
Having house guests can be awesome!
Some of my best childhood memories were when the primos would come to stay for a while. Now that I'm an adult, having my kids' cousins come for a visit is still one of my favorite things!
A house ringing with the laughter of guests and loved ones just hits the heart, you know?
This article is not about that. This article is about when guests get ... weird...
Reddit user dayday_bsl asked:
"What’s the weirdest thing a guest has done at your house?"
and I'll be honest - I started with a heartwarming anecdote because you're going to need the mental palette cleanser. When Reddit asks for weird, Reddit gets weird.
Dipping Out
"I had some work people over for a dinner party at my house."
"We purposely shut off the lights leading upstairs to sort of let the guests know that the party is downstairs...i.e. there is nothing for you upstairs."
"Throughout the night I would see one of my coworkers taking out the dip from his lip with his index finger and scraping it into his solo cup."
"A bit later I went upstairs to check on my dog and hear some noises from the master bedroom. I walked in and saw the same dude using my toothbrush to get dip out from in between his teeth."
"The first thing I said was 'Ya know the best way to keep that stuff out of your teeth is to not do it at all. The second best method *is* to use my toothbrush, but I would really appreciate it if you didn't.' "
"He embarrassingly apologized and by the time I got downstairs he had left."
"He doesn't get invited to parties anymore."
- RIGHT2SMITE
VRBOh No
"My friend treated my house like it was his own hotel room."
"I thought was coming to visit me and we'd coordinate for stuff to do, but it turns out he just wanted to save money on a place to sleep. He had his own plans and didn't tell me about any of them until he got to my place."
"And he even tried getting his other friends in the area to sleep at my place."
"I hadn't seen him in years, too. So I was disappointed that I planned my holiday weekend around my friend but he had other plans."
- debtopramenschultz
"Drunk" Girls
"First college party."
"A girl drank one--one!--beer and started acting like she was sOoOo wasted. Got fully naked and sat on my papasan chair."
"One of the most embarrassingly attention-seeking people I've ever met lol."
- itswhatsername
"We had similar experience."
"We went on a mini road trip and a girl, after having just one beer, started acting dramatically wasted. She started screaming and crying, we got scared the cops might stop us."
"Worst experience ever."
- jhoomworld27
Amateur Electrical
"A friend of a friend was at a party at my house. He took shrooms and decided to do some 'amateur electrical work.' That's a direct quote, by the way, overheard by multiple people."
"If that statement terrifies you, that's because those are not words that should ever be in the same sentence ever; let alone a sentence that describes a thing you are about to do at someone else's house."
"Yeah so, not being an electrician, I can't tell you exactly what he did or what he was trying to do. All I can tell you is that 800 dollars and 24 hours later the problem he created was solved by a professional."
"He wound up in the hospital after exiting the party in an ambulance."
"lol, 'amateur electrical work.' "
"He's fine and paid me back. All in all, he's actually pretty good dude. Should probably pass on the shrooms, though."
- No-Badger-9973
A Bath Tub Full Of Fruit
"A coed of mine, a very much petite and super straight-laced girl attended a small party at my place with a few other people from uni."
"She usually doesn't drink much but this night began to pick out and eat all the fruit from the self made fruit punch. If you know anything about fruit punches, the fruit are absolutely soaked with alcohol. Way more so than the actual punch."
"We told her but she continued to snack on the fruits. Just a bit slower."
"She ended up absolutely sh*t faced drunk after a short while. A tiny bit later she disappeared into the bathroom. Puking noises were heard, which probably was a good thing considering how drunk she was."
"After a longer time of silence I knocked to check if she was fine."
"I got some indiscernible mumbling about maybe she could use some help but maybe don't come on but she can't do it alone. Maybe I could give her a frying pan or a spoon or something (?)"
"I was very confused and told her I would open the door and to make sure she was dressed."
"When I came she was blushed to the maximum sitting on the floor. The whole bath tub was full of liquid vomit thinned with water and tons of fruit swimming around."
"She went on about how she wasn't able to clean the mess up alone."
"Apparently she had been trying to shovel the whole tub full of vomit into the toilet using her hands the whole time. The sh*t you do when drunk lol."
"The bath tub was clogged up with fruit so it didn't empty."
"I grabbed some stuff from the kitchen. She unclogged the bath tub with some tools. We filtered our the fruit with a sieve and drained and cleaned the bath tub."
"Well mostly me as she fell asleep on the floor during the process. Welp."
