50 Times People Surprised Family Members In Funny And Ridiculous Ways They Didn’t See Coming
We associate family life with tradition and routine. From weekday dinners to get-togethers at our grandparents' farmhouse, it's what keeps us grounded even in the most challenging times. However, no matter how well we think we know them, the closest people around us can still find ways to surprise us. Somewhat paradoxically, I think that's mainly because of the same reason—they know us really, really well. Our moral system, the boundaries of our sense of humor, everything. And they can use it to their advantage. So we at Bored Panda put together a list of funny and ridiculous moments when folks realized their family members went completely off-script. Enjoy!
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Dominic Really Went Outside And Brought A Deer Back
Ex Cheated. Called Off Wedding. Day Of “Wedding” I Was Sad. My Family Surprised Me With An Anti-Wedding Party
Tania Luna, the co-host of the podcast Talk Psych to Me and the author of the book Surprise, describes the phenomenon as an error signal our brains produce when something unexpected or mis-expected happens. Luna believes it was an essential adaptation for our ancestors because it forced them to freeze and focus on threats and opportunities, while those who could not experience surprise could not react or learn quickly enough to survive.
"On a neural level, surprise is a dopamine trigger, producing the neurotransmitter that drives attention and motivation," Luna explained in Psychology Today. "To put it simply, surprise is a big deal to our brains. It makes us stop, notice, and learn." That's why we remember the times someone (or something) got us so vividly.
Had My Leg Amputated And My Brother Shows Up To The Hospital Dressed As A Pirate
I Beat Cancer This Year And Lost My Hair In The Process. My 4-Year-Old Son Wanted To Be Darth Vader For Halloween, So I Surprised Him As Darth Mom
I Got My Grandma A New Apron For Her 90th Birthday. This Is The Moment She Realized What Was On It
In his book The Power of Surprise, psychologist Michael Rousell reveals his favorite insight gleaned from decades of his research: surprise is a key ingredient in our formative moments. (Formative events are the experiences that have shaped who we believe we are. They form our sense of self.)
All of us are influenced by the combination of our past experiences, and the majority of our experiences are part of a slow, gradual evolution in self-perception, except for the formative events that are like a sudden revolution, resulting in a sudden shift in how we perceive ourselves.
Parents Gave Me A Gift For College Today, Which Was All The Money That My Mom Found In My Pockets When Doing My Laundry
My Kids Came In And Told Me There Was Water Coming From The Laundry Room. They Said It Looked Like It Started At The Washer. I Rushed In To Find This
Buncha comedians in my house.
The Look On My Daughter's Face When I Tell Her She Gets To Adopt A Kitten For A Surprise Birthday Present
My Wife Just Graduated From The Police Academy And Her Sister Sent These To Our House
To help understand this concept, Luna suggests this example: it took Hector many years to develop the belief that he lacked leadership potential. And it only took an instant to change his beliefs when a coworker told him, "Most folks on our team just want to hear themselves speak, but you listen and make sure everyone feels heard. You are a great leader, and you inspire me to be better too."
"This simple comment was the surprise spark that transformed Hector's self-image," Luna said. "After hearing that, confirmation bias triggered Hector's search for confirming evidence, causing him to re-label his past experiences from 'people-pleasing' to 'great leader.' The result wasn't just a change in his thinking but also a catalyst for 'self-fulfilling prophecy' actions such as volunteering for more leadership roles."
My Friend Got A Christmas Card From His Nephew. He Decided To Copy It And Send It Back
When My Wife Had An Ultrasound For Our First Child I Took A Photo Of The Print Out So She Could Send To Friends And Family. Instead I Sent Her This Xenomorph Image
And she sent it to everyone before realizing what it was. She was not amused.
My Grandfather Always Wears His Favorite 70s Suit To Every Family Event, So As A Surprise For His 80th We All Dressed To Match
Shout Out To My Brother For Replacing A Picture Of Jesus At My Parent's House With A Picture Of Obi-Wan Kenobi As Portrayed By Ewan Mcgregor
Three months and counting without them noticing.
An example Rousell shares in his book is this: Samantha felt her shyness was a weakness, until her swim coach surprised her by naming her captain. He said, "She may be quiet, but when this girl says something, you're going to want to listen."
The surprise left her feeling quietly powerful, and the change in her beliefs and behaviors was instant and long-lasting.
My Wife And I Like To Surprise Each Other With Unexpected Charlie. Charlie No Longer Finds This Amusing
2 Steps Into Walking Down The Aisle. He Said "Goddamit Jeri, Did My Pants Just Fall Down?"
My Parents Are Retiring And Want To Travel Full Time. My Brother Sent Them This Suitcase For Christmas
Was Wondering Why My Wife Was Giggling When She Asked Me To Change The Air Filters
But not all surprising moments are created equal. If you too want to catch your family member (or anyone else for that matter) off-guard, Rousell thinks there are three research-backed steps to use surprise well.
