People Discuss Whether Kids Under 12 Should Have Access to the Internet

Well, this promises to be interesting…

Kids and their access to the Internet has been a pretty divisive issue among parents for quite a long time now and I don’t think it’s going anywhere…because the Internet sure isn’t!

AskReddit users debated whether young kids should have access to the Internet. Let’s see how it went.

1. No reason for it.

“They have no reason to have access to internet.

They will find information that will destroy their innocence

They will start being influenced by d*ckheads on the internet, e.g. Jake Paul.

Which will lead to a bunch of other problems.”

2. Limited access.

“They should have limited access.

When I was like 10-11 my parents monitored me but still let me have fun. Because of that I got to get into gaming, acting (online videos inspired me) and drawing (art you tubers).

Of course I found some edgy offensive humor and s*x jokes but kids still found out about those at that age before the internet.”

3. Depends on the kid.

“I think that’s because really it depends on the child, how they were raised and how naturally vigilant they are. (meaning a lot of active internet people disagree because they turned out fine)

You can’t just say all children need to be monitored, but it may be good to check on ‘em now and again just to be on the safe side.

However it is doubtful you will successfully protect a 11-13 year old from losing their ‘innocence’. This is the age where children start to get curious end will look for stuff whether the parent likes it or not.

Really I believe it’s better to provide a safe environment where they feel they aren’t patronized, but you can be sure nothing really bad happens. The alternative being them sating their curiosity will mean being forced to look for it elsewhere and god knows what they will be exposed to.”

4. Keep an eye on them.

“We monitor our kids fairly closely, and my six year old watches a ton of videos on science and nature.

He probably knows more than me about some topic because of it and it’s really made him even more interested in space, geography, etc.

He also watches videos about video games, but the good has definitely outweighed the time wasting.”

5. Has to be more specific.

“I wouldn’t agree that that is the right way to think of it. It’s like saying that kids shouldn’t read books because some books are not the correct content.

What I would agree with would be more specific. Certain material should be off limits which can be done quite easily with certain programs or firewalls etc. K9 web protection is maybe a good example.

I get what you are saying though.

But I don’t agree with cutting off their ability to watch Netflix (internet) maybe even Google cookie recipes (internet) say they like playing fireboy and watergirl (internet).”

6. Parental controls.

“I suggest parental controls/monitoring your child – it’s kind of hard to block or monitor everything. Like YouTube, there’s everything from children’s cartoons to violence.

I’m not a parent so I don’t know how much it takes to monitor a child on a device, I’m sure it’s not easy though.”

7. Gotta be careful.

“Good luck finding parents that will monitor their children by watching along with them.

Jake Paul is a famous d*ckhead that will get into your child’s head.

The classmates will try to make your kid watch his videos and in the end your kid will start to rebel you by seeing you as an overprotective chopper parent.”

8. Can be amazing.

“Watching my 9 year old son research how to mod Minecraft was amazing.

He literally uses computers and does research more effectively than many baby boomers I know.

He learned way more from that about research than he did at school.”

9. They don’t need it.

“I don’t possibly have the time to monitor their every internet usage.

Also, I don’t want or need to learn all the techno crap involved in blocking them from internet bad stuff.

I didn’t have internet at 12, they don’t need it either.”

10. Times have changed.

“I would’ve agreed with this 15 years ago when the internet was much newer.

But nowadays a lot of schools are even use the internet for learning and teaching. There’s a lot of important content that they may need to have access to.

And honestly, the internet has become a part of our daily lives like electricity is. It’s no longer a luxury or this crazy new thing.”

11. A fine line.

“Overprotectiveness can end in negative outcomes too. Teach your child what is internet, how to use it as a tool and only as a tool.

Internet is a means to an end. It gives you basically 70-80% of human knowledge at the end of your fingertips. Helps you keep in touch with people who are tens or hundreds kilometers away.

Can give you entertainment. But it can also show you things toxic, or be used as a weapon.”

12. As simple as that.

“Children should just be monitored by their parents. It’s really that simple.

There are many tools at a parents disposal to monitor child usage of a computer and of a web browser. If the parents are doing their job then the child won’t have access to anything detrimental to their psyche.

My child has learned so much that I am not capable of teaching him through monitored use of the internet.”

What do you think about this issue?

Sound off in the comments!

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Discuss Whether Kids Under 12 Should Have Access to the Internet appeared first on UberFacts.

People Talk About How Modern Education Shouldn’t Tell Kids That Wikipedia Is an Unreliable Source

It’s gotta be really tough to be a teacher at any level these days.

Not only are kids probably distracted by their smartphones 24/7, but they also have the entire Internet to pull from when they’re writing papers and doing projects…

And you know Wikipedia is always their first stop on that journey…

So, has it been a failure of the modern education system to convince students that Wikipedia isn’t a reliable source?

Are Wikipedia and other sources actually good for students?

Here’s how folks on AskReddit users responded to this question.

1. Here’s a hot take.

“Wikipedia is a practically unlimited source of free knowledge which is constantly being monitored by an army of nerds.

The fact that we do not have to pay for access is a miracle.

(Near enough) every article has a full and reliable list of references at the bottom.

I understand that students should be encouraged use the references at the bottom for true research but this is not taught. Students are simply told ‘Stay away from Wikipedia, anyone can change it, it’s completely unreliable’.”

2. Some problems…

“There are serious problems with the political parts of Wikipedia, e.g. the current wiki war China has on Taiwan.

Which is ironic because Wikipedia is often blocked in China…”

3. Interesting…

“I’ve learned in the last few years that a few random YouTube videos can teach me more than some of my CS professors ever did.

