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“That Was A Mistake”: 50 Things People Bought As Adults Because They Weren’t Allowed As Kids
Earning your own money and having disposable income is awesome. No matter if you’re a 9-5 office worker, tradesperson, entrepreneur, freelancer, or have a side gig, it feels nice to be able to afford some things that you want, not just what you need.
In many cases, you’re finally able to afford what you’ve always dreamed of. In a recent viral thread, the members of the AskReddit community spilled the beans about the things that they bought as adults because they were always denied them growing up. Keep scrolling to read their nostalgic stories!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My own tools.
All I wanted to do was help my dad with stuff around the house but he’d always tell me I wasn’t allowed to because it’s “man’s work”. F****r wouldn’t even teach me the most basic stuff, like how to mow the lawn or check the oil in a car when I was a *teenager* cos I wasn’t born with a d**k.
Now I’m a sheet metal worker. I have more tools and they’re better quality than my dad’s ever were, and my grandpa left all his hand tools to me, his youngest granddaughter, instead of his 3 sons.
Binny Tutera 11 months ago
I’m sorry your dad didn’t really see you. My dad assumed I could do anything. He didn’t discourage me or my sister from our interests.
RELATED:
#2
Weird but anytime I’m at a parade or firework show I buy whatever my tiny 5 year old self would have wanted. A light up unicorn sword? Yep! I love it intensely for that night and then give it to a friend with small children. Healing me and paying it forward. Buy the weird thing!
#3
Vet appts for my cat. We had so many consecutive cats growing up but my parents never got them shots so they all died of feline leukemia or other terrible deaths. Now my cat gets all his shots and his teeth cleaned and his own room and basically whatever he wants and needs. I got him from a shelter when he was four. We both hit the jackpot when we met each other.
Dog Mom to Zoe 11 months ago
This speaks to my heart. The OP will never see this but THANK YOU!!
You’re far from the only person remembering your childhood fondly and wondering if you could bring back that magical feeling by surrounding yourself with things from that era. The BBC explains that nostalgia marketing is a popular way for brands to sell products. Some researchers argue that consumers are more likely to spend money on brands that evoke nostalgia.
Nostalgia marketing tends to run a cycle that’s two to three decades long. It can affect a very wide range of products, from clothing and food to toys and tech. Businesses re-introduce certain products and trends to target adults with purchasing power who are nostalgic for their childhoods. So, if you feel a sudden rush of nostalgia after seeing a childhood toy suddenly pop up on the shelf of your local shop, it’s probably not a coincidence. You might be the target audience.
#4
Uncoordinated furniture, non-matching dishes, thrift store clothes, varying colored shoes, garage sale items, dark colored clothes, silver jewelry, etc..
My mom was obsessed with everything being new, perfect, matching, and girl colors. Oh and all jewelry had to be gold. Now that I'm an adult, I can have whatever I want and never wear pink ever again and it's glorious!
She despises that all my furniture was bought via thrift or marketplace, that i don't have a matching dish set, bedding set, or living room set. I see zero point in spending money on brand new things, especially with kids around. I had to "walk on eggshells" growing up for fear I'd break something or spill something. My kids don't get yelled at for breaking a plate or spilling a glass of kool-aid. Because their human and mistakes happen. I also don't lose my mind because I didn't spend an entire paycheck on the matching dishes.
It sound silly, but it's just nice to actually live in my house, and not just be a guest in it.
Saint_Zipcodus 11 months ago
There's hardly anything more satisfying than finding that one beautiful/weird plate, mug or cup in a thrift store, purchasing it for mere cents, knowing it won't end up in a landfill (at least for now) and adding it to your collection. And mismatched tableware is just perfect for those among us that tend to be a bit clumsy...
#5
Christmas and Birthday presents
(I was raised Jehovah Witness, which is a form of child abuse).
iseefractals 11 months ago
Forcing any religion upon a child is child abuse, but yeah JW is particularly bad.
#6
Albuterol.
My mom said I was faking my asthma attacks.
I don't talk to her anymore.
However, there are indications that the nostalgia marketing cycle is speeding up. Global events like the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in how we communicate might have something to do with this shift in people’s perception of time. “With Covid, and the lockdowns, and social distancing, it was like we were trapped in a time warp. People became nostalgic for things that happened just last week, or just last month, or just last year," Krystine Batcho, a professor at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, explained to the BBC.
According to Batcho, during the initial lockdowns, people felt nostalgic for things they were doing only recently, whether that’s meeting up with a friend for lunch or going to the cinema.
#7
When I turned 18 I drove myself down to walmart and got a case of pop and some sugary cereal(specifically reese puffs)
My mom was really pissed, she called my dad who told her “be happy he’s not buying cigarettes booze and p*rn”.
#8
A build a bear! I had always wanted one growing up but was always told no because it was too expensive. I finally decided to do it and went through the whole process of making one and filling it with love and wishes. Ya know, the whole magical process they do for the kiddos.
I haven't slept with a stuffed animal since I was little and yet I can hold onto my little bear throughout the night and wake up holding it. Whenever I feel sad or homesick I just cuddle with it and it honestly helps! It may be silly to others, but sometimes your inner child just needs something to feel safe and comforted when life gets overwhelming. And that’s ok! Don’t let anyone take away what brings you joy!
Joanne Earle 11 months ago
I just turned 60 and I cuddle one of my baby yoda dolls every night. I love them and they are very comforting.
#9
A metal detector. I always wanted one as a kid, but my dad said I'd use it a handful of times, then it would sit and collect dust forever. I bought myself one, and it turns out that my dad was right.
Meanwhile, Liz Juusola, executive strategy director at Brooklyn-based branding firm Red Antler, notes that social media has made everything accessible. “You don't have to dig through an attic. Content from the last few decades, and even before, is everywhere and so easily remixed,” she said.
But Batcho argues that nostalgia has less to do with timing. Instead, it’s triggered when a person feels a difference between the present and missing something from the past, “whether it was two months ago, two years ago, or 50 years ago.”
