Category: life

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“Find Your Passion” Is Terrible Life Advice and Here’s Why

These days, teenagers are told to “find their passion,” so they’ll never have to ‘work’ a day in their lives. After all, if you love what you’re doing, blah, blah, blah…we’ve heard it all before.

And it is total crap, you guys. I’m lucky enough to make a living at something I’m passionate about – writing. But (newsflash) that in no way means that it’s not work, that there isn’t stress that goes along with doing it, or that there are days when I’d rather not.

In the old days, people were encouraged to go into a line of work that could sustain them for a lifetime and offer a good pension. If you were lucky, it would also give you some savings to pass on to your kids.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Not to mention, what if someone’s passion won’t pay the bills? Or won’t help them get rid of their student loans? Do we ask people to choose between what they love and what pays? If so, will they feel like failures when they actually have to choose?

A recent study backs up the negative side of encouraging teenagers and young people to follow their passion, as well – it’s a collaboration between Yale and the National University of Singapore and looks at the differences between people who have a “fixed mindset” and a “growth mindset.”

A fixed mindset is “the almost mystical belief that passions are revealed to us magically,” while a growth mindset relies on the idea that interests change and develop over time.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

And guess what? People with the growth mindset turn out to be generally happier, successful, and more fulfilled (according to the study). One of the lead authors explains further to Quartz:

“Parents, teachers, and employers might get the most out of people if they suggest that interests are developed, not simply found. Telling people to find their passion could suggest that it’s within you just waiting to be revealed. Telling people to follow their passion suggests that the passion will do the lion’s share of the work for you.”

The important thing is to frame the conversation in a way that makes it clear that passions can and should be developed – and that they don’t necessarily just appear in your life one day. If you don’t work at it, it most likely won’t become your passion, and what we’re passionate about at 17, or 25, or even 30 might not be the thing that gets us going when we’re 40.

Study author Paul O’Keefe is careful to point out that a growth mindset doesn’t promote a lack of focus, either.

“One can have a growth theory and still be highly focused. A growth mindset makes people more open to new and different interests and sustains those interests when pursuing them becomes difficult.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Also, you know, it’s okay to choose a career that interests you and will make you money while pursuing a passion on the side until the day comes (or not) when you find that it’s able to sustain you. I have many, many author friends who truly enjoy their day job and write their stories at night – even people who have multiple publishing contracts under their belt.

There’s no shame in contributing to your family’s financial security and finding time for your (current) passion on the side – and having these conversations early(ish) can benefit young people struggling to solidify a vision for their future.

The post “Find Your Passion” Is Terrible Life Advice and Here’s Why appeared first on UberFacts.

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Dad Defends His Son’s Desire to Wear Nail Polish…And The Internet Agrees

The term “toxic masculinity” gets thrown around a lot these days, but in case you forgot what it means, let us give you a quick reminder:

It refers to the culture of masculinity that aggressively promotes gender stereotypes in boys – not crying, sucking it up, fighting it out, wearing “boy” things and liking “boy” toys and the idea that anything less is feminine and totally unacceptable.

Many believe this mindset and the passing of it from one generation to the next has forced males to become emotionally repressed, unable to connect on a meaningful, personal level and too scared to show any emotion for fear of being judged. Basically, girls are allowed a larger realm of socially acceptable feelings and interaction-types that boys are denied.

Well, now that many millennial parents are in charge and aware of the dangers of raising boys in this way, they’re keen on changing the narrative for both genders. Dad Aaron Gouveia, is clearly in these ranks of new-style parents. Recently, he just about lost his sh*t in a Twitter rant after some other kindergartners made his 5-year-old son Sam cry because he dared to wear polished nails to school.

In many ways, Gouveia says, Sam is a rough and tumble “boys boy” but he just thinks polished nails “look beautiful” – and they do – and his parents have no problem with him dressing himself however he wants. But one day, he wore them to school, and everything changed.

“When my wife picked him up from school he collapsed into her arms and cried uncontrollably. He was devastated at how other kids turned on him, even his friends. He asked them to stop but that just made it worse. Only 1 kid stood up for him.”

The full thread is below, and I dare you to not cry by the time you get to the end.

Photo Credit: Twitter

The next couple of tweets really brought it home – no little boy is born with these toxic ideas of what a man should be, which means they’re learning it from someone/somewhere.

