an explosive charge on the Housatonic, recovered more than a century later, and is now in a museum."
raflcopter
Off the Cliff
"Not the inventor, but rather the owner of the Segway, Jimi Heselden, accidentally rode off a cliff on a Segway."
KafkasBalaclava
"Jesus, you just brought back memories of cities being filled with segways before e-scooters happened."
TheMantasMan
"I remember before the Segway came out, the news was going crazy about how it would be this revolutionary technology. There was talk of free energy for cities, personal hover cars, they said cities would be rebuilt around the technology, and there would be no more roads, etc. all sorts of crazy sh*t. Then it came out and... well... yeah. Huge disappointment after all the hype."
un-sub
Brazen
"Some ancient Greek dude created a torture device called the Brazen Bull. It’s just a large metal husk shaped like a bull where you put a victim inside and heat the bottom. The burning heat and scalding metal will cause the agonized victim to go to a horn inside the husk in an attempt to breathe. The horn will make it sound like bull noises on the outside. The inventor showed a king his contraption. The king was delighted by it and decided to test it out… on the inventor."
SatisfactionSenior65
4/14/12
"The guy who built the Titanic: Thomas Andrews. Thomas Andrews was an Irish businessman and shipbuilder. As the naval architect in charge of the plans for the ocean liner RMS Titanic, he was traveling on board that vessel during her maiden voyage when the ship hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912. He perished along with more than 1,500 others. His body was never recovered."
SFJetfire
Finishing Touches
Sport Halloween GIF by Columbus Blue JacketsGiphy"The Denver airport is known for a giant statue of a blue demon horse. While the artist was working on finishing touches, part of it came loose and severed an artery in his leg and he bled to death."
JellyNinja_
Well, now I'm glad I don't know how to make anything.
It's a gamble when I cook if I'm gonna die from food poisoning.
CW: abuse and neglect.
Some people see their family on a regular, sometimes daily basis.
Others see them in person maybe once or twice a year, even if they remain on mostly good terms and stay in contact via phone or video chat.
Then there are those who sadly are no longer in contact with their families, by their own choosing.
Some people slowly realize that being an active part of their family's life simply isn't healthy for them, and gradually phase them out.
While others might cut ties with their family immediately following one inciting incident.
"People who cut off their family, what did they to you?"
Still Trying To Cut Ties
"Grew up in an explosive and abusive household, when I was finally able to move out I started slowing distancing myself."
"Mom went off the deep end."
"Started out accusing me of sleeping with every single person I know (yes, EVERY person),coming up with outlandish stories for why I was an awful person."
"When I cut her off completely she started stalking me."
"I changed my number and moved to a new state, I did not give anyone, including my brother, my new home address, and started receiving cards in the mail from her last year."- lovelyxcastle
Lies, Manipulation, And Abuse
"I found out my dad wasn't really my dad, and then my mother proceeded to lie about what actually happened."
"I experienced a childhood full of physical & verbal abuse, but he never laid a hand on my sisters."
"Now I know why."
"I corroborated the truth via other family members before cutting off all contact with mom & 'dad'."
"Still close with sisters though."- chAtoyant453
Couldn't Help, No Matter How Hard They Tried
"My cousin had addiction problems and just burned every bridge in our family."
"Used to be we’d buy him food and stuff he needs instead of just giving him money because it’d go straight to more drugs but he eventually became so toxic we couldn’t even do that."- KermitTheFraud92
Only Present When Convenient
"My father was an abusive alcoholic who left us when I was a teen."
"He was clearly not okay mentally."
"We reconnected in my early 20s and when I finally started to build my trust for him again he disappeared."
"He tried to reconnect with me a year later when he needed something."
"I haven't spoken to him since then."- Ducktheducky
Theft
"My cousin (still a12yo child at this point) lost both her parents and the family had to help her sell her parental house."
"Long story short, one of my aunts secretly sold the house without telling anyone and kept the profit (250k) for herself."
"Everyone thought the house was still up for sale until the real estate agent informed my cousin's actual guardian (a different aunt) that my other aunt had sold the house and he thought it was sketchy."
"Good news though, my aunt was sued, had to pay everything back and the 250k was directly deposited into my cousin her bank account and my aunt received an additional 50k fine she had to pay my cousin and guardian aunt for emotional damage."