#10
Red lipstick, my mom let me wear makeup starting at 13, but I was not allowed to wear red lipstick ever, even at 17 when I was about to leave home, she'd make me throw it away if I bought any with my own damn money. She said, "Only wh*res wear red lipstick."
So, I wear red lipstick all the time, it's my thing.
#11
I finally bought a house and have left it largely empty because I grew up in a hoarding household. So I guess I technically bought space.
iseefractals 11 months ago
My mom was the oldest out of 6 kids, in irish catholic working class family, so she grew up being treated like a maid/parent number 3....so once she was out of the house and married, she avoided pretty much all housework like the plague. Despite having a dishwasher, dirty dishes would pile up in the sink for days, deep cleaning anything was more of a theory, and there was just clutter, everywhere....months worth of magazines and newspapers would pile up in the living room....i absolutely hated it. So now, i refuse to let ANYTHING sit in the sink, and i'm obsessive about keeping everything organized, floors and surfaces clear of anything not actively in use.6
What was your first grown-up purchase that you couldn’t wait to make, once you started earning proper money, dear Pandas? Was there anything you lacked or really wanted when you were a kid that you now easily buy for yourself whenever you want it or need it?
What are the biggest things you feel nostalgic about from your childhood? If you have a moment, tell us all about it in the comments!
#13
Whatever I want? Is that an answer.
In all honesty…I remember being like 14 and my dad and his girlfriend making breakfast one morning. I didn’t want to get out of bed because I had cramps. I did anyway. I went downstairs and as soon as I got in the middle of the kitchen I felt my period come.
Not just a drip. A clot. I said I needed tampons. I was told I had to work with panty liners because that’s all we had and neither of them had the money to go get tampons. I had to use toilet paper all weekend until I got to school and could buy a box in the “school store” with my own money (I was a sophomore).
I buy tampons whenever they’re bogo now. I have like six boxes under my sink and keep a mini purse full of them in my regular purse to have on hand and give out to any other ladies in need.
#14
I bought an ice cream cake for no reason once. The freedom is palpable.
Bacon Tentacles 11 months ago
The pro and con of being an adult is you can buy just about anything and nobody can stop you.
#15
Hobbies for my kids, the ones they want. I wanted to play sports, and play guitar but was always told "No". I wanted to learn to play literally any instrument, but was denied. I wanted to play Hockey too, but wasn't allowed. It wasn't because of money, I was put unwillingly into other activities that I never asked for or wanted.
So, when my kid asked for cello lessons at the age of 7, they got cello lessons. When my youngest said they wanted to give up soccer for ballet, we swapped soccer for ballet. My only rule is they have to finish the season, they are not allowed to join a team or group and quit part way through (without good reason), they have to finish the season before quitting.
Dog Mom to Zoe 11 months ago
Yup, piano lessons. Mother said no without further explanation. I still want to learn and will eventually find a good teacher.
#16
Box of 64 Crayola crayons, the one with the sharpener.
Also all the chocolate.
#17
Paid the adoption fees for two kitties.
They are happy healthy pair of siblings that I literally wake up to go to work for.
And I've always loved black cats. Toni is a diva and I love her and her brother Ginger. As of this post Toni is sleeping on top of my fuzzy jacket and Ginger is in a box of blankets for guests.
iseefractals 11 months ago
Black cats have the lowest adoption rate, highest euthanasia rate, and strays are more likely to be abused or killed randomly due to humans being largely stupid apes who buy into superstition. Black cats should always be the first choice.
#18
More than one slice of ham or cheese on a sandwich.
Apachebathmat 11 months ago
I felt this! Came from a very poor and chaotic home, my mum would slice the cheese sooooooo thin you couldn’t taste it
#19
Not something I bought per se, but I run the AC/heat whenever I'm hot/cold. I'll pay the bill if it means being comfortable, especially if it's the summer.
#21
Not me but:
My mom had a porcelain doll from my grandmother, it was very old and a bit fragile.
One day she casually told me she had sold it - I was a bit shocked as I assumed me or my sister would inherit it.
But she sold it to a very old lady (80 years plus). The old lady had several porcelain dolls and told my mom she was very poor when she was a child, never had a doll and always dreamed of having a porcelain doll (but never told anyone). So when her husband died, she started buying porcelain dolls, she loved every one of them and she was truly very happy!
So I glad my mom sold the doll, I know the old lady loved it more than I ever would.
#22
Decent pads. I was always told they were all the same and to get the cheap ones that felt like I was wearing a mattress between my legs and I bled thru them all the time....I was 21 and had been on my own for two years before I fully understood I could get whatever pad/ period products that I wanted and learned they weren't all the same. So many sheets and underwear ruined for no reason.
#23
Lego. So much Lego. I have a problem.
Marie Clear 11 months ago
My 50-something brother-in-law did a painting job for us and wouldn't let us pay him. So we bought him a Lego Millennium Falcon. I've never seen anyone so happy.
#24
I haven't let the ice cream truck pass by without running out for a cone since I moved out of my parents' house.
#25
Princess cake! I'm a guy, so I wasn't allowed it, but pink icing is elite!
Michelle C 11 months ago
The irony is that pink was mostly a guys’ color until about 60 years ago. Colors are colors and there’s nothing wrong with wearing them as we please as long as we’re not doing any harm with them.
#26
When I was little my grandma bought one of those fiber optic flower lamps. I was obsessed with it and always asked her to turn it on. She ended up putting it in an empty fish tank so I couldn’t touch it. I now own three of them and I turn them on whenever I want.
Bacon Tentacles 11 months ago
Lava lamps for me when I was in college. Haven't had one in years, but it was fun at the time.
#27
A sewing machine! I was told I would not learn how to use it so they weren’t going to waste their money. Now I’m a freaking sewing fanatic.
iseefractals 11 months ago
My wife knew how to do simple things on the sewing machine, but a few years ago she decided she wanted to learn how to sew properly, and got a job in a clothing factory (read: sweatshop) She can now sew pretty much anything from scratch ( and she collected hundreds of patterns from overpriced "labels") but....now she can't stand using "consumer" grade sewing machines. The industrial sewing machines are multiple times faster, because every single machine is specialized for a specific stitch.....so now we have an industrial machine, built into it's own table that she rarely has time to use.