Photo Credit: Twitter

This big brother, y’all. This is what family is all about.

Photo Credits: Twitter

Go out there and encourage your kids to celebrate individuality, people – or at the very least to follow this oldie but goodie: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

The post Dad Defends His Son’s Desire to Wear Nail Polish…And The Internet Agrees 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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Man Still Mows Ex-Wife’s Lawn Even Though They’ve Been Divorced for 28 Years

Now, this is a feel-good story. Even when a marriage doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean two people can’t continue a healthy relationship and help each other out.

Photo Credit: Facebook

This now-viral post was shared by Codie LaChelle McPhate, the couple’s daughter. She wrote:

“This is my dad, mowing my mom’s lawn. They’ve been divorced 28 years. When my younger siblings questioned ‘Why is your dad mowing mom’s lawn?’ I told them ‘Because she needed help, and he knew she couldn’t get out here to do it, so he did.’”

Photo Credit: Facebook

McPhate explained that her mom has bad knees and her stepdad is often out of town, so her dad steps up and helps when he can.

“This is co-parenting. This is how lucky I am to have 4 parents who respect each other, and know that at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is showing your children (even ones that are 32 years old) how to treat people, and how to love your family, no matter how it came together,” she added.

In an interview with Scary Mommy, Codie said this helpful attitude isn’t new for her parents.

“They’ve never let on that their relationship was bad or good. It’s always been ‘we’re a family and that’s all you need to know. To this day, I don’t even know why my parents got divorced. My mom always said ‘it’s none of your business, it wasn’t your marriage, it was mine.’”

The two are a great example of how to parent through a tricky time. Children don’t need to be involved in their parents’ drama, they only need to know they’re safe and that they have a family who cares about them no matter what.

Photo Credit: Facebook

After the post went viral, Codie’s dad weighed in, proving that he’s still raising the bar. He said that he’s “not a saint,” but that “we should all choose kindness whenever we can.”

Amen to that.

The post Man Still Mows Ex-Wife’s Lawn Even Though They’ve Been Divorced for 28 Years appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Jeans Are Designed to Absorb the Smell, So Get Fartin’

Are you ashamed of your gas problem? Do you find yourself blaming farts on friends, strangers, or dogs? Well, it’s time to leave that life behind.

Photo Credit: Unsplash,Chad Kirchoff

Seriously, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Apparently, healthy people fart about 20 times per day. Buuuuuut, let’s be honest here. You don’t want to be the one whose fart clears a room and ruins everyone’s day (especially yours), right?

That’s why you might want to invest in “Flatulence Jeans” produced by a company called Shreddies. Yes, you read that correctly. The company insists that these jeans (they have other products too, like underwear and pajamas) are “flatulence filtering” and that the worst smells you’re producing will be eliminated before you really upset your friends and family (or co-workers, or church-goers, or political constituents).

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The jeans, and other products made by Shreddies, are lined with activated charcoal that absorbs odors and gases. Home air filters and purifiers use it on a regular basis, so you know it’s legit. What’s more, Shreddies says that their products last two to three years, so you’ll get good use out of them.

Photo Credit: Twitter,ShreddiesPants

The Shreddies website says the following:

“To avoid flatulence escaping around the filter we recommend that you stand with your legs together and try to let your wind out slowly. When sitting, keep your knees together so that flatulence escapes through the carbon panel.”

The company also recommends you get a pair that fits like a second skin.

The jeans run about $130 plus shipping and are available for men and women. I think I know what you’re getting for Christmas this year!

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15 Straight Guys Recount the Most Intimate Non-Sexual Moments They Shared with Another Dude

Our society tends to scoff at male bonding and fellowship, implying that intimacy is inherently female, which is simply not true. Men are just as capable of experiencing non-sexual, intimate moments with their male friends.

Men on AskReddit revealed their most intimate non-sexual moments they shared with another guy. Hopefully it’ll help even more guys open up and get real with their bro-friends.

1. Bros

“My fraternity brother/ roommate was having a bad day, we were all drinking but he clearly had the most and texted an ex, so I brought him back to our room to keep an eye on him. He got real sad and started crying, except he was insecure about his masculinity so he would cry for a few minutes about how he felt around other guys, then deny that he felt like that and this cycle would repeat every five minutes. Finally I broke through to him that feeling like this was completely fine and actually good (better acknowledging than hiding it).