It’s amazing how random people on the internet are occasionally better than the actual people I’m supposed to learn from.”

4. References on top of references.

“I always used Wikipedia, but I use the Wikipedia’s reference on my references as well.

I had to remake a search because one of my teachers caught me, she said “everyone can write on Wikipedia, just search for mistakes on Wikipedia and you will see that people might put misinformation there for whatever reasons.””

5. Quick and easy.

“Part of learning should be how to find the right information quickly – categorizing Wikipedia as lazy is just plain stupid.

If you’re directly quoting Wikipedia there may be issues with accuracy. If you’re using the sources in Wikipedia your professor probably won’t even know. On top of that if you have access to actual academic journals for your course of study, using Wikipedia for sources may actually take MORE time to sort things out.

I dunno. I’m just grateful Wikipedia exists. It’s content and framework have done so much to educate people in the past 15/20 years, I don’t think it gets nearly enough credit.”

6. Not a primary source.

“Wikipedia is great to get a general understanding of a topic, and while it’s generally reliable, it should not be confused as a good primary source.

The whole point of the exercise is to understand what makes a good source.”

7. Depends on the topic.

“Depending on the topic, Wikipedia is an unreliable source. Even without considering the biased viewpoints of some of the moderators of the site, cytogeneses is a problem for wikipedia.

Years ago I knew someone who worked as a researcher in an educational book publisher. Her job was to identify all statements of facts in a chapter and find two independent sources for each statement of fact from another published work.

From my understanding they couldn’t use most of what would be a source on Wikipedia because you can’t trace it back to the original source.”

8. False info.

“I’m in online marketing and I can tell you for a fact that there are a lot of marketing managers/agencies who spread false information through Wikipedia that benefit their clients.

Wikipedia is often used to manipulate public opinion, so overall it is not a reliable source even though Wikipedia has some good information here and there.”

9. Issues.

“The first problem with Wikipedia is that it’s low key political (not counting articles that don’t involve politics), or even high key in an article with high political issues.

The second problem is that minor articles (not popular, famous, or widely known to most people) can be wrong at times because there aren’t many people paying attention to it to update the information so the information can either be outdated, falsely written because there are no moderators of the article, or not containing enough information.

But otherwise, it’s a very reliable source of information”

10. Influence?

“Another issue is that there’s nothing stopping major corporations from hiring people as full time Wikipedia moderators to steer narratives for either political or financial gain.”

11. Great place to start.

“What I tell my students: Wikipedia is not a reliable academic source. This is because the information can be changed by anyone and citations are optional.

A well written Wikipedia article is a great place to start. It will provide a lengthy list of primary, sources that are academically useful. Be aware of which paragraphs have citations and which do not.

If you just want to know something for personal use it’s not a bad reference, but still be aware of the way that the articles are curated.”

12. Teachers aren’t crazy about it.

“My teachers in school were always annoyed if they saw wikipedia pulled up, but it was a real asset to me when I was looking up stuff I was completely unfamiliar with.

Using info from the wikipedia article, I could find key people, concepts and search terms that I could plug in to find reputable sources discussing my subject matter, like a store map in a mall.”

13. Not good with specifics.

“Wikipedia is unreliable as soon as you delve into the specifics.

There are some topics that a novice with a limited pool of sources just can’t properly describe.

If you are very knowledgable about a certain specific topic you can see for yourself.”

What are your thoughts about this issue?

Talk to us in the comments and let us know what you think.

Thanks in advance!

The post People Talk About How Modern Education Shouldn’t Tell Kids That Wikipedia Is an Unreliable Source appeared first on UberFacts.

People Discuss the Statement, “I’m Not Responsible for What Your Kids Hear Online, Even if I’m the One Saying It.”

The Internet and social media have completely revolutionized how we do almost everything in our lives.

The way we interact with each other, the way we do business…all of it has been impacted by this technology that was not available to us about three decades ago.

And, as you already know, the atmosphere online can be toxic, offensive, and troublesome, especially to kids.

So is it up to parents to shield their kids from this kind of material? Or do individuals have a responsibility to keep it clean and civil online?

Here’s what AskReddit user had to say about this.

1. Up to the parents.

“It’s the parents’ responsibility to protect their children from the Internet.

I say a lot of f*cked up sh*t while gaming and if you don’t block voice chat on games that your eight year old plays, that is your fault not mine.’

2. Agree to an extent…

“I agree to an extent.

Being on twitch, and most internet places, at 12 and under is usually against TOS. If the parent is already doing the streaming or they are internet savvy and know the ins and outs, then I feel it could be ok to stream as long as the parent and child are doing it together.

With the parent very strictly monitoring all communication first. And teaching the kid what is acceptable/unacceptable on the internet.

But I do also agree adults should not have to worry about censoring themselves in online interactions. As long as they aren’t harassing or engaging in illegal content, adults should not be compelled to cater to children.

Which is why I think it’s absolutely stupid that YouTube has been marking vids as unfriendly for advertisers if they have cuss words.”

3. MY JOB.

“My son wants to stream and do tournaments and stuff with me cuz both me and my partner play. We told him no.

Also he isn’t very good at it yet but he has potential. And the last and probably biggest reason is he’s f*cking annoying and people will tell him.

You’re right it is my job to monitor his sh*t not your job to watch what you say and I have had f*cking kids tell him they’ll murder me not realizing I’m in the party chat playing too.”

4. Keep an eye on them.

“Parents shouldn’t assume the internet is kid friendly and should vet what their kids are allowed to do online, especially online games where other gamers are over 18 and can say whatever they want.

