Category: growing up

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15 People Share Their Inexplicable Memories from Childhood

I have some odd childhood memories that I’ve never been able to explain. I’ve also never been able to shake them from my mind for one reason or another, and they are weird.

Do you have odd memories like that? Ones you can’t seem to get rid of from your past?

AskReddit users shared their weird, unexplainable memories from childhood.

Share your own in the comments!

1. A repressed memory?

“Every year at our cabin I have a dream I fall into the lake. Was told later that I fell in when I was younger. I never have this dream at home. Idk if the repressed memory is trying to tell me not to go on the water or just don’t be stupid and fall face first.”

2. No one believes me.

“When I was 10 or 11, I woke up very early in the morning to someone driving down our long driveway. It was dark outside, but I just barely peeped out my window to watch a man look into all of our car windows, survey our flower beds, and finally peer into my bedroom window. I played asleep and when I looked out the window again, he was driving backwards out of our driveway.

In the morning, I mentioned what I saw to everyone, but no one acknowledged hearing or seeing anything, despite the man’s headlights being very bright, maybe even switched to brights, and he slammed his car doors very loudly. But I can remember how scary it was having his face pressed against the window above my head and praying he didn’t try the lock. No one believes me to this day. I swear it was not a dream.”

3. Who was this kid?

“When I was a kid I had a classmate over who claimed he was a vampire. I didn’t believe him. I told him if his eyes glow in the dark that would prove he was a vampire.

We went into the bathroom and I turned off the light. His eyes were glowing. It scared the crap out of me. I opened the door, ran outside, jumped on my bike and got as far away from my house as I thought I could.

When I eventually came back home the classmate was gone and my dad was pissed that I abandoned my friend.”

4. Sounds kinda fishy.

“Breathing underwater. Turns out a lot of people have memories of being able to do something similar. Still haven’t gotten an explanation.”

5. My jaw dropped…

“My family and I were driving out of Bellows, a campsite/beach for military families in Hawai’i. I lazily gaze out the window and something catches my eye. About 30 feet away in a clearing before a metal gate leading into the forest was a massive bird. Like 8 feet tall massive. It had a long neck, brown feathers, and very thick long legs.

My jaw dropped and I was still processing what I had seen when my dad said, “What the hell was that?” Turns out he had seen it too, and we both described it identically. No one else saw it, and by the time our brains had caught up with our eyes it was too late to turn around.

I will always regret not turning around. When we returned later in the day there was nothing there. When we asked a guard about it he laughed at us. I scoured the internet afterward, and it looked like nothing I could find. At least, nothing that isn’t extinct- it looked amazingly similar to one of the larger species of moa… but those lived in New Zealand thousands of miles away and died out hundreds of years ago.

This happened back in 2009 and to this day I wonder whether I saw a Lazarus species.”

6. The same dream.

“My sister and I apparently both had the same dream one night, a scary one. We were staying in this villa where we had to share a room and we both woke up suddenly. The window was open, when it hadn’t been before. I realised she was awake as well and told her I’d had a bad dream, and as I started to describe it, she started talking along with me, describing the same dream.

In it, this black creature that looked like a bull, only it had shiny, scaly, plastic looking skin, was standing in the open window with this weird mechanical device, and it somehow fired a projectile at the lamp in the room, which started rocking back and forth. Neither of us wanted to get up and close the window in case the thing was actually out there, so we called for our mum and she closed it, reassured us in typical mum fashion, etc. For months we would talk about that incident and we could never figure out how we both managed to have the same exact dream at the same time.”

7. “On the brink of extinction”

“My mother walked into my room, waking me up to tell me that most of the world’s population was dead. I spent the rest of the day as normal, eating breakfast, going shopping with her, going to a playground, then eating dinner (albeit, acting quite nervous throughout). The next day, she tried to make it clear that what started the previous morning wasn’t true. I asked her if she remembered, but she told me she didn’t.

I’m certain it wasn’t a dream, because I recalled the rest of what happened the previous day to her, only to be met by her confirmation that everything I remembered was correct, right down to how shaky I was and how upset I seemed. All except for the part that humanity was on the brink of extinction.”

8. Peter Pan to the rescue.

“I used to have nightmares. My dad put up a poster of Peter Pan in my room and told me that when I went to sleep, Peter would fly out of the poster and chase all of the monsters away. I never had another bad dream.”