"After the bathroom was done I put up my camping bed in my room, grabbed some extra blankets and a small couch pillow and tried to wake her up."
"She wouldn't. So I carried her over to the bed and made sure she was warm."
"Put a bucket next to the bed and a small bottle of water."
"The party went on into the morning hours. When I woke up the next morning, or rather around early afternoon. she was gone and the bed was perfectly made."
"When I got to the living room it was perfectly clean with no signs of there ever being a party last night. Same for the kitchen, minus a few remaining full bottles and snacks all nearly packed up in Tupper ware."
"There was a written note, well more of a letter, lying on the kitchen table."
"In her note she explained at length how she was extremely embarrassed by what happened. That she was thankful how I handled the situation and that I remained calm."
"Lastly she said to make up for the mess she made, she cleaned the kitchen and living room from all the party remains. Also she made breakfast, which was in the fridge."
"Lastly she'd be happy if I didn't contact her for a week or two as she'd be too embarrassed to talk to me any ways."
"We became really close friends after that happened but it was surely weird. Both the bath tub full of fruit vomit juice and meticulously cleaning my flat the day after."
- RandomQuestGiver
Bestie's Plan
"We were having a party at my house. It was weird as f*ck to begin with because my dad was having a hard time choosing between two women."
"He'd date one for a little while, then break up to date the other one for a little while, then realize he really loved the first one. It was a mess."
"Anyway, he invited them both to our house that night and they both brought their kids, who were all around my age. There were 6 of us kids in all."
"My best friend was the first woman's daughter. Well, she had hatched a plan and without really offering an explanation, convinced me to initiate a game of truth or dare."
"Okay fine, I guess we're playing truth or dare now."
"Her plan was for me to dare her to put her head inside my toilet and flush it. No f*cking clue why I agreed but I did."
"I dared her and she immediately jumps up and runs to the bathroom, all of us following her. Without hesitation she lifts the toilet seat, submerges her head into the toilet water and flushes."
"One of the second woman's daughters is looking on at her as if she's f*cking insane (she wasn't wrong) and there's all this commotion in my bathroom between the 6 of us. Our parents all come rushing inside to see what the f*ck is going on."
"My best friend's mother's eyes go wide as saucers and I swear I saw smoke coming out of her ears as she starts screaming at her daughter, pulling her head out of the toilet and wrapping her hair in one of my towels."
"At this point I'm crying and struggling for air because all of this is the most f*cked up hilarious sh*t that I have ever witnessed in my short life. Her mother screams at me in this high pitched, enraged voice to shut up because it's not funny and I have to leave before she tries to kill me, too."
"My poor bestie got in big trouble for embarrassing the hell out of her mom when she was trying so hard to get my father to choose her over the other woman."
"Her mother convinced my father to punish me for daring her daughter to do that, even though her daughter was the one who wanted this to happen."
"The other mom and her kids left pretty much immediately, but when the others left, my bestie catches my eye and she has this huge smirk on her face like 'Yeah! Mission accomplished!' "
"She knew exactly what the fuck she was doing! That second lady never looked back and my dad ended up choosing her mom."
- Responsible-Top-6882
Growth Chart
"A grown man in our house for the first (and last) time for an academic team gathering marked his height on our children’s wooden growth chart…in permanent Sharpie marker."
"This guy wasn’t a friend, and he wasn’t a kid. I probably wouldn't have minded then. But he was literally a stranger an hour before this."
"He was a grown adult and just happened to be in a college group meeting at my home, from the college where my husband works."
"It was pretty awkward."
"Oh, and it was unfinished wood so we couldn't just wipe it off. We had to sand it to get it off."
- ClutterKitty
Tried To Snort My Brother
"I threw a New Years party once. ONCE."
"Someone I invited brought a group of people who I knew, but didn’t exactly enjoy the company of."
"Sometime around 1am, I noticed that my keepsake urn necklace containing my brother’s ashes was missing."
"Then, I discover a couple of small lines of powder-like material in lines on my bathroom counter."
"They had tried to snort my brother and stole the necklace his remains were in. I was livid."
"I don't think they were trying to get high. I think they were either joking around or had dared someone to do it. These guys were jackasses, but not stupid."
"I never got the necklace back."
- captkronni
Doggie Drugs
"A guest gave my dog drugs because, and I quote:"
" 'She looked sad so I thought some drugs would cheer her up!' "
"I tried to be patient at first, after hearing his attempts at defending himself, my reaction was pretty harsh, and I do not regret a f*cking thing I said or did."