I held him in my arms while he wept for about half an hour. He kept trying to push back because his every instinct was telling him that this wasn’t ok, but I just shushed him and rubbed his back as I held him. He eventually calmed down and went to bed. That happened two weeks ago and we haven’t talked about it yet, but I’m glad he trusted me, and hope he seeks me out if he’s feeling that ways again.”

2. Bromance

“It was my dads birthday. Went to the city for dinner. He sent me and my neighbor (who came to dinner with us) to get the car from the parking garage. It was raining so we were running. As were running through the streets of manhattan in the dark, lightning struck and thunder boomed. We simultaneously say “I love that” look at each other and keep running in the rain.

That night, a bromance was formed.”

3. Never spoke of it again

“I was at my buddy’s house hanging out. He had just taken a shower, dressed, and come out to the living room where I was watching tv. His hair looked odd so I grabbed his brush and started brushing it. For whatever reason I started channeling a French salon owner. I brushed it into different styles and we were both having a laugh.

His dad walked in the room and we immediately acted as if we were doing something terribly wrong. We hurriedly departed and never spoke of it again.”

4. A good friend

“My mom attempted suicide years ago. She was hospitalized for a month. I thought I could handle it but a week or two after it happened, I got into a fight with my girlfriend at a party and started crying. I couldn’t stop. I totally unraveled in a friends kitchen. My best friend put me in his car and we drove around while I sobbed uncontrollably. I’ve never been more emotionally unstable.

He didn’t talk, he just drove around. Then he dropped me off at home. I felt so much better. He never even brings it up to this day.”

5. New friends

“I broke up with my first serious girlfriend after 4 years and an engagement. She had been cheating and it was a messy end.

18 months later, we had managed to stay apart but I was having dreams about her. I was having lunch with my best friend and he asked me about it. I told him I had been having dreams where I was pleading with her to acknowledge me, that I meant something, that she loved me. I would wake up weeping, and in telling this, started crying lightly at the table. He asks what I miss most, I mention the jokes, the places we went.

He takes a breath and says:  “It sounds like as much as you miss her as your girlfriend, you miss the friend she was, too.”

Never dreamed or thought of her much again. Made some new friends.”

6. Adventure

“I was on a trip with a buddy. He’s an avid climber. The mountain we climbed together with the guide was waaaay over my skill level but we couldn’t tell till half way up. It was sheer ice. My buddy had paid a lot to be on this trip and I after doing some glacier climbing was invited along by the guide for free.

Twice I froze in terror. Clinging to the side of the mountain with just axes and my crampons and tethered to my best friend and then the guide and then the ice anchor. I couldn’t move. It was a combination of exhaustion and fear. I wept my buddy never once grew frustrated even though I was definitely fucking up his trip. He stayed calm and just said:
“Buddy you aren’t going to fall because we won’t let you fall. Even if you do you are attached to me and I sure as shit will never let you fall. After that I’m attached the the guide. He’s attached to the mountain. You are safer now than you are in your car everyday. Now breathe and swing that f*cking axe as hard as you can above you and start moving.

I did it. After 10 hours we reached the summit for the most earned view of my life. I hugged my childhood friend. We repelled down the other face in the dark with head lamps. I had no fear. I felt alive. He’ll forever be my brother.”

7. Ahem…

“A few years ago my plastered-drunk friend was too sauced to function and he threw up all over himself. Being his friend and roommate I helped him get cleaned up. Only problem was he kept refusing to take a shower. He was only interested in taking a bath (in hindsight it was safer and easier). So this f*cker gets completely nude and hops in the tub filling with cold water.

Almost immediately he’s screaming for my help, shivering by the time I’m in the bathroom. I fix the water and he starts crying saying he is “soooooo hu-hu-hungry.” So I go grab some saltine crackers and began to feed my naked friend in the bathtub.

So there’s that.”

8. Spoon session

“My best friend had muscular dystrophy. I’d been both his main bud for over ten years (all of which were past his life expectancy) and had to help him go to the bathroom, set up breathing machines, feed him, etc. All out of necessity and love at the same time.