9. Was it real?

“I was like 3-5 years old when this happened. I woke one night while camping in a cabin, and I saw a cat tail dangle from this lamp. It’d sink down, and then disappear back up into the lampshade. It also started calling for me, going like “whoo hoo!”. Unnerved the hell out of little me… I can’t remember if I just never checked to see if there was anything there, or that I did check and there was nothing there. I chalk it up to just being so tired I was hallucinating.”

10. It was so surreal.

“The whole neighborhood thought I was kidnapped. I don’t really know why and what the actual fuck is the thought process of how they think that happened but apparently the people are frantically searching me. What I remembered is that my elder cousin and her husband took me to an internet cafe to let me watch them pick their wedding outfits.

When we returned, everyone was shocked, my brother smiles because he knew I was in trouble, my mom was crying, and my dad slapped the shit out of me. It was so surreal.”

11. A lightning strike.

“I remember being at a playground with my family and seeing lightning strike right in front of me. Didn’t hear any thunder, no one else saw it, but I remember seeing it pretty vividly. Not sure if there’s something that can go on in your brain that would cause something like that to happen, but I remember pleading with my mom to believe that I had just seen a lightning bolt strike right in front of me, and she just ignored me.”

12. Good golly, Miss Molly.

“When I was six, I had a girlfriend named Molly. I moved away the next year and never saw her again. For the next 40 years, one of my earliest and most vivid memories was me watching a six year old redhead girl running away from me, up towards her house, yelling, “Mommy, mommy, Jonathan kissed me!”, and her mother’s voice coming back, “We’ll, that must mean he really likes you.”

A few years ago, I’d had a little sangria and decided to see if Molly was on Facebook (I know, I know). There she was! Right name, right age, right hometown, lovely red hair. I PM’ed her asking if she was the right red headed girl. She wrote back that she was definitely the right Molly (and was happy to hear from me) but she’d only started dyeing her hair red after college. Memory’s a trip, man.”

13. That shifty little bastard.

“I remember, very vividly, seeing a leprechaun in the hallway of my house. It freaked me out so bad that I woke my mom up yelling “someone’s in the house!” We walked from room to room with kitchen knives looking for the leprechaun, but never found that shifty little bastard.”

14. You just did that.

“When I was about four or five, I was in the foyer by my front door when I saw my father come in the house, put down his briefcase, and then walk to my mother to give her a kiss on the cheek. Then the front door opened again; it was my father (again). I looked next to me where I had seen him put his briefcase; it was gone.

I looked back at him, scared, and said, “you just did that.”

I have never hallucinated in the more than 25 years since this happened, and nothing like it has ever happened since.”

15. Is Mom lying?

“I’m like 95% sure I sort of got hit by a car when crossing the street with my mom. There was a red light and we didn’t cross at a crosswalk. A car inched forward and I remember falling onto the hood? But I was fine. I used to literally get flashbacks. For years. But my mom swears it never happened. I think she’s lying.”

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16 Tweets That Accurately Capture the Struggle of Adulthood

“Youth is wasted on the young.”

I often think about this quote when I ride in to work every day and consider what I’ve done with my life. Because we had all that time! And what did we do with it? Eat gummy fruits and watch reruns? Why wasn’t I investing in stocks?!

Thankfully, there’s Twitter. Where comedians hang out and tweet funny shit that we can all relate to.

Let’s have fun.

16. I scream! And… that’s it. I just scream.

15. MINE!

14. Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? A: An employee, apparently.

13. Drugs help.

12. So much me. So much.

11. I didn’t ask for this!

10. 4 hours at least. 6 hours at the most.

9. What a pain!

8. Why doesn’t anybody stop me from doing these things?!

7. Time works differently now.

6. OMG. This is so true!

5. Too expensive!

4. Can I hire a domineering mom for another 5 years?

3. I read lots of Böökes

2. Stop jumping! I want to get back on my feet!

1. Wait… how much is THAT?

Now that was some good adulthood! I feel MUCH better about ALL my choices.

What do you think? Do you struggle with being all grown up and stuff?

Let us know in the comments!

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Studies Show That Children Who Grow up Around Their Grandparents Are Happier and Less Likely to Be Depressed

I’ve always been jealous of people who grew up close to their grandparents and so were able to enjoy that bond. My family moved around so much when I was growing up that my grandparents lived far away, and I was only able to meet them a few times while they were still alive.

Beyond the love, care, and guidance that grandparents give to their grandkids, research shows that this special relationship is even more beneficial than we thought.

Photo Credit: Pexels

A 2016 study shows that children who have close emotional ties with their grandparents have a reduced risk of becoming depressed. The study was conducted by researchers from Boston College who analyzed data collected over a 19-year period.