#28
An American Girl doll. I had a childhood friend who took a trip to NYC and surprised me with an American Girl Doll. It was a Just Like You doll, I loved her so much. I didn't come from a great home life - being raised by a single parent, we had financial struggles.
One day, my mom went behind my back and sold the doll. I was heartbroken, but my mom argued that we needed the money. I'm now 27 and just purchased my first American Girl doll, it was second-hand bought through Ebay, but I have no regrets.
Bookworm 11 months ago
I have a hard time believing that there was literally no other way to get money than to sell their child's most prized possession, for probably no more than a few hundred bucks - which, yeah, might have paid rent for a month or bought a week of groceries, but certainly didn't solve their long-term issues.
Amy S 11 months ago
I'm happy for the people who cannot imagine this is true.
Load More Replies...
Rob D 11 months ago
God, the parents people deal with. Holy s**t life is hard enough. I can't even wrap my head around how many people are raised by absolute turds. Be it religious zealots, addicts, attentive-but strict to the point of cruelty, simply cruel....it seems like good, normal, non-idiot parents are the exception, not the rule.
T'Mar of Vulcan 11 months ago
A Barbie. When I turned 25 I bought myself one for my birthday. I got another one from a friend overseas and got myself another one a year or so later. I had them in a display until I redecorated.
Moon Puppy 10 months ago
Sell toys? Hell, no, my parents gave mine away. I don't know how old I was, but I'd just had a birthday and got a Flexi-Racer. I loved that thing. I was out on the streets with it all the time (we didn't have a sidewalk yet). I came home one evening and they took it away from me and gave it to my (grown) cousin for his daughter "because they didn't have anything". I was outraged. "Now I don't have anything," I raged. Never got another one. If I could use it today, I'd prolly buy one. Parents.
Dee Rutherford 11 months ago
Nor should you! You can have her and enjoy her and no one will take her away.
#29
Guitars. After buying about 20, it dawned on me that no amount of guitars will put one in the hands of me at 10 years old.
Sven Horlemann 11 months ago
I guess I was lucky then. Got my first acoustic at 14. Stayed semi-pro all my life, enjoying playing in my original bands, cover bands. And doing productions and releasing albums. Now at 58 I cannot imagine my life going differently. So, that is the one thing my father actually really did FOR ME.
#30
Shoes I like. ANYTHING I LIKE. But really, shoes. I bought hundreds of pairs of shoes, mostly boots. There came a time when I had to move and downsize and that’s when I realized I had a serious problem with impulse control surrounding shoes. I wasn’t allowed to wear what I wanted. My mom wanted a girly girl, and I’m not that. I have better impulse control now, but still a wonderful collection of boots.
Anyway, today my mom asked why I had Lucky Charms S’Mores cereal as I had never eaten those cereals as a kid. Well, Mom, I wasn’t allowed to eat sugary cereal as a kid, but now I’m forty f****n seven and I can eat what the f**k I want.
Shark Lady 11 months ago
I occasionally buy a box of coco-pops, my parents never allowed them but when I went to stay with my gran she would always get them for me.
#31
Feeding the giraffes at the zoo. "It's just a second and it's over, it's not worth it," my mom said. I feed all the animals at the zoo now. The only one that's ever been a disappointment was budgies, they weren't really hungry, but that was only a dollar so who cares?
#32
The good ice cream. Growing up it was usually a big tub of the generic brand as the birthday treat. Now I can get Ben and Jerry's and not have to share with anybody :).
Jane No Dough 11 months ago
The real luxury here is knowing you don't have to share if you don't want to!
#33
When I lived in a joint family with my aunt she would tell me to not eat butter or cheese as it would make me fat. I guess she didn’t want me using up her groceries. What a mean thing to say to a 10 year old. I splurge on butter, cheese and the good sourdough breads now as an adult and so does my daughter.
#34
A Christmas tree! When I was a kid, my family want really big on Christmas. We had a little 12 inch metal tree that sat on our coffee table. It was cute, but I always envied those tall, classic looking Christmas trees. I’m not up for the upkeep of a real tree, so I bought a really realistic looking fake one. It’s six feet tall, and I bought red and gold ornaments to go on it. My husband says it looks like a Hallmark tree, which is exactly what I was going for. It makes me so happy to put it up every year.
My husband and I started all these cheesy little Christmas traditions too, so I’m glad our kids will have those memories one day.
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
By all means, please use the 'decorations' your kids make in school. They feel so good when you use them yearly, and it goes by SO fast.
#35
Therapy.
Fez_and_no_Pants:
Yup.
I told my mom I was depressed. She replied, "you're not depressed, you're just lazy".
Thanks, mom.
#36
I painted my walls! We always rented and were never allowed to paint it. But now that we own a house I can paint my walls whatever I want!
We also bought a house with a tree house. I need to fix it up before my little one is big enough to use it, but I'm expecting to spend lots of time in it myself.
#37
Paracetamol. I've always had headaches, reality bad ones due to damage nerve in the neck when I was born. My mother always refused to give me aspirin because it would "go away". I used to gently bang my head against the wall to ease the pain (not a joke) or turn all lights and sound off because of the nausea.
When I went to college, I bought myself a box of neurofen. That was a life changer!
#38
I wasn't denied it as a child, but we never had a recliner growing up, and I always thought of them as Status symbol or sign of making it or being an adult. So, when I made it, sort of, I got a recliner. Now, I'm a successful, functioning, reclining adult.
#39
A bunny.
I wanted one sooooo bad as a little girl 😭
I got myself a bunny. He died of cancer a couple of years ago. Loved him SO much.
#40
Food. Growing up with an abusive mother who used as a weapon and control mechanism. Then got married very young and we so dirt poor we were starving for a long time.
So when I could eat when and how much I wanted to, became a massive overeater and comfort eater. Took me years to reach a happy medium.
#41
Land O Lakes Butter. We always had margarine.
#42
ADHD medication.