"We do not speak about this aunt anymore."- locococomokko
Humiliation Over Help
"Aunt in the rich part of the family made my mother clean their bathrooms one day when she told them we couldn't afford food (unlucky situation, both parents unemployed within days), instead of just helping her out."
"They didn't even pay her, they gave her food they had prepared that day and some potatoes and oil."
"From that day on, my mother was so hurt and felt so humiliated I decided to pretend they don't even exist."- oo-----D
Greed And Elder Abuse
"I cut out my mother's side of the family."
"Her sister and brother made it their personal goal to financially ruin my parents."
"Then the other sister piled on."
"All three of them had been borrowing money from my grandparents for years and when the other sister sold my grandparents house out from under them 'because they cant live on their own anymore' my grandparents were appalled when they were told by my aunt that she was putting them in a home."
"So they lived with my parents instead and the other siblings accused my parents of taking their inheritance."
"They harassed, stalked, and vandalized my parents property until both grandparents were dead."
"I will never forgive them and hope their own children treat them as poorly as they treated my parents and grandparents."- Jubjub0527
At Least There's One
"Mother - was never really present."
"Even after my father died."
"Brother - Father died when I was not an adult."
"House was left to four of his sons."
"One brother conned into signing the house over to him for loan purposes to fix the house up."
"Stole house."
"Another brother - stole from me and my family with high regularity."
"Forgave him a bunch of times."
"Kept doing it so I gave up."
"Extended family - non existent."
"With all that being said I have a fantastic relationship with the last brother."- Hopchocky
Befitting Of A "Runaway"...
"They reported me to my country's officials for being a 'runaway' (I was 26), a heathen, a wh*re, and (I wish this was a joke) a witch."
"All are crimes in my country."
"So yes. I have nothing to do with them anymore."- just_lurking_b99
Lies And Abuse Were Just The Tipping Point
"My sister was cut off about 10 years ago after several incidents involving her spreading rumors about me at my work for a third time."
"She told one of my boss that I was a hard drug user (i never touch the stuff)."
"She kept doing that after I warned her."
"I cut off the rest of my family when I confronted them about multiple historical events of physical abuse and torture from when I was a kid."
"They refused to talk about it and were verbally abusive about it."
"I cut them off about 5 years ago and my life has taken a positive turn since."- riconoir28
Not Cut Ties, But Rather Loosened Ties
"Just stress."
"Every phone call, every visit, holidays , events."
"Constantly berated, questioned and feuding."
"I didn’t cut them off in the sense of no contact."
"I just stopped caring."
"I don’t ask, I don’t get involved."
"Phone calls last 3 minutes because I have nothing to share everything is good here."
"Holidays I eat and leave."
"And I’m too busy for random drop ins because kids have sports and friends and I have hobbies."
"When they come to me and vent I simply respond in unique ways that they’ll figure it out and I’m unsure what I’d do in their place."- MochiSauce101
Unhealthy Work/Life Balance
"I grew up in a family that looked perfect from the outside."
"4 kids and parents as a solid unit."
"One thing we never talked about was dads explosive anger which led to 'episodes' that he would never apologize for."
"Just be nice later and we would all just brush it under the rug."
"Cut to my age of 31 and I had been working with my father as a financial planner for 6 years helping grow 'our' client base."
"My mother and younger sister work with us as well as assistants."
"Only problem is every 6 months to a year I’d get fired by my dad."
"Massive blowup and a 'f*ck you, I have everything and you have nothing'."
"'Get out and I will never talk to you again'.”
"Then he would be nice in a day or 2, make some promises to put things in writing and we’d all just forget it."
"But you only want to bring up 'that contract' so many times before you worried you would cause another episode."
"He would say things like, 'you really think I would throw you, my daughter in law and grandkids out on the street?'"
"You would think no of course not, it is what you threaten and I do get scared but no, he wouldn’t actually do that."
"Surprise, that’s what happens."
"Business value almost triples."
"He tortures me until I lose 17 pounds (and I’m a skinny guy) and I quit."
"Walk away with nothing."
"We end up hiring a company that works with family businesses for over 20k to help solve our family crisis."
"Specialists, psychologists and lawyers all involved."
"They write a report after interviewing every family member multiple times for hours and hours, including my siblings that don’t work there."
"Report comes out, my dad loses his mind."
"Fires the company that wrote the report."
"I make peace that it is all over."
"Start interviewing to just work at the bank."
"I have not been paid in almost 6 months."