More good news came out of the study as well. Grandparents also benefit from a close relationship with their grandkids, and the older folks are less likely to show depressive symptoms as well.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Another study, out of the University of Oxford, found that kids who had close relationships with their grandparents coped better with difficult and traumatic life events, such as bullying or going through a divorce. This research also showed that kids with a higher level of involvement from grandparents in their lives had fewer behavioral and emotional problems and that they dealt with life changes in a healthy way.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Kimberly Agresta, of the Agresta Psychotherapy Group, said:

“If parents regularly involve grandparents in their child’s life early on, a child can develop real emotional closeness to the grandparents and begin to see the grandparent as a source of strong social support. So a child will feel that they have other adults, aside from their parents, who love and care about them in the same way, and this adds to their sense of stability and security.”

If you grew up around your grandparents, consider yourself a lucky person.

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People Share What They Think Screams “I Peaked in High School”

If you weren’t one of the “cool kids” in your high school, you probably remember looking at the really popular kids and saying to yourself, “Wow, they’re gonna be the kings of the hill forever…”

Annnnnnd then, about ten years after graduation, you see them and realize that some folks really do peak in high school. You know the type.

AskReddit users share what behavior screams “I peaked in high school.”

You’ll enjoy these…

1. Wow…

“Getting the score of the football game you won against the school’s rival tattooed on your shoulder.”

2. Still hanging around

“When I was in high school, this guy a year before me had a fearsome reputation. At house parties, people would fear him just by name alone. He would show up to parties with his cronies and start fights. He came from a decent enough family. Everybody wanted to be on his good side.

Anyway, he graduates high school, and most of us were still in 12th grade. I remember he used to come around lunctime to smoke with the people out front, shoot the breeze and talk about how much fun it is to just sleep in and do nothing and have all this freedom.

A couple of months of “Ohhh cool!” To, “Why are you still here?” as we awkwardly shuffled back to class.”

3. That’s not good

“I dated a guy with his high school mascot tattooed on his arm. It was such a turnoff.”

4. Still holding on

“A guy who graduated from my high school back in 2003 was arrested a few years ago for his 2nd DUI. He was wearing his Letterman jacket in his mugshot.”

5. I’ll buy the beer!

“Partying with high schoolers when you’re 30.”

6. Sad!

“At my ten year reunion, the prom queen came wearing a tiara with a custom “Queen ’03” sash over her shoulder. I had to go outside I was laughing so hard.

But I’ll be damned if she didn’t rock that outfit the while time, so, respect.

Still sad though.”

7. The King and Queen

“Billy Joel feels compelled to write a ballad about how you and your ex were the king and the queen of the prom, how the two of you married right after high school, and how it all went to hell from there. Bonus points if your names happen to be Brenda and Eddie.”

8. Nerds!

“Still bullying the “nerds” at your 10 year reunion.”

9. The good ol’ days

“Sharing EVERY memory from Facebook talking about the “good ol days” and “wish we could go back” when it’s only been a few years since graduation.”

10. How’s that working out?

“Dropping out of college to promote your pyramid scheme.”

11. Oh no!

“Me, in a horrid realization, in the back of my ’92 Camaro, while icing that knee I blew out at the championship game senior year, reading through the divorce papers.”

12. You guys wanna hang out?

“Selling pot to teenagers and then trying to get them to stay and smoke with you.”

13. Jeez…

“Filming yourself running drills and throwing footballs off camera in front of your van/mobile home.”

14. That is embarrassing

“The class that graduated before me had their ten year reunion last year and apparently a big fight broke out over something that happened when they were all still in high school. I guess that is one way to tell if someone peaked in high school. Pretty embarrassing.”

15. Still trying to live the dream

“Forcing your kids to be good at sports.”

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15 People Reveal What They Were Totally Unprepared for When They Moved out of Their Parents’ House

It’ll be easy when you move out of your parent’s house right? A piece of cake?

WRONG. That’s when reality slaps you right in the face.

AskReddit users shared what they were totally unprepared for when they moved out on their own. Ahhhhh, memories…

1. Used to seem like it

“The fact that $100 is no longer a lot of money.”

2. Now I’m bummed out

“Loneliness by far. I loved living by myself, but lying in bed without my cat on my bed, or without hearing my mom laughing downstairs made the room feel very small and secluded.”

3. That is the worst

“The cost of food and how fast it goes bad.”

4. Adulting

“You need to actually THINK about what you want to eat each and every day. I still can’t get over it.”