"He gave mdma to a 3 pound chihuahua and almost killed the only reliably good thing in my life and the only thing that gave me any real sense of happiness. She was never the same, but she did survive."
"He couldn't understand why I was so angry and then had the nerve to try and press charges on me for my reaction!"
- dman2316
Guerilla Co-Host
"I invited 6 people for Sunday brunch, including an acquaintance 'K' who worked in my department."
"It seemed like a good opportunity to reciprocate an invitation she’d extended within the past few months (a big gathering at her house with her roommates….I stopped by for about an hour, had a delightful time amongst mostly strangers.)"
"It was a rare hot summer day in upstate NY, and I lived in a small house with no air conditioning. I woke up early to bake biscuits while it was a bit cooler. Was running as many fans as I could to circulate air before guests came over….."
"Through the buzz of the fans, I hear a knock on the door. It was K- she was here AN HOUR before guests were invited."
“ 'Oh- I was out for a morning walk and then I realized I was in your neighborhood early. Thought I could help!' And in she waltzed…"
"I couldn’t send her on an errand because she walked over."
"This was her first time over--maybe while on foot, she needed to use the bathroom? Was it daylight savings time? My mind circled trying to reason WHY ON EARTH she’d show up without so much as a call/text."
"I said I needed to hop in the shower (I was DISGUSTINGLY hot) but she was welcome to add a batch of simple syrup to lemonade and pour herself a glass. Was in the bathroom for 5 minutes, and she got to work while I was in there."
"When I came out, she’d set food on the table (some which wasn’t meant to be served.) She also gathered branches and leaves from the yard and created a table scape?"
"We made small talk as I chopped vegetables for a frittata and she whipped eggs. She did most of the chatting."
"As other guests arrived on time, she offered them lemonade and asked them to take off their shoes. It then dawned on me- I had a guerrilla co-host."
"As I set one of the last dishes on table she announced, 'Come and get it!' Handed people silverware, offered to spoon different items on their plates…"
"The last straw was when she went out onto my deck, picked unwashed mint and tried to garnish someone’s yogurt trifle. He pulled his plate away and said, 'I don’t want you touching my food.' ”
"Mercifully, someone offered her a ride home since she’d walked over. I’d never felt so uncomfortable in my own home due to someone’s well-intended gestures."
- sunnaii
No Recollection Of That Bite
"I ran into into a girl at a bar/club that I knew vaguely back from middle school."
"After a few hours of talking and several drinks later she says she is going to drive home. She is obviously in no shape to drive so I offer her my couch to sleep on for the night. I run this all by my husband and he’s cool with it."
"I set her up on the couch and we all go to sleep."
"I wake up in the morning to find that the raw vacuum sealed tuna steak we had in the fridge was opened and had one huge bite taken out of it."
"It was left on the counter with the juices leaking all over."
"No sign of her. So weird."
"I messaged her later that day saying something like 'Did you get hungry last night?' She said she had no recollection of that ever happening."
- NovaTactics
Mom Is Off Limits
"Tried to hook up with my recently divorced mother"
"Let me explain. It was my 21st birthday and I decided to have some friends over."
"As we sat there drinking and getting very f*cked up, my mother walks in the door and from across the room my friend screams:"
“ 'What’s up baby girl?!' to which my mother says 'Excuse me?!' "
"He actually replied! Worse, he replied with: ”
" 'Look I’m sorry you got divorced but I think you’re hot we should hook up!' 😬 Yeah we’re not friends anymore."
- Ok_Box881
Trying To Be Helpful
"When I was younger, we would have my aunt occasionally come over to pet sit while we were on trips to visit relatives."
"Well, one time we came home (absolutely exhausted from driving back home to Michigan from Florida), only to find that she had reorganized the entire house."
"I don't mean just rearranged some furniture I mean she reorganized closets, drawers, pantries, everything."
"She was trying to be helpful, but she failed to overlook a crucial part of her gracious plan. This was OUR house, and now we were unable to FIND anything!"
"Anyways, turns out she also reorganized my parents bedroom which included going through their drawers so we stopped having her pet sit for us."
- 1_3A7_W0rM5
Um ... What?
"A guy ate all of my eggs, raw, while leaning over the kitchen sink."
"I walked in and saw him slurping up the last one with 12 shells in the sink."
- olgaslam
Yeah... it's all awkward.
But Reddit isn't alone in their uncomfortable guest experiences. I know some of you have awful and awkward stories to share, so get to it in the comments!
Until we're in a situation, we'll never really know how we'll react.
