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 Down Giphy

"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 GIF Giphy

"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 GIF Giphy

"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

SONY PlayStation showcases its fun scenes in home consumption at AWE2026 in Shanghai, China.
CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Gamers Are Furiously Sounding Off After PlayStation Announces End To Physical Discs

Physical media fans just got hit with a game-over screen.

Sony announced Wednesday that it will discontinue physical PlayStation game discs starting in January 2028, a move that has already sparked backlash from gamers who aren't exactly thrilled about handing over the last remnants of ownership to digital storefronts.

Keep Reading Show less
Michael Che and Colin Jost
ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Michael Che Just Wished Colin Jost Happy Birthday With A Hilariously Brutal Post—And 'SNL' Fans Are Cackling

Perhaps no two celebrities are better at trolling each other than SNL's Michael Che and Colin Jost.

And for Jost's recent birthday, Che decided it was the perfect time to show his friend who's actually the best troll out there.

Keep Reading Show less
Danny Glover
Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty Images

Fans Rally Around Danny Glover After He Reveals That He's Living With Alzheimer's Disease In Poignant New Interviews

In an appearance filmed for the TODAY show that aired on Tuesday, actor and activist Danny Glover revealed he, like over 7 million other Americans, is living with Alzheimer's disease. The progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease causes memory loss and cognitive decline.

The veteran actor has 200 film and TV credits to his name going back almost 50 years. His theatre credits extend even further. Glover has also received several prestigious awards for his decades of humanitarian work and political activism, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Marsha Blackburn from elevator video
NewsChannel 5

MAGA Senator Tries To Dodge Reporter's Questions Only To Get Thwarted By Elevator In Super Cringey Viral Video

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn was called out after attempting to dodge questions from journalist Ben Hall of NewsChannel 5, the CBS affiliate in Nashville, only to be thwarted by an uncooperative elevator.

Blackburn is the frontrunner in the Republican primary for Tennessee governor; early voting is less than three weeks away and Blackburn has kept a very low profile. That was true even after she just spoken to the Greater Nashville Technology Council for an event members of different media outlets had been invited to attend.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of JD Vance; Joe Biden
@atrupar/X; Scott Olson/Getty Images

JD Vance Just Tried To Make A Pitiful Joke About Biden To U.S. Troops—And It Fell Awkwardly Flat

Vice President JD Vance had people groaning after a joke he made about former President Joe Biden falling on the stairs was met with silence from those who attended an event meant to honor "American military excellence."

Vance was speaking to troops at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at one of many different events designed to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Keep Reading Show less