5. Then reality sets in…

“For me it was exhilarating. Want to sit and eat a whole package of double-stuff oreos at one sitting without anyone judging you? It’s on!

Fortunately, it only took a few weeks of that before I realized I was getting fat and felt like shit, so I had to go back to eating real food like my mom cooked when I lived at home.”

6. Lonely

“Come back to a dark, liveless home in the evenings.

Since my mom worked 6am 2pm until a few years ago, and we lived with my grandparents, there were always someone home when I’d come back from school.

Even if we didn’t chat, there were someone there, moving around, doing their own things. It sometimes was annoying because I sometimes was tired and needed peace and quite. But I underunstimate how much reassuring it was.”

7. That is depressing

“The amount of depressing things that come in the post: bills etc.”

8. Turning into Mom

“How alike my mom and I are. I used to tell her to chill with the household chores.

She couldn’t chill.

I can’t chill.

Must. Clean…”

9. That’s the worst

“Being on my own if I got sick. I once got food poisoning when my roommate was away for the weekend. Vomiting every 20-30 minutes for an entire day. I was severely dehydrated and didn’t even have the strength to walk to the drug store for meds and Gatorade.”

10. Be happy

“Happy things don’t just happen. You decide to do them.

All those fun events and great memories you had growing up? The birthday parties, beach trips, days you decided to turn the living room into a castle of sheets and cushions?

My parents deliberately planned those things (or gave their own time on a whim) because they wanted me to be happy.

Even if I’m tired from work, I try to plan fun, silly events and always celebrate holidays, because I realized no one’s going to do it for me anymore.

Edit: This comment really seemed to resonate with people! Thanks for the comments and bling. I’m glad this made you happy, or think, or feel seen.

For all those without parents or guardians that made things special for you, I’m sorry. You deserved to have someone who cared.

For those who ask, How do you make special things happen on your own? Or when life is busy, or when you’re poor?, here are some things I’ve done to make my own life nice:

I pick myself wildflower bouquets… or sometimes from people’s shrubs if they’re near the road shhhh

I often take myself to the beach

I like to drive fast with my windows down and good music blaring

I journal a lot

I take myself out to the movies on week nights! I actually prefer to see movies alone. I’m free to emote as I please, and I don’t have to explain anything to anyone.

I strike up a lot of random conversations with people on transit, restaurant waitstaff, folks working at coffee shops, etc. It feels good to make human connections.

I teach. Teaching is one big high for me.

I’m always on the lookout for neat treasures on the ground. Lone earrings, a nice rock, and red autumn leaf.

Get a warm cup some something and hold it in both hands while you walk around on a cold day. Best ever.

I guess these aren’t necessarily holiday-things, but they’re still special, and make my life joyful.”

11. Bare cupboards

“Not having condiments or spices on hand. I took for granted having salt and pepper and whatever spice I needed in the cupboard. Buying all that at once can add up quickly.”

12. All the small things

“The amount of small things that needs to be done on everyday basis: cooking, house cleaning, dish washing, laundry, etc… And this does not include homework (if you are a student), hobbies, personal life… I’m just so tired of all that stuff.”

13. I have to pay for this?

“Water cost money. I grew up on a farm with well water. It completely blew me away people had to pay for tap water. Years later I feel bad for people in cities that dont provide drinkable water.

Our home town had an oil pipe burst and contaminated their drinking water. Many people came to our farm for drinkable water.”

14. And it’s getting worse…

“Food is SO EXPENSIVE. I moved out a few months ago and that’s been the thing I was least equipped to deal with.”

15. I was wrong

“How wrong my idea of “independence” was.

Sure, you can do whatever you want whenever you want. But almost every activity generates waste in some capacity that YOU need to deal with.

Also, if you have a full-time job, having to forego hanging out with friends that don’t. Sorry guys, I can’t hang out until 2 am on Tuesday to play video games anymore. Gotta be up at 6!”

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18 Tweets That Perfectly Capture the Struggle That Is Adulthood

English playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “Youth is wasted on the young.”

I often think about this quote when I ride in to work everyday and consider what I’ve done with my life. Because we had all that time! And what did we do with it? Eat gummy fruits and watch reruns? Why wasn’t I investing in stocks?!

Thankfully, there’s Twitter. Where comedians hang out and tweet funny shit that we can all relate to. Sure, it can be depressing to think about how your life has turned out so far, but at least we can all laugh at it.

Right? We can laugh at it?! It’s funny right?! RIGHT?!?!