The first is to identify a perceived weakness: spot a self-criticism you'd like to help someone revise. For example, perhaps your student sees herself as a slow learner, your employee believes he lacks creativity, or your spouse beats themself up for being overly cautious.
My Daughter Asked Her Dad To Be Launched Into My Photo Where She Struck This Pose. Now She Is Convinced She Is A Real Superhero
My Mother-In-Law Was Visiting For Three Weeks Leaving My Father-In-Law 2,000 Miles Away To Fend For Himself. He Sent Her These Flowers After A Week
My Mom Has Been Begging My Dad For A Dog Since Ours Passed Away In May. He Surprised Her Christmas Morning With This Gift. He's A Man Of Few Words
My Brother And I Became Uncles This Week To Twins. First Impressions Are Important, So Naturally, We Shaved And Dressed To Impress
The baby on the right is seriously starting to regret that trip through the birth canal.
Then transform the weakness into a strength. To do so, identify the strength that is the opposite side of the same coin. For instance, maybe the student who thinks she learns slowly is also very thorough. The employee who thinks he lacks creativity is highly logical. And the flipside of your spouse's concern is their attention to detail.
My Dad Had Eye Surgery And My Mom Asked Where He Wanted To Go For Lunch After, So Here We Are
We Decided To Embarrass Our Daughter At The Airport After 3 Months Away. (We Don't Normally Dress This Way)
My Son Wanted "Cold Hard Cash" For His Birthday
*parents wet themselves with laughter* This guy's expression says it all
My Little Sister Knocked On My Door And I Came Out To This
Lastly, deliver the message. Share your sincere perception of the individual's strength. Rousell suggests making your message quick and to the point, as if you're stating an empirical fact. The more you dwell on the topic or dress it up as flowery praise, the less surprising it will be, and the less power it will have to change someone's mind.
Made Masks Of Sister's Fiance's Face For A Bachelorette Party, This Is What She Walked Into
I Turned A Picture Of My Labrador Pooping Into A Puzzle, Gave It To My Dad For Christmas As A White Elephant Gift
He put it together, framed it, and gave it back to me. That’s what Christmas is all about.
My 11-Year-Old Daughter Has Insisted On Checking The Mail The Last Couple Of Days. Today, I Checked It. This Is What I Found
My Sister And Her Boyfriend Are Heading Up To Our Cabin Tomorrow Night, So I Left Them A Present For When They Turn On The Lights
"Surprise has the power to help others change how they see themselves. But, crucially, it also gives us the power to change how we see ourselves," Luna wrote.
Possessing these new skills, you can now act as an agent of surprise—unlocking people's confidence and self-esteem wherever you go.
My Wife Put "We Still Do. 13 Years" On This Letterboard. I Added A Word When She Wasn't Looking
She is posting this version to Facebook as I type this without realizing the change. Wish me luck.
My Mother Sketches While Watching TV. She Turns Her Favorites Into Little Printed Greeting Cards For Family
Here is what she was using for birthdays a couple years ago.
Let's See How Long Till The Family Notices
There Are Some Advantages To Being Married For 15+ Years. Like You Can Scare Your Wife With The Cardboard Figure You Found Buried In The Garage
That she bought you five years ago.
Did she call you a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder?
Marilyn Manson's Dad Surprised Him By Dressing Up As Him And Interrupting His Photoshoot
My Mother-In-Law Made All The Men In Our Family A Pair Of These Sleep Pants For Christmas
My Dad Thought He Was Home Alone. I Had To See Why He Was Laughing So Hard
I Bought My Parents A TV For Christmas But They Are Going To Think It’s Something Else At First
I wonder which one they would find more entertaining if they had a choice?
"Nice gift darlin but we already have one in our dungeon"...just how I would answer
Do you have any idea how screwed up you're going to be when you realize they're disappointed that it isn't a sex swing?
Is it wrong that I want to know how that works? Or should I not want to?
No, you definitely want to. I'm not really sure why they're considered a more kinky item - they're actually pretty great. Can be very practical for taking pressure off joints or improving angles. I probably just revealed a lot more about myself than intended, didn't I?
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My Family Is Pretty Odd. Tonight, My Mom Hired An Elvis Impersonator And Didn't Tell Anyone About It
Just My Mom And Aunt Doing Family Things In Wales
My Brother Gave Me A Framed Photo Of My Most Upvoted Comment Of All Time For Secret Santa This Year
I Haven't Seen My Parents For Over A Year, So I Decided To Surprise Them For Christmas By Dressing Up As Santa And Coming Over
This is my mother's face when she realized that Santa was me.
