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There is a popular psychological exercise called "Writing to yourself at an earlier age". This actually helps a person to realize what mistakes they made in the past, accept them and, if possible, become more calm and balanced in the present - after all, in fact, these mistakes cannot actually be changed.
Well, we all make mistakes - especially in our teenage years, when life energy literally overflows, our own life experience is still very small, and someone else's advice seems so insignificant and, let's be honest, so stupid. Some of these mistakes just remain in the past, causing only a feeling of shame over the years. Some of them, on the contrary, affect our entire subsequent life.
A popular thread recently appeared in the AskReddit community with over 12.7K upvotes and nearly 8K comments. The topic starter suggested that redditors perform the same exercise, only in a simpler form, by just answering the question "What was your biggest teenage mistake?"
Bored Panda has collected for you the most popular answers from this thread, where there are both sad revelations and funny moments that are shameful to remember, but at least fun. And perhaps the most correct comment in this collection is from a teenager who thanks people for listing the mistakes that they will try to avoid in their life. We hope they succeed...
Anyway, now scroll to the very end, like your favorite submissions and, of course, share your own stories - after all, we know that nobody is perfect!
More info: Reddit
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#1
Not taking better care of my teeth
Lisa H 3 years ago
It is 100% true. And keep up with your dental appointments. My parents neglected my dental health when I was a kid/teen and now I have thousands of dollars worth of work that needs to be done, but now it's on me and I simply cannot afford it. I can't chew properly, I hate smiling for pictures, and I may need dentures at only 36 years old. I highly resent my parents for this. I was under their dental plan until 22 and they didn't take me to the dentist on a regular basis like they were supposed to. The only time they did is if I was in pain and even then they would make me feel like I'm just being a drama queen. Take care of your teeth and don't let your parents neglect your oral health.
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Rachel Smith 3 years ago
I still don't take care of my teeth. It's hard to keep a habit you never had.
BluEyedSeoulite 3 years ago
I'm still salty my parents didn't get my wisdom teeth taken out when I was a teen. We had good insurance, just never done. Now at 36, I've just had 1 taken out, the rest are pushing my other teeth out of alignment. And dentists here don't want to take them out because they aren't currently causing an infection or anything and are a pain to remove. Plus, insurance pays just like $30 for each removed tooth, each on which is going to take at least an hour to do...
Kiryn Silverwing 3 years ago
Oh my god yes. I didn't have mine out until I was 32 when they started to grow in. My mom still had hers in her 60s, my dad had his taken out at 35 when they started give him headaches, and that finally started happening to me. Stabbing icepick headaches nearly every day. I didn't think much of removing them when I was younger, and all my dentists just said "you should think about getting those removed sooner rather than later" as a side comment and never went any deeper with it. Found out when I went to have them removed that now that they're mature, they had grown into the nerves in my jaw, and I was risking permanent nerve damage to my face. They ended up leaving the roots of the lower ones in my jaw and just cutting off the top part and stitching me back up because it was too much of a risk. I'm going to encourage my daughter to get hers out in her teens like I should have done.
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Winter Eleven 3 years ago
When I was a kid i didn't see the reason to take care of teeth. They fell out anyway and those new ones were important 😅
BluEyedSeoulite 3 years ago
I've heard that argument from some parents too. Except not all of the teeth fall out at once and kids aren't selectively brushing their adult teeth. It's just better to instill better brushing habits when kids are young
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Kiryn Silverwing 3 years ago
It's expensive! Even a small cavity can cost hundreds of dollars to fix, AFTER insurance. If you skip the dentist for years, you'll have to go again someday when it hurts all the time, and the cost will be in the thousands. Whereas if you use the free supplies the dentist gives you alongside your insurance-paid cleanings, brushing at least once a day is basically free. I could have bought so many more video games....
Anthony Cook 3 years ago
I took, great care of my teeth, brushed them three times a day and at 40 mine still suck.
RELATED:
#2
Marrying my 18-year-old self to a 40-year-old who'd been grooming me for three years, just to spite my mother.
0/10, would not recommend.
Christina Born 3 years ago
Same. Only my ex was 50 and I was 18. We'd only known each other a year. Did get 2 really awesome kids out of that otherwise 18yr disaster, though!
Amelia Bee 3 years ago
Cases like yours and OOP's is why I roll my eyes at every teenager who angrily defends her age gap relationship.
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Radek Suski 3 years ago
With 24 I married 40 years old woman. 20 years later we are still happily married. So there is that
Alison Hell 3 years ago
This is sad and the fact that men (and women) do this, is even sadder.
Linda Garcia 3 years ago
My parents married when my Dad was 40 and my mother was 19. He was German and she was American. They were deliriously happy together for 50 years until my father died at the age of 90. My two brothers and myself grew up in a happy, stable home with two parents who unconditionally loved us and each other. Despite the 21 year age difference, I had the absolute best childhood.
SmooshyFries 3 years ago
My ex boyfriend from high school met his wife when she was 15 and he was 25 and they were introduced by her mom. As soon as she turned 18 they got married and had two girls. The marriage didn't last, she was too young for him and never got to date who she wanted. Momma made sure of that. Plus he was very very controlling. I felt bad for her having known what he was like and why I ended it with him. Poor girl
Fluffy mommy panda 3 years ago
I just got married way to young at 16 my husband was 18. But we are still together but it been a rough road. I would tell people to wait, until your both out of high school.
Karmen vrt 3 years ago
The problem was not her beeing 18, but him beeing 40
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Witch Hunt 3 years ago
Mormonism groomed me to be sub servant & domestic to a husband who came to Utah to marry a Mormon girl. I was 20 he 35. Eventually I wasn't making enough money to keep him after 2 wonderful & beautiful children. He took the page out of Mormon Polygamy. LOL. He tried flirting with someone younger than his daughter, 40+ years younger than he was. Wasn't happening. Screwed his chances of ever being close to his children before passing away. Just gross stupid men who thought way to highly of themselves.
#3
Looking back at the way I treated this one girl. I was cruel and thoughtless. I’m 50 now and it still hurts me.
Deborah Harris 3 years ago
Try to look her up and apologise, it might help both of you to heal
ItsJess 3 years ago
I would not want any of my bullies contacting me to absolve themselves of the mental anguish and physical abuse they caused. I'm doing okay, and if you're sorry you can live with it
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Alison Hell 3 years ago
Bullying is still going on in schools, teachers know it, the parents involved know it, and yet it still continues as for some reason, the bully is just allowed to stay. Anyone...please.correct me if I'm wrong here but I personally know of this in very recent years.
Evan Mayes 3 years ago
My counselor knows and they don't do anything about it
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Sim greenqueensim@hotmail.com 3 years ago
NEVER too late to apologize.!!! Find her and do it. It will change both your lives.
Marta Browne 3 years ago
No.just leave her be. She's not obligated to rehash past trauma to make op feel better.
Load More Replies... Carneirinha87 3 years ago
I struggle with this too.... I know now that I was an absolute b!tch to my first boyfriend when we broke up and it still breaks my heart... I feel like reaching out to apologise but is it worth reopening old wounds?
#4
I am in my teenage years rn and i realised i can learn from your mistakes, thanks redditors
MoMcB 3 years ago
Mistakes are exactly that. Don't sweat it, we all have made them and will do more. Move on.
BluEyedSeoulite 3 years ago
I leaned from a lot of others' mistakes. Had pretty boring teen and uni years. Sometimes I wish I had been a little more carefree but happy I didn't make any huge mistakes
Mary Elliott 3 years ago
The best way to learn is to make mistakes, unfortunately. But yes, it pays to listen to good advice. Taking it is the hard part.
Scribbles & Scares 3 years ago
Without mistakes we wouldn't learn 🤷🏻♀️ Sometimes you'll even make the same mistake a few times. I'm 35 so am sure I've got plenty more ahead also!