I kid. Let’s have fun.

1. So much me. So much.

2. I enjoy “cooking”

3. 4 hours at least. 6 hours at the most.

4. What a pain!

5. I read lots of Böökes

6. Stop jumping! I want to get back on my feet!

7. Wait… how much is THAT?

8. Why doesn’t anybody stop me from doing these things?!

9. I didn’t ask for this!

10. Too expensive!

11. I scream! And… that’s it. I just scream.

12. MINE!

13. Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? A: An employee, apparently.

14. Drugs help.

15. Time works differently now.

16. OMG. This is so true!

17. It’s basically Netflix. That’s my existence. Thanks.

18. Can I hire a domineering mom for another 5 years?

Okay, that settles it. Ice cream and thin mints for dinner.

To the dollar store!

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12 Hilarious Tweets That Show How Much We’ve Changed Since High School

There are days when high school feels like it was yesterday, and then there are days where it feels like several lifetimes ago.

A recent Twitter hashtag, #HighSchoolMeVsAdultMe, shows how much (and how little) we’ve actually changed along the way. Here are 12 of the best:

1. True story

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. No energy

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Much, much bigger

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. Once a geek…

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Boring weekends are the best

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. Future rock star

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Some things never change

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. Talk to me, Alexa

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. That Becky

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. Kids are fun, right?

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. Sweet, sweet coffee

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. Yep, absolutely no idea

Photo Credit: Twitter

Take me back!

Also… I’ll never go back!

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12+ People Reveal Crazy Rules Their Strict Parents Made Them Follow When They Were Kids

As a parent, it’s important to set rules for your children. Otherwise, they won’t learn key disciplines that will serve them well later in life. But sometimes, parents can go a little overboard in the rules department.

If strict curfews were your biggest worry growing up, then you had it good compared to these kids. Now that they’re all grown up, these kids with strict parents hopped on Reddit to reveal the most ridiculous rules they had to follow.

1. No straws

My dad wouldn’t let me use straws because he said they could cut through my tongue or cheek like a hole punch.

2. Rude

My mom didn’t allow the phrase “shut up.”

3. Too violent

I wasn’t allowed to watch most cartoons until I was a teenager. My mom thought Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Mighty Mouse, etc. were all too violent.”

4. Satan is everywhere

No heavy metal, no Harry Potter because it was satanic, and no D&D or Magic: The Gathering because, again, it was satanic.

5. Liar, liar

No using the words “lie,” “liar,” “lying.” Instead we had to say “That’s not the truth” or “That doesn’t sound right.”

6. No talking at dinner

No talking at the dinner table other than the occasional “Do you want some (more) of ___?” Or “Please pass the ___.” We could not talk about anything at all. I make it a point now, with my kids, to chat up a storm each and every meal.

7. Even thinking of it counts

My husband wasn’t allowed to say “frigging” or “gosh” or “fudge” or “goodness” or “sugar” or even “oh, fiddlesticks!” because it meant he was thinking a swear word and “it’s the thought that counts.”

8. Huh?

No drinking water from my bathroom. My bathroom genuinely had colder water and the best water in the house. I don’t know what she possibly thought I was doing, but I had to drink lukewarm peasant water like the rest of my family.

9. How is that fair?

We were punished if my friends broke their own family rules. So Sally sneaks out or gets a tattoo without telling her mom, her mom tells my mom, and my mom grounds us.

10. At least you got an extra hour

Curfew was 11 p.m. for me until I was 21. Now, I’m 23 and have moved out, and when I go home to visit, my curfew is STILL midnight.

11. Was Mario based on a book?

My friend’s parents had a rule that if they wanted too see a movie or get a game, they would have to read the book it was based on first.

12. Grounded for saying “always”

No saying “never” and “always” — because nothing is “never” or “always.” My parents saw these words as exaggeration. For example, if I said something like “Man, we always have chicken for dinner,” I would be reprimanded or grounded.

13. No texting after 10

No texting or calling after 10 p.m. on school nights and midnight on weekends.

14. Fart is a curse word

We couldn’t say “stupid,” “shut up,” “heck,” “darn,” “freaking,” or “fart.”

15. Look both ways

I wasn’t allowed to cross the street until I was 13.

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What Celebs Were Like Before They Made It, According to Their Former Classmates

Ever wondered what your favorite celebs were like before they made it big?

Were they unassuming nerds? Or were they always part of the popular crowd? Or perhaps they have a background in something you’d never expect!

These former classmates of stars gave us the inside scoop on what celebs they went to school with and what they were like way back when.