That said, for kid friendly websites or direct message chats to an underage person, the overage person is responsible.”

5. Not kid-friendly.

“I grew up in the 2000s with the internet.

The internet was and never will be kid friendly, up to parents to implement parental controls.”

6. Nasty stuff.

“I always thought this was obvious till my kids were playing among us.

Sure they have the words bleeped out but they can still be exposed to nasty stuff.

I guess I still feel this way but want them to be able to experience fun online games without the smut.”

7. Do the research.

“If it’s a game marketed to kids and not like Fortnite but like specifically for kids then I hold you responsible.

Because in that case the parents did their research and you just played the wrong game.”

8. It can be toxic.

“I simply don’t let my kids play adult oriented games or any games with voice chat because I know some people kids AND adults can be toxic over chat.

It totally sucks for the kids who just want to chat and have fun. Toxic folks kinda ruin it for everyone and themselves.”

9. Cowardly excuse.

“Why do you feel not responsible for what others hear you saying?

Sounds like a cowardly excuse to me.

I mean sure, you are indeed not responsible for other peoples parenting to protect their child from toxic areas on the internet.

But it is still you “saying f*cked up sh*t” degrading everyones else experience. It is your responsibility keeping those places toxic.

I am not a kid. I still love to play online. I love anonymous team play interactions with strangers. But I am grossed out by the general low standards of communication in most games putting me off.”

10. Mute yourself.

“If I hear a kid, I’ll just mute them most probably and mute myself too cuz I f*cking hate children’s voices while gaming.

It just doesn’t go well with me but ik others who could just swear or say profane things while the kids is there.

I don’t give a f*ck, there’s a reason the games are rated a certain rating y’know. + Toxicity should be a well known thing nowadays.”

11. Take responsibility.

“Ultimately, parents need to take more responsibility for what their children see, hear and do.

When I was 13, I had already spent the last couple of years begging my parents to let me play WoW after watching them run around playing vanilla, but they always said not until I was older. When they finally caved, I got the biggest “people on the internet are weird” kind of talk.

A lot of the current generation of kids would have parents that spoke in chat rooms, on msn messenger, had a myspace account and probably stalked something fierce on omegle. So how are there so many parent oblivious to the imminent chaos found on any kind of online game?”

12. Good one!

“Here’s an unpopular opinion for ya…

You could also TRY to be a better person?”

13. Pretty crazy.

“I am in a PC builders group on facebook. The amount of parents that will join and ask:

“What is a good mic and headset for my son? He is 8 years old and plays Fortnite. He is really good so I want to help him start streaming. He wants a separate mic and headset but I’m not sure what that means.”

ITS INSANE.

And every time I try to say something like:

“I don’t mean to tell you how to parent, but I’m 32 and I don’t even want to get into streaming because it can be a pretty toxic environment. And recently there has been a lot of issues with younger kids being groomed by weird older and more popular streamers.

I highly suggest holding off on letting an 8 year old stream. The internet is very vast and you don’t know who they will start talking to and ultimately “entertaining”. They can see your son, tell your son to do things, and you son might do the things if he thinks he will get money or tricked by other means.

I highly highly suggest looking into what is involved in streaming. If it were my son I would not let them stream at 8 years old… if they were 16 I would consider it but it would have to be where I can monitor it… even at like 16.”

And that always gets a negative response about how they know all about streaming and what it is… yeah then why couldn’t you ask a streamer what mic to buy your son?

Clowns raising clowns.”

What do you think about this issue?

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Thanks in advance!

The post People Discuss the Statement, “I’m Not Responsible for What Your Kids Hear Online, Even if I’m the One Saying It.” appeared first on UberFacts.

These Kids All Said Something Wild and It Made Us Laugh Out Loud

Kids sure do say the darnedest things. And by “darnedest” I mean “wildest and most ridiculous.”

It’s not their fault, really. Their brains are still developing. They’re still figuring out basic rules of reality.

And we get to reap the benefits in the form of memes.

10. If I had a million dollars

Just don’t tell the guy behind the counter to keep the change, I guess.

9. We’re gonna need a bigger book

Ok, well, this just opened up a whole litany of new subjects.

8. Not too bright

I mean, he was really just following the line of thinking you’d laid out for him.

7. The big short

Um, if that’s how it worked I think MORE people would smoke.

6. From the mouths of babes

I think I see your problem here.

5. Hitting a wall

If you treat every uh-oh as an emergency, you’ll never get anything else done.

4. Beaming with pride

I dunno, this is what we say to grown ups, I guess.

3. A man of principle

Why is “cousin” in quotes like that? What the heck is going on in your family?

2. Fairly obvious

Hey, why not?

1. Breathe free

Let’s get this bread.

When I was a kid I was trying to help my mom bake. We got to the part that said “grease bottom of pan” and I greased the underside.

I still haven’t lived it down.

What’s something dumb a kid has said to you?

Tell us in the comments.

The post These Kids All Said Something Wild and It Made Us Laugh Out Loud appeared first on UberFacts.

These Kids All Said Something Wild and It Made Us Laugh Out Loud

Kids sure do say the darnedest things. And by “darnedest” I mean “wildest and most ridiculous.”

It’s not their fault, really. Their brains are still developing. They’re still figuring out basic rules of reality.

And we get to reap the benefits in the form of memes.

10. If I had a million dollars

Just don’t tell the guy behind the counter to keep the change, I guess.

9. We’re gonna need a bigger book

Ok, well, this just opened up a whole litany of new subjects.