Carneirinha87 3 years ago
Also knowing that it's fine to learn from your own mistakes. I had to keep telling my parents that I can make mistakes too, I can learn from my own experiences instead of doing nothing at all.
Anthony Cook 3 years ago
Even if you learned what not too do from somebody else, you will still make some type of mistakes in life. Just make them, but don't dwell on them.
Witch Hunt 3 years ago
Great. I refused to make my parents mistakes; violently beating me up as a firm of discipline, emotionally scaring me, not listening to me, not teaching me about life, not helping me to reach my potential, not supportive, and no family/sister bonding. So I changed that gir my three children. But I made my own mistakes. Which I told my children not to make my mistakes but make yours. Make our family better with the next generation. That is all I ask for.
#5
Started smoking.
mulk 3 years ago
I went to vaping 8 years ago after 15 years of smoking. So I am keeping addicted to something which is not healthy, but I feel a huge difference in many points: breath better, smell, price/money.
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similarly 3 years ago (edited)
Started smoking before age 20. Quit a bunch of times: a few days, a few weeks, a months, once for a few years. I've smoked for over 30 years. Haven't had a cigarette in 6 weeks. I still have cravings, but I don't ever want to smoke again. Enough is enough. Time to quit for good.
Dan Holden 3 years ago
Started as a teen. Took me 25 years to finally quit.
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#6
Worried too much about trying to "fit in" and being concerned about what others were thinking.
Elspeth Marple 3 years ago
As a teenager I did the same thing and didn't enjoy my teens years like I should have. I keep telling my siblings (who are now teenagers) to lighten up and have fun, no one cares that much. They aren't listening.......
robin aldrich 3 years ago
That's the best thing about getting older! call me a Curmudgeon but at this point I really don't give a f**k what other people think of me...
Angeline Shalyn 3 years ago
That's me now at 28, I've slowly been getting better at not caring about fitting in and honestly I feel so much better
Mary Elliott 3 years ago
It took me a long time to realize that mostly people are thinking about themselves, not you. And unless you're a total a*s, they're most likely thinking positive things about you any way. And if you're worried about what other people think, you're probably not a total a*s. Be as forgiving to yourself as you are to others.
Shoshana Sherrington 3 years ago
There's also the opposite problem of trying too hard to stand out or prove that you are so different from everyone else. Just end up alienating yourself and simultaneously developing low self esteem and a superiority complex
Debbie Tate 3 years ago
They will either like you or not don't worry about it as long as you like yourself
#7
Coasting through school on being bright and never learning to study. University was a shock and just about managed my 2:2
over it already 3 years ago
This! Study habits are hard to learn later on and are very necessary for higher education and job success.
B Lopez 3 years ago
Conversely, study habits are also hard to learn in a learning environment that lacks the challenge which makes them necessary.
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RandomFrog(He/They️️) 3 years ago
I have no idea how to study. I never had too. I don’t need repetition to remember certain things so I’m good to do one or two assignments on the topic, and then I’ve learned it and I don’t have to study. This is probably gonna bite me in the back in a few years so I gotta learn now ig. Like do I look at notes do I read flash cards, do I redo assignments?
3 Owls In A Coat 3 years ago (edited)
I was the same way, I was great at school and didn’t really have to study until university because that s**t was a lot harder than high school. Flash cards help a lot! I found writing notes was really helpful too, often just the act of writing something down would help me remember, then I’d go over my notes and highlight important parts to make sure I was really reading them. Even just reading course material and highlighting important parts helped. (I also have grapheme-colour synesthesia so I would colour-coordinate things to memory) Learning how to study properly is a underrated skill (just like knowing how to Google something properly) and I recommend learning early! Hope this helps :)
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Stephanie Barr 3 years ago
This! I had so many fellow students in college who lost scholarships and/or flunked out because parents had hovered over them during school so they were completely unprepared for studying on their own and pushing themselves.
Danielle Edwards 3 years ago
OMG yes. I did great at school with no effort whatsoever, university was an absolute shocker and I ended up dropping out. (Went back and got my degree at 34 when I was less of an idiot!)
Vultania 5178 3 years ago
I'm about to finish uni and BOY am I unprepared for the real world. I never learned how to study, and no one really taught me. I have ADD so that's *fun* and I seriously wish I had someone breathing down my neck for the first year so I could have made a routine. In the same way that I brush my teeth
Brian Droste 3 years ago
I am in my 60's. Didn't do very well high school because I didn't study myself. Regretted to this day. I would like to think my life would have turn out better or pursed my goal.
MygrandsonscallmeNia 3 years ago
I didn't want to be in school, when high school rolled up. I dropped out in 10th grade, and had to take care of myself. 10 years later, I had my kids, got my GED. Then, 20 years later went to college. Shocked myself! Associates degree, 3.57 GPA. Bachelor in Science degree 3.54 GPA. Here, I thought I was dumb... If I'd finished highschool, and went on to college, I don't think I would have done so well.
Bloobee bloobee bloo bloo bloo 3 years ago
Yeah. I wasn’t naturally bright but I didn’t care enough about school and barely got by. So when it came time for college I had no goals or aspirations and used being a teen single mom to hold myself back. I absolutely regret it as I’m still a struggling single mom
removebeforeflight 3 years ago (edited)
I was lucky then. 😂 Never studied at school, had mediocre grades. Graduated from uni with 1:1 degree as I hit 96% total. Being really into major subjects at uni helped. School was just boring for me.
#8
I did not rebel. My parents incessantly accused me of rebelling and general debauchery despite being in a huge club sport on scholarship, being involved in school councils, having extra curriculars like orchestra, and art (which I always won awards for), having a 3.6 GPA, being the first in my family on track to go to a huge university, etc etc etc.
I spent my high school life hopping in between crying, self-loathing, and suicidal ideation when I could have been having fun and enjoying my childhood. I spent too much time wondering why my parents didn’t love me instead of doing something about it and refusing to respect them.
Katie Everswick 3 years ago
i was in the exact same situation in high school, and i finally chose to do some of the things they were constantly accusing me of. might as well have fun if they're not going to believe you anyway. but... i do not recommend this lol
HugAMally 3 years ago
Sooo...you "do not recommend this"?! Details, please!! 🤣
Load More Replies... Maryann Williamson 3 years ago
I think it's healthy to "rebel" against your parents (within reasons), my 13 year old still doesn't know that I am aware of most of the stuff she's doing.
Unwelcomed Guest 3 years ago
Yes it took me until I was almost 30 to realise it was their problem not mine. I never felt so free in my life and had nothing but success follow
SmooshyFries 3 years ago
Learning more about suicide, I am coming to the understanding that while there are some ppl you really worry about who will do it, there is still that group that shock the hell out of us. Popular, in sports, over achiever, great grades, always perfect on the outside but inside they feel inadequate and that they are disappointing others. Those are the shocking ones because they keep putting on that smile while struggling internally thinking about dying.
Bubbles and sparks 3 years ago
Not an excuse for your parents, but probably is what they learned growing up :( To bad they didn't remember how forced that all felt... I hope now you get to rebel and explore all you want and don't let anybody tell you you're not allowed goofing and having fun ;p My parents forgot due to circumstances that I really was a kid, but because both my parents got to handle with the aftermath of my mum having a severe stroke that left her paralyzed at one side and my father in a physiological mess, so from one day to another, I was expected to grow up fast. Now it didn't make me a bad person learning all those things growing up, but I missed out on all the normal stuff kids learn while growing up. So now, halfway my 50's, I might be an adult, but still growing up... Did master the "I don't give a f*ck what people think" already very well :) I sincerely hope you find your inner Peter Pan and enjoy your life.
Lea Panthera 3 years ago
I rebel, I think it's natural, my parents think I'm going to become an anarchist
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Emma Whittaker 3 years ago
Relate so much ..im almost 40 and recently cut contact and started counselling. I can really see how toxic my home life was. My entire life I have left worthless.