I have been in this scenario, though.
Sex matters. And people rarely want to admit how much.
But sex isn't a lifetime guarantee.
It fades, as does love.
It's important to speak about it.
It can be a fixable situation.
A relationship without sex may not be the end of the world, but it's definitely a sign that something is off.
Redditor Deviant55 wanted to talk about physical intimacy in relationships, so they asked:
"How important is sex to you in a relationship? Could you be with someone you love even if sex was off the table indefinitely?"
I learned how much sex matters in my last relationship.
Once I wasn't interested, it kind of killed everything.
Forever
"When my wife of 30+ years became too ill for sex to be even remotely interesting for her, I certainly did not end the relationship. I loved her and I took care of her until she died. No other course even occurred to me."
fvillion
Frustration
"When I met my wife we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. This lasted a few years. I was in my mid-twenties when we married. She developed a chronic medical issue. I’ve gone twenty years being sexually frustrated. There are stages and phases to this."
"What I came to realize is that I love my wife. Yes, sex is important in our relationship. But I would rather have her in my life with no sex than have sex without her."
"The thing is, I love her. She can’t help her situation. I can’t help it. One deals with it. Marriage is more than sex. It is building a life and memories, raising a family, and loving each other regardless of the challenges life throws our way. But sex is very important. It helps keep the closeness and the emotional bond. But it isn’t the only thing that does that."
QuietusNoctis
I Love Her
"It is complicated. I am in a near-sexless marriage. The wife needs antidepressants to function. And it kills her libido. So usually it is four to six times a year. My libido rages. And yeah, it sucks. I dream of more sex."
"But I love the chick. She loves me to the moon and back. I’m not willing to sacrifice her love so I can try dating again. Divorce rates these days? And I found a woman who more than tolerates me, she loves me. I’ll stay. And not to be crude but yeah I masturbate. A lot. She doesn’t begrudge me that. Occasionally she even encourages it."
"She went off her meds for a while. And man did we do it. But she was a mess. I need her healthy more than I need a shag. We travel together. We enjoy each other’s company. We actually like each other. I could claim that it is hell, but I choose to see all of the good I am blessed with."
painthawg_goose
Heartless
"Quite important. But I think it depends on where you are in the relationship. I've been married for 10 years. I have kids. If my wife suddenly couldn't have sex with me for some reason -- illness or injury or something -- I'm not divorcing her over it. That's heartless."
"Now, if she just decided we weren't ever having sex again because she didn't feel like it, that'd be different. Or if I was just starting to date someone and they told me they'd never have sex, I probably just wouldn't keep pursuing the relationship. Plenty of people out there who will."
Arkhangelzk
Necessity
"It depends on the circumstances. I LOVE doing it with my man but I love his heart and soul more. If we had to stop having sex for medical reasons or something I’d definitely stay with him and stay faithful. If I was single, I think it’s unlikely I’d start a new relationship knowing it would be sex free."
Fit_Technology8240
Heart and soul is just as necessary and hot and sweaty.
At least a lot of people recognize that.
Percentages
"Sex life is 10% of a relationship when it’s good and 90% of a relationship when it’s bad."
jakovichontwitch
"The other way I've heard it put is that sex is like the bathroom in your house. It's not the only reason you bought the house, but if it's not working it's a big problem."
molten_dragon
Age Related
"50-year-old here married for 27 years. It’s not important. It was important when we were younger but honestly, if sex wasn’t possible I would still love my wife and really nothing about our day would really change."
Kantforall
"I’ve been reading these comments and wishing that everyone’s age was flared on their post because I sense that there are a lot of under-60-year-olds. I am older than my wife but she is starting menopause and I can see the writing on the wall. Not super thrilled but I love her completely and understand. The real intimacy is in how we still (and will always) want to sleep touching each other and waking up next to each other."
caffeinated-hijinx
Kiss Me
"I honestly considered this before. I absolutely adored this guy. It was like a child relationship; we'd kiss and cuddle and hold hands and things, but he wouldn't have sex with me, nor would he commit properly. Any time we came close to sex, he'd go soft or back off."
"I couldn't understand it, wondered if I could keep doing that. My sex drive was wild. Why kiss and the rest but not sex?"
"Then one day he told me he was in love with me and asked me out properly. I said yes there and then, had a wonderful day with him, but when I went home, I was left questioning if I could possibly live without sex. I decided that yeah, I loved him but it would be tough."
"We had sex the next day. So yes, I think I probably could."