When it became evident that his end was near, we refused to talk about it. I moved in with his family for a while just to be there with him, but we never discussed in words what was was going to happen…just kept hanging out as we always did.

One night, after about a week of getting up the courage to broach the subject, I asked him if he was afraid of dying. He said not at all, and that he was glad that I would finally be free of the burden of having to take care of him. This broke both of us.

This obviously was waaaay too much for either of us to handle and I laid in bed with him and we cried for what seemed like hours. We went over everything we needed to cover our feelings and our fears (and some logistics concerning certain things he wanted me to keep hidden from his mom).

He passed about a month after that, and after ten years since, I still wish I could go back and and lay down with him and hold him and cry and tell him how much I love him and miss him.

Best bro spoon session I’ll ever have.”

9. Bubble bath

“My friend got really super drunk and decided to take a bath with his clothes on. I, being the less drunk one, stayed in the bathroom to make sure he didn’t like drown or something. He ended up inviting me to join him.

Two bros, fully clothed, drunk, in a bubble bath at 2am.”

10. Ben

“My best friend passed from a brain tumor when we were both 19.

About 1 week prior to his passing, he was not remembering very much and he was continually eating without (due to the steroids and pain meds, I believe) going to the bathroom very often. He consumed way to much food over the course of a morning, around lunch he started vomiting in the most absurd projectile vomit stream you could ever imagine. 20 seconds of a stream the size of a fire hose going all over him, the couch, some on me and very little in the bowl I ran to grab him. The worst part was when it was done, and we were covered in vomit. He didn’t know who threw up or where it came from.

I picked him up, covered in vomit and carried him to the shower. He was embarrassed for his mom or any girls seeing him naked for some reason with vomit on him. I undressed him, and bathed him myself. Helped him soap, shampoo, dry and dress. It was the last time I felt he even knew who I was.

I miss you Ben.”

11. Weird

“Me and my friend used to masturbate next to each other when we were about 12yo, we did it several times and never spoke of it ever again. We just sat there chatting about random stuff while masturbating furiously. Weird.”

12. Exploring

“Not ONE clue why, but when me and my best friend were like 8ish, we were at one of my dad’s late men’s league hockey games. We never watch the games and just kind of explored and messed around looking for stuff to do. Well we found out some of the empty locker rooms were open and lights off. Perfect to explore as a kid right?

Well we explored more than i remember why. We casually bumped into each other in the middle of the dark room and our curiosity’s must have sparked. We started to just……rub up against each other and like dry hump each other. That went on for about 15 seconds when we both kind of snapped out of it at the same time. Still don’t know what triggered that kind of sexual eruption, but i have been trying to figure it out since.”

13. Well, that’s nice

“Had a friend say to me while I was feeling pretty down about myself and my looks that he would f**k me if I was a woman.”

14. A nice view

“A couple of years ago I went up to visit my friend in Minneapolis. His apartment was located right across the street from a music festival, so we hung out on his lawn drinking all day and enjoying free live music.

Later on that night we went out for a cigarette and started walking around his neighborhood. What started as a short cigarette walk ended up being a longer excursion as we made our way past the house into some forest area near some train tracks. It was really cool for me being able to see more stars than I was used to seeing back in Chicago and actually being able to walk from the city into nature.

We kept hiking and ended up next to a lake. He asked if I wanted to go swimming and I was like yeah, so we ended up skinny dipping in the lake. I hadn’t been swimming in a long time so it was especially fun for me and it was so awesome to swim at night with a cool view of the city across the lake.

It was such a beautiful view and night that we didn’t realize we were ruining the intimate moment of another couple too. While we were just two naked drunk dudes swimming in the lake by the moonlight, there was a couple on the shore that was trying to have a romantic picnic, complete with wine and a blanket. We thought we were alone until I saw them, but it’s funny to think how it was to see that from the couple’s viewpoint. One minute it’s a really romantic night, then out of nowhere two naked guys run screaming at the water.”

15. He needed it

“Talking another guy out of suicide. He just needed someone to listen. We hugged for a solid 30 seconds and he sobbed into my chest. Awkward looking back, but in the moment he needed it.”

The post 15 Straight Guys Recount the Most Intimate Non-Sexual Moments They Shared with Another Dude appeared first on UberFacts.