Richard Smith 3 years ago
People gotta understand that it's the first time for every body: first time being a kid, first time being a teenager, first time being an adult, first time being a parent, etc. We make our mistakes, and learn from them, and hopefully, if we watch and pay attention, from other's mistakes, too.
Scribbles & Scares 3 years ago
It's not too late to "rebel", it doesn't have to be something huge or negative. Do something you've always wanted to do on a whim, get a piercing, have the occasional pig out on ice cream, buy something silly but fun...... Life is too short. Your parents made your teen years miserable, try not to let that keep happening now
#9
I took teenage stereotypes too seriously. Like I thought the kind of dynamics you saw in teen moves were real- jocks were all dumb a*sholes, nerdy kids were smart virgins, etc. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize that people are people and that I was severely limiting myself by assigning myself a "role."
AmandaKay 3 years ago
The Brat Pack are the last remants of Gen X apathy before Millenials looked at that & just declared "what c**p!" & rejected the concepts entirely.
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Witch Hunt 3 years ago
We, each one if us, are more than one or two things. Go out there and see what more you can be.
#10
Not getting the hint that my friend, the beautiful Patricia, wanted to be WAY more than friends.
bleurchhh53 3 years ago
I sincerely hope that the "I will take this into consideration" comment is from the beautiful Patricia....
Yugan Talovich 3 years ago
My "Patricia" visited my apartment, lay down on the bed,, pulled down one shoulder of her sundress, and asked, "Have I been bitten by a mosquito?" I looked and said, "I don't see anything." AAAAARRRGGGGHHH!!!
Sergio Bicerra 3 years ago
Went to my sisters's friend for some drinks, around 5am she told me tonstay and ahave some sleep, i was making me confortable on the sofa and she told me shenhad a queen size bed, told her 'cool, you must sleep like a starfish! Well, good night!" I'm facepalming myself with my phone right nowsjdhdhdhhzh
Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano 3 years ago
"You must sleep like a starfish" lol
Load More Replies... Jerry Peters 3 years ago
One time I (18 y.o.) was talking on the phone regularly to this girl I really liked, but didn't have any confidence. It was near Christmas in San Antonio and the topic of the Riverwalk (tourist destination) being all lit up for Christmas came up. She said, EXACT QUOTE: "I've never seen the Riverwalk at Christmas time". Me: crickets.
Tiny Dancer 3 years ago
My Patricia was a Craig. Smart, handsome ginger dude my age and in some of my classes, I had a big crush on him. He was one of the few people in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1978 that had even HEARD of Kate Bush at the time and he had her newest record (her second one, "Lionheart"), did I want to come over after school and hear it? Honestly, this was something people did in the '70s, it wasn't sinister at all. But, I'd been through my share of "stuff" by then and just couldn't be alone with a guy without getting very anxious, so it wasn't to be *sigh* I still mourn our unborn ginger kids.
JJ(they/them) 3 years ago
hello similar situation except my friend helped us get together we are now kind of dating <3 sometimes love confessions end up being amazing.
Bubbles and sparks 3 years ago
This! Even now at 56 I still don't get hints.... Please, just let me know what you want, that way nothing can be missed ;)
#11
Not pursuing my passion when i have the age,health and time with me
Chrissyfox 3 years ago
Definitely. So many regrets. I didn't train as a midwife because of some BOY and the relationship never even got off the ground.
Minath 3 years ago
I completely agree. I'm now 40 with a broken body and unable to work because of it. I now physically can't follow my dreams and that has been the hardest thing to come to terms with.
TheReader19 3 years ago
But you can still be passionate about something? Art, writing, watching opera? Life's not over till the day it's over 🥰
Load More Replies... Richard Smith 3 years ago (edited)
Repeat after me: "If I knew then what I know now, then I would have done something different, but I knew then what I knew than and that was what I did. Too late now, can't change the past, just learn from it and make the future better." You're where you are because of who you are. But who you are is not as important as who you become.
Yukon Charlie 3 years ago
I'm trying to do that right now but dang passions can be expensive. Maybe I'll start crowdfunding for my random interests.
Bloobee bloobee bloo bloo bloo 3 years ago
Yep. I always wanted to work in veterinary medicine in some way but didn’t care enough about school to have the desire to actually do it. I let myself use being a teen mom hold me back and I completely regret it
Pursuing Peonies 3 years ago
I just wish I had known there were so many different options out there. Can't pursue a passion (or regret not doing so) if you don't have one.
Darleen Marie 3 years ago
I have so many regrets too. A lot of lost time that was wasted in a depression state. That I barely lived. If i would've known that I could understand astronomy and astrophysics. I would've gone that route. Because, i am finding myself at my late thirties that I'm discovering myself still. Also I would've been an amazing homicide detective. But, I found out too late. 🤷🏼♀️
Crispy Toast 3 years ago
Don't know what your circumstances are, but coming from someone who is closer to 60 than 50, your late 30's is not too late!
Load More Replies... #12
Not realising that my parents weren’t doing the best job raising me/preparing me for adulthood and realising I should maybe take matters into my own hands.
MTNester 3 years ago
I'm just now coming into my own at 55. Years of therapy helped me realize l did raise myself. My parents are incompetent and abusive. But as a child l could not have known all this...my only goal was survival. I did it! Sounds like you did too.
Michele Walker 3 years ago
Same! I'm 48 and am realizing that I raised myself and didn't stop until my children were grown. Looking back I wish I had waited until I had discovered therapy before having children because, unfortunately, I wasn't able to break the cycle in time.
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the quickening 3 years ago
I mean... a child doesn't really have much to compare to. But school teachers, friends's parents, all the other adults should pick up on clues when a kid is suffering instead of closing their eyes and calling it "not my business". Children do their best to survive and hide their pain, but letting them means failing them.
Damyon Finch 3 years ago
I'm 35, but because of my childhood, I feel behind, and I spend entirely too much time just trying to, what I feel, catch up to others.
Darleen Marie 3 years ago
That moment when you're an adult and realize you were psychologically abused and abandoned. That your mother had kept you in a glass ball. Living under an illusion of coming from money. Because, of this i am a super late bloomer. Have trouble with finances. Even though my partner has reached me a whole lot. It is what it is. I used to live in my best friend's house and as an adult I realized that if i never had stayed there. I would've killed myself. It's a lot and people don't speak about this too often.
Britches are for everyone 3 years ago
All parents are "doing their best." It doesn't excuse abuse and neglect.
Pursuing Peonies 3 years ago
It is hard when you're an adult (especially now a parent) and you explain how certain things weren't the best and suddenly you're "accusing them of abuse" and "calling them the worst parents ever". Like, we know now that wearing a seatbelt is really important and does literally save lives, and we can look back and go, well that wasn't smart to those who chose not to wear a seatbelt. That doesn't mean we see them as wrong or bad necessarily, just ignorant at best. "Know better, do better" but also " we do the best with the knowledge that we had at the time" and that's okay.
Load More Replies... Redpen88 3 years ago
Add to this parent stealing money and it sounds about right. Anytime I got monetary gifts, I'd toss it in a secret savings account. Parents were not account holders/custodian to the account. The bank, 3 times, allowed her to clear out my accounts. Parent was not an account holder or custodian to the account, so the bank totally broke the law. Imagine being 8 and effectively paying rent.
Crispy Toast 3 years ago
I used to work for a utility in the US, and had several instances where a young person would discover their parent had used their SS# years before to get the power turned on. Every bill was a high dollar amount, but the utility would let you start over at zero if you could prove you were under 18 at the time. For them to actually have a protocol shows how systemic the problem was.