Some of these may surprise you!

1. Justin Bieber

“I went to elementary school with Justin Bieber. He was a nice guy, but a lot of people made fun of him cause he was short. I remember he was really good at sports and singing, though. One day he came to school and told everyone he was going to get a record deal and that he met Usher.

No one believed him.”

2. Taylor Lautner

“I went to junior high with Taylor Lautner. I also hung out with him after school sometimes. He was always super nice. He can actually do some crazy backflips and is very athletic.

I also remember him being sponsored by Abercrombie and Fitch after he did the Shark Boy and Lava Girl movie. He said he didn’t have a choice but to dress like a jerk.

Lava Girl (Taylor Dooley) also went to my school during the same time. She is a rad chick that I still hang out with today. She’s smoking hot too.”

3. Robert Downey Jr.

“I went to Junior High School with Robert Downey Jr.

He was very, very much like many of the characters that he often plays in movies – always trying to make the quick joke. Sometimes I can’t separate his character (especially in his early movies) from the kid I knew in JHS because that is exactly the way he acted back then. We were also in a drama class together one year and the teacher used to constantly make a joke where he basically wondered aloud why Downey was here in the class adding that his father (a writer and filmmaker) was going to get him a bunch of jobs through his connections.

Also, one time he got the crap kicked out of him by another kid for dating a girl that the other kid liked.”

4. Justin Trudeau

“Justin Trudeau was my substitute teacher in high school. I had him for grade eleven socials. We were learning about the origins of WWI. He started telling us about this really cool band called Franz Ferdinand. He seemed really agitated that no one in the room had heard about them. Like he was taking personal offense at that and kind of spazzing. At the time I was just thinking, ‘wow settle down, man.’

A few months later “Take Me Out” became a smash hit and I thought, ‘Man, that prime minister’s son sure is hip. That’s bad news for Ben Mulroney.’

On September 11, 2001, I was only 13 but I could tell that this was some serious stuff. For social studies that year I had a wonderful teacher named Tom Harpunik who’d won the Prime Minister’s award for teaching and I knew that he’d have an excellent class discussion set up for that.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have socials that day. But my French teacher wasn’t at school that day and our sub was Mr. Trudeau. At the time I knew who Pierre was and I think I knew he had a son who was a teacher but I don’t think I put that together at the time.

So there I am in French class on 9/11 with this sub who says that he’s actually a history and drama teacher but he’s from Montreal so he teaches French from time to time.

He wasn’t going to teach us French that day; he wanted to talk about geopolitics, to the extent that 13-year-olds could. He had some thoughts but he was more concerned with facilitating discussion. Unfortunately, I don’t remember a lot of what was said but I remember that he really did want to hear from every student about how they thought it would affect their lives.

I’ve got my problems with his policies, but given that day I’m not surprised that he’s prime minister.

He’s got the name recognition, he’s handsome, and he’s really good at bringing people together and making them feel heard.”

5. Debby Ryan

“I knew Debby Ryan. We didn’t go to the same high school but we went to the same church youth group. She was nice, very bubbly (borderline obnoxious), and was involved in a lot of church productions. Major drama geek. She even played Mary for Christmas, one year. I actually remember overhearing her, afterward, telling someone how she felt she had played the part so well it brought people to tears and she found it touching or something.

I thought it was hilarious.

Her brother played guitar in the youth group band and all the girls were crazy over Chris. Chris is his real name and I don’t understand why he changed it to Chase. Ryan isn’t their real last name, either, but I can at least understand why they’d change that. But yeah, he was hot stuff and one of my friends almost dated him but he was notoriously hard to get.

I remember when she auditioned for Disney. She wouldn’t stop bragging about it. Our church was in Keller, TX and I wanna say her mom took her to Dallas for it? I remember thinking there was no way she’d land a part for Disney. That’d be like winning the lottery. It just doesn’t happen to people you know.

But then low and behold, she actually landed a Disney gig.

I never thought she’d actually get famous, but then a few years later, she was. I’m actually pretty proud of how true to her values she seems to have stayed, honestly.”

6. Cardi B

“I went to high school with Cardi B in Bronx, NY. She was super skinny and not thick at all. I think she was a grade or two ahead of me when I was a freshman.

I don’t remember too much of her, we never really interacted because A) she was older and B) we had completely different friend groups/interests.

I do remember, however, that her voice was super freaking loud and you could hear her laugh from down the hallway. A couple of my friends hung out with her and they all said that she was relatively friendly and always making jokes.