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12+ Photos That Are Pretty Freaking Cool

The world has a lot of cool sights to offer, so let’s do our best to see as many of them as we can before we die!

And what better place to start than with this list of 15 photos.

Enjoy!

1. “One letter license plate I found in my neighborhood”

Photo Credit: Reddit: whytho37

2. “Created a sculpture of clamps held to the table with a single clamp.”

Photo Credit: Reddit: saltyconfetti

3. “There were five different portraits of the Queen in my change.”

Photo Credit: Reddit: nenners7891

4. This huge hermit crab using a glass jar as a shell.

Photo Credit: Reddit: moopy1973

5. A lizard with two tails.

Photo Credit: Reddit: goodbyemylooove

6. A grassy number 1 growing through the bricks.

Photo Credit: Reddit: tibusorcur

7. This ice pattern on top of a car.

8. Speaking of ice, here’s a frozen “leaf.”

Photo Credit: Reddit: ge0dad

9. “Our local mall has priority parking for cancer survivors and people fighting cancer!”

Photo Credit: Reddit: spilon91

10. The difference between this ladder and its shadow.

Photo Credit: Reddit: bpcity81

11. An old church being used as a library.

Photo Credit: Reddit: giantppman

12. These two trees have grown together.

Photo Credit: Reddit: venomvortex11

13. Double strawberry.

Photo Credit: Reddit: saggy_flesh_Bag

14. The handy ink indicator on this whiteboard marker.

Photo Credit: Reddit: m3gafex

15. Broken TV or work of modern art?

Pretty cool, huh?

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12+ Real-Life Plot Twists That Rocked People’s Worlds

Real life can be pretty boring, huh? Most of us fall into routines that make us comfortable but don’t pack a lot of excitement. So when something out of the ordinary comes along, we usually can’t help but let the whole world know.

These 15 people on Reddit shared the biggest real-life plot twists they’ve ever experienced, and the answers are pretty jaw-dropping. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hollywood tried to adapt some of these into movies.

1. Bedridden Cheater

When I was young, I dated a boy from another church, about two hours away. We dated all through high school, his short stint in the military, I graduated and moved closer to him, then back home for work, all of that. We got engaged. One day, I got a frantic call that he was in the ICU with spinal meningitis and the doctors weren’t sure if he would make it. I frantically called out of work, begged a friend for transportation, and drove to stand by his side. Well, on the other side of the plastic surrounding him. There were lots of tears and promises.

My friend and I were invited to stay at his parents’ house; they super nice folks and thought I was awesome. I slept in his bedroom. All over his desk, laying open, were letters from another girl. Apparently, she had been saving him from the horrors I inflicted on his poor soul. I was just about everything bad in a person you could think of, according to him.

I was heartbroken, angry, embarrassed, and sick. I scooped up all of the letters, put them in a shoebox, along with my ring, and the next day went to the hospital to see him, beaming at me with a huge smile… which turned to confusion, realization, then dread when I poured out the box outside the plastic house. I turned and walked out and drove home. Sadly, he survived. Amusingly, he went on to become a stellar member of society, with multiple arrests/wives/kids.

2. Livin’ Large

I was late to catch a flight and hadn’t checked in. Discovered when I reached the airport that I actually came to the wrong airport. Had to travel about 30 minutes to reach the other airport. Went to check in about 20 minutes before my flight. They didn’t have any seats so updated me to business class. Best flight of my life, so far.

3. Two Paths Collide

A guy I knew in high school was talking one winter day about how he was late to school because someone hit his mailbox. His folks made him fix it up before he went to school, he missed his ride, and had to walk instead, but the school staff was cool about it and didn’t punish him.

A few minutes later, another girl comes into class and she’s talking about how her morning sucked, she lost control going down a hill and hit someone’s mailbox. She freaked out and drove off before anyone witnessed it and described a few details of the house.

Mailbox guy puts 2 and 2 together and blurts out “you hit MY mailbox!” He wasn’t super mad about it and she turned beet red. It was hilarious at the time the way they both reacted.

4. Long-Lost Family

In primary school, we had a WWI memorial lesson and we were asked if anyone had any relatives who fought at the time.

My friend brought in a picture of his great-great-grandfather with his wife.

A girl also brought in a picture of her great-great-grandfather with his wife.