Adventurous_Train_48
Touchy/affectionate...
"It's very important. I'm a very affectionate and physical person and touch/caresses and anything physical is one of my love languages. I couldn't function with someone who is the opposite of me or who's uncomfortable with how I am. I already was in a relationship with someone who wasn't that touchy/affectionate and it created frustration for both of us."
Borboleta77
Don't Look at Me
"I am in a sexless relationship. He has erectile dysfunction and I really don't like sex in general. I'm really uncomfortable naked or even vulnerable. I'm shy around him despite the relationship being 10 years nearly, I'm even shy around my family and friends. Everything about sex makes me feel so embarrassed, and I feel nothing but negative feelings when I used to be sexually active. Not through choice of partner, I just hate that sort of attention."
NucularOrchid
Definitive!
"10/10. Sexual incompatibility is a deal breaker!"
oeeiae
Sex is important but not everything.
Until it is everything if it becomes an issue.
Good luck couples. Open and honest communication is key.
An important contributor to our overall health and happiness is the quality of our friendships.
We may not have a lot of friends, but the more important factor is the depth of those relationships.
But we've all had one of those friends who turned out not to be a very good friend at all.
Redditor Both-Support-7110 asked:
"When did you realize your 'friends' were just a**holes?"
Putting Them Down
"After I realized that other people don't s**t on each other on every possible occasion in their circle."
"And that it isn't right when a 'friend' uses every known insecurity as an argument against you when you do not behave the way he/she would want you to."
- fobopi9445
"I luckily made a couple of friends that would just be supportive about stuff. So I slowly started talking to them more than my older friends as I saw the disparity between their responses."
"One side purely would be purely judgmental and try and bring me down, and the other would just be excited for me or be there to listen or whatever. Who wants to talk to the former when you have the latter?"
- Universeintheflesh
Using Them as a Convenience
"They only bothered with me when it suited them. I'd rather have nobody than have to deal with that."
- fobopi9445
Trying to Keep Them Small
"When they were nice at first but then cut me out of conversations, telling me not to 'butt in.' A friend doesn't dictate when you're allowed to speak."
- leatherwolf89
"Total a**hole move to have conversations in front of you only to tell you it doesn’t concern you and mean it. . . Like making plans and giving details about how someone like you could be included but specifically telling you not to invite yourself; making plans in front of someone and not inviting them is awful."
- dearlysacredherosoul
Using Them as Entertainment
"She got a boyfriend and would let him listen to our phone calls and not tell me, even if I was crying about personal stuff that I would only ever tell her."
"Then they both started lying to me about my crush liking me back, forcing both him and me into awkward positions (telling everyone we liked each other so they'd play along, swapping places constantly to make us sit next to each other, pressuring him into giving me a lap dance, making him kiss the prettiest girl in the room, etc), and encouraged me to shoot my shot more and more."
"All the while they knew he didn't like me, he had told them both directly. One night, I was crying on the phone because I was so confused why my advances weren't working, and they just kept explaining it away, blaming some other bulls**t reason and telling me to try again."
"The next day, they told me they were laughing throughout the whole call because I didn't get it and I was so upset. I should add I had no dating experience at all and nobody had ever liked me at this point."
- vixayib976
Using Them to Feel Superior
"I didn't have many friends in grade school, but the times the kids actually gave me the time of day, it was to make me 'it' when we'd play tag. That's what I was there for. To continuously be 'it' so they could run away and feel superior. Because they knew I would agree to it no matter what."
- lunayoshi
Having Questionable Morals
"I had a friend that was a very promiscuous girl, I had no issue with that, until I found out she was using me and my innocent personality then, to distract her mom and make her think she was like me."
"Then she used my house as a literal hotel once, with my family here and everything... I knew that was it."
- luffve
Making Fun of Them
"When I made new friends and realized that it's not normal for friends to constantly beat on me and make fun of me."
- vatonef494
Prioritizing Money Over Them
"When they stopped being my friends after I went through a rough financial patch."
- fobopi9445
Becoming Flaky
"I had a group that I was in from 2019-2021. They became a**holes over time, and it took me longer to see that. It was when I failed my psych 101 class (I'm not the best with online classes and tried the best I could) and when they heard about that, they laughed to my face, called me stupid and a failure."
"Early 2022, I met up with them again thinking it would just be a 'listen to this concert for someone we all know and go on our ways' thing."