She definitely liked to make others laugh.

Besides that, I remember she dressed up as Lady Gaga for ‘Celebrity Day.’”

7. Anne Hathaway

“I went to college with Anne Hathaway. She was the roommate of my best friend’s girlfriend, so I was invited to the pre-party for this massive party she threw when she got paid for Princess Diaries.

Honestly, it makes me very happy to say she was incredibly kind and generous. Even after she left school to pursue acting full time, I’d run into her on campus now and then (my girlfriend was a few years younger than me, so I was on campus quite a bit for a few years after graduating). Anne always said hi to me, gave me a big hug and a kiss, even though I suspect she didn’t remember my name. Whatever, I wasn’t going to complain. It was obvious to everyone on campus that she was incredibly talented.

I remember friends going to see her perform in a play on campus where she played an assault victim. They said it was probably the most moving live performance they’d ever seen, and they were amazed at her ability to cry on cue and really embody the role.

To this day, I smile every time I hear about her success. She was a really lovely girl, and I think she deserves what she’s achieved. It also helps that she’s been openly supportive of equal marriage rights, and has generally taken advantage of her ‘soapbox’ to spread a bit of goodness.”

8. Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves

“Miranda Lambert was a senior at my high school when I was a freshman. Watched her do a talent show but I don’t like country music so I thought nothing of it really. A couple of years later she won the first season of Country Music Star.

A couple of my female friends were really good friends with her younger brother and get to go to backstage shows occasionally.

Kacey Musgraves, who is getting pretty big now in country music, also went to my high school.

She was a freshman or sophomore when I was a senior. Absolutely gorgeous at the time, and only getting better looking with age.

The thing is, I hate country music so I don’t really listen to their music.

But it’s kind of cool, I guess.”

9. Tyler the Creator

“I sat across Tyler the Creator for one semester, but he was in my class all year long.

He was always making stupid jokes, and of course, inappropriate jokes here and there. He broke my pen and said I could just go buy another one.

He was always chatty, talking about his favorite hip-hop artists, (The Neptunes and N.E.R.D, I believe).

Towards the last few days of school, our teacher brought a camcorder to record the class, and he wanted to do a rap battle with another classmate sitting in our group.

The entire class roared with laughter and I wish I could remember why, but the opponent sat down afterward.

I didn’t know he was Tyler the Creator until a few years ago. Crazy that he’s famous now, and his humor is still intact.”

10. Evan Ross (Diana Ross’s son)

“I was best friends with Evan Ross (Diana Ross’s son) growing up. His bodyguard would pick us up from school every Wednesday and we would go to the Ross’ mansion. They had a bowling alley in their house and I got to play in her closet every week.

One time, her other son (Ross) broke his arm when we were playing on the trampoline and we had to wait to go to the hospital until she found the perfect pair of shoes.

She’s the ultimate supreme diva.”

11. Emily Ratajkowski

“I knew Emily Ratajkowski. She was really nice but pretty quiet and aloof. She was really artsy and mostly hung out with the artsy girls and skateboarding guys. I remember she invited me to her birthday party once and I was pretty excited about that.

She was already modeling at the time and had even been on that iCarly TV show when she was a kid.

I think she started doing nude modeling the instant she turned 18. She was always really comfortable with her body (not surprising) and for her, it was just art.

From what I see on her Facebook and everything, fame hasn’t really changed her much.”

12. Mark Hamill

“My mother dated Mark Hamill’s cousin and indirectly caused the car accident Hamill was in. She convinced her boyfriend to have Mark come to some family reunion or something. I do not remember the details and, considering my mother, I would say this story has a chance of being completely true.

My mother and uncle were friends with Alexis Denisof (Wesley in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, among other things) growing up.

He was nice and down to earth. The same uncle was roommates or neighbors (I forgot which) with Jason Segel when they were both trying to make it big. Apparently, he’s a great guy and funny.

My grandmother knew all the great singers of her time, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, etc.

Frank was a jerk, but Bobby was sweet to her. She loved the movie ‘Beyond the Sea,’ and wrote to Kevin Spacey about how spot on he was in portraying Bobby Darin. He wrote back, which was pretty cool. Not many celebrities mail a handwritten note to a fan.”

13. Miranda Kerr

“I went to school with Miranda Kerr. She was a typical popular pretty girl, who tried hard and had everyone fawn over her. Basically, she was the perfect poster child and good girl who did whatever she was asked.

I mean that with no disrespect intended.