Marie Clear 11 months ago
Yes to this. I was in my 30's when I was diagnosed with ADD, because I'm old enough that 1) females back in the day didn't "get" ADD (it wasn't noticed unless you had the H), and 2) kids grow out of it. And it does seem to be true that girls socialize ADD differently than boys. Anyway, finally getting meds didn't cause any dramatic changes that I could notice on the "inside" if my head, if you know what I mean, but I describe it to people like getting glasses for the first time for mild farsightedness. You don't really appreciate what you've been struggling with until it's fixed.
#43
Toilet paper, seriously.
Growing up, my family controlled everything - how much water, food, electricity, even toilet paper I used. They always said I used too much.
Now, every time I grab toilet paper, I take extra, even if I don’t need it - just because I can.
Shelley Keenan 11 months ago
My hubby and I bought the bargain TP the other day, and after my first time using it I said "Never again!" He said he didn't mind it, and I asked if he had a vagina. He does not.
#44
In the winter I turn on the heat in my apartment rather than putting on a sweater.
#46
Got those science experiments you'd buy from target/kmart where you'd make your own crystals and stuff, was so fun lol.
Shanna Blue 11 months ago
A coworker just bought me a unicorn one bc I’m obsessed with unicorns and I can’t wait to do it!
#47
An original NES. When I was younger, my parents told me that video games would rot my brain. Also, $100 for the console back then was too much. So when I got my own money, hello, eBay.
Also, joke's on them. I married a gamer. The consoles - yes, plural - came with him.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
My sister said the other day that her belief in Santa went on longer than she could have expected, because one year she got a playstation for Christmas. The only other console we had my brother bought second hand with money he got for selling a painting, because they were just too expensive. The playstation came from a friend who had upgraded to a newer console :)
#48
A skateboard. I had every kind of ball and toy car known to man but I wasn't allowed a skateboard because it was for boys. 🤷♀️.
#49
A ball python. My mom said I could never have a snake as long as I lived with her…well once I moved out nothing could stop me. She’s now 7 and doing great.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
I wouldn't be able to have a snake even now (if I wanted one) because my dad lives with me and is terrified of snakes! After my parents split, my now stepdad moved in, with his Simpson's python :)
#50
Boxer briefs. Mom got mad I even asked because I was a girl. I hate women's underwear with a passion because it's all uncomfortable, to me, and yes even the "boyshorts" sucked.
Never went back after buying my first pack.
#51
Kleenex, the soft, luxurious kind that feels like a silk sheet against my nose.
Growing up, we used toilet paper or saved napkins from restaurants, rough and far from kind to my delicate skin. In a big family, frugality was a necessity, and we made do with what we had. But now, every time I reach for a Kleenex, it feels like a little indulgence, a small luxury I never knew I needed. It’s more than a tissue, it’s a reminder that some comforts are worth embracing.
Dog Mom to Zoe 11 months ago
Try PUFFS with menthol. Lovely but don't dry your eyes with them.
#52
This might sound dumb but for me it was that thing that sits on the counter to hold a roll of paper towels. I was always told as a kid that we couldn’t afford to waste money on one.
Now I have one in every room to overcompensate.
MorticiaRS 11 months ago
Ditto with paper cups in the bathroom. Spent my youth drinking water in the middle of the night from the top of my dad’s antiperspirant can.
#53
A house.
My father refused to buy an actual house. We lived in rinky d**k, tin can trailer homes my entire childhood. It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I basically forced him to sign the papers for my Mother buying a not rinky d**k trailer home (14X80 3 bedrooms 2 baths because the paper ceiling was collapsing and the mice had eaten the wiring in the 1960s model tin can we'd been in for 20 years.
Decades of fear of severe storms too.
I bought a house, something my parents never wanted/managed to do.
#54
I grew up with two brothers and a sister, every time we would go to McDonalds my parents would get us two small fries and makes us share (and no, two small fries didn't go very far between four kids especially when I got too age 10 or so). So now when I go to McDonalds (which is admittedly not often now that I'm in my 40s) I get a large fries (I use to get supersize back when they had it). And whoa to anybody be they family or significant other that DARES reach for my fries. I spent my childhood fighting over fries and that is a red line. You reach for my fries at your own risk!
#55
Star Wars action figures.
I saw the original in theater and that entire trilogy was my childhood, but we were poor so all I had was a lone Darth Vader figure my mom got from the Salvation Army, but his light saber was bent and his cape was missing.
I still have him though 😂.
#56
In all honesty, baking supplies.
When I (33m) was about 7 or 8 years old I really wanted an easy bake oven. You know the toy where you just put some powder into it and effectively microwave / light bulb "bakes" it's unholy concoction so you can eat it. I thought it was fantastic and then I could have it and make my own food. Yet, my parents and brothers ridiculed me and said it was a toy for girls. Then when I was 13 or 14, expressed that I wanted to be a chef when I grew up - which my mother was not supportive of saying it was women's work while my dad tried his best to be on board. My dad would try to support me but it would always come across as condescending or belittling in my super sensitive teenage years. So I gave up that dream and studied physics in school and became an IT consultant.
It dawned on me when I met my wife that I could learn how to cook and bake better - she is terrible in the kitchen so I took on that role. Now 6 years after taking on that chore of baking and cooking I've rekindled my love of the craft.
I have since purchased multiple cookbooks spanning various cuisines, But I truly enjoy the odd recipes that taste fantastic - carrot pie, tomato soup chocolate cake, mock apple pie, and whole plethora of just strange recipes. If you're curious, I highly recommend the cookbook baking yesteryear by B. Dylan Hollis or the Great depression cookbook written and assembled by the YouTube channel Clara's kitchen.
#57
A two piece bathing suit!! I was never allowed to wear one when I lived at home because it was “immodest.” I posted pictures of me wearing it on social media at the beach and pool as an adult. 😎.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
My best friend did this too, and got her bellybutton pierced. She was rarely confident enough to show it off though. I am certain a lot of her body issues are connected to what her parents considered modest. Her dad wouldn't even let them (all girls) wear pants, she had to get changed at my place a lot.
#58
Andes mints. My first paycheck many years ago I bought a whole pack of them and it was glorious. Also… I’m old.