Load More Replies... MygrandsonscallmeNia 3 years ago
I left home at 15. By the time I was 17, I moved 1,200 miles away from them. I had to get jobs, that had pay under the table until I turned 18. I don't recommend doing this, unless you have a place to go, where there Is someone to take care of you, and teach you how to take care of yourself.. I went to some very bad places, and had some very bad things happen to me, because I was just to young to be out on my own.
thepinkrobot 3 years ago
I realize my parents did what they could with what they had. And that means so much!
Kiryn Silverwing 3 years ago
For most of my childhood I hated my dad. Now that I'm an adult I realize he's actually a pretty cool person, he was just god awful at being a dad. I can see now that he was trying his best to do what was best for me, he just had no clue what that was.
#13
High school football. My doctor advised me against it but I was 14 and knew everything. Putting my body through four years of abuse was not worth what I got out of it.
Today I’m 33 and wake up with a stiff neck every day, my right shoulder has a ton of scar tissue, my elbow has a bone chip, my jaw clicks/pops if I open it too wide, and both of my knees ache when it gets too cold.
Also our team sucked.
the quickening 3 years ago
What kind of backwards awful school allows kids to injure themselves this badly in school sports???
Robin OConnor 3 years ago
Welcome to the US. I'm opposed to the public schools spending huge amounts of money on a sport that a tiny number of students are playing, requiring equipment and time and ends up damaging, even killing kids, so a few will make it to a college career that doesn't pay you
Richard Smith 3 years ago
Football and boxing are brutal sports that children should not participate in.
Rochelle S 3 years ago
America needs to retire youth football for exactly these reasons. No to mention the brain injuries! Let's learn soccer, it's a far smarter game anyway.
Jknbt 3 years ago (edited)
when I was in my 30s, a neurologist discovered that I had blown out 8 discs in the back, thank goodness they all exploded away from the spinal chord and not at it... This was caused by playing a lineman & noseguard playing American football... if they had gone against the spinal chord, I would have been paralyzed... all this for the greater glory of my crummy h.s., the second-rate coach, & what little fun I got out of it... they all healed naturally without surgery, I am not paralyzed, but I would not do it again in retrospect, hindsight is always the best sight
Gina Mercer 3 years ago
We went with baseball to avoid injury. My son was a catcher. His knee is missing vital parts with so many tears they don’t know how he walks. Too young for knee replacement. Squatting a lot while growing is not a good idea. I hate it as a mom.
SmooshyFries 3 years ago
My nephew who lived in Tx where football is BIG, got a bad concussion while playing and decided after that game, Nope, never again. Smart boy
April Dancer 3 years ago
Your jaw problem is arthritis. I have it too. Don't chew gum or anything that requires a lot of hard chewing because there's nothing they can do about it. No wide yawning either. Unfortunately, your aching in bad weather knees is almost certainly arthritis too.
#14
Not seeing women the same as men.
Turns out, we're all people.
Trinity Cottrell 3 years ago
I'm between a tomboy and girly, so I used to enjoy making other guys in my class look physically weak by lifting really heavy things and acting like it weighed a feather. They'd always say girls are weak, so I did things better than the boys and proved them wrong. I'm older and wiser now, but whenever a man acts like women are weak, it still triggers me to prove that I'm stronger than the "weak woman" stereotype that a lot of misogynistic men still believe. I'll lift truck batteries, crates, furniture, massive electrical tools, trees, etc. just to say "screw you, women are just as tough as men!"
April Dancer 3 years ago
Don't do yourself an injury 'proving yourself' to people like that. Unfortunately they'll most likely make snide remarks about your choice of partner (I'm trying to make that panda proof) and write you off as a freak. They already have their tiny minds made up and you're unlikely to change that no matter what you do.
Load More Replies... Amelia Bee 3 years ago
It's astonishing how many men still think of us women as lesser than themselves.
MonkeyMummy. 3 years ago
As an independent and strong woman, at age 54, I now realize men are people too. Not all are abusive. Women can also be Abusive.
Lori Berryman 3 years ago
If only more men could realize that. It's all I've ever wanted. To be treated as a human. You are bounds and leaps ahead of your peers. I say this with confidence despite not knowing your age. I've experienced it from all ages.
Witch Hunt 3 years ago
I disagree. There are a lot of differences. If you want to listen to men or have men listen to you you have to use your actions not words. Also, as a single mother with two sons, you have to speak in a lower voice so that men can understand not in a high voice. And there are many other differences between men & women.
#15
Forcing myself to fall in love with a girl. I didn't love her, I was in love with the idea of a girlfriend. Now to be fair, she made the same mistake. She didn't love me. It was a bad relationship.
TheReader19 3 years ago
Most people are in love with the idea of being in love. We learn and grow, there's no shame in this.
AmandaKay 3 years ago
This statue looks like the cover art of the book "Love Story" a book famously known for the quote "Love means never having to say you are sorry" This is BS. Complete BS. Love means you absolutely SHOULD say you are sorry. Who loves someone & uses love as an excuse to never apologize? That's toxic & abusive.
Alane Lambert 3 years ago
The problem with trying to force yourself to love someone, is that love can't be manipulated. Either you truly love someone, or you can only try so hard before you may realize the emptyness.
albernistuff 4sale 3 years ago
been there, done that. Started several relationships out of fear of being alone more than actual interest in the other person. It is a given that none of them ended well.
Natassja Moore 3 years ago
This could have been written by my ex girlfriend. Biggest mistake I made as a teenager was attempting to wake a girls heart with no intention of waking my own.
Kayla 3 years ago (edited)
I have done this way too many times once with a girl I didn't match with, told myself "Opposite's attract" or something and way too many times with men, never really confessed because I got over it but if they did I tried it out. Now I live happily as an Aro/Ace sexual! And if you say I shouldn't have accepted their confession, I don't care, it is in the past and I know that one of them has gotten over it living a happy life after finding out exactly what they need or don't want.
#16
Not being more sociable. I’m 25 now and I have no f*****g idea how to make friends
Alison Hell 3 years ago
As a suggestion, you could go on the internet and look up social clubs, meetups, and so on in your area. Maybe there's a program (art, archery, whatevs) that interests you that you could get involved in..its a step to meeting new people which would help you to become more social at your own pace.
Bill Copeland 3 years ago
Dude, get involved in a local church and get involved in a small group. That will cure that issue.
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bleurchhh53 3 years ago
In any interaction with people, maybe just ask a simple "how you doing"? It's a great throwaway, is non-threatening and sometimes will result in more conversation. Not always, don't be put off (but don't force it) and just move on. I work amongst the public and always ask after them. Sometimes I'm ignored, sometimes, hey, people WILL talk. We all have good / bad / terrible days, but sometimes you'll be surprised at how people will open up if asked how their day is going. They might comment on the weather, sports, a local / national / world news story or issue that might be of mutual interest. Go for a coffee, or whatever takes your fancy, at a regular spot, spend a half hour, hour or whatever, where you're comfortable and don't be afraid to smile and say hi. It does takes time but, after a while, if you start seeing the same people and they see that you are non-threatening and simply looking to be friendly, people will start to open up and chat more...and what Alison Hell suggests too!
Aurora Leilani 3 years ago
Do yourself a favor and head to a psychiatrist. I am 52 and just now realizing that I'm probably mildly autistic. Get checked!
It's me!!!! 3 years ago
I feel this one. Lost my childhood friends after realizing they were treating me like c**p growing up. I'm socially awkward and I've never made new friends.
#17
I was a rather negative person as a teenager, but tried to play it off as sarcasm instead. I somehow had grown into this weird bubble where I made fun of almost every little thing, but didn't really realize that I was also hurting my friends by doing that.
I did lots of growing up after high school, and I'm a bit sad about not keeping in touch with my old friends. They might have liked me more today than they did back then.