8. Not too bright

I mean, he was really just following the line of thinking you’d laid out for him.

7. The big short

Um, if that’s how it worked I think MORE people would smoke.

6. From the mouths of babes

I think I see your problem here.

5. Hitting a wall

If you treat every uh-oh as an emergency, you’ll never get anything else done.

4. Beaming with pride

I dunno, this is what we say to grown ups, I guess.

3. A man of principle

Why is “cousin” in quotes like that? What the heck is going on in your family?

2. Fairly obvious

Hey, why not?

1. Breathe free

Let’s get this bread.

When I was a kid I was trying to help my mom bake. We got to the part that said “grease bottom of pan” and I greased the underside.

I still haven’t lived it down.

What’s something dumb a kid has said to you?

Tell us in the comments.

The post These Kids All Said Something Wild and It Made Us Laugh Out Loud appeared first on UberFacts.

People Share the Childhood Mysteries That They Solved Years Later

Do you remember a childhood mystery that stuck with you…

Maybe it had something to do with a weird relative or a secretive neighbor or something that was never to be spoken of in the house.

I think most of us had something in our lives like this, right?

Folks on AskReddit talked about childhood mysteries that they ended up solving later in life. Let’s see what they came up with.

1. You were lied to!

“That the brown part of bread doesn’t contain the nutrients.

It’s just the more cooked outer layer.

My brother lied to me to get me to eat crust when I was a kid.”

2. The truth comes out.

“My dad used to occasionally burst out with this one line of a song:

“…said Barnacle Bill the Sailor…”

Only ever that line. When I was 6 or so I asked him why and he said it was an old drinking song that was absolutely filthy and I was too young to hear the rest of it. This continued once or twice a year until I was 18.

I told him I was an adult now and he could tell me the rest of the song. I distinctly remember him looking up from the newspaper, sighing and folding it then going “The truth is I can never remember the rest of the song.”

And then went right back to reading the newspaper…”

3. Makes sense now.

“The weird smell that I referred to as a “stinky cheese smell” were probably a symptom of seizures.

I would happen maybe twice a year, it’s not really like cheese, it’s like a smell that isn’t a smell. Idk how to even describe it. It was so minor parents disregarded it. I can remember it starting in 2nd grade.

I suddenly started having it a lot more as an adult when I hit 28 and got diagnosed two years later after symptoms became way more extreme. Makes so much sense now!”

4. The secret recipe.

“Growing up I always insisted I liked the mashed potatoes at my grandma’s house better than the ones my mom made at home. My grandma once told me it’s because she uses a special recipe.

I found out last year that my mom hand mashes her potatoes. My grandma just gets the Betty Crocker boxed sh*t. Her special recipe I was gonna get what she dies is Betty Crocker.”

5. Name that tune.

“I remember being about 8, and in the car with my dad. I was in the front seat and we were driving somewhere, and this song came on the radio.

He cranked it and said something about it being the best guitar playing ever. He really jammed out, which was really uncharacteristic because he was usually so stoic. It was the only time I heard the song, and he died before I could ever ask him what song it was. When I asked around, no one knew wtf I was talking about or what song I was thinking of.

So I had this melody in my head for years, but how do you look up a song that has no lyrics? So for years and years, this song stayed on the back burner in my brain. I was afraid to forget it. Somehow this story pops up when I’m like 26 or so, chatting with my husband and we searched YouTube for “best guitar songs”.

After about 15 minutes, we find it. Cliffs of Dover was the song that I’d burned into my brain on repeat for 16 years. Now I jam out to it with my kids.”

6. I knew it!

“When I was in elementary school, I always wondered what the teachers staff room was like. It seemed so mysterious – and I remember trying to get a peek anytime I walked by and the door would open.

Later became a teacher and can fully confirm they’re dull, often toxic spaces full of cranky teachers complaining about students.”

7. You did this!

“When I was younger, like 4 or 5, my family had a pet turtle.

One day the turtle went missing and my parents told me it climbed the wall in our backyard and went to the creek behind our house. I, being a naive toddler child, did not question this logic.

Fast forward to when I was 17 and driving with my mom in the car. We saw a tortoise crossing the street and I was suddenly thrown back to my memory of us having a pet turtle. I pulled over to save the tortoise and was all “OMG MOM TURTLES CAN’T CLIMB WALLS! WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR TURTLE?!”

Came to find out it had burrowed a hole in our lawn and my dad didn’t notice it until after he ran it over with a lawn mower ? obviously it was easier to pick up the pieces and tell your kid it climbed the wall than admit you murdered it with a lawn mower.”

8. Doing time.

“I visited my dad when I was 7-years-old at the place where he worked, or so I was told.

I remember people laughing at me because I said it looked like a prison.

The people laughing were the guards and I was indeed visiting my dad at Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution where he was
an inmate.”

9. Don’t drink that!

“Once when I was about 7 or 8, my family was having a pool party and my twentysomething aunt was sitting by the pool with a glass of clear liquid.

I was hot and thirsty, so I reached for her drink, and she said, “Don’t drink that, it’s pool water!” I wondered why in the heck she’d have a glass of pool water, but left it alone.

Years later, as my family’s alcohol consumption habits became clearer to me, I realized that she was probably drinking vodka.”

10. Nice and wholesome.

“We grew up poor and at the age of 10 my friends were all having these crazy birthday parties with petting zoos, bounce houses, clowns, etc. so my mother who is very resourceful decided I would have a sleepover for my 11th birthday.