"My one closer friend offered to drive me and I accepted, and then afterward she joined the group, made eye contact after the concert was done and said, 'bye,' and left with them to the doors. They doubled back and said, 'You can come with us to another town to a friend's place or I can get my mom to drive you home.'"
"I was so overwhelmed and embarrassed that I just went with them to the other town. I called my brother to come to pick me up after an hour, and when he was on his way out, everyone else left. Haven't been into contact with them again after that."
- shortedgyasain
Disappearing When It Counts
"They pretty much abandoned me in a time of pretty intense need. It solidified my decision to leave the area and go do something worthwhile."
- verisimilitu
No Reciprocation Allowed
"When he does s**t to me and acts like it’s no big deal, but then I do the same back, and he gets offended."
- vatonef494
Excluding Them From Plans
"I've got two examples here. One from childhood and one from adulthood. Pick your favorite."
"Childhood: Kid I knew when I was 8 or so. We used to hang out a lot of the time and often played together, doing the usual kid stuff. Then one day, he has to move away because of a change in his parent's financial situation and I was pretty bummed out about it."
"On the last day we were supposed to see each other, he hung out with someone else instead and when tried to join them, he physically shoved me away and told me I wasn't welcome. That one stung."
"Adulthood: When they keep telling me about plans they made and things they did together or wanted to do together, but never bother to invite or include me in any of it. There's one of them I get along with and he'll invite me to things as long as it's just with him, but when he's with the group, he excludes me."
"I remember one example in particular where they were discussing a new site to do some photography and they fell short a man. One of them looks at me like I'm the spare tire in his car and goes: 'I guess you can come with us this one time.', to which another replies: 'Nah, he doesn't want to go. He doesn't like photography.'"
"I told him I was perfectly capable of answering for myself and didn't need him to act as my answering machine, but it lost a lot of impact because he was right. I don't like photography and didn't want to go. I just didn't like being talked about that way."
"Good luck making that clear to them, though. All they heard was: 'If he was right anyway, then why are you b*tching about it?'"
"I no longer hang out with them. I eventually got sick of being treated like the spare guy they can use in case none of the 'main crew' was attending, so I dropped them."
- Kuliari
Terrible Priorities
"In 2006, my then-best friend wanted to go to a big German metal festival. I did not want to go because my Dad had end-stage cancer."
"Dad died on August 8th, a couple of days after my friend returned from the festival. I called him because I needed someone to talk to."
"He very bluntly stated that he had no interest in my Dad's passing but wanted to tell me how great the festival was."
"You can't imagine how disappointed I was. For years, I'd been there for him whenever he got dumped, and the one time I needed a friend, he wasn't there for me. I told him to shut my door from the outside and lose my number."
- fobopi9445
Undesirable Behaviors
"I was 15, we were hanging out in the alleyway behind my friend’s house as we did almost every day after school."
"One girl was there from the year above us and they started prank calling the child protective services emergency line, pretending to be a child in distress, and they all laughed."
"After a few rounds of this, I felt queasy and left. Never hung out with them again. I still feel bad for not saying something or putting a stop to it, but the girl was older and 'cool.'"
- Brasscogs
Taking Advantage of Them
"I've been posting on him recently, he was my former neighbor and friend. We didn't immediately hit it off but after a while, we became good friends."
"I tried helping him out (he's an unemployed single dad of two special needs kids). He eventually saw my kindness as something to take advantage of, so late last fall, he either broke into my house (or enabled someone else to do it for him) and stole money from me."
"When I confronted him about this, he physically attacked me."
"I can't say it doesn't hurt."
- llcucf80
Friendships are incredibly important, but we're unfortunately not meant to be friends with everyone. Some people simply do not turn out to be the friends we thought they were.
We may know that this happens, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.
No one wants to be alone.
But that doesn't mean we should settle when it comes to choosing a romantic partner.
When people rush into things without letting love flourish, it could lead to problems down the line that can inevitably lead to difficult breakups.
Those who've learned this the hard way shared their experiences with love when Redditorlastknownstar asked:
"What common mistakes do people make when choosing a life partner?"
Communication is key.
Discussing Life Issues
"Not discussing big life issues: your preference for having kids, parenting styles, deep religious beliefs, career aspirations, significant traumas…anything that may affect how you make decisions together later on."
– AwkwardFortuneCookie
Outdated Notions
"My parents were like this. Dad grew up in a standard midcentury 'men run the house, women stay in the kitchen' family, but Mom came from a long line of domineering southern matriarchs who had their husbands whipped. Dad was naturally a good cook and Mom hated cooking, but once they got married, Dad insisted she make all the food because that's what wives are supposed to do. No warning, total 180 on their relationship up to that point."
