Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
79 Hilariously Awkward Childhood Blunders Captured On Camera That Still Haunt People Today
Interview With Expert
Many people would choose to keep their childhood photos hidden from the public. These snapshots capture a time when they were in their awkward stages, likely at their most “uncool.”
That wasn’t the case for these brave folks, who proudly shared their kiddie pictures for the entire internet to see. And as you may expect, most of these images showed nothing but adorable and innocent moments, back when life didn’t revolve around the worries of adulting.
Scroll through this list for the cuteness overload you didn’t think you would need today.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Liliana Spiro 10 hours ago
."Funny and chaotic photos these folks probably wanted to burn"?! (Current title of this article/post). Nah, it's adorable :)
RELATED:
It’s much easier to be silly as a child, especially in pictures. The crumpled faces almost come as second nature once someone places a camera in front of you. According to clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Glazer, it's because children don’t have the same filter on their emotions as adults do.
“(Children) also aren't yet capable of self-regulation (social self-monitoring); therefore, the photos capture pure emotion,” Dr. Glazer told Bored Panda. “Their clothing doesn't match. They're sitting in an odd position. That's the "authenticity" part of those images – the lack of ‘performance.’”
Dr. Glazer adds that most adults who are extremely sensitive to social norms may perceive such behavior as “funny or ridiculous.”
#9
Liliana Spiro 10 hours ago
I'd smile as big as that too if I was to be given a bag of (cheese) doodles almost the same size as myself :)
But why do funny and relatively embarrassing childhood photos eventually become cherished with age? According to clinical psychologist Dr. Eleni Nicolaou, it’s primarily because adults have a reflection of themselves from before social expectations existed.
#10
Liliana Spiro 10 hours ago
The attitude and sass on this one. And carrying potential double trouble. I'd, respectfully, stay the heck back from this feral aura
“We refer to this as a nostalgic defense against present-day stressors of adults,” Dr. Nicolaou explained. “Original embarrassment is filtered out by our brains. That shame of our youth we put in its place, our strength of having lived to old age”.
#14
Childhood photos, whether of ordinary people or famous names, are instant viral content. You can count on people to gravitate toward them and pass them around. According to Dr. Nicolaou, it’s because people yearn to be free of the online masks they wear every day.
“On the spaces between our desired poses, relatability flourishes. Our past awkwardness is a sign of safety in the new world,” she explained.
#16
#17
Elladine DesIsles 3 hours ago
Anyone recognize the poster in the background, are those known characters? I've been trying to identify an anime film/show that my family used to rent on VHS, dubbed into English, in the early 1980s, and this image looks familiar.
Meanwhile, Dr. Glazer says sharing childhood images can serve as a “micro-healing process.” As he noted, silly photos from being a kid provide a sense of “acceptable vulnerability" through “embarrassment.”
“We all recognize our own version of awkwardness within the photo,” Dr. Glazer said. “When we laugh at the previous versions of ourselves, we are simultaneously tempering our current self-perceptions.”
#19
AtMostAFabulist 10 hours ago
Absolute Bad@ss! I would have this picture framed and on my living room wall.
#26
Liliana Spiro 10 hours ago
The container spells "smetana" in Russian, so sour cream, and that explains a lot about the kid's reaction
#28
#36
Liliana Spiro 9 hours ago
I might be wrong. Maybe it's not what it it looks like and rats can be handled this way. I take from this that it would've been a cute picture, if it wasn't for that rather sturdy grip. Kid obviously loves their rat, but perhaps a bit too intensely?
#42
#43
AtMostAFabulist 7 hours ago (edited)
Am I the only one getting Paul McCartney vibes from her? Except for the teeth.
#46
Liliana Spiro 9 hours ago
When you're a 'Gopnic' (Russian/Eastern European gangster) and the the sitter is a no-show...
#51
Daniel Atkins 5 hours ago
When you want to be a rock star but mom wants a picture in front of the flowers.
#52
#71
Daisydaisy 8 hours ago
I think sometimes there are more urgent tasks than stopping to take a photo
Add New Image
Related on Bored Panda
