Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Things Their Parents Warned Them About That Were Blown Way Out Of Proportion

People Explain Which Things Their Parents Warned Them About That Were Blown Way Out Of Proportion
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Make us preferred on Google

Parents and adults are so dramatic. And they have the audacity to say kids are a handful. How many things have we been warned away from due to unforeseen possible dangers?

Don't do that. Don't touch that. Don't go there. That person is shady. The list seems endless.

Then you grow up and start experiencing all the do's and do not's and you realize, every adult was either lying or too dramatic to live.

Like take a chill pill. This was the concern? Let's see who can relate.

Redditor u/Marshalljoe wanted to discuss all the things that aren't as bad as they seem, by asking:

What is something that you were warned about when you were younger that you now feel was exaggerated?

I hate Geometry. I always said I never needed Geometry. It was a waste of time. They said I'll use it everyday, it's imperative. Yeah... no. I knew I was right. But I was so nervous about it. Thanks guys.

It's all in Pencil

"Your permanent record. I'm 55, and nobody has ever asked me about the time I was sent to the principal's office when I was 16."

- TooOldForACleverName

Danger

"Drug dealers. I thought people would force that drugs down my throat untill I was a broke addict. I have been offered it a few times in high school but funny enough they were all very wholesome interactions. My favorite was a guy who I had never spoken to, who had just learned I was chronically ill and he said that if I ever wanted to try anything he would give it to me for free."

"And would help me to do it safely since he knew I didn't do drugs. It was just a very pure moment and I will never forget that look of kindness and concern in his eyes. I've since been around many, many drug dealers (I think everyone in the Netherlands has) and have never been forced, tempted or manipulated to do drugs."

- Media-consumer101

Yuck

"Cannibalism. Was a huge concern in late elementary to early middle school days. It was highly unlikely we'd ever crash in the Andes or that our wagon train would get stuck in the mountains in winter, but for some reason all the kids in my school were concerned about it. Should we eat someone? Could we actually do it if we had to? Who should we eat first? The fat kid will keep, but we don't want the muscular guy to lose too much weight. We were pretty messed up, I'm now realizing."

- Little_Tin_Goddess

Easy Lies

"I'm 35 and I am about 90% sure I could just lie about having a bachelor's degree. Literally nobody has ever asked to see my diploma or thesis or anything. By this point in my life it's just assumed you have one if you say you do, especially since I went to a really small college most people have never heard of. They'd never check that unless I was claiming a graduate degree maybe."

- standbyyourmantis

Astray...

Let Me Go Love GIF by 3 Doors DownGiphy

"Mom warned me to "avoid any girl who wanted to stick her tongue in my mouth ('French kiss') because it would lead me astray."

- Back2Bach

What better way to be lead astray than a lovely french kiss? Oh la la. And that permanent record scam I caught onto early in life. Although with the internet and social media, that is coming to fruition.

Movie Lies

hey arnold nicksplat GIFGiphy

"Apart from infamous quicksand, I thought it would be a bigger problem being stuck in the alps and having to drink alcohol from a Saint Bernard's necklace."

- Adventuredepot

Don't Swallow!

"Swallowing chewing gum."

- PennyPanda1

"When I was 5, I did that many times and ended up with terrible constipation. I had to have X-rays for the doctors to check out what was going on. Our neighbor was a nurse and helped my parents give me an enema."

- LadyGuinevere423

Flames...

"My school made me believe that I would be set on fire frequently. It has obviously not happened yet."

- hmm-mm-m

"My 50-year-old dad actually got set on fire not too long ago and he said his first reaction was to stop drop and roll like he heard in grade school and that it worked. So it may not happen very often but someday you may be thankful."

- aaronis1

"It doesn't help when you are covered in a flammable, self-oxygenating liquid. Ask me how I know..."

- 1234_Temp_qwer

Good job, Mom!

"My parents both smoked before having kids, and my mom raised me on stories about how the first time she smoked a cigarette, she coughed so badly that she threw up. It made staying away from smoking cigarettes pretty easy, because I didn't want to puke!"

"Once I was in college I brought up the story to her and she blinked like an owl caught in the sunlight. "Wait, you believed me?" She said. "I was just trying to get you to not smoke. If smoking made me vomit, why do you think I smoked for 15 years?" Good job, Mom!"

- AurelianoTampa

All Hours

i hate everything lol GIFGiphy

"My mom was obsessed with the idea that all bad sh*t only happened after midnight so that was my iron clad curfew. Guess what Mom? A ton of bad stuff has happened to me in broad daylight."

- PhillipLlerenas

I love the night, always will. You learn the day is just as dangerous once you start watching DATELINE NBC type shows. Thanks for trying adults. Now relax a bit.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jesse Eisenberg; Mark Zuckerberg
Phillip Faraone/Illumination And Universal Pictures/Getty Images; Wally Skalij/Getty Images

Jesse Eisenberg Gets Candid About Why He Turned Down Reprising His Role As Mark Zuckerberg In 'The Social Network' Sequel

Between acting, writing, and producing, Now You See Me star Jesse Eisenberg has a lot to look forward to, but none of those things will involve Mark Zuckerberg.

While at the Minions & Monsters premiere, Eisenberg was approached by an interviewer from Variety who inquired about his decision to walk away from his part in The Social Network and its sequel.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gracie Abrams attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Musician Gracie Abrams Agrees With Fans Who 'Appropriately' Call Her A Nepo Baby: 'I Had A Safety Net'

The internet has spent years turning "nepo baby" into both an insult and a personality test, but Gracie Abrams isn't exactly running from the label. In fact, the singer-songwriter recently acknowledged what many fans have pointed out for years: having filmmaker J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions CEO Katie McGrath as parents came with advantages.

During a recent appearance on the New York Times' Popcast, Abrams addressed the never-ending nepotism debate while discussing her upcoming album, Daughter From Hell.

Keep ReadingShow less
John Oliver
HBO

John Oliver Lands Guest-Starring Part On 'General Hospital' And 'Days Of Our Lives' After Begging For 'Juicy' Soap Role—And Fans Are Pumped

What's comedian and late-night host John Oliver's next big project? Something incisively and hilariously political like his HBO show Last Week Tonight, right?

Wrong! It's soap operas. Yes, those soap operas, the afternoon melodramas that have been running every weekday for decades and decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Abigail Velez
ABC7

Bosnia Claps Back Hard After U.S. Soccer Reporter Brags That She Can't Find The Country On A Map

ABC7 Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez faced online anger over an ignorant jab at one of the nations competing in the FIFA World Cup.

Velez was covering the U.S. national team’s match on Thursday, a 3-2 loss to Turkey, when she noted the team's next match-up. Bosnia and Herzegovina is slated to face off against the United States in the round of 32 on Wednesday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Peter Doocy and Fox host talking overlooking the Great American State Fair
Fox News

Fox News Dragged For Claiming 'People Are Still Coming Out' To Trump's Great American State Fair As Live Video Shows Otherwise

Fox News was widely mocked after White House correspondent Peter Doocy said on the air that "people are still coming out" to President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair despite their live footage showing hardly anyone in attendance.

Crowds were relatively light, according to several news organizations, with The Washington Post reporting that opening-day attendance was "relatively sparse compared with past National Mall events." The Post even said that “The crowd thinly covered an area about the length of the National Museum of American History, smaller than some more outdoor movie screenings.”

Keep ReadingShow less