My 13-Year-Old Sister Thinks She's Hilarious
I Replaced The Old Family Photo In My Mum's House With This. Still Waiting For Her To Notice
My Wife Has Had This Photo Frame Hanging On The Wall Without Any Pictures In It. Tonight, After She Went To Sleep, I Decided To Take This Matter Into My Own Hands
I’ll let you know tomorrow if I’m still married.
My Mom Always Finds A Way To Surprise Me On My Birthday
My Brother Is In For Quite The Surprise Tomorrow Morning
For this you are promoted and recieve your own evil genius hide-away, complete with minions ;o)
Bought My Family Customized T-Shirts With My Face On Them. They Loved It
Told My Dad He Was Having A Grandkid Before His Birthday Picture
I Mailed My Sister One Square Of Toilet Paper And It Was Delivered
My Dad Sneaky Sneaks Money Around My House
Just Got My Christmas Gift From My Grandparents. I'm 31
My Wife Has Been Secretly Collecting Pictures Of Me For Months Sleeping. Today, For Father's Day, I Was Gifted The Collection. I Present Catnapping
My Parents Left This Photo Album Empty For Too Long, So I Decided To Fill It
Are these from their favorite movies? I'm trying to guess the titles...
Tried To Prank My Son. He Said “Hi Mom” And Kept Walking
The Best Kind Of Surprise
Due To The Pandemic, I Decided To Send My Mom A Cutout So I Could Still Be Home For The Holidays
My Uncle And Dad Found My Cousin's Hair Extensions And Sent The Whole Family Glamour Shots
Do You Think My Niece Will Like It?
My Friend Got Her Sister The Greatest Birthday Present I’ve Ever Seen
This Is How We Announced Our Pregnancy To Our Friends And Family
While pregnant with my first my uncles thought it was hilarious to call for me by shouting "Hey, Preggo!" Till one day I responded "It's in there" and everyone rolled (if you're under 50, Google it,lol)
My Daughter Had A Nightmare About Me Getting Sucked Into The Computer, After She Watched Tron. This Is What She Will Wake Up To
We Have A Lightbox With Inspirational Quotes For My 2-Year-Old Daughter. My Wife Hasn't Noticed Yet
I Wrapped My Brother's Present In Cement
My Brother Never Fails To Disappoint With His Personalised Christmas Gifts - This Year He Made Me A Calendar
I'm Staying At My Parents' Place For The Night. My Mom Prepared The Couch For Me. I'm 27
My Sister And I Painted Each Other Bob Ross For Christmas, Turns Out We Have A Similar Sense Of Humor
I Came Home To This
Googly eyes on fridge contents is my favorite! If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will
My Husband's Going To Love His Valentines Day Surprise
Came Home And Found This. I Love My Mom
I Asked My Husband To Buy Some Cheap Plastic Drinking Cups So That We Don’t Always Have To Drink From Glass Cups And Potentially Break Them While Handling Them
This is what he bought… (and no we don’t have kids).
The Kids Made Me Breakfast For Father's Day
This Is How My Friend's Dad Greeted Her At The Airport Yesterday. Best Dad Ever
My Sister's April Fools' Prank On Her Husband
This Toddler Loves The Ads For A Local Personal Injury Lawyer So Much, His Mom Made It His Birthday Party Theme
They in New Orleans. I know because I see that billboard on my way to work and think that guy has a weird face.
Every Year I Try To Disguise My Sister's Christmas Present. This Year I Think I Went A Little Too Far
My Dad Is A Huge Golden State Fan, But My Husband Is Not. This Is What My Father Woke Up To This Morning After A Raptors Win
My Grandma Made This Chewbacca Bath Mat Because She Knows I Like Star Wars
Every Year The Kids And I Buy Or Make A Meaningful Ornament. 2018 Was A Difficult Year In My Household
Last Year I Forgot To Get Batteries For My Niece's Toy So This Year She Got Me This
Left This 3D Printed Glow In The Dark Masterpiece On My Wife's Pillow. Also, On A Related Note, Sleeping On The Couch Tonight
Feel free to tell me your favorite practical joke so I have some entertainment in the doghouse.
Dad Never Fails To Fart During Family Photos
I Moved In With My Dad A Little Over A Month Ago. He Asked Me To Clean My Hair From The Bathroom Sink. I Told Him I Didn’t Know What He Was Talking About
This evening I came home to this.
I Heard This Kid Yelling For His Dad At Lowe’s. I Went Looking For Him And
This was the kind of friend I wanted as a kid. The kind you still tell stories about. I ended up being that friend for all my friends instead.
My Husband And I Are First Time Homeowners And We Wanted To Show Our Families Pictures Of Our New Home
We decided to pose our skeleton (we named it Scully) in various rooms to show our family/friends. Scully is living their best life.
