Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Lessons From Childhood They've Had To Completely Unlearn

Our past is chock full of "life lessons" that are actually just crap. It's easy to spoon-feed children drivel. They're sponges ready to absorb.

Then those children become adults that require rewiring.

Between culture changes and generations of upheaval, there is a lot that we are left to examine when out in the world. Look at where we are as a society right now. We are stuck in the throes of a culture war stemming from generational misinformation.

So where do we begin?

Redditor Baby_Bella_XX wanted to discuss the information we thought we understood as kids that might require an update. They asked:

What have you had to unlearn from your childhood?

The biggest lesson for me. "Oh stop worrying. There is plenty of time for that."

NO THERE IS NOT! There is no time left! Use it wisely!

Truth

Facts GIF by Judge JerryGiphy

"Fear isn't respect." ~ JudasJenks

Talk it Through

"Not talking about problems or concerns or feelings. My family really only makes small talk. Talking about the weather, gossip, etc. If there is any kind of disagreement, it's typically handled by giving the silent treatment, which might last anywhere from a couple hours to a few weeks or more. The only exception to this was my dad."

"If he was really angry, he would yell, slam things, and sometimes hit. Then pretend it never happened. No one ever asked how anyone else was doing, or about their day. I would come home from school and go straight to my room, because it was just a fact of life that no one would want to talk to me."

"If I had a problem, it would never occur to me to discuss it with my parents. There were never any "I love you's" or hugs or anything. I still, to this day, have never heard either of my parents apologize. I know they loved us in their own dysfunctional way, though."

"I probably overcompensate now. If I have a disagreement with my husband, I HAVE to talk it through in it's entirety. Even if it takes hours. I hug and tell my kids I love them several times a day. I ask questions every day about school, friends, etc. I apologize when I'm wrong. It's weird that that honestly comes naturally to me. I never realized how messed up my childhood was until I had kids of my own." ~ nicole11930

Self First

"Learning to say NO." ~ guyhabit

"If only my family would learn to accept "no". My mom insists on buying metric crap ton of food everytime she visits, despite me telling her not to, so she goes through all my things to "know" what to buy."

"She saw some oatmeal I never finished and two cans of soup I had for emergencies when I'm too sick to eat anything else. Now I'm stuck with a metric crap ton of soup and oatmeal that I keep forgetting to drop off for the local food pantry." ~ 1stLtObvious

Be Loud

"Talking back to anyone older that you is disrespectful. My parents taught me this and it's crap." ~ Halloweendog84

"I unlearned it during childhood. Got tired of my grandparents treating my parents wrong. Still am. I just wish my parents would see it and realize that they don't need to rely on them anymore. I'm tired of abusive or unhelpful family members being part of our lives." ~ bluedragggon3

XOXO

Season 4 Hug GIF by Good GirlsGiphy

"That I'm not actually a burden just for being here." ~ KNOCKknockLAHEY_420

I feel like everyone here needs a hug. All of you should know, you deserve to be here. Every life can change another. Remember that...

Tears

Tobey Maguire Reaction GIFGiphy

"It's okay to cry and it does not make you a weakling. When sad times hit, you have every right to cry your heart out to heal your wounds." ~ unforgivablenope

Social Issues

"Other children weren't psychic, I'm autistic." ~ Thinkingwithportals1

"As a child, I missed a lot of social cues, I couldn't read facial expressions or body language (or even know that you're meant to do that). The other kids kept seeming to know what others were feeling or thinking, so the logical conclusion was that everybody except me was psychic." ~ Thinkingwithportals1

Take my word for it...

"Lots of things. I actually can make it in the real world. I am not doomed to failure because of who I am and the quirks that come with being me. I am not the multitude of nasty labels my father spewed at me. The whole world isn't filled with terrible people who want to take advantage of me, requiring me to always be strong if I don't want to get taken advantage of."

"I am not actually sensitive and over-dramatic. I was actually picked at, 24/7, and so that was why it was so easy to rile me up; I never had a chance not to be emotionally charged. I actually can cook. I am not, as my mother often hinted, naturally a bad cook. I could write pages and pages of this crap and I still wouldn't cover it all. Take my word for it, I've unlearned a lot." ~ EgyptianDevil78

Eat Less

"My parents told me to eats what's on my plate, now I'm fat, coz I don't eat til I'm full, I eat til it's gone." ~ racerboy661

"The thing I've found is to get smaller portions. I only eat until I've had enough, then I stop. If I end up throwing some out, at least it is a tiny bit since I got a small portion."

"If I end up wanting more after eating it all, I can go back and get another small portion. So my advice is cut down on portion size and eat until you feel full then stop. It is way healthier. Try for no waste but that's the idea behind small portions." ~ PoopLoofah

The Best Of...

High School College GIFGiphy

"That just because I am not scoring at the top or going to the most prestigious college I am not not smart." ~ Imteyimg

Here is a lesson. Just try to be a good person. Sadly, in this day and age, that seems harder to do. And remember... our parents don't know everything.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jenna Bush Hager
TODAY/YouTube

Jenna Bush Hager Gets Emotional Speaking About Camp Mystic, Where Mom Laura Was A Counselor

Central Texas faced tragedy over the weekend when flash floods overtook the central part of the state, with at least 110 people killed and 160 still missing.

One impacted location was Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for young girls, and 27 of the lost victims were either girls attending or young women counselors at that camp.

Keep ReadingShow less
School Principal Goes Viral After Cameras Catch His Sweet Interactions With Students
@zbauermaster/Instagram

School Principal Goes Viral After Cameras Catch His Sweet Interactions With Students

A Pennsylvania school teacher has had a video of him at work go viral, for positive reasons only.

Zac Bauermster, an elementary school principal in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, shared a video to his Instagram that was a montage of hallway security footage moments of him high-fiving, hip-bumping, hugging, and otherwise celebrating the children under his care with enthusiasm for each one.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sarah Jessica Parker
Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Sarah Jessica Parker Claps Back At Conservative Critics Who Want Her To 'Shut Up' About Politics And 'Act'

Nothing seems to get conservatives' goats quite like celebrities having political opinions—well, liberal and leftist celebrities, anyway.

They seem to love it when weird right-wing celebs like Kevin Sorbo get on the internet and say bizarre, usually counterfactual nonsense, or when JK Rowling does her darnedest to make her legacy not about Harry Potter but about her weird obsession with trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ann Coulter
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Ann Coulter Faces Fierce Backlash After Saying 'We Didn't Kill Enough Indians' In Deleted Post

Far-right provocateur Ann Coulter is facing fierce criticism after she made a genocidal remark in a now-deleted post on X in response to University of Minnesota professor and Navajo Nation member Melanie Yazzie's speech about colonization.

Yazzie, in a speech at last year's annual Socialism Conference, said "decolonization is the only thing that is going to save us as a species" during a panel hosted by Red Nation, a Native American nonprofit that advocates for Palestinian and Native American rights. She also said that the United States is the "greatest predator empire that has ever existed" and said it should be dismantled.

Keep ReadingShow less
James Gunn
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

James Gunn Bluntly Fires Back At 'Jerks' Who Criticize Superman's Pro-Immigrant Themes

Superman director James Gunn issued a response to the "jerks" who criticize the political themes inherent to the superhero's story, expressing his hope that seeing the movie will "make people a little nicer."

Speaking with The Times of London, Gunn stressed that the story of Superman is more relevant than ever considering the ongoing political turmoil in the United States largely centered around the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Keep ReadingShow less