#59
A separate bedroom for my daughter.
This was actually difficult for me to grasp. When we moved into our new flat with a second bedroom and stopped co-sleeping. I had no idea how to set it up. I never had my own room as a kid and lived in a 1 bedroom with my mum and brother. My brother and I slept in the living room on a mattress on the floor that we would roll up after we woke up so the living room could carry on being a living room instead of our makeshift bedroom.
When I set up my daughter’s bed in her own bedroom I almost cried because I realised that I’d never had my own room, so no clue how she was supposed to live in it. Luckily my wife grew up in a house with multiple bedrooms and knew what she was doing.
Oh, also a fridge full of fizzy drinks and a cabinet full of crisps. Also something I never had as a kid but when I went to my rich friend’s houses they always had those on request.
#60
“Empty carbs”. Crackers or bread. Sometimes cookies. I don’t eat them in excess, but some days even just eating them feels like a triumph.
#61
In general, we always got the cheapest knock off versions of things. we weren't poor - parents got quality things, but the kids if they asked for crayola would get some s****y knock off too waxy and hard dollar store crayon, or second hand, pre broken, dirty and used crayolas.
Now as an adult i love providing quality and enjoying quality within our means.
#62
A samoyed dog. There was a gorgeous one a few houses down that I'd see when walking down the alley to head to middle school. 9 years ago I got me a Sammie puppy!
#63
Not for me but for my wife before we married. She mentioned to me as we were talking about a certain type of Barbie Doll she had always wanted when she was very young but her family was really poor and she never got it. During the Christmas that we were together for 2 years and would be getting engaged the next year and her age of 31 years old, I searched and searched the internet for that damn doll.
After much searching I found it and bought it. I think I paid a couple hundred bucks for the still in the unopened box Barbie. I gave it to her that Christmas. She was over the moon. She still has it unopened and tucked away in our bedroom closet. I am kind of disappointed she never opened it and at least kind of played with it. LOL.
Binny Tutera 11 months ago
She is so very thrilled to have it! It’s not just a matter of “playing” with it, that isn’t as important as knowing it is hers, and you made it happen for her.
#64
Candy at the store whenever i damn wanted.
BrownEyedPanda 11 months ago
YES!! Rocky Road candy bars, Chick-o-Stick candy, Bubble Yum bubble gum, and peanut M & M's!
#65
A trampoline. I desperately wanted one growing up but wasn’t allowed as I was told it was too dangerous and my mother’s best friend was a nurse who constantly had kids coming into hospital with broken limbs from trampolining. Obviously it didn’t help that I injured myself on a friends trampoline too but it was without a net. I now have a large trampoline in my back yard (with a net) that I frequently use and still feel kind of bad a*s for owning. The novelty has not worn off even after almost a decade of owning one!
#66
Megazord figures...my folks were against Power Rangers because "they do karate and that will lead to Buddhism and eastern mysticism"
no, it doesn't, but in house they were never wrong...
#67
Grapes. F*****g grapes. They are a delicacy in my mind because my parents would never buy them because they were too expensive. The other thing--beverages in restaurants. We only ever got water.
Mary August 11 months ago
The restaurant thing! Beverages and also picking a dish I want regardless of the price. If I can't afford to choose freely in the restaurant I'm not going. I'll go another time when I have more money.
#68
Horseback riding lessons and I leased a horse.
Deborah 11 months ago
Again I realized how fortunate I was. I had the riding lessons. As an adult I owned horses. And every time my parents went on a cruise - they went all over the world - she brought back horse figurines for me. Siblings, of course, got lessons & souvenirs to their interests. Mom just said it was easier to buy for me!
#69
PlayStation. As a kid, having a console was always my dream. I finally bought one (PS5) last year, and it made my inner child so happy.
#71
My own bowling ball. It is coming Wednesday.
Edit: Hammer purple pearl urethane for those who are curious.
#72
Weird as sounds, electric tools, as child i was a mini mad scientist and i was frustrated because i didn't have any tools to make my things.
geezeronthehill 11 months ago
It is very difficult to own too many tools. I have never met anyone who said they had too many.
#73
Whipped cream. My parents never ever bought it. So every once in a while ( maybe three times a year) I buy it and eat it right out of the can every time I pass the fridge till it's gone.
Sometimes I do the same with frosting, but it's stupid sweet now. Even the cream cheese ones. So that's even more rare.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
No whipped cream, how could you have pavlova! (I'm aware it's not well known outside Aus/NZ except from Bluey) I sort of went through the opposite thing. We always had cream to go on tinned fruit, puddings etc. I'm not a big fan of cream on top of those type of sweets, I feel it detracts from the actual flavour of the dessert. Now I only have cream if it is specifically part of a recipe, like pavlova.
#74
I couldn’t always eat fast food as a kid so when I became an adult I ordered a ton of it all the time and that was a mistake 😂.
Bacon Tentacles 11 months ago
I feel ya. Growing up, that sort of thing was a very rare treat, so when I was on my own, I went nuts. Aaaaaand then I got type 2 diabetes.
#75
Bananas. My parents would never buy them. They always complained about the price and how fast they ripen/rot. There's a simple solution to that; eat them. Bananas are not all that expensive, either.
#76
As petty as it sounds, I buy carton orange juice. Growing up we always had orange juice from frozen concentrate.
#77
Prescriptions. My parents didn’t like medicine. Lots of natural remedies but no prescriptions.
Dog Mom to Zoe 11 months ago (edited)
This is so dangerous. Glad you made it out of childhood.
#78
Full-size bed.
BrownEyedPanda 11 months ago
Same here. I have long since outgrown a twin-size bed, and have no more desire to sleep in a queen. (Have you ever tried to flip the mattress or change the sheets on those monstrosities? By YOURSELF?!) With a platform base instead of a boxspring, built-in drawers, and a bookcase headboard, a full-size bed fits the bill.
#79
A phone case with flowers on it. I was denied it (with my own birthday money!) because it looked like “old lady curtains”.