"I have two daughters 3 years old and 1 years old."
"But my dad comes back and starts making promises again, re-hires the family business specialists."
"We have a meeting where I agree to not take the position at the bank after 3 successful interviews."
"I will manage the business while my father vacations for a month and he will sell me my own clients."
"But I agree cause I don’t really want to work at the bank."
"My dad leaves on his trip."
"I think things are finally getting worked out (for the 10th time) but he comes back a month later and won’t answer my calls."
"I go and see him in the office and bring my 1 year old who hasn’t seen for 4 months."
"He says he is going to finalize the list of clients I am to buy."
"I haven’t talked to my dad since."
"That was over 6 years ago."
"He ended up getting me fired from our investment dealer because I contacted 'his clients' even though he had either never met them or they were some of my best friends."
"Then he sued me."
"I had no money or anyway to fight him so I just abandoned everything and started over."
"I don’t talk to my dad, mom, brother, older sister, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and many family friends."
"They all got my fathers narrative."
"The patriarch said get out and everyone else just let it happen."
"Only my younger sister who worked there knows what happened and we are very close."
"We both just don’t talk to our family."
"My wife and I are way better off and super happy."
"I made more money last year than I ever would have imagined and I’m my own boss."- bosonsNblackholes
Cutting ties with family members is never a decision to be taken lightly.
And working towards a resolution and reconciliation is always an excellent first step.
Sometimes though, the only way to reach a peaceful resolution is to move on and step away.
Most of us who have not worked in hospitality have dreamed of having a nice getaway for a weekend, or staying in a top-rated hotel, and relaxing in one of its best suites.
But those who have worked in hospitality are ready to point out some of the unexpected features and oddities that circulate around these fancier accommodations.
Redditor akumamatata8080 asked:
"People who work at super fancy hotels, what kind of stuff happens that management doesn't want people to know about?"
Cross-Contamination
"During housekeeping, hotels use different colored cloths to wipe your drinking glasses, cutlery, toilets, and sinks to avoid contamination. They just didn’t bother separating these cloths after wiping and moving to the next room."
- curry-sauce
The Secret Lives of Guests
"I did valet at an upscale hotel in Southern Florida, and the number of times I parked luxury vehicles with drugs haphazardly or precariously stowed in obvious places always blew me away."
"Not surprisingly, those guests were great tippers as they learned who to trust."
- lazerayfraser
Attention to Detail
"We take notes on your reservation profile. Everything from anniversary information to favorite cocktails and foods. We add notes to pass along to other staff."
- dez_navi
Four-Legged Stowaways
"$2k per night and this place has a serious rat problem."
- prof_dynamite
"Could be worse. My hotel has silly rats."
- snapwillow
What in the Mortuary
"It's pretty common to have a dead guest. There's a standard procedure for it and we take care of it quietly."
- Why_am_I_here033
Casino Funds
"I have a pretty interesting one. We know criminal enterprises have funded casinos in the past. I worked at Revel Casino (now Ocean) in Atlantic City before and after its opening."
"One thing they kept mentioning in our onboarding was that the triads were funding the casino. I thought it was super strange that these execs were just openly telling brand new hires."
- hornet_Critical
Like-New Beds
"I only work as a housekeeper at a regular four-star Hotel, but probably about 25% of people either bleed or leave s**t stains on the beds. It's truly atrocious how disgusting people are, especially when they know someone else is cleaning it up. Even the wealthier guests."
"And the best tippers are the cleanest people."
"If someone fully s**t on the bed and used towels to wipe, drank heavily and puked on the carpet in multiple places, and clogged the toilet, that person will not tip at all."
"But the person who barely used the full bed and didn't use the shower at all and was super clean and polite, now that's a good tipper."
- kpo987
Endless Supply of Gossip
"We turn a blind eye to drug dealers more often than you think. They hardly complain and usually pre-pay huge bonds happily. Also, we don't give a s**t if you're having an affair."
- NotTheGary_JustGary
Odd Celebrity Stories
"I worked cooking at an ultra-exclusive resort in Utah ($3k-$12k/night)."
"Nothing that exciting happened in my year there. I found a bottle in the tallboy (large fridge) labeled 'Kristen Belle's Breastmilk. DO NOT USE.'"