It was great and we were gonna make ice cream cones! So we got all the stuff out with my mom, and my mother opened up the box of cones, and they were all smashed up. She said that we weren’t having regular ice cream, we were having “magic castle sundaes” (because the broken ice cream cones resembles the sections of a castle).

We all thought this was great and we had them. When my friends went home, they asked their parents to make magic castle sundaes. Two days ago I found out that my mother was getting the past sell by foods behind the grocery store (they were not expired, just past sell by date).

She had no idea that the cones were brown up until she opened them with us. She thought of the magic castle idea quickly, and we all loved it. Just goes to show how stupid kids are.”

11. Stretching the dollar.

“Growing up, I could never figure out what my dad’s obsession was with ham hocks and beans. I mean, once a month, my mom would make a huge batch of ham hocks and beans, and we would feast on it for days. Days.

It wasn’t until I turned 17-18 that I figured out the reason: times got tight towards the end of every month and this was my parents way of stretching the almighty dollar.

My dad told me one night before he died – – we were reminiscing – – “I actually hated ham hocks and beans…”

12. Ghosts!

“I live and grew up in the Deep South.

As a child from earliest memories until about 8, we would take a winter trip up to Stowe, Vermont to see the grandparents. I would have scary nights hearing ghosts wailing outside the windows. it was terrifying! GPs moved south and we stopped going.

When I was in my 30’s I took another trip up to Vermont. first-night stay, I heard the ghosts!!! Turns out the winter winds up north are waaay different than the winds of southern nights.

Suddenly my general fear of the dark disappeared as I realized fully what the source of the sound was.”

13. The big punch.

“The reason my aunt punched her husband at the pool during a huge family vacation.

It was because she found out that the long distance charges to the hotel room they shared had a ton of calls to a woman he was known to…think were swell…”

14. Kleptomaniac.

“When I was 10 my godfather gave me 20 dollars as a christmas gift.

At the end of the dinner the money had disappeared. For years my parents blamed me for being irresponsible with my money.

Years later we figured out, after she was caught stealing stuff from my aunt’s house, that my cousin’s fiancée at the time is a kleptomaniac. Turns out she was the one that stole the money.”

Now it’s your turn!

In the comments, tell us your own childhood mysteries that you solved when you were older.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Share the Childhood Mysteries That They Solved Years Later appeared first on UberFacts.

People Share the Childhood Mysteries That They Solved Years Later

Do you remember a childhood mystery that stuck with you…

Maybe it had something to do with a weird relative or a secretive neighbor or something that was never to be spoken of in the house.

I think most of us had something in our lives like this, right?

Folks on AskReddit talked about childhood mysteries that they ended up solving later in life. Let’s see what they came up with.

1. You were lied to!

“That the brown part of bread doesn’t contain the nutrients.

It’s just the more cooked outer layer.

My brother lied to me to get me to eat crust when I was a kid.”

2. The truth comes out.

“My dad used to occasionally burst out with this one line of a song:

“…said Barnacle Bill the Sailor…”

Only ever that line. When I was 6 or so I asked him why and he said it was an old drinking song that was absolutely filthy and I was too young to hear the rest of it. This continued once or twice a year until I was 18.

I told him I was an adult now and he could tell me the rest of the song. I distinctly remember him looking up from the newspaper, sighing and folding it then going “The truth is I can never remember the rest of the song.”

And then went right back to reading the newspaper…”

3. Makes sense now.

“The weird smell that I referred to as a “stinky cheese smell” were probably a symptom of seizures.

I would happen maybe twice a year, it’s not really like cheese, it’s like a smell that isn’t a smell. Idk how to even describe it. It was so minor parents disregarded it. I can remember it starting in 2nd grade.

I suddenly started having it a lot more as an adult when I hit 28 and got diagnosed two years later after symptoms became way more extreme. Makes so much sense now!”

4. The secret recipe.

“Growing up I always insisted I liked the mashed potatoes at my grandma’s house better than the ones my mom made at home. My grandma once told me it’s because she uses a special recipe.

I found out last year that my mom hand mashes her potatoes. My grandma just gets the Betty Crocker boxed sh*t. Her special recipe I was gonna get what she dies is Betty Crocker.”

5. Name that tune.

“I remember being about 8, and in the car with my dad. I was in the front seat and we were driving somewhere, and this song came on the radio.

He cranked it and said something about it being the best guitar playing ever. He really jammed out, which was really uncharacteristic because he was usually so stoic. It was the only time I heard the song, and he died before I could ever ask him what song it was. When I asked around, no one knew wtf I was talking about or what song I was thinking of.

So I had this melody in my head for years, but how do you look up a song that has no lyrics? So for years and years, this song stayed on the back burner in my brain. I was afraid to forget it. Somehow this story pops up when I’m like 26 or so, chatting with my husband and we searched YouTube for “best guitar songs”.

After about 15 minutes, we find it. Cliffs of Dover was the song that I’d burned into my brain on repeat for 16 years. Now I jam out to it with my kids.”

6. I knew it!

“When I was in elementary school, I always wondered what the teachers staff room was like. It seemed so mysterious – and I remember trying to get a peek anytime I walked by and the door would open.

Later became a teacher and can fully confirm they’re dull, often toxic spaces full of cranky teachers complaining about students.”

7. You did this!

“When I was younger, like 4 or 5, my family had a pet turtle.

One day the turtle went missing and my parents told me it climbed the wall in our backyard and went to the creek behind our house. I, being a naive toddler child, did not question this logic.

Fast forward to when I was 17 and driving with my mom in the car. We saw a tortoise crossing the street and I was suddenly thrown back to my memory of us having a pet turtle. I pulled over to save the tortoise and was all “OMG MOM TURTLES CAN’T CLIMB WALLS! WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR TURTLE?!”