#80
Nutella and Pop Tarts. My parents hated them. I bought both on my 50th birthday. I thought Nutella was too sweet and thick. It was difficult to spread. I couldn't get through my first jar.
Pop Tarts are awesome.
#81
For me it is the opposite. My parents bought me and my brother nice things, but then fought constantly about money and often times tried to make me and my brother feel ashamed for not showing enough appreciation for it. All I wanted was a functional, safe, and happy home. So, as an adult I strive for minimalism and frugality. I take great delight in being frugal and living as basic as possible. I wear plain cloths, drive a plain car, and do not use credit for anything because f**k keeping up with the Jone's, and f**k my parent's warped priorities.
#82
I was forbidden to eat the expensive chocolate stuff in the snack closet/pantry. So once in a while, I buy the expensive chocolate mint patties or sticks and squares from Ghirardelli.
Dog Mom to Zoe 11 months ago
This is sad because Ghirardelli is NOT expensive. Off Topic in a way: Europe, oh Europe has the BEST confections I've ever eaten. I'm an American and anytime I travel, off to the sweet shop I go.
#83
Sugary breakfast cereals. Enjoyed them for about 3 days then lost interest and went back to more enjoyable breakfast options. .
#86
Chocolate milk and even now I feel guilty about it.
#88
Crunchy peanut butter. I grew up in a creamy house and my best friend's family ate crunchy. My mom refused to even get me my own small jar. Now, there is always crunchy peanut butter in my kitchen.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
I never liked crunchy peanut butter when I was a kid, but I only ate white bread (even though my mum said it wasn't healthy enough). As an adult I recognise that crunchy peanut butter is way better on wholegrain bread!
#89
Dumb thing milk, my mom always made powdered milk, wasn’t a financial thing she just grew up on it and didn’t understand why it tasted so bad in comparison.
Dog Mom to Zoe 11 months ago
Same but we lived off of Welfare up until I was around 15. For those not in the U.S., Welfare is government assistant money that gave you food stamps.
#91
Transformers Toys. Optimus Prime and Megatron.
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Doodles1983 11 months ago
Sleeping next to my (snoring) partner. Unmarried. My mum was a Jehovah's Witness.
raquelle 10 months ago
JW are the worst. i was raised by one and when i left and actually founded real religon i havent looked back sense. they are CRAZYYY
Load More Replies...
Chloe 11 months ago
My thing is once I became an adult and had my own money I didn't really know what I wanted anymore. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up and I was very aware of it. I think after being told "we can't afford it" whenever I asked to buy or do things, and being praised for not asking for things often and for being "good at saving money", I just stopped asking and eventually stopped allowing myself to want things. I don't blame my parents for it, I understand that was hard for them too and they did their best. I'm now trying to push myself to try things and buy things when I want them but I still forget I can do that sometimes. The only things I was never denied was books. They were almost always secondhand but I could always get them and I now live in a house full of them.
ILoveMySon 11 months ago
As long as you have books, you are never bored or lonely.
Load More Replies...
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 11 months ago
I'm first to admit I was spoiled rotten as a kid. Every Xmas and birthday I got plenty of presents, so I lacked nothing in the toy area as a kid. BUT. My toys starting disappearing by the time I was ten or eleven. My mum thought I was too old for them and would pack them up and donate them while I was at school, or give them to friends of the family who had slightly younger kids. I really hated that! So for several years now I have been able to replace a few of my most favourite toys on Ebay etc :) I've been told plenty of times it's a waste of money and it probably is, but the joy my old toys bring is worth it to me.
Lousha 11 months ago
I came home from school once - I was really little - and my mom got me a little piano type toy that had two rows of frog heads at the top, and when you pressed a key, one frog would open its mouth and made a sound. It was not any special day, it was just a surprise present, and I loved it. Such a special memory to go home to a nice thing like that! And that memory was spoiled several years later when I came home from high school and it was missing, because mom gave it to some random kid. If she asked I probably would've given it myself, I clearly wasn't using it for years, and it should've been enjoyed by a little child. But the fact that she just took it and gave it away like that still stings after 20-odd years. Believe you me, if I ever see souch a treasure anywhere, I'm buying it! :)
Load More Replies...
Lene 11 months ago
I grew up being a chubby kid. Not fat, but chubby. My fat-frightened grandma and my diabetic mom and mentally ill aunt refused to let me wear tight clothes. I was always told to only look for colorful jeans and oversized shirts. Hated it but couldn't fight them since I was just a kid and a teen. When I moved out from home and ended a bad relationship (the guy told me that goth/punk/metalhead-types would grown up and wear "normal" clothes etc so that look was not one to aim for)... Well, I've been wearing black clothes since then. Skirts, tights, leggings, band shirts, shirts that has a pretty tight fit etc. since then. And since I also had to find my own way with foods I also got fat -but am working on that in 2025. Lol. Black clothes that show my curves is waaaaay more satisfying to me than orange jeans and light green oversized shirts.
Chris the Bobcat 11 months ago
I realized my childhood dream of publishing a novel a year and a half ago. Even better, I used a character I dreamed up at age 7 as my protagonist and kept him pretty much as I imagined him all those years ago. I'm 51 and a published author. Here's my main character, Private Investigator Max Persian! Max-Persia...b4-png.jpg 
Lyoness 11 months ago
So many of these are food related, but it makes sense. It's such a basic need that when you're deprived as a child of course you're going to "fix" it as an adult.
Papa 11 months ago
Oddly enough, some of the foods I considered a treat when I was a child I no longer care for now that I'm an adult and can have them any time I want.
Load More Replies... Margaret Shannon 11 months ago
My mother's new husband took away my strawberry Quik (sweetens and flavors milk.). No idea why. He made a big deal out of it, and my mother didn't defend me. Just recently my dear husband found out about that, and immediately bought me a big box. I haven't opened it yet, I am comforted by its presence.