"He's learned his lesson and now happily cooks for my stepmom, but man... That's not something you can just spring on your new spouse overnight!"
– shebbsquids
What About Kids
"Having kids is a really big question that absolutely needs to be communicated. I've also heard that it's a topic that would make the man a big red flag if asked early into the 'relationship' as in first date and/or texts are off limits."
"Wouldnt it be a lot nicer to 'speed date' these big topics early on?"
– Leaping_Turtle
These Redditors realized ignorance of financial responsibility in a relationship came at a cost.
Finances
"Finance is the number 1 leading cause of divorce."
"Edit: this popped up in my YouTube recommendation (Is your relationship struggling because of finance? - Dave Ramsey https://youtu.be/XuU7oabGqjk). Google is not monitoring us or anything"
– strangemanornot
Spending Habits
"This is such a big issue in relationships. Knowing each other's spending habits is equally important. My ex would be extremely judgmental when it came to my 'fun money', but when he bought a new TV or a new gaming console, he was not to be questioned on it."
– RewardNo3000
You can't change people.
Fixing Their Flaws
"Thinking, 'I know this person has flaws, but when we're married I can help fix them.'"
– DoctorExtra9060
"Ok marriage isn’t working but if we have kids things will change because it will bring us closer."
– Mrepman81
Parasitic Love
"I personally had this issue dating someone who was as sweet as could be, but not the brightest bulb in the socket, and they relied on me for knowledge on everything from health to history to housework. All perfectly googleable or troubleshootable questions, but always defaulted to giving up and asking mommy the girlfriend for help. Admittedly it was kind of an ego boost to have someone always telling me how smart I was and deferring to my judgement on everything, but that's not what a healthy romantic relationship should be like."
"I thought I could nudge them gently into being slightly more self sufficient, but it only got worse as they grew accustomed to relying on me for every little thing. And of course the flip side was I felt like I could never rely on them when I needed help... I knew I was SOL if I couldn't do everything myself, because I was dragging around a parasite instead of a partner."
"Next time I want to spend years working on a fixer-upper, I'm just going to buy a crumbling Victorian house. It'll cause me less stress in the long run."
– shebbsquids
Taking An Emotional Toll
"I was in a similar boat with an ex, wasn't so much her fault as she had a learning disability and epilepsy."
"Every other weekend we also looked after her kids from past relationships, one of which had autism, and due to my ex's condition she wasn't allowed to be on her own with the kids meaning I had to be there as the capable, responsible adult."
"We were together for just shy of 4 years."
"After she broke things off it took a good few months for me to get used to the fact that I could actually let my guard down, switch my brain off and relax. Without needing to constantly worry that someone would need my help or that I needed to ensure her safety."
"She didn't quite realise the toll it was having on me or the amount of responsibility was on my shoulders. She would constantly suggest things like holidays abroad with just us two and the kids, and all I could think was that it would be far from a relaxing holiday for me as I'd have her and two kids to look after and be responsible for the entire time."
– ShadowSurgeGaming
Managing expectations is key.
Never Settle
"Choosing someone they think they should be with instead of someone they're actually compatible with."
"I feel a lot of people have a picture in their head of who they think they'll end up with and chase that ideal, instead of acknowledging their own personality and aiming for someone compatible with that. Easier said than done, but yeah."
– Viminia7 ·
Importance Of Value
"I talk with my partner about this all the time. We think its important to have shared values not shared interests."
"Yes it’s important to share things you both like to do, but just because your partner likes One Punch Man, like you do, doesn’t mean they are on the same page as you with resolving conflicts."
– scsm
Elvis Presley reminded us that only fools rush in, despite his intense romantic feelings towards his object of affection.
But the wise men he was referring to were on to something.
It's best to ease into things and let love grow, and not force relationships without really getting to know the person with whom you plan to devote yourself to.
If it's meant to be, it'll be worth taking things slow by getting to know a prospective significant other's dreams, what makes them, and their values to see if there is enough chemistry to develop meaningful relationships.
Among the many reasons people watch, and rewatch, sitcoms is to imagine your life was more like the one you were watching.
Being able to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village on a line cook's salary, somehow always having the comfortable sofa available at your favorite coffee shop whenever you pop in, or having your best friends always available at your beck and call whenever you need them.
For the romantics, however, it's wishing you could have a romance like you've seen on television.