"I had put in my two weeks' notice and was really drunk on a day off, and made a post on Facebook about how Gordon Ramsay was coming and I hoped he wasn't filming 'Kitchen Nightmares' with us. I was fired within 24 hours, lol (laughing out loud). I did get to cook fish tacos for him and his family, though, and I heard he complimented the dinner kitchen crew directly (partially open kitchen), which is cool."
- OM3N1R
Poor Cruise Care
"A good friend of mine is a pilot. It's his first professional job. He flies an air ambulance. It's not typically picking up unstable patients in need of urgent care. More like repositioning stable patients."
"The vast majority of people he flies come from the cruise ship industry. If you get sick or injured on a cruise ship, they will dump you at the next port. It doesn't matter if the port doesn't have the kind of medical help you need. They just need you off the ship."
"It very well is up to you to arrange a private flight with medical crew to reposition you from Tobago to Tampa to get the medical help you really need."
- DoctFaustus
Collecting Stories
"We had an entire wing of the hotel infested with bedbugs. They just move through the walls from one room to the next. We waged a war of attrition that took years, and cost a lot of money, but we never stopped renting the rooms."
"We had one old guy though who was rich, divorced several times over, he just retired in the hotel. He had a room on the ground level right around the corner from the hotel bar. I don't know what he paid for it, but it wasn't cheap, and he furnished his own room."
"Everyone on staff knew his habits, knew his drink, knew when to leave him alone or when he wanted to chat. The funniest thing was, after he passed, he'd pre-booked his memorial at a totally different hotel. He liked his privacy, I guess. RIP, Hal."
- machuitzil
Bed Bug Horror Stories
"I worked cheap hotels and this is super common; even heat treating rooms professionally and quarantining nearby rooms they would always pop up somewhere weeks later through an air duct."
"When I check in to any motel or hotel, the first thing I do before bringing my bag in is lift the mattress and check the seams for bed bugs or blood spots. You can learn how from Youtube if you don't get first-hand experience."
"The crazy thing is if they spent a few thousand to bag every mattress they'd cut down on it significantly."
- galkasmash
Wild Stories
"I worked in room service at a very chic hotel in Miami. One guest requested that a specific waitress (not a room service worker) always deliver him food. Not exactly sure what went on in there, but he tipped her with a big bag of weed each time, which she would promptly bring back to share with the room service staff."
"I can confirm that the concierge will get you WHATEVER you want..."
"We had a local couple, who were staying with us to avoid being served for a lawsuit. We weren't allowed to say that they were staying there. The police eventually showed up for them."
"There were several times when guests would come to the front desk claiming the maids had stolen something from their room. They would be irate, demanding we call the police. Every. Single. Time. They found the item either in their luggage or car or their travel companions had moved/packed the item."
"One gentleman claimed that he forgot his very expensive camera in his room. My manager pulled up a video that showed him packing up his car, placing the camera on top of the car, and driving off without realizing it."
- SnarkyVamp
Questionable Christmas Bonus
"I used to work in accounts receivable for a couple of luxury hotels that were owned by the same LLC. We would open blocks of rooms for GENERIC SPORTS SEASON about eight months in advance."
"Due to high demand, these reservations had to be a two-day FRI, SAT stay. The payment was made in full (450-800 depending on room type). Refunds were available only if you canceled a month before the arrival date."
"When I first started in the position, I discovered $63,000 worth of reservations that had been canceled on time but were never refunded."
"I showed it to my manager, an absolutely incompetent woman who couldn't check in a guest if she needed to, she got back to me after discussing it with one of the owners."
"I can't remember how exactly she put it but I was told to just forget the matter and not to mention it to anyone. I got a $500 dollar cash Christmas bonus that year."
- Weirda**mustache
Secret Security
"Not a hotel employee, but associated with a popular convention that everyone would recognize."
"The convention attendees get so out of control that the hotel will only host the convention if they have a private security force."
"Since the private security isn't law enforcement or licensed, they do pretty much whatever it takes to keep trouble out of the public eye. Mostly it's locking people up in rooms or escorting them out of town, but they can get rough at times."
"But none of the convention attendees know they are there and the hotel staff pretends they don't see them. Even those who run afoul of them don't know exactly who it was that grabbed them."
- rusty0123
While everyone might think that staying at a fancy hotel would be great fun, it may not be such an enjoyable experience for those who work there. With all kinds of questionable behaviors performed by guests, not to mention the messes that need to be cleaned up, that fancy hotel may not feel so fancy for very long.