Freddie Torsten 3 years ago
Well it's also annoying when people don't understand sarcasm at all and just become angry with you
3 Owls In A Coat 3 years ago
But it’s also annoying when sarcasm is used constantly and inappropriately. Sounds like OP realized they were doing that and learned from it, and grew to be a better person :)
Load More Replies... Yukon Charlie 3 years ago
In psychology class a while ago, our lecturer had a huge rant on sarcasm and how you should never use in any important or meaningful relationship. He took us on a deep dive of how not saying what you mean can subconsciously build mistrust and a lot of other fascinating things. Wish I'd known that sooner.
Cathleen Day 3 years ago
I am always accused of being negative. Well no, actually I'm a realist, I tell it exactly like it is. I've come to realise a LOT of people cannot handle reality!
MygrandsonscallmeNia 3 years ago
I've always been sarcastic. Now, that I'm older, it's just telling the truth, and because no one likes the truth, we get called that. I just don't sugar coat the truth. Neither, should anyone else.
Cyber Flask 3 years ago
Sarcasm is actually a form of anger. So most sarcastic people have anger issues especially at those they see as less intelligent than them.
#18
Not losing kilos from the beginning, i know it may be sound stupid but being an overweight teenager made me become an outcast everywhere, kids and adults can be cruel and even self esteem was bad. I only lost those kilos near the end wish i did it much sooner
RandomFrog(He/They️️) 3 years ago (edited)
This is kinda unrelated but when I was on the heavier side and before braces I was uglier than ugly, but it’s when I had the most self confidence! Like I thought I was the main character, and tbh I was kinda a brat. And now I’ve lost maybe 20lbs, and it’s made a huge difference, cut my hair, started kinda socially transitioning (I’m transgender) as much as I can in an un accepting environment, and I think I’m much more better looking than back then (like a lotttt) but I feel like c**p I hate myself and my body and I wish I could go back to being ugly but thinking I was pretty.
3 Owls In A Coat 3 years ago
You sound really intelligent and self aware. That’s very attractive in my opinion :) I bet you’re a lot more gorgeous than you think, we’re all our own worst critics - but the older I get (I just turned 30) the more attracted I am to smart kind people, no matter what they look like 😍
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Melia Janssen 3 years ago
I was a big teenager too and I resorted to unhealthy ways to lose the weight as I was desperate to fit in. Well, I did lose the weight but people still didn't include me in anyway.
dingo 3 years ago
Because people still have value and deserve respect regardless of their weight, and it’s not always your position to comment on somebody else’s body.
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Magpie 3 years ago
Do it for yourself & try to find some things you enjoy. Dance, swimming, trampoline, martial arts, tai chi, qi-gong, yoga, bicycling, elliptical, fitness hoop, Richard Simmons videos.... Exercise doesn't have to be all sit ups & running laps. Really wish I'd known that a long time ago.
MygrandsonscallmeNia 3 years ago
I always felt bad for overweight people.... The torment people put them through. Sometimes, they really can't help it, and other times they eat to comfort themselves. There's always a story that needs to be listened to.
TheOtherWeirdo 3 years ago
Yeah, but for some of us it's darn near impossible. I have been trying for years, and I am still a teen. I mean, I'm not heavy heavy, but still. It's not all that easy.
HugAMally 3 years ago
I'm glad you lost the weight, but for your health. I'm sorry you felt you had to do it to be "accepted." I'm not judging. I've done and still do the same. I was always very thin so I can't say I know how you feel. However, now that I'm older and have gained alot of weight due to meds that I have to take, I find dieting to be harder.
#19
Started having sex too young which lead to mistakes and pregnancies too young, and losing a baby as a child was too much. I’m still not sure I’ve recovered.
Curly potato 3 years ago
Guys, whoever sees this, look at the comments below this one, find the replies made by Gay Bear and DOWNVOTE THE HELL OUTTA THEM
Doris Won 3 years ago
I got pregnant at the age of 14 and I also had an abortion then too. I still think about the baby but I have two healthy girl now and won't change my past. But yeah getting pregnant that young is not good for no one. A kid can't really take good responsibility for another baby's life without help. Please becareful and stay safe.
Lia Salvatore 3 years ago
OP. I am so so sorry. Just remember, you're a queen. and, just asking, 👑, this yours?
Rei 3 years ago
Our throw away society made sex into some throw away thing, and if you're unlucky enough to grow up in a family where there is no talk about this topic, how should you know that its supposed to be somehing precious and beautifully intimate between two people who came to love and commit to each other? Media tells us that our bodies are just some tools to make money on and to exploit it, and doesn't teach us dignity, wisdom and respect for our bodies, and how it's connected to soul and spirit. And that is the whole problem within teenage pregnancies. I am truly sorry what this young woman had to go through. :-(
robin aldrich 3 years ago
Even adult women fall fall for the BS that men feed us ....doesn't just happen to teenagers....we gotta wise up.
Ambry Petersen 3 years ago
I waited until marriage and still lost my first to miscarriage. It's never easy at any age. To be honest I don't think any us ever truly recover. Losing a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped out. Just know your not alone.
MygrandsonscallmeNia 3 years ago
I was 20, when I gave my first baby up for adoption. I'm now, 58 and at least, once a month I stop to think about him... I just wasn't ready, and I wanted him to have a good home. He was also born with a genetic health problem, that required surgeries, and a lot of health Care. He's 36 now, and so many times I wished I would have kept him. Your baby, is with Jesus, being comforted and loved. I know, you want to be the one to do it, but there may have been a medical issue that the child would not have had a very good quality of life.
Marissa Taylor 3 years ago
The probelm is society makes sexs into this right of passage.eveb scools unknowing encourage teenage sex .and the make virginity look like a sin
#20
My biggest teenage mistake was not being kind to myself. My teenage years were some of the hardest in my life( hopefully).
Trauma after trauma, disappointment after disappointment. And i always blamed myself for them all.
It wasn't until recently i could start looking back and realized that it really wasn't my fault. I did a lot more than most would have in my situation. And that even though i had terrible teenage years, its not a reflection on who i am, but more a reflection on what i was going through.
It makes comming to terms with losing out on that part of your life much easier. And i wish i had this mindset much earlier.
Blurryface 3 years ago
I’m in the middle of this. I have severe depression and social anxiety. Childhood trauma. Only a few close friends, and I have screwed up all of my relationships so far. Too introverted to make more friends, terrified of letting anyone be close to me again. I gave my heart to a manipulative guy. I’m literally only halfway through my teens, and it’s been awful. Not sure how to continue. Therapy is helping, but things are just getting worse. I realize that life is not supposed to be happy all the time, but this year has sucked. And last year. And the year before. The other day, I finally told someone the truth when they asked how I was doing. Then they told me that these should be the best years of my life. I don’t know. It just seems pointless. I’m taking meds, finding hobbies, being interactive (to a point). I’m trying it all. I’m trying to make it better. It’s not working. And there seems to be no end. Impossible. Tomorrow I’m hosting a game night. I have to put on a game face…
Blurryface 3 years ago
…despite being in the worst depressive episode of my life. It’s lasted over a week. I don’t know how to do it anymore. I’ll just smile and fake being okay, and then when they’re gone I’ll hide again. And this will be my life. Thanks for listening, random people on the internet, I guess. :) Hang in there, anyone else going through the same stuff. Don’t be afraid to use the prevention hotlines. Better to get help early than too late. Love ya. |-/
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TimeToIndulgeMyADHD 3 years ago
I wish more people could understand that not every bad thing that happens to you is somehow your fault. ☹️ The world would make more sense if things like Karma always applied, but sometimes bad stuff just happens.
Family Osborne 2 years ago
Guys...the replies on this thread. I'm literally almost cry8ing at this outpouring of human kindness, from STRANGERS. Thank you, people I don't know. You made me smile.
albernistuff 4sale 3 years ago
Focus on being your own person, happy with your own company. The confidence that comes with that will help in relationships.