True not all sitcom romances are exactly the sort that makes you go all aflutter (Were Ross and Rachel actually on a break? And don't even get me started about Ted and Robin.)
Other sitcom couples are so captivating, though, that we would have given anything to be at their wedding... or at the very least go to their home for dinner every Friday.
And this includes plutonic couples, as there is nothing more heartwarming than a lasting friendship.
"What is the best couple in sitcom history?"
Creating An Even More Welcoming Community
"Troy and Abed. A couple of friends."- aghzombies
"They did grace the cover of Best Friends Weekly."- DwightsEgo
Sorry Amy...
"Peralta and Doug Judy."- DavosLostFingers
"Reunited and it feels so good 🎶."- Ghostenx
"PSYCH"!... No, Seriously...
"Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster."- dazedcap
"'I'm Black, he's Tan'."- CrueGuyRob
"Snap, Snap."
"The correct answer is Gomez and Morticia Addams."- Reddit
"They loved each other dearly. "
"They were completely enamored with each other, spent time with their kids, their family."
"Accepted everyone as they were."
"It wasn't til I was an adult That I realized married couples weren't meant to hate each other."
"My mother had many partners in my childhood, she's toxic and things were always chaotic."
"And watching 90s sitcoms, I thought married people were meant to hate each other, and I always wondered what the point was."- MissMurder8666
Overshadowed By Their Middle Child...
"Hal and Lois."- MrRocketman999
"As a husband, I don't think I can live up to Hal."
"He sort of sets a really high standard lol."
"He loves her like they are still in the honeymoon phase."
"So infatuated with her lol."- treathugger
A Better Couple? Many Would Say, "Knope"...
"Ben and Leslie."
"I' love you and I like you.'"
"Simple line, yet so powerful."- Radkeyoo
"Gruesome", But Adorable
"Frank and Charlie from Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
"The gruesome twosome."- Herr_Poopypants
The Parents Everyone Wished Were Theirs...
"Bob and Linda from 'Bobs burgers'."- shashybaws
"All of the Belchers have such great relationships with each other. "
"They're wholly accepting and supportive (even if they disagree)."
"They really love each other, and it shows."- SummerOfMayhem
UK Version Only, Of Course...
"Moss and Roy (The IT Crowd)."- pentapotamia
"'I'm your wife, Roy!'"- Summerof5ft6andahalf
"'If anything, I’m the husband!'"- pentapotamia
Afterlife Be Damned... Or not, Actually...
"Eleanor and Chidi from 'The Good Place.'"
"How can you beat two deeply flawed people who together make each other better over and over again?"- hotbimess
Ruining All Food For Viewers, One Food Group At A Time...
"The only correct answer is - Scully and Hitchcock."- Prestigious-Net-2236
"Back off! It's our microwave! Ours! GRRRRRRR!"- Lvcivs2311
Nostalgic And Wonderful
"Kitty and Red from That 70s/90s Show."- saginator5000
"I like how Red on the surface seems like a mean parent who doesn’t let his kids have fun."
"But he’s watching out for his kids."
"And he’s a good man."
"He has a hard and stressful time supporting his family and he is grumpy sometimes but he would do anything for his family and he really loves them."
"What he does for Hyde is amazing."
"He just doesn’t put up with BS."- themanfromvulcan
It Seems Everyone Is Better With Turk At Their Side
"Turk and Carla."
"Or Turk and JD. (Scrubs)."- JCBAwesomist
"Turk and JD all the way."- nunyabidnez76
Can't We Get Back What We Once Had?...
"Homer and Marge had a lot of beautiful moments back in the older seasons."
"Sadly, seasonal rot has ruined a lot of that."
"I miss a lot of how the characters used to be."
"Like, Homer was an oaf and a brute, but he loved his family immensely and deeply and would (and DID) do any and everything for them."
"He'd catch details like in that episode about the streetcar play that you wouldn't think he would."
"He gave up beer for a month for Marge and we got to see that, for him, it wasn't just a minor thing."
'Lisa might have been intelligent but she not only had ample 'dumb/shallow' moments, she also was very close to Bart and, likewise, Bart was close to her."
"He might struggle in school but he also showed he wasn't dumb either."- Snowtwo
Be they married in the first episode or on and off again for an insufferable amount of time (looking at you, Jeanine and Gregory in Abbott Elementry!), sitcom couples give us people to root for and fill our own hearts with hope.
So much so that we don't mind following the arc of their love stories over and over again.
And yes, the episode where David meets Patrick's parents remains a tearjerker, no matter how many times you watch it.