Came to find out it had burrowed a hole in our lawn and my dad didn’t notice it until after he ran it over with a lawn mower ? obviously it was easier to pick up the pieces and tell your kid it climbed the wall than admit you murdered it with a lawn mower.”

8. Doing time.

“I visited my dad when I was 7-years-old at the place where he worked, or so I was told.

I remember people laughing at me because I said it looked like a prison.

The people laughing were the guards and I was indeed visiting my dad at Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution where he was
an inmate.”

9. Don’t drink that!

“Once when I was about 7 or 8, my family was having a pool party and my twentysomething aunt was sitting by the pool with a glass of clear liquid.

I was hot and thirsty, so I reached for her drink, and she said, “Don’t drink that, it’s pool water!” I wondered why in the heck she’d have a glass of pool water, but left it alone.

Years later, as my family’s alcohol consumption habits became clearer to me, I realized that she was probably drinking vodka.”

10. Nice and wholesome.

“We grew up poor and at the age of 10 my friends were all having these crazy birthday parties with petting zoos, bounce houses, clowns, etc. so my mother who is very resourceful decided I would have a sleepover for my 11th birthday.

It was great and we were gonna make ice cream cones! So we got all the stuff out with my mom, and my mother opened up the box of cones, and they were all smashed up. She said that we weren’t having regular ice cream, we were having “magic castle sundaes” (because the broken ice cream cones resembles the sections of a castle).

We all thought this was great and we had them. When my friends went home, they asked their parents to make magic castle sundaes. Two days ago I found out that my mother was getting the past sell by foods behind the grocery store (they were not expired, just past sell by date).

She had no idea that the cones were brown up until she opened them with us. She thought of the magic castle idea quickly, and we all loved it. Just goes to show how stupid kids are.”

11. Stretching the dollar.

“Growing up, I could never figure out what my dad’s obsession was with ham hocks and beans. I mean, once a month, my mom would make a huge batch of ham hocks and beans, and we would feast on it for days. Days.

It wasn’t until I turned 17-18 that I figured out the reason: times got tight towards the end of every month and this was my parents way of stretching the almighty dollar.

My dad told me one night before he died – – we were reminiscing – – “I actually hated ham hocks and beans…”

12. Ghosts!

“I live and grew up in the Deep South.

As a child from earliest memories until about 8, we would take a winter trip up to Stowe, Vermont to see the grandparents. I would have scary nights hearing ghosts wailing outside the windows. it was terrifying! GPs moved south and we stopped going.

When I was in my 30’s I took another trip up to Vermont. first-night stay, I heard the ghosts!!! Turns out the winter winds up north are waaay different than the winds of southern nights.

Suddenly my general fear of the dark disappeared as I realized fully what the source of the sound was.”

13. The big punch.

“The reason my aunt punched her husband at the pool during a huge family vacation.

It was because she found out that the long distance charges to the hotel room they shared had a ton of calls to a woman he was known to…think were swell…”

14. Kleptomaniac.

“When I was 10 my godfather gave me 20 dollars as a christmas gift.

At the end of the dinner the money had disappeared. For years my parents blamed me for being irresponsible with my money.

Years later we figured out, after she was caught stealing stuff from my aunt’s house, that my cousin’s fiancée at the time is a kleptomaniac. Turns out she was the one that stole the money.”

Now it’s your turn!

In the comments, tell us your own childhood mysteries that you solved when you were older.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Share the Childhood Mysteries That They Solved Years Later appeared first on UberFacts.

12 of the Most Amusing Things Kids Ever Said

When I was a kid, I realized that as we got older, we got taller. So far so good. I was also informed by my mom that some day, I would most likely be taller than my older sister, since boys tend to be taller than girls on average.

With these two bits of information in my head, I came to the conclusion that one day, I would be older than my older sister. I was elated. Because age means seniority, and seniority is power. Soon I would be at the top of the pecking order. I lorded this over her, only to have her shut it down with a “no, that’s not how it works.”

I was livid. Inconsolable. My dumb kid brain couldn’t put it all together. But it makes for a funny story now. Just like these tweets!

12. I’m sorry?

We need to find a new way to communicate this sentiment in English.

11. I said IF

That kid’s gonna grow up to have an anxiety disorder.

10. Screen it

It’s fun to have superpowers for just a little while.

9. Pig out

She a little confused but she got the spirit.

8. The nug

He’s just trying to improve the recipe, why won’t you live a little?

7. Baby you’re a firework

It’s gonna be an explosive realization later in life.

6. The nose knows

Riiiiight, that’s your story and your sniffing to it.

5. Ahoy there!

Hey, as long as they’ve got a name to attach to it.

4. Sleepy time

Sounds like you need to find a better dealer, kid.

3. Master of sneak

Kids love this game and every single one of them is horrible at it.

2. A magical realm

Not sure if this really happened or not but man is it funny.

1. Cyber sleuth

*Hacker voice* I’m in.

From the mouths of babes, am I right?

What’s a dumb thing a kid has said to you?

Tell us in the comments.

The post 12 of the Most Amusing Things Kids Ever Said appeared first on UberFacts.

People Share Really Embarrassing Childhood Moments They Laugh at Now

We’ve all been embarrassed before, and these folks can’t help but share the times that they got red in the face.

Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. We’ve ALL been there.

Here are 10 people’s stories that we can all relate to in some way, shape or form.

Let’s take a look!