Lea S. 11 months ago
Whew. First big one - the haircut I wanted. I was well into my twenties before I realized that I could get whatever cut I wanted. She used to passive aggressively comment on it whenever she could. So, I bided my time and waited until we were going to take some big extended family photos (talking 80-100 people). The weekend before that happened I told everyone I could - if mom keeps complaining about my hair I will shave it before the photo. Shut that down for good. Also - garbage bags that cinched close and when I'm doing really well - smell of lavender. Mom used plastic grocery bags in every bag in the house and there was just constant bitching and complaining that people were putting them in wrong, choosing ones that were broken, blah blah blah. I still reuse plastic bags for a lot of things, but I buy real garbage bags for the kitchen garbage. Things that I don't need but bring me joy - most recently - a lightbulb for my 1985 glowworm.
Papa 11 months ago
That one hit a nerve. My father insisted that I get a burr haircut because he didn't want me to look like a hippie (it was the late 60's), so I was the only boy in my school with very short hair until he relented when I was about 12 and let me grow it long enough to lay down. I parted it on the left, and kept that same hair style for 50 years. Last year when I got it cut short again the first thing my sister said when she saw it was "Dad would be so proud!"
Load More Replies...
Magenta Blu 11 months ago
Things I wanted when I was child can't be acquired with money.. IAM only child and always wanted to have siblings.. not going to happen. I wanted to have friends as in movies and books. .. never happened . I wanted to fit in... Never achieved. I wanted a loving family... Not possible because I'm poor
Rob D 11 months ago
I hated this article...and apparently most people's parents. Holy s**t. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 god, I got lucky.
Natalia 11 months ago
Same here, articles like this make me appreciate my parents even more
Load More Replies...
Troy Parr 11 months ago
I wonder how many people would post about how they made something for themselves because they wasn't allowed that thing as a child?
BrownEyedPanda 11 months ago
Only one way to find out--make a post about it.
Load More Replies...
Apatheist Account2 11 months ago
My father's favourite phrase was "I'll do what I like in my own home" - I suspect from having a very limited childhood. There is more money around now - although things are relative, if you're only earning £50 a month (as my father was when I was born), you can only split it so many ways, more so if you were only earning £50 a year (as my grandfather would have been).
Joanne Hudson 11 months ago
After we were past Santa, we posted a sheet of paper on the fridge by the end of October what you wanted for Christmas. All family members. I wanted a real microscope and wrote an essay about not wanting a toy one and if that's all they could afford, couldn't find one in a p**n shop, trash bin, whatever, I didn't want one. I got a toy one. That hurt worse than not getting any.
Jnausicaa 11 months ago
After finishing grad school and getting a good paying job I bought Lego and a bassoon. The Lego I had been forced to leave behind for a child that was. like Sid in Toy Story with how he abused his toys. The bassoon because although I had played in middle school and high school, the University said that I had to have my own (middle and high schools had cheap student models). Now on a second bassoon, a more professional type and getting ready to get a contrabassoon for my birthday. And I play with a local light opera company and the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
Keith Lancaster 11 months ago
When I was a child I really wanted a dog. Parents bought me a hamster instead. Little s@@t bit everybody in the house more than once. Now I have an amazing Westie called Ben who is my best friend.
Anna Drever 11 months ago
Owning my first cat, and then later a dog. We were never allowed ‘normal’ pets as a child. My parents are bird lovers and that’s not really compatible with cats, but I don’t understand why not a dog??? So multiple cats and dogs later I’m happy with my choice.
Dan St John 11 months ago
Growing up, we didn't have much money, plenty of love, but money was always tight. For your birthday or X-mas you would get clothes, coats, hts, mittens and shoes, much needed, but no toys. My wife and I adopt a family for X-mas every year and they always ask for the same for the children. I have made it a mission to make sure they get everything they asked for, then I pile on the toys. I remember as a boy, going out X-mas day and watching all the other kids playing with their new toys and making excuses and how I felt. Besides, there are some really cool toys these days and they are fun to find.
Damned_Cat 11 months ago
I order dessert in a restaurant even though I know I have ice cream at home.
Luke Branwen 11 months ago
I loved Digimon as a child, and I still do tbh. This christmas, I got myself a wonderful WarGreymon model kit since, when I was a child, the availablity of good anime toys was very limited (that was time before e-shops were big). Made me very happy.
Doodles1983 11 months ago
Sleeping next to my (snoring) partner. Unmarried. My mum was a Jehovah's Witness.
raquelle 10 months ago
JW are the worst. i was raised by one and when i left and actually founded real religon i havent looked back sense. they are CRAZYYY
Load More Replies... Chloe 11 months ago
My thing is once I became an adult and had my own money I didn't really know what I wanted anymore. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up and I was very aware of it. I think after being told "we can't afford it" whenever I asked to buy or do things, and being praised for not asking for things often and for being "good at saving money", I just stopped asking and eventually stopped allowing myself to want things. I don't blame my parents for it, I understand that was hard for them too and they did their best. I'm now trying to push myself to try things and buy things when I want them but I still forget I can do that sometimes. The only things I was never denied was books. They were almost always secondhand but I could always get them and I now live in a house full of them.
ILoveMySon 11 months ago
As long as you have books, you are never bored or lonely.
Load More Replies... Smeghead Tribble Down Under 11 months ago
I'm first to admit I was spoiled rotten as a kid. Every Xmas and birthday I got plenty of presents, so I lacked nothing in the toy area as a kid. BUT. My toys starting disappearing by the time I was ten or eleven. My mum thought I was too old for them and would pack them up and donate them while I was at school, or give them to friends of the family who had slightly younger kids. I really hated that! So for several years now I have been able to replace a few of my most favourite toys on Ebay etc :) I've been told plenty of times it's a waste of money and it probably is, but the joy my old toys bring is worth it to me.