#21
When I had the opportunity, I did not go to study, but decided to go to work right away
bleurchhh53 3 years ago
I don't want to be inconsiderate to the lack of context here (did you know what your dream job was from age 7 or hadn't a clue what to do at 16/18?) but...honestly...regret nothing. I left school at 17. Worked my way through a career I hated. Made a decent amount of money, not rich but comfortable. Then my mother died when I was in my 40's. Absolutely devastated. Sold up. Travelled for a while. Spent most of my savings. Then COVID hit. I'm now in my 50's, I work as a postman and I "get by" but love the job. I regret none of it. If it's the money you miss (or feel you missed), that's not the issue. Honestly, trust me... Live your life as best you can and enjoy it as much as possible (I just hope you are being afforded at least a *decent* living wage at what you are doing now...if you're struggling, that's a different issue and I would not wish this on anyone at all. Everyone, bar none, deserves a decent standard of living. Shouldn't even have to say it...)
Pursuing Peonies 3 years ago
Pretty sure that's what they're saying, that they wished they had studied rather than immediately work. I just wish it were an opportunity everyone had, like you said. I mean, people in the US seem to believe that good doctors should just appear out of nowhere, have xx number of years of experience, and must be rich because "Dr salary 🤑" but that's just not how that works. If the kids in high school (and before) don't know even vaguely what they wanna do/what's available to learn to do, and the college kids don't have the time to do it because they're busy working to be able to afford to just survive, how are we going to continue to have doctors? (And that's just one general occupation)
Load More Replies... Chich 3 years ago (edited)
I took several years betwixt HS (which I hated) and college (which I loved). Do not regret it at all. Gave a chance to mature a bit and get some real life experience. Made a difference when I went back to school(24). Seeing the fresh out of HS crowd struggling more than I had to.
albernistuff 4sale 3 years ago
College and Uni are way oversold and way overpiced. Take it from someone who was inside that system for 3 decades. I always tell folks to NOT go straight from HS to Uni - go experience work/life for at least a few years, then go with having a better idea of what you want from higher education.
Mike Rodrick 3 years ago
Doing what you want to be doing rather than what you should be doing.
Lonely Tentacle 3 years ago
Guys, downvoting is NOT just a dislike, 10 downvotes get people banned. If you disagree just write it in a comment.
Load More Replies... #22
Not noticing the signs when a girl was clearly into me
Pursuing Peonies 3 years ago
Anyone who's attracted to women at any age, honestly 🤣😂🤣
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Fearhunter 3 years ago
What's the deal?! Its not a one rail road. The girls can take the first steps too. If I didn't make the first steps I wouldn't have my boyfriend. He's to shy.
Sigrún Hlín 3 years ago
I hate this nonsense about hints and signs. I get it, being blunt and up front meant/means getting slutshamed. It's getting slightly better, I'm just impatient.
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Raimei Ai 3 years ago
I'm about as sharp as chalk when it comes to anyone showing interest in me. Even had a friend tell me "Okay. You are horrible at taking a hint! I was giving you bedroom eyes ALL night!" She doesn't understand that I'm not interested in that type of stuff...but still...had no idea she was doing that... Apparently she was dropping hints for MONTHS!
Gavin Johnson 3 years ago
18 year old me, takes 19 year old friend to Monsters of Rock at Donington Park, we share a weekend of boozed up fun and great music, travel home on the Sunday and as we’d been away together I invited her into my house for a coffee, when we got in I made a brew, sat down with her looking at me weird, I thought nothing of it, we drank our coffee and then I sent her on her way….two minutes after she’d left it hit me. I look back and laugh at how badly I read rooms and people!
#23
I'm actually more worried about the mistakes I didn't make. Making mistakes means you're experiencing life. I was way too far in my shell to have fun.
Susie Elle 3 years ago
I wonder why people associate 'fun' with 'making mistakes'. You WILL make mistakes throughout your entire life, but they're often far from fun and not per se the result from having fun in the first place. Having fun means you do what you love and want to do and you can do that at any moment in time.
Svenne O'Lotta 3 years ago
The point is you're gonna fück up regardless, might as well have a tolerable time
Load More Replies... MygrandsonscallmeNia 3 years ago
I used to be a withdrawn mouse. I don't like to let to let people in, but I am friendly, and no longer a mouse. I found that, fighting for the underdog, and go do what I want to do, makes a difference. Even if I'm alone (I usually am.), Il go do it. My favorite thing, go for a 3 hour walk. I put my phone on Pandora, put in my ear buds, and walk. I even dance sometimes like no one's watching. I always end up at the local park. I open up a coloring app, and just sit with my music going, and coloring. Just go do everything you want to do, and enjoy it. You don't have to have a friend with you, no one cares if you do, or don't. Mistakes, are life's lessons, and everyone makes them. Having fun when you're young, means you did what you wanted to do, not what everyone else is doing.
Electra Complex 3 years ago
Me too! I never "rebelled," I was so afraid of breaking arbitrary rules so I didn't take any risks.
#24
Trying to be someone who I wasn't
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Being a phony and hoping to pass it off? Definitely. An honest search for your true identity, trying various interests and relationships? That’s just being a mensch.
Louise cameron 3 years ago
Don't worry Anonymous Panda, lots of people are still doing this well into adulthood. I was still trying too hard to be accepted in my mid twenties. It's usually a lack of self esteem and or introversion that makes you want to copy others to fit in.
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Masen Silas 3 years ago
This literally almost killed me... I was either coming out or killing myself but I was tired of lying ♡
Ambry Petersen 3 years ago
Never obsess over the popular fads. They are a dime a dozen and change drastically every few years.
#25
Spending a large inheritance I got when I was 18 in 2009. Could of owned a property outright by now
Keller Worthen 3 years ago
Must've been a very large inheritance with the current housing market
v 3 years ago
If he had bought it in 2009 why would it have cost him more money today to own it outright?
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Mason Dalmau 3 years ago
2009 would have been an amazing time to use that inheritance wisely. That was one of the best time in recent history to get into real estate. The house I own now is worth 8 times what it sold for in 2008.
#26
Never having had the courage to pursue girls or ask for help in figuring out how
Guile main 3 years ago
I'm honestly having this problem with really wanting to talk to my crush, but when I get close I completely shut down, even though I do want to I just can't. Does anyone have advice that might help, because I don't want to also have this regret when I'm older
Minath 3 years ago
Us girls are nowhere near as confident as we might pretend to be when we are teenagers and young adults. A gentle non-pushy compliment is offen a good place to start, nothing creepy though. "I like your top" not "your boobs look great in that top" Find out what your crush is into - bands, books films etc see if any match up with what you like, don't pretend to like something though because you will be found out pretty quickly. Also remember that a giggle isn't necessarily laughing at you, it's just that someone isn't sure what to say. The worst that could happen is the person could say they aren't interested and that's totally ok.
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Darth Bob 3 years ago
This was so much my wife and me when we met. Thankfully her roommate was a good friend if mine who knew I was crushing and one my wife couldn't stop talking about me, so she threw us together. Otherwise I'd still be trying to figure out how to ask her out for a date instead of being married 25 years.
Rochelle S 3 years ago
The term, "pursue" needs clarification. To respectful guys, this means initiating conversation & perhaps dates. To others, it is literal: hunting you down. I personally appreciate the former but never experience this, only the latter. Would love for that to change.
Load More Replies... Brian Droste 3 years ago
Trying just to say hi to break the ice and if you are going to do something on the weekend mention it and see how she reacts or could say in a casual way "would you like to go along."
Sigrún Hlín 3 years ago
Don't pursue. Speak to them like human beings and not walking, talking fleshlights.
Michael Diaz 3 years ago
As someone who was really shy around girls when I was younger, my best advice is just to talk to them normally. They're people, and just like any other person, they have the same need to feel respected and fit in. Don't put them on pedestals and just talk to them the way you would any of your friends.