The teacher said they looked similar. She put them side by side and looked shocked. We gathered around and it was the same man who had kept his two wives a secret. Both had been married privately.

They were cousins and didn’t know.

5. Father Figure

I was adopted from South America to the U.S. when I was a toddler and have no memory of my birth parents. I had an older friend/mentor I met in college. I knew him as Mike. When I learned that my birth mother passed away, I got a few of her belongings including some pictures. Who was in these pictures? Mike. He was my birth father.

6. When God closes a door…

I got laid off from a company I had worked at for over 20 years. I went in for my exit interview and the HR lady said: “Dwayne, from a site 3 states away, wants to hire you.” I said, “I’m not moving that far.” She said, “You can just work from home.”

Now, where I was working was a 130-mile round-trip commute. I got laid off and ended up with a commute that was from my bedroom to my den. Kept doing it for over 4 more years.

7. Mom?

I used to work with a guy in his early 20s that at the time of the story was getting ready to go with his family for his first trip abroad. He was pretty dang excited and we were getting the play-by-play of all the things — where they were staying, what they were going to do, etc.

He needed to get a passport, but his birth certificate had been lost. When the replacement one arrived, “mom’s” name isn’t the woman he’s called mom his whole life, it’s his “sister.” Turns out, his “sister” had him super young, and his grandparents basically took him on and raised them as their son and no one ever told him the truth. So, Sister was actually Mom and Mom and Dad was actually Grandpa and Grandma. The real dad is unknown.

He took a few days off work to sort himself out, still went on the trip, still apparently had a blast.

8. Oh sh*t

A friend of mine apparently was sneaking out for a trip outside the city with his friends since his parents didn’t let him go. They were on motorbikes, already on their way outside of the city when suddenly he got into an accident with another bike. It was his dad he crashed into.

9. Uh-oh.

I once went on a date with a girl. She was nice, but not really my type. I did not call her after the first date.

One month later, I got a new job. The first day I show up at my office, my boss introduces me to the person who will be training me.

Lo and behold, it was this girl. We became friends later so it wasn’t too bad.

10. Bittersweet.

My mom died in a car accident when I was really young, so I was raised by my grandma because my dad wasn’t really in the picture. As it turns out, this guy isn’t my dad like my mom had led everyone to believe. She had told one person the truth and he finally came forward after 20 years. My real dad was another guy who had also died in a car accident on the same road (close to the same location) about 1 year before she did. No one knows why she kept this secret, but DNA testing confirmed it and my family doubled in size that year.

11. Small world.

I used to play a game called Ragnarok Online on private servers. One of these servers was housed somewhere in Europe with a mostly Dutch population playing, but I met one guy named Leo who was a native English speaker. It turned out he lived in the same city as me, maybe 10 miles down the road, and knew some of my friends already. Wow, crazy!

Ten years later when I got married, my wife mentioned a guy off-hand who used to play Ragnarok Online a ton. I ask, and it turns out it was her best friend growing up. Well, that best friend happened to be Leo, this person I met on this far-off private server.

12. Sister sister…

This happened to my friend.

She moved away for university and was randomly matched up as roommates with this other girl.

They got to know each other for a few weeks and ended up adding each other on Facebook.

Turns out they’re half-sisters, they have the same dad. Neither of them knew about each other.

The sad part is, he doesn’t speak to or see my friend but is apparently a good dad to this other girl.

13. Hello…neighbor?

I had been working at a new office for about 4 months, and my boss and I were in a car with another co-worker getting a lift home from an office party thing.

We get to my house and I say goodbye and get out. My boss also gets out, which weirded me out. Then she walks to my next-door neighbor’s house (we share a connected house) and goes inside.

Turns out she was my next-door neighbor. Had been for around 10 years. I honestly had no clue.

14. Well, that escalated quickly

Older friends of parents. Had no kids then suddenly the wife announces she’s pregnant. The husband announces he had a vasectomy in his early 20s, never told anyone, and is filing for divorce …and apparently had the papers to prove it all.

15. Bully’s Address

Someone I know toilet papered a bully’s house with his friends a couple times a year. The weird part was, it was always cleaned up by 8 a.m. Came to find out several years later that he had been toilet papering an elderly couple’s house the whole time. They ended up leaving a huge gift basket as an apology though.