My Sister And I Call Each Other The World's Biggest Dork, Bought The Domain As A Christmas Surprise
There Were Two Edibles In Here Last Night. Someone In My Family Is Having An Interesting Day
My Uncle's 4-Year-Old Daughter Was Not Happy To Discover Her Dad's Halloween Costume
I Found Out That Our Volkswagen Fits In The Den. I Will See What The Wife Thinks When She Gets Home
How did you "find this out"? This looks like some 2020 shenanigans; you've been in the house way too long.
The Gift Each Family Member Got For Their Birthday In 2018
Came Home From Work Today To This
My Sister And I Couldn't Resist. My Dad And Uncle Hoped This Photo Was Forgotten
My Husband Hates When There Are Small Quantities Of Leftovers In The Fridge
My son pranked him for April Fools by filling 22 containers, each with one strand of spaghetti.
My Commencement Ceremony Got Postponed So My Parents Held A Backyard Graduation For Me Instead
My dad was very excited to create his own regalia to celebrate the occasion.
For Christmas, My Dad Received The Exact Outfit That He Was Wearing
I Surprised Her By Taking Her To Where We First Met
Our Family Has A 35+ Year Tradition Of Disguising Christmas Gifts. This Took Over 80 Hours To Build
My Wife Has Been Waiting For 2 Days For Me To Open The Fridge. Lol
My Wife Tossed A Comforter On A Chair To Dry, I Nearly Had A Heart Attack
These "Treats" My Mom Made For Easter/April Fools
My Dad Got Each Of Us A Calendar With Just Pictures Of Him. July Is My Favorite One
My Friend Got His Niece A Blanket With His Picture For Her Birthday
My Friends Had A Sonogram To Determine The Gender Of Their Child. Care To Guess What It Is?
My 9-Year-Old Left A Surprise For My Wife. Scaring The Hell Out Of Her When She Checked The Rear View. Kids
I Surprised My Wife For Her Birthday
My Wife's Sister Is Coming To Visit. Getting The Guest Room Ready
I've Been Hiding Pictures Of My Dad Around The House. This One Was My Favorite
After My Family Refused To Help Me Convince My Dad To Wear A Pickle Costume For Halloween, I Bought One And Sent It To Him Anyway
Roll Window Down, Place Broken Glass On Ground, And Stage The Area. She Freaked Out
Couldn't Afford To Get My Wife A Lexus For Christmas So I Got One Of Their Bows Instead And Put It On Her Car
Should have put a gift card for a tank of gas with it. THAT would be a great gift!
Daughter Yelled At Me To Make Her A “Surprise Snack”
My Neighbor Surprised His Daughters This Morning With 8 Tons Of Snow
My 11-Year-Old Daughter's April Fools Joke On Us. She Hid The Toilet Paper And Replaced It With Masking Tape
That Time At My 36th Birthday, When My Husband Made Me Go On Stage With All The Other Birthday Boys And Girls. That Is The Face Of Mortification
My Brother Is Coming Home From College Tonight, So I Left Him A Few Surprises Around The House
My 15-Year-Old Niece Got This For Christmas. While She Slept That Night, I Made An "Adjustment." She Didn't Think It Was As Funny As We All Did
Today My Father's Birthday Present Arrived. For His Cancelled Holiday. He Couldn't Resist Blowing It Up
anyone else think that the tip of the boat looks like an upside down husky? no? just me? aight.
My Uncle Is Out Of Town For A Month And Just Got A New TV. Perfect Opportunity For A Little Photoshop Prank. He Bought It
April Fools' Pranked By My 11-Year-Old Child - Super Proud Parent Moment
My Baby Ordered 94 Dollars Worth Of Pizza Off An App Called Slice. The App Doesn’t Ask For Payment Info Verification When Placing An Order
Daughters Got Us These For Christmas. Decided To Put Them On The Bed For Us Since We Kept "Forgetting"
The Kids Have Been Asking, Dad Is Delivering. Christmas Is Going To Be Great
Graduation Gift From Dad
My Wife And I Decided To Welcome My Mom Visiting Us With A "Welcome Home From Rehab" Sign
I Think I'm Easily The Worst Sister Alive
My Daughter Had My Wife's Phone On A Long Car Ride. She Ordered All The Barbie Dream Houses From Amazon
My Dad Had A Heart Attack 2 Weeks Ago. My Sister Made Him This For Christmas
Happy Mother's Day?
Ouch.... that is going to cost a pretty penny to fix!
Received A Surprise Package Today: My Brother Mailed His Fart
As I'm reading this, my mom sends the whole family pix of her learning to make balloon animals at church tonight. Right in time for this feed.
I don't understand the airport one. Is it funny to pretend that someone went to rehab?
As I'm reading this, my mom sends the whole family pix of her learning to make balloon animals at church tonight. Right in time for this feed.
I don't understand the airport one. Is it funny to pretend that someone went to rehab?