1. Happens to the best of us.

I was about 3, in a Bloomingdales with my mom, who was looking at purses. I had to go pee. She couldn’t hear me. So I just pulled down my pants and went.

Another time, I was in Mexico City with my family and my sister was running towards the glass sliding doors but missed, instead hitting a window. Her nose mark was there the whole day.

And finally, I peed my pants in the middle of science during 4th grade.

2. This is like, a rite of passage.

When I was about 6, my mom and I were putting ornaments on our Christmas tree. She showed me an ornament, and told me that she’s had it since she was my age.

I said “Wow, it must be really old!” without malicious intent, but oops.

3. Won’t be the last time.

So this happened when I was in kindergarten.

I had just walked into the bathroom, and I went to look for a stall that wasn’t being used. I started checking for ones that had unlocked doors, and I found one.

I pushed it open, and there was another little girl sitting on the toilet.

I was flustered, and apologized quickly.

4. Why are boys?!

So when I was around 12 or 13 it was that time of that month. And I didn’t know that cuz it started and i didn’t know. So me and my crush were partners on a school project. (And just to mention i was wearing white jeans) So he dropped his pencil and he looked up and said trinity you have a red stain on your hoo haw.

And i turned so red in my face. But the loud mouth kid heard and screamed ” TRINITY’S ON HER PERIOD!”

We did just learn about periods and puberty in health the day before and i didn’t want to return and now my crush at that time is now my bf of 5 years and reminds me of that day every couple months.

5. The poo-fect experiment!

My parents are both scientists, so naturally I was and am a very nerdy person. One time, when it was lightly snowing during recess, I saw that a dog had pooped near the playground.

I grabbed a bundle of twigs and leaves, knelt down next to the poop, and began to ‘dissect’ it. The teachers were very made when they saw me with my very clean hands and snowsuit, with a group of children huddled around watching me, and they nearly dragged me inside.

Somewhat embarrassing, but my parents told me that it was good that I was interested in the world around me when I got home.

6. Ah, young love.

I was in 5th grade and we were coding. Everyone has a little childhood crush, and so the “genius” that I was, I sat down next to him in my computer science class. That day we were coding, and there was a really cute code thingy that you could make your choose an animal and you make it dance with music that you pick.

At the time, I loved loved LOVED 80s music, and some 90s and when I saw the song that I was currently obsessed with, “Take on Me” I choose it. Once I finished the code, I got some headphones and turned up the music super high. A bit into the music I started to hum the song and watch the little animal dance his butt off.

When it finished, I looked up and saw everyone staring at me. I said “Uhh? Is there something on my head?” and a girl replied back to me by saying: “Well, you were singing a song, I thought you were talking to me, so I responded and you never said anything back besides the lyrics of the song…” I could literally feel my checks burning up.

To make matters worse, everyone started to laugh at me; including my crush. Even the teacher was laughing at me. I still get a little flustered reciting it smh.

7. I love that dad took a picture.

One time, a few months ago, my cousin and I were playing hide and seek at my house, and I found the PERFECT spot. So my little brother has a bunk bed and a trundle bed and the trundle bed doesn’t have a mattress in it yet. So of course I crawled in there because if I could get in, I could get out right? Wrong. So I called for my cousin and we spent like, 20 minutes just trying to get me out and then he left and got my dad (the whole time I thought he abandoned me) and my dad took a picture of me and took his sweet time getting me out. I obviously eventually got out, but yeah.

Okay so the other one was in second grade, there was a boy that I liked and I used to chase him around the playground during recess. So one day I got super close to catching him and he tripped and fell down like a tree. So naturally I tripped as well, resulting in chipping my tooth on his butt. (It wasn’t a bad chip)

8. Way to go, dad.

I was about 6 and we (my close family) were going to have a dinner party that night so my dad was taking me on errands. we were in this small, local market, and right next to the cashier where my dad was, there was a giant jar of taffy. i was really craving candy, so i took one out and asked my dad if i could have one.

he was talking to the cashier and just told me to wait a second. I put the candy in my pocket and just looked around some more. then he got me and we rushed out. we had to go in a hurry, so we were going pretty fast. we were about half way down the street when i reached into my pocket and felt the candy. i had totally forgotten about it, but was terrified because i thought i would go to jail, so i told my dad.

he flipped out because he thought i meant to steal it. that wasn’t even the worst part. as we were walking back to the shop, my best friends mom came around the corner and asked what we were doing. my dad told her that i stole something. i was mortified

9. Puberty is the worst.

OK so when i was around 11.

I was on my period and i didn’t realize it and my crush and i were partners on a school project and he dropped his pencil and was like “hey, you have a red stain on pants near you hoo haw” and the kid who cant keep their mouth shut seriously yelled “She’s got blood on her pants!”

It was right after health class and we just learned about periods and puberty.

So yeah that was embarrassing.

10. That’s just funny.

So, I was in Sweden at an amusement park, and it had a big wooden hamster wheel, and I was walking on it, and my pants, because they were big, got caught between two boards.

I fell down and went all the way up, then dropped down. worst part is, my pants fell down when it happened because…

It was still stuck.

Of all the things that happened to me as a kid, being embarrassed is among the things I miss the absolute least. Ugh!

Did you find any of these situations relatable? Have a story of your own you’d like to share?

Let us know in the comments!

The post People Share Really Embarrassing Childhood Moments They Laugh at Now appeared first on UberFacts.

A Person Asked, “Is It OK to Ask People to NOT Post Pics of My Kid Online?” 15 People Share Their Opinions.