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13+ People Share the Moment That Forced Them to Grow Up Too Fast

Childhood is hard to fully appreciate until it’s over. There’s often a moment buried in our memory that we can look back on as the time we no longer felt like a child. Retrospectively, it can be easy to see how that watershed moment changed everything – which is exactly what these 15 people realized.

#15. A lot for a teenager to take in.

“Being diagnosed as a diabetic at 14. First I almost die from Diabetic Ketoacidosis (which i can assure you is extremely unpleasant) and then spend 5 days in the hospital getting a crash course on everything i need to do to keep myself alive from then on.

Counting carbs, checking blood sugar, how to determine the correct amount of insulin to give myself, how to treat loss, how to treat highs, what to do if I’m spilling ketones.

That’s a lot for a teenager to take in and process.”

#14. Both my parents

“When both my parents died in a car crash when I was 20.”

#13. A sophomore in college

“My bipolar started to fully manifest when I was a sophomore in college. I ended up making a lot of mistakes, ruining a lot of friendships, and dropping out of school. It’s taken 5 years for me to pick up the pieces of my fractured life. I’m stable, I have a well paying job, but man do I feel older than I should.”

#12. He wasn’t going to change

“When I found out that I may have leukemia. I took a hard look at my relationship with my fiance. He was not supportive of me at all. That’s what finally made me realize that he wasn’t going to change into the person I needed him to be. He had been prioritizing himself the whole time we were together and I finally had enough.”

#11. I had to step in big time

“Realizing in college how little money my parents really had and that I had to step in big time.. that matured me up really quick. Went from barely working and partying to handling 20-30 hour work weeks bartending and school.”

#10. He took everything

“In 2015 my dad kicked me out of my own house so he could live there with his new bitchy wife.

I had to file a report, get a lawyer and had him force removed from my house. Before that he emptied the place, took everything but my old bed. So there I was with no job a bunch of furniture to buy, bills to pay and a lawyer to finish paying. That moment was def a turn point in my life.”

#9. My dad’s third wedding

“The day of my dad’s third wedding.

I won’t go into too many details, but my dad married a chick he met on the internet and uprooted our entire lives, we immigrated to the states and everything. During the time they were dating, she seemed nice enough and I was pretty stoked to get a mom. Literally the second the ring was on her finger she started treating me poorly. She blamed me (an 11 year old kid) for leaving her purse at the venue when she’d never even mentioned I should look after it. It was still there when we got back but the damage was done. I knew she wasn’t gonna be my mommy but I still wanted her and my dad to be happy. Spoilers: they werent. It was a long 8 years of her treating me like crap and me trying to deal with it.

It worked out okay I suppose. I’m 26 now and while I always try to be kind to people, I don’t take their bullshit.”

#8. My mom’s death

“My mom’s death when I was 17.”

#7. Felt like I was taking care of him

“My father lost his job to due to his alcoholism, and then about a month later, my mother tried to take her own life by taking as many pills as possible. I was 14 at the time, and for a while felt like I was taking care of them, instead of me. I put my head down and told myself that I was going to do as best as I could in school, do whatever I could at home, and then get as far away as possible. The first two years were particularly difficult, but thankfully I had a set of friends that kept me happy and sane. I learned to silo my life which is still something I’m working on, but it made me realize a lot about adults and that parents don’t always have it together as they seem.”

#6. Makes you appreciate the little things

“Getting a gun held to my head whilst delivering pizzas. Makes you appreciate the little things.”

#5. She told me she was pregnant

“When my girlfriend told me she was pregnant.  I was in college and I went from planning where I was going to party the next weekend to graduating and getting a job in an instance.”

#4. I watched him bury our dog

“I realized my dad wasn’t unbreakable when I watched him bury our dog.

That day I watched the strongest man I had ever known collapse on his knees sobbing. And I realized that life is a lot tougher than I thought.

EDIT: I’m glad some of you have been able to share your stories. I hope it has been cathartic. Here’s to all the good doggos in our lives.”

#3. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for my kids

“Getting my fiance at the time pregnant with my son when we were 18. I was a total fuck up in school and after school, I was a drug addict, I didnt really have any drive. Then once I knew I had another human to take care of I figured my shit out fast. Took me a while to shake the drug habit fully but I’ve been fully clean now for almost a year. I’d be dead if it wasnt for my kids (I also had a daughter not long after I had my son).”