Kiryn Silverwing 3 years ago
Can't hurt to ask! When I was 17, a fun guy I just met a few days before asked me to be his girlfriend. We've now been together for 21 years.
BasedWang12.3 3 years ago
story of my life. My now X was the last female friend I really had so now I don't really see any more relationships in my future because I have no idea nor courage
#27
Shared bank account with girl at 19.
Lilyana 3 years ago
Why does it matter if the individual is a chick? If you share a bank account with anyone and there's a risk.
Divinetries 3 years ago
It doesn't but they're saying that they did it before marriage and took a major risk at a young age without better thought process
Load More Replies... Kevin Felton 3 years ago
Never share a bank account. I don't care if you're married to her. NEVER share a bank account.
#28
Having an online relationship with a girl throughout high school who broke up with me after I flew out to visit her. Those were years I could’ve spent dating the girl I’d had a crush on since fifth grade.
ADHD McChick 3 years ago (edited)
My ex best friend was like this. But her issues stemmed from childhood trauma/sexual abuse. She was SO desperate to be in love, but completely terrified of real boys. So she had online relationships instead. And this was in the late 90s/early 00s, before video chat, etc, was really a thing. She'd be so in love with some "guy", when he was literally nothing but words on a screen. Pretty words, I'm sure. But just words. No phone calls (long-distance charges were still a thing), no sexting, nothing sexual at all, in fact. I mean, maybe he'd send a few generic pics, sometimes. But who knows if that was really him in them or not. She talked to these guys for hours, to the point of spending her entire day in the computer lab (didn't have our own back then) & failing out of college, & she believed everything they said whole-heartedly. She'd go from guy to guy, & every guy she talked to was "the one". She'd fantasize about meeting them in person, and even start to make plans. But I always knew it would never happen. Her mom and I tried to (gently) talk to her about it, and explain our worries. But she never listened. We knew it wasn't healthy. I don't know if she knew that deep down, herself, or if she was actually in complete denial. But I guess it was the only way she really felt safe. So she clung to it.
ADHD McChick 3 years ago (edited)
She's married now, to a real guy ofc, and they have kids, but sadly, she's never resolved her issues, or even tried to treat them. She's never really dated, in the real world, and even met her husband through an online dating site, and maintained that relationship online for months, before we stopped talking, and she took her oldest son and ran 3 or 4 states away, to meet and eventually marry the guy. (This was her usual dating M.O., minus the marriage, ofc.) And her issues led to problems in a lot of areas of her life. It's one of the reasons we're not friends anymore. I will always love her. And I wish her nothing but the best. But in the end, I HAD to walk away. I hung in as long as I could. We were best friends for 20 years, after all. She was like a sister to me, and I understood why she was like she was. I'll never have a friendship like that again. And I will always miss her. But things just got worse and worse, and I couldn't help her. She didn't want to be helped. And she was beginning to hurt me, and my family. So I had to walk away. Sometimes, it has to be that way. Sometimes you just get to a point where you have no other choice. Sometimes you just have to let someone go, for your own mental health. That's what I had to do.
Load More Replies... removebeforeflight 3 years ago (edited)
That's EXACTLY my situation. Though it taught me a lesson. She broke up with me after I refused that my mother would speak with her mother about her visiting (f**k, she was 23 by than, I was 16 and my parents were not such overcaring a-holes). I refused because my mother was recovering after cancer treatment surgery. She said she was okay to call her mother, but I had seen it was rough for her and didn't want to bother her with that just several days after surgery. The girl called me immature (funny to hear from a person who still needed mom's approval to go 700 kilometers away while being 23) and broke up. Now I'm in a happy and comfortable relationship. And not online. And my mother recovered. Life is way better these 5 years later.
Luann Maria 3 years ago
Teenage girls are fickle and little boys are their playthings, I never dated a dude my age, it was always older men, no regrets, I had a lot of fun.
3 Owls In A Coat 3 years ago (edited)
…..yeah? People date in high school.
Load More Replies... #29
I took my uncle's beautiful restored classic car for a drive when I didn't have a license and got it impounded.
Yukon Charlie 3 years ago
You monster. I'm trying to keep my head from exploding from shock and horror
#30
Not playing even more video games.
ItsJess 3 years ago
Same, my parents thought they were a total waste of time so I missed out on some great games
Tiny Dancer 3 years ago
Lol! I can't complain on this topic, I was lucky to have a secret nerd for a Dad (it was kind of our family secret, no one else knew how much he enjoyed electronic toys and gadgets and sci-fi movies). I mean, we were the first on our block to have Pong, we were THAT hip and happenin', baby. Also spent my weight in quarters on pinball machines back when, good times.
Ambry Petersen 3 years ago
Not really. I never played many video games as a teen and I don't regret it. I picked up other skills that I enjoy just as much.
#31
Being afraid of girls. Didn't realize that they were normal humans too, who just wanted to have fun and be liked. They were mysterious and scary, and I lost a lot of years being self conscious and shy.
The Cute Cat 3 years ago
Looking back, I am just like you. But I never regret it. I have many girls as just friend and it is enough for me. Later I made one a girlfriend but we split just a month later. Then I propose to one of my best friend, and it is working. Really regret loosing a friend because made her a girlfriend.
#32
Treating highschool as a obligation and not a opportunity. Not just social but economical gains and your own development are way greater effected by how you view your highschool years.
ADHD McChick 3 years ago
I don't really agree with this. I loved my school, and my time there. But the time since those four short years has done MUCH more for me.
#33
I was teased a lot when I was younger...I was chubby, and socially awkward. When I became a teen, I grew a lot, and lost a lot of weight. But, the damage to my self-esteem had been done. One time, when I was in grade 11, I was sitting in the cafeteria. There were a group of girls sitting further down the table from me, looking at me, and giggling to each other. One of them passed me a note that said, "I like you, [my name]"...but they spelled my name wrong (a common mistake for my name). I tossed it back and coldly said, "You spelled my name wrong," got up and walked away. God, I felt like a d**k afterwards. I thought they were teasing me, leading me into a trap, where I'd hit on one of them, and they'd all laugh at me at my expense. But...one of them (maybe all of them) really did like me, and they were all super cute. I crushed some girl hard.
Chucky Cheezburger 3 years ago
I feel this one. I was the heavy,socially awkward guy for most of my time in school. The teasing and "jokes" that I happened really can slap down your self esteem. It made me defensive to everyone, even if they were being sincerely nice to me. It took a long time for me to really trust anyone, usually longer than they were willing to spend. And I'm still have that defensiveness to this day,decades later. Not as bad,but its definitely there.
Katie Everswick 3 years ago
just wondering, are you being self-deprecating with your bp handle?
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#34
Sold $200 worth of Bitcoins to a friend for tickets to a music festival back in 2011.
#35
Back when I was just a young hoodlum I was out for a very late evening drive.
Nice cool air and my car was making good power. Which for a turbo 5.0 Mustang is quite a bit of power. I was cruising at 100 mph+ with occasional jaunts to much higher speed.
Came up to a town and saw a police road block. About the same time I saw lights about a mile behind me. I was pretty sure they couldn't have id'd me by that point so I took off. Did a little fancy driving and gave them the slip.....for awhile. Long story short it came down to wrecking my car or giving up an I decided to give up.
Felony fleeing the police in a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment and a couple other charges is what I ended up with.
I was 19 at the time.
Now I'm 33, I'm an engineer, married to a wonderful man who unfortunately I am not able to have children with. We looked into adoption, but with one of us being a former felon it's a bit of a nonstarter.
Guile main 3 years ago
Man, I really do feel bad for you now You've grown and changed and want to change a child's life to be a happy one, but can't because of a mistake
ADHD McChick 3 years ago
Not woohoo. Dumb as hèll. You should not be proud of this.
Load More Replies... #36
Trying to be more mature.
