No one wants to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes we have to be. It's difficult to communicate something that we know will hurt someone or make them feel upset. A Redditor wanted to know what that news was that people had to share.
Reddit user Necessary-Thought-91 asked:
What's the hardest thing you've had to tell someone?
Often times, these conversations are around death or people who are dying. It is a harsh reality that we often have to face, as it is apart of life.
Some people had to tell truths about themselves that ended up changing their lives for the better.
Here's a few of those moments.
Losing a loved one.
"I had to (separately) tell my two young boys, my sister-in-law, and mother-in-law, that my wife (their mother/sister/daughter) had died. It's been over three years and thinking about it is still devastating."
"I had to tell my sister that our mother died. Worst phone call I've ever had to make by a longshot. I'm so sorry you lost your wife."
"I had almost the same. Had to tell my sister our brother took his life. I don't think I ever cried so hard ever. Devastating. Sorry for your loss."
"I had to tell my grandfather that he wasn't going to come home from the hospital."
"I had to tell my 20 year old nephew that his grandma wasn't coming home from the hospital. I'll never forget the look on his face. He walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and cried his heart out."
"Had to tell my dad the same thing. He had leukemia and his platelets were so low he ended up getting a brain bleed. This happened while we were waiting for his count to get up high enough for him to have another bone marrow transplant. After the brain bleed everyone but him knew there was no chance of him ever getting better. It's been almost four years and I still burst into tears when I think about us having to tell him he'd never get to go home. I'm so sorry you went through that too, it's gut wrenching."
"When I was 14 I had to call my mother and tell her my eldest brother committed suicide. My dad could not call her because they were divorced and she had blocked him."
- jttdiana
A truly devastating Christmas.
"Firefighter/EMT here. Had to tell a family on Christmas Eve one year that their baby was dead."
"I don't wish it on anyone. I also had the unfortunate privilege of being surrounded by fire, within inches of reaching a child making his last cries, and failing to reach him in time. That haunted me more than anything for years."
"PTSD and mental health issues in first responders are very real, and for every story you might hear from one of us, there are 10 we'd rather never speak of again."
"Ugh, that's always so hard."
"My dad was developing dementia."
"He kept thinking I was my mom, reminiscing about old times, funny stories. But he looked like he also knew it wasn't right."
"It's hard to accept and understand how someone knows you your whole life then the brain just flips. It's unbearable."
"My heart goes to you, it's absolutely awful."
Foster kid just wanting a mom.
"I had to tell a 4 year old that i couldn't be his mum."
"Context, growing up my parents fostered. Just before I moved out we looked after 2 kids under 5. I was reading him his bedtime story and out of nowhere he just said 'I don't have a mummy. Can you be my mum?' in this teary voice. Both siblings have a really happy home now but I went to bed teary eyed that night."
The unfortunate truth of terminal illness.
"My breast cancer has spread to my bones. It's stage 4. At this stage, the doctors focus on management rather than cure. The average time between diagnosis and death is about five years."
"I'm sorry. That's so, so hard. Telling my husband and daughter that I was terminal was heart breaking. I think it is so much harder for them than for me."
- slhopper
Reaching out for help can be difficult.
"Telling my parents I was a heroin addict. I was in an abusive relationship and hard into drugs and worried I would die. I needed help. My dad sat with me through the entire withdrawal and I'll be 10 years clean this November. I tell him all the time that he saved my life."
"Congrats on your sobriety. We are strangers but I want you to know that it doesn't matter and I'm extremely proud of you and happy for you! Your life matters my friend!"
And here's one, just in case you needed a chuckle.
"Worcestershire sauce."
- jevic97
"woerchestershurshirechetureshiresurechire sauce"
The truth hurts, and it can be devastating to be the one to tell it just as much as the one to hear it. Though it is hard, sometimes the truth can set us free.
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