#2. I grew up that night

“I had a crush on an older guy since 6th grade. He invites me over to his place sophomore year. I go, we watch some movies and start making out. I’m a pretty straight forward type of gal and I am pretty confident. We start making out and all is fine, but he asks me to take my shirt off, and I didn’t want to. Slowly he keeps making me feel shitty about it, and he keeps pushing things further while I am adamant about not going any further. I keep saying no, but not leaving. I’m not enjoying this as it feels like I’m fighting to keep my innocence the entire time. He starts physically overpowering me and gets his hand in my pants and starts fingering me aggressively. I’ve had more than enough now and I’m not letting myself get overpowered more than I already have. I tell him that if he doesn’t quit right now, I will be telling his mother about this. She is a fantastic lady who I have known for a few years now. He stops but gets all defensive like he didn’t do anything wrong. I leave.

I grew up that night. I can’t quite describe just how I changed, but something inside me snapped, I was far more adult like with everything after that. I think my inner mother came out of her shell before she gave birth to any kids.”

#1. My first semester of college

“Miserable grades my first semester of college.

That never happened in high school, and I had to change habits quickly.”

Something to think about the next time you’re looking at your own precious little ones.

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These 13+ Little-Known Facts Might Surprise You

These little-known facts pack a lot fun. They’re great to whip out at a party and impress your friends or simply hang onto them for your own satisfaction.

These 15 people are sharing their favorites, and I’m 100% in.

#15. The Ancient Greeks.

“Spiked and studded dog collars derive from the days of the Ancient Greeks.

The Greeks gave their sheepdogs sharply spiked collars to protect their necks from wolves as they guarded a shepherd’s flock of sheep by night.”

#14. Huh.

“Bees testicle explodes after sex.”

#13. I think about it a lot.

“Two guide dogs named Salty and Roselle were with their owners in the twin towers on floor 78 as the attack commenced (9/11). The dogs guided their blind owners to safety. This isn’t mindblowing but I think about it a lot.”

#12. Obviously this is painful.

“Cats penises are barbed. Obviously this is painful but also necessary as the pain induces ovulation which happens about 30 hrs later. No pain, no ovulation. The barbs also act as a scraper to remove rival semen. It’s not very effective though so a litter can have multiple fathers.”

#11. In his natural register.

“Freddie Mercury was a baritone. He just never sang in his natural register because he was afraid nobody would recognize him. But there are definitely recordings of him speaking and singing, and he’s definitely a baritone – All of his popular stuff just happened to be in his falsetto singing voice.”

#10. A fence in Australia.

“There is a fence in Australia that is longer than the distance from New York to London.”

#9. Closer in time.

“That Gone with the Wind was filmed closer in time to the Civil War than to today.”

#8. Very special mud.

“So baseball has a special rubbing mud. Since about the 1940s, every baseball used in a major league game has been rubbed with a special mud that comes from a secret location in New Jersey.

New baseballs have a sheen on the leather which makes it difficult for a pitcher to grip the ball. So they had to find something that could reduce the sheen without altering the color or damaging the leather. The answer was the super secret New Jersey mud that’s still in use today. One guy owns the very small company that sells the mud and knows of the super secret location.”

#7. A Catholic priest.

“Did you know that the Big Bang (the actual Big Bang, not the sitcom) was thought up by a Catholic Priest?”

#6. Always a Saturday.

“The BEst before date on crisps in the U.K. is always a Saturday.”

#5. Farther West.

“Reno, Nevada is farther West than Los Angeles.”

#4. The most fatal.

“Eating disorders are the most fatal mental illness(es) – anorexia topping the list, then bulimia, then various OSFED/EDNOS. Even more fatal than major depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar. ~20% die due to intentional suicide, the rest due to heart failure and other physical complications.”

#3. The same tortoise.

“Steve Irwin and Charles Darwin owned the same tortoise.”

#2. Never visited.

“George Everest never visited Mount Everest. Yet the mountain is named after him. Also he pronounced his name eve-rest.

So we have the highest mountains named after a guy who never saw it and the name is pronounced wrong.”

#1. A well-known astrophysicist.

“The guitarist for Queen is also a well known astrophysicist.”

I feel smarter now, don’t you?

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