Her parents, on the other hand, were attention seekers, and I have no respect for them. They moved the family across the country for her ‘career’ when she was still young, without much care for her childhood and even less care for her younger brother who has struggled a lot in life living in her shadow.

She was doing magazine shoots at 14 and being heavily made up and posed in skimpy outfits. There was quite a bit of uproar locally with people asking the question of whether it was borderline illegal because she was so young.

They were making her up to be so much older because she was tall and skinny with big eyes and lips. It seemed they were making an adult out of a girl who wasn’t even close to the legal age of consent.

It always seemed off that a parent would allow that. The parents made it all about her and they pinned everything on her gaining success at whatever cost. The parents were controlling and only gave the brother half glances in life.

I believe Miranda tried to distance herself from them for a while.

Not long ago, they were doing interviews saying they had not seen her in years and she wouldn’t speak to them and didn’t know why. Again, manipulative attention seeking trash.”

14. Grimes

“I went to elementary school with Grimes. She was charismatic, but I got the feeling she was more of an introvert.

If I recall correctly, she was an average student. Keep in mind that this was a private Catholic school in an affluent neighborhood, so all of our parents had high expectations.

I did not know her parents that well, but her mom is a crown prosecutor and her dad is a professor, so I’m sure they expected her to be doing well. Her parents went through a messy divorce in either the fifth or sixth grade.

Claire (Grimes) took it hard. She had always been artsy, but I think she got more into her art during this phase as she focused less on her academics.

One thing that may come as a surprise is she wasn’t musical at all in these days.

Apparently, she taught herself how to play the piano when she was 16 or 17, but this was after I lost track of her. Our school had a decent music program, but she wasn’t into it. We had an excellent visual arts program at the school and that was her jam – drawing and painting.

She liked drawing fashionable women.

She also loved animals, so she would paint them a lot. I think her dog’s name was Toby and she liked to paint him. I think I remember her drawing and painting nature scenes from time to time.

She also loved Barbie dolls.”

15. Ellen Page

“I went to school with Ellen Page. We were in the same group of friends, went to all the same parties, and ate lunch together. She kept thinking I was calling her ‘Helen’ all the time, which was weird.

I would say, ‘Hi Ellen, how’s it going?’

‘My name is ELLEN! Not Helen!’ she would say. I think it was a legit thing the first time, but she later started doing it purposely as a joke to get me riled up.

My best friend, a guy, dated her for a bit in 2005 and they were nice together.

When she came out, I thought it was a tabloid rumor at first but, frankly, wasn’t that surprised. It wasn’t an overly serious relationship nor did it last long. He still hears from her every so often, but less now then he used to.

I have not spoken to her for a few years.

She may not even remember my name, honestly. Weirdly enough, I work behind the camera in film and I’ve seen her at some film galas and around town occasionally. I always imagined if we did talk it’d just get a little awkward.

Hey, Ellen, what are you up to these days? Making movies? Oh me too… Just small, little ones for much less money in Nova Scotia.

She’s one of those people who acted exactly how you would expect.

She’s a bit timid and shy, but nice.”

The post What Celebs Were Like Before They Made It, According to Their Former Classmates appeared first on UberFacts.

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Growing up in a House Filled with Books Is Good for You, Study Confirms

Books are the best, huh? I’ve got piles upon piles around my house. And I’ve actually read a decent bit of them! But there are still plenty I haven’t read yet, which makes me feel a little guilty.

Believe it or not, there’s actually a word for my affliction…

Photo Credit: did you know?

The good news, however, is my so-called “affliction” may mean I’m smarter than you. A study by researchers led by Joanna Sikora of Australian National University showed that people who had around 80 books in their home while growing up tend to have average literacy scores, which is defined as “the ability to read effectively to participate in society and achieve personal goals,” and people with less than 80 books tend to have below-average literacy.

According to the study, the literacy rate continues to rise as the number of books increases, but after 350 books, the rate remains steady. So, based on this study, I should be a genius (sadly, that isn’t the case).

Photo Credit: iStock

The subjects were between the ages of 25 and 65, and came from 31 countries around the world. Before they were tested, they were asked to estimate how many books they had in their home when they were 16 years old. The researchers found that “growing up with home libraries boosts adult skills in these areas beyond the benefits accrued from parental education, or [one’s] own educational or occupational attainment.”

Photo Credit: Unsplash,Chris Benson

The study also showed that there is a relationship between having books at home and having positive skill sets such as reading comprehension, math skills, and the ability to use digital technology to communicate.

So get back to reading (and buying) those books!

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