Since childhood, I prided myself on being an extremely smart person who was above things like "cartoons" and "playing". Of course, I still liked those things, but I desperately tried to hide it even though literally nobody actually cared. While everyone my age was dashing to tab away from porn, I was tabbing away from Minecraft let's plays.
Even though I'm older now and know that people don't care, I still find myself tabbing away from cartoons and pausing games when people try to see what I'm doing. That instinct is still there. I usually just force myself to resume what I was doing, but I feel like I'd be better off if I didn't have the desire to prove myself to others as a kid.
Anonymous panda 3 years ago (edited)
Hey dont be ashamed of it! I do all those things on the list(and im afraid i have watched...that before, although i think ive grown now)
Not Telling you 3 years ago
I can relate to this. Was Thai because of your own opinions or did you have someone *cough cough parents* always judging your maturity from what you did for fun?
3 Owls In A Coat 3 years ago (edited)
I remember doing this, I was the older sister so I was supposed to be the “grown up” one. I remember changing the channel away from ARTHUR when my mum walked in the room when I was like 7 because I was embarrassed. I actually have a huge problem with “trying to prove myself” now as an adult. This post resonated with me :)
#37
Doing an unsuccessful backflip on a trampoline
Joshua Moon 3 years ago
I second that. Broke my ankle on a trampoline. It's never been the same
ADHD McChick 3 years ago
Yeah, I'm a 42 year old woman with joint problems, who's been through pregnancy and childbirth. I can't even LOOK at a trampoline anymore, without a back brace, ankle and knee braces, and a depends on. 😂😂😂😂 But yeah, we had one when I was young, and...a lotta ouchies, lol. A lotta fun, too. But a lotta ouchies.
#38
Getting old
Chrissyfox 3 years ago
I don't know about you, but this happens waaaay too fast. One minute you're in love, getting married, having babies, working hard... and before you know it, it's time to retire. Your hips give way, your skin dries out, your back hurts all the time. Your GRANDSONS are over 6' tall! Friends and family dying all around you. It's downright scary as f*ck. Mortality sucks.
robin aldrich 3 years ago
OMG...yes... I don't recognize the person in the mirror because I don't mentally feel that old... until my body reminds me I am.
#39
I didn't let myself have much fun. I always thought about things like I was already an adult and always had to be responsible and mature. There are a lot of things I passed up that could have been really fun had I just let myself enjoy life a little.
3 Owls In A Coat 3 years ago
My best friend is like this! He would often sit on the sidelines while the rest of us had fun. I love his grumpy butt but I kind of hope he doesn’t come to regret it.
#40
I robbed a gas station.
#41
I didn't really do much of anything as a teenager. So it's hard to point to anything in particular as that big of a mistake. I would probably say downloading reddit is my biggest mistake.
ArodTheHorrible 3 years ago
Downloading reddit? Did you get a backup of the internet while you were at it?
#42
Driving under the influence when I got my first car. I used to drive when going out with friends under the guise of not drinking, but inevitably I would end up having a couple drinks and would drive home anyway. Never got drunk to the point of being a severe danger behind the wheel, but it was still stupid as hell. My 33yr old self shudders now at my own idiocy.
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
I thought the approval of that mob of fellow teenagers was everything. The teachers were just there to be my straight-men. Guess who really had the power to punch my ticket?
What do you think ?
Deborah B 3 years ago
I regret not getting treatment for my depression, because parents told me I wasn't "depressed enough" to need medication, or to "play the suicide card". Instead I self-medicated with St John's Wort until my late 20s. SSRIs are a heck of a lot more effective. Just because you're functioning, and still getting up, and going to class, or to work, and pushing through to meet other people's expectations, it doesn't mean you're okay. You are not supposed to be living with constant dread, self-hatred, and mental anguish. You are not supposed to be pretending to be okay, while wishing each day that you could just die, and not have to do it any more. You're not supposed to be planning out ways to kill yourself without being "selfish" and inconveniencing others. Life's not supposed to be that hard. If this is familiar, please go to your doctor, and ask for help.
NewNicknameAlert 3 years ago
I reget not taking a chance on myself earlier in life by moving out of my parents home. Instead, I've stayed in a toxic environment where I'm disregarded, disrespected and treated unfairly. My daughter deserves better than to see me treated like this from "family"
Lisa H 3 years ago
I got used to rejection and also missing opportunities in general because I just "knew" that the opportunity was never for me to begin with. Rejection is part of life, but I have gotten so used to being rejected that I just allow myself to miss out on every opportunity just to avoid rejection in the first place.
Sarah Pryde 3 years ago
i regret listening to my "friends" tell me that someday someone would love a "chubby girl".....(spoiler, i was never "fat")
Aiden Brough 3 years ago
Standing up to those who bullied me for 5 years at senior school - physically and much worse, mentally. I still look back 35 years on and wonder what would have happened if I'd gone to college and then to Uni as I'd hoped to do instead of escaping into what I now know to be a deadend career that I've become institutionalise within. I also wonder if my black dog would still be paying me these unannounced visits every few years...
Chich 3 years ago
If I have one regret it was not ghosting the asshats who claimed to be my friends. Looking back now I wonder why I put up with them as long as I did considering the s**t they put me through. Only thing I can think of was being a lonely kid.
Tessb90 3 years ago
Hanging on to asshat friends so that you aren't completely alone is something that seems so necessary at the time. The positive that i've taken away from it is the strength to know what I won't put up with as an adult, and the ability to recognise selfish behaviour in others sooner than most.
Load More Replies... 
Kenny Kulbiski 3 years ago
If you only make one big mistake as a teen you're way ahead of me and a lot of other people.
Deborah B 3 years ago
I regret not getting treatment for my depression, because parents told me I wasn't "depressed enough" to need medication, or to "play the suicide card". Instead I self-medicated with St John's Wort until my late 20s. SSRIs are a heck of a lot more effective. Just because you're functioning, and still getting up, and going to class, or to work, and pushing through to meet other people's expectations, it doesn't mean you're okay. You are not supposed to be living with constant dread, self-hatred, and mental anguish. You are not supposed to be pretending to be okay, while wishing each day that you could just die, and not have to do it any more. You're not supposed to be planning out ways to kill yourself without being "selfish" and inconveniencing others. Life's not supposed to be that hard. If this is familiar, please go to your doctor, and ask for help.
NewNicknameAlert 3 years ago
I reget not taking a chance on myself earlier in life by moving out of my parents home. Instead, I've stayed in a toxic environment where I'm disregarded, disrespected and treated unfairly. My daughter deserves better than to see me treated like this from "family"
Lisa H 3 years ago
I got used to rejection and also missing opportunities in general because I just "knew" that the opportunity was never for me to begin with. Rejection is part of life, but I have gotten so used to being rejected that I just allow myself to miss out on every opportunity just to avoid rejection in the first place.
Sarah Pryde 3 years ago
i regret listening to my "friends" tell me that someday someone would love a "chubby girl".....(spoiler, i was never "fat")
Aiden Brough 3 years ago
Standing up to those who bullied me for 5 years at senior school - physically and much worse, mentally. I still look back 35 years on and wonder what would have happened if I'd gone to college and then to Uni as I'd hoped to do instead of escaping into what I now know to be a deadend career that I've become institutionalise within. I also wonder if my black dog would still be paying me these unannounced visits every few years...
Chich 3 years ago
If I have one regret it was not ghosting the asshats who claimed to be my friends. Looking back now I wonder why I put up with them as long as I did considering the s**t they put me through. Only thing I can think of was being a lonely kid.
Tessb90 3 years ago
Hanging on to asshat friends so that you aren't completely alone is something that seems so necessary at the time. The positive that i've taken away from it is the strength to know what I won't put up with as an adult, and the ability to recognise selfish behaviour in others sooner than most.
Load More Replies... Kenny Kulbiski 3 years ago
If you only make one big mistake as a teen you're way ahead of me and a lot of other people.
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