Everybody has different rules when it comes to their kids and social media. Whether it’s screen time for them or how often we choose to share their images ourselves, parents’ expectations really run the gamut.

It seems to follow that we would ask others what they’re comfortable with – and then follow their lead with their kids – before posting pictures of minors on the internet.

Am I being unreasonable asking people to not post pictures of my kids on social media? from NoStupidQuestions

This woman is not finding that to be true, though, leaving the rest of us to realize, once again, that you can’t assume much of anything when it comes to human behavior.

Here are 15 people weighing in on what expectations are reasonable, and what might be expecting too much.

15. Names have power.

I have a friend who, in addition to never posting pictures, also asks that nobody ever say what her child’s NAME is on social media.

As a dad myself, do I think that’s crazy over the top levels of protection? Sure.

But do I also respect her wishes as a parent? Of course.

14. Don’t back down.

That’s not unreasonable at all. That’s your decision as a parent and anyone that argues might have their baby picture taking privileges revoked. I don’t blame you and it’ll be how I handle my children if/when I have them.

People need to respect your decisions. Don’t back down no matter what they say.

13. People have their reasons.

My biological father accidentally found out we had our daughter and we do not say her name or post her pictures on social media. He’s into little girls and our closest family knows and backs us 100%. The less he knows about her the better it is. We never mentioned the name part but it just happened organically and I didn’t realise till you mentioned it in the post.

It’s a special case for us but we’ve had no push backs from people not in the known.

People like you that respect our boundaries( even when it is over the top and you don’t know why) makes it so much easier for people in our situations.

12. Applause, please.

I’d even say OP’s stance is the most reasonable possible. Remember how embarrassing it is for teenagers/young adults, to have photo albums with their baby pictures shown to friends or partners. Now imagine your parents had shared those pictures with the whole world.

People are way too careless about posting shit on social media and i applaud OP for not wanting to subject his/her baby to that.

11. She’s just doing her job.

It’s your job to protect their privacy until they are old enough to do it themselves. You’re doing exactly what you should be doing!

10. What about privacy?

A family friend of mine recently had a baby (about 1.5 years ago). She’s made an Instagram page in the baby’s name where she posts embarrassing pictures of the baby with captions pretending to be the child – for example, captions like “Mama said I have to take a bath after soiling my diapers, but that ruins the fun!” and the like. I am mortified for her and feel bad for the child once the kid is old enough to read. It’s so painfully cringy and such a violation of the child’s privacy!

It’s bonkers to me that a parent could be so selfish & not consider the fact that eventually, their child will grow up, and the child won’t want their name and pictures plastered all over the internet from before they were even old enough to understand consent.

9. One day they’ll understand.

Not only is it reasonable, it’s responsible and forward thinking. There is no guarantee that any of our kids would thank us when they get older for posting pics of them online for all to see. If they want to share them one day then that’s their business.

The way I handled it was to set up a private group for close friends and family to share the occasional picture, but only because those people knew my kid in day-to-day life anyway. That said, my mother-in-law still kept reposting pics to Facebook until we threatened to block her.

8. It’s all a learning curve.

I’ll double down on this, as an already established mother. I didn’t let people post pictures of my kid for a long time. Immediate family is allowed to post pictures now, because they respected my boundaries. More than that, they respected me as I figured out what my boundaries were. I needed to figure out as a mother what felt appropriate, what felt like an overshare.

If OP wants to keep their children off the internet, especially after their previous experience, absolutely everyone needs to respect that wish. There is no reason the child’s picture is needed online.

7. Everyone should have to sign a release.

It would be good to look up what the laws are in your area, as chances are posting a picture of your child on social media would constitute “publication”, and you would have to provide permission for that.

I’m a drama tutor for after school classes and whilst the business I used to work for would encourage us to post on Instagram, I refused to do so unless I had consent from the parents. Too easy for a business to get sued.

6. It’s not funny.

I have asked my family to consult me/us prior to posting any photo of our kids or ourselves.

Most do, but a few wanna tease me or argue with me.

I do not talk to them anymore.

My kids, my life, my decisions.

5. Simple but true.

No way!

Privacy is a right, which you should be able to exercise whenever possible

4. Parenting is personal.

My sister is pretty adamant about not using social media.

The kids are teens now and they have their own accounts but post very rarely.

It’s a personal preference and I think it’s a pretty reasonable one.

3. It’s not all that uncommon.

I know numerous people who exercise their right to keep the image of their baby private.

2. And not just reserved for babies.

My aunt and her spouse specifically had a sign outside their wedding ceremony location entrance requesting that while photos were allowed, they were not to be shared on social media.

That same announcement was also made immediately before the ceremony started.

AFAIK, nobody shared anything.

1. Consent is everything.

You aren’t being unreasonable at all.

My husband and I decided before Baby was even born that he wasn’t going to have on online presence until he could fully appreciate what that meant, and decided he wanted one. Meantime we send pics and vids of him through WhatsApp etc, but his relatives on both side of the Atlantic know that none of these images or vids are for wider dissemination, full stop.

I feel pretty badly for the generations who have had their whole lives put on the internet without their knowledge or consent. Family vloggers are gross, becoming a meme clearly has some downsides, and it’s been pretty well proven that excessive exposure to social media had a deleterious effect on a person’s self-esteem. I want my kid to be aware of what he’s getting into.

Can’t we all just respect each other? I’m starting to think the answer is not really.

What are your rules when it comes to your kids and social media?

Let’s compare in the comments!

The post A Person Asked, “Is It OK to Ask People to NOT Post Pics of My Kid Online?” 15 People Share Their Opinions. appeared first on UberFacts.