Lousha 11 months ago
I came home from school once - I was really little - and my mom got me a little piano type toy that had two rows of frog heads at the top, and when you pressed a key, one frog would open its mouth and made a sound. It was not any special day, it was just a surprise present, and I loved it. Such a special memory to go home to a nice thing like that! And that memory was spoiled several years later when I came home from high school and it was missing, because mom gave it to some random kid. If she asked I probably would've given it myself, I clearly wasn't using it for years, and it should've been enjoyed by a little child. But the fact that she just took it and gave it away like that still stings after 20-odd years. Believe you me, if I ever see souch a treasure anywhere, I'm buying it! :)
Load More Replies... Lene 11 months ago
I grew up being a chubby kid. Not fat, but chubby. My fat-frightened grandma and my diabetic mom and mentally ill aunt refused to let me wear tight clothes. I was always told to only look for colorful jeans and oversized shirts. Hated it but couldn't fight them since I was just a kid and a teen. When I moved out from home and ended a bad relationship (the guy told me that goth/punk/metalhead-types would grown up and wear "normal" clothes etc so that look was not one to aim for)... Well, I've been wearing black clothes since then. Skirts, tights, leggings, band shirts, shirts that has a pretty tight fit etc. since then. And since I also had to find my own way with foods I also got fat -but am working on that in 2025. Lol. Black clothes that show my curves is waaaaay more satisfying to me than orange jeans and light green oversized shirts.
Chris the Bobcat 11 months ago
I realized my childhood dream of publishing a novel a year and a half ago. Even better, I used a character I dreamed up at age 7 as my protagonist and kept him pretty much as I imagined him all those years ago. I'm 51 and a published author. Here's my main character, Private Investigator Max Persian! Max-Persia...b4-png.jpg
Lyoness 11 months ago
So many of these are food related, but it makes sense. It's such a basic need that when you're deprived as a child of course you're going to "fix" it as an adult.
Papa 11 months ago
Oddly enough, some of the foods I considered a treat when I was a child I no longer care for now that I'm an adult and can have them any time I want.
Load More Replies... Margaret Shannon 11 months ago
My mother's new husband took away my strawberry Quik (sweetens and flavors milk.). No idea why. He made a big deal out of it, and my mother didn't defend me. Just recently my dear husband found out about that, and immediately bought me a big box. I haven't opened it yet, I am comforted by its presence.
Lea S. 11 months ago
Whew. First big one - the haircut I wanted. I was well into my twenties before I realized that I could get whatever cut I wanted. She used to passive aggressively comment on it whenever she could. So, I bided my time and waited until we were going to take some big extended family photos (talking 80-100 people). The weekend before that happened I told everyone I could - if mom keeps complaining about my hair I will shave it before the photo. Shut that down for good. Also - garbage bags that cinched close and when I'm doing really well - smell of lavender. Mom used plastic grocery bags in every bag in the house and there was just constant bitching and complaining that people were putting them in wrong, choosing ones that were broken, blah blah blah. I still reuse plastic bags for a lot of things, but I buy real garbage bags for the kitchen garbage. Things that I don't need but bring me joy - most recently - a lightbulb for my 1985 glowworm.
Papa 11 months ago
That one hit a nerve. My father insisted that I get a burr haircut because he didn't want me to look like a hippie (it was the late 60's), so I was the only boy in my school with very short hair until he relented when I was about 12 and let me grow it long enough to lay down. I parted it on the left, and kept that same hair style for 50 years. Last year when I got it cut short again the first thing my sister said when she saw it was "Dad would be so proud!"
Load More Replies... Magenta Blu 11 months ago
Things I wanted when I was child can't be acquired with money.. IAM only child and always wanted to have siblings.. not going to happen. I wanted to have friends as in movies and books. .. never happened . I wanted to fit in... Never achieved. I wanted a loving family... Not possible because I'm poor
Rob D 11 months ago
I hated this article...and apparently most people's parents. Holy s**t. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 god, I got lucky.
Natalia 11 months ago
Same here, articles like this make me appreciate my parents even more
Load More Replies... Troy Parr 11 months ago
I wonder how many people would post about how they made something for themselves because they wasn't allowed that thing as a child?
BrownEyedPanda 11 months ago
Only one way to find out--make a post about it.
Load More Replies... Apatheist Account2 11 months ago
My father's favourite phrase was "I'll do what I like in my own home" - I suspect from having a very limited childhood. There is more money around now - although things are relative, if you're only earning £50 a month (as my father was when I was born), you can only split it so many ways, more so if you were only earning £50 a year (as my grandfather would have been).
Joanne Hudson 11 months ago
After we were past Santa, we posted a sheet of paper on the fridge by the end of October what you wanted for Christmas. All family members. I wanted a real microscope and wrote an essay about not wanting a toy one and if that's all they could afford, couldn't find one in a p**n shop, trash bin, whatever, I didn't want one. I got a toy one. That hurt worse than not getting any.
Jnausicaa 11 months ago
After finishing grad school and getting a good paying job I bought Lego and a bassoon. The Lego I had been forced to leave behind for a child that was. like Sid in Toy Story with how he abused his toys. The bassoon because although I had played in middle school and high school, the University said that I had to have my own (middle and high schools had cheap student models). Now on a second bassoon, a more professional type and getting ready to get a contrabassoon for my birthday. And I play with a local light opera company and the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
Keith Lancaster 11 months ago
When I was a child I really wanted a dog. Parents bought me a hamster instead. Little s@@t bit everybody in the house more than once. Now I have an amazing Westie called Ben who is my best friend.
Anna Drever 11 months ago
Owning my first cat, and then later a dog. We were never allowed ‘normal’ pets as a child. My parents are bird lovers and that’s not really compatible with cats, but I don’t understand why not a dog??? So multiple cats and dogs later I’m happy with my choice.
Dan St John 11 months ago
Growing up, we didn't have much money, plenty of love, but money was always tight. For your birthday or X-mas you would get clothes, coats, hts, mittens and shoes, much needed, but no toys. My wife and I adopt a family for X-mas every year and they always ask for the same for the children. I have made it a mission to make sure they get everything they asked for, then I pile on the toys. I remember as a boy, going out X-mas day and watching all the other kids playing with their new toys and making excuses and how I felt. Besides, there are some really cool toys these days and they are fun to find.
Damned_Cat 11 months ago
I order dessert in a restaurant even though I know I have ice cream at home.
Luke Branwen 11 months ago
I loved Digimon as a child, and I still do tbh. This christmas, I got myself a wonderful WarGreymon model kit since, when I was a child, the availablity of good anime toys was very limited (that was time before e-shops were big). Made me very happy.
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