Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Things They Couldn't Believe They Had To Explain To Another Adult

People Share The Things They Couldn't Believe They Had To Explain To Another Adult
Westend61/Getty Images

There are things you kind of assume people can't make it into adulthood without understanding.

But you'd be amazed how much those assumptions don't exactly match up with reality.


Redditor The_Sh0w asked:

"What's something you can't believe you had to explain to another adult?"

The privilege of in depth and accurate education isn't something we all have.

Here in the United States it is perfectly legal to teach inaccurate information in schools (we're looking at you anatomy and sexuality classes) and so it's sort of understandable why so many people still think women urinate from their vaginas.

Sorry if you're just now finding out.

We'll give you a minute to process.

Check out some of these other "you totally should have known this" things that people have had to patiently (or not-so-patiently) explain to other adults.

A Female Human and A Male Human

How men and women evolved together. He said evolution can't be real "because what are the chances a female human and male human evolved to match each other?" as though they evolved separately then just met up one day.

I also had to explain we're still evolving.

- TopScruffy

Scaring Chlamydia Away

That if you want to get rid of an infection (in this case, Chlamydia), it's not enough to just own the antibiotics prescribed to treat it. You have to actually ingest them. You have to put the pills (500mg Azithromycin, 2 tablets, one time dose,) into your mouth and swallow them. You can't, like, threaten the Chlamydia with the pills and frighten it away.

I'm an OB GYN nurse in a clinic- this person was a patient. Plus she was pregnant, which is why I needed her to not have Chlamydia. When I asked "How do you think this works?" I got a blank stare.

- Jezzzebeezlebub

Giphy

Not Enough Electricity

Had a coworker once that told us she had to use special calculators, keyboards, etc. because she didn't have enough electricity in her hands. Her response when I told her that wasn't how electricity works was that she had seen an electrician about it.

I just left.

- IndianaGnomes


Was she talking about touch screens? She may have got the electrical facts wrong, while correctly noticing that screens don't react to her fingers: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/06/zombie-finger-and-touchscreens/index.htm

Give her a travel-sized bottle of skin moisturizer, and tell her it was recommended by a top electrician.

- FunhouseFrankenstein

No, she was talking about an actual physical calculator. She was legitimately an idiot who said dumb things all the time. We only had her because her original department refused to take her back.

- IndianaGnomes

AC Power Settings

Thermostats- "You got it! The number is the temperature you want it to be, not power level"

- Dawnalla

Someone Is In There

Toilet doors. That's right, if it says occupied there is someone in there. If it won't open it's locked...because someone is in there. You have to wait outside because yes someone is in there. This was many times throughout the day.

I had the misfortune of having my office across the hall from the customer bathrooms. I would be informed when supplies ran out or there was a problem even though there was a sign to let customer service know. I had one man tell me I have to look in the toilet to know what is wrong with it. No. No I do not.

- MessedUpFessedUp

Contraception Concepts

Client - "I keep getting pregnant and it's not fair, I've already got 3 kids! You [social services, in general] need to help me."

Me - "Well, what contraception are you using?"

Client - "OMFG WTF (etc., etc.) I'm only sleeping with one fella, why the eff do I need contraception? I'm not a dirty slag!"

I had to gently explain that you have to use contraception if you don't want to get pregnant, even if you have just one sexual partner at the time.

- LTLxx

Family Fun With Furniture

Had to explain to my 50 year old father that queen sized beds were not made exclusively for women after he jokingly called me a sissy whilst we were talking about furniture.

My brother-in-law asked me why I wouldn't weld a metal lamp base onto his wooden shelf. After I explained it for him, he proceeded to cite a Minecraft modpack. He is 25 and this was 2 months ago.

- [Reddit]

Fried Or Fertilized

Fertilization of the egg is how pregnancy occurs.

Wife and I were having trouble conceiving for a while. Had some tests done, all was well, it was just a matter of time before it was going to happen (it did). When the mother-in-law asked why my wife isn't pregnant yet, we mentioned eggs and fertilization, and it's just a matter of time.

Her reply was 'If you need eggs just go to the grocery store and get some.'

She legitimately thought that the doctor recommended we both need to eat more eggs to conceive a child. This woman is in her late 50's with some college education. She absolutely should know this.

- MeanElevator

Giphy

Not A Charger

My friends and I were on vacation and decided to go into a sex shop. Mind you, we were all early to mid thirties. I was looking at range of toys when one of my friend asked which one of them charges Apple iPhone 8? 🤔 Had to explain what they were used for and she pretty soon walked out of the shop.

- CookTheMonster

Five Plus Five Plus Ten Makes Twenty

That the pretty little "5" and "10" on the green bill she had meant 5 dollars and 10 dollars.

She said she had "3 dollars" after counting 2 fives and 1 ten dollar bill.

She was 22 .She had her diploma.

And I don't want to come off as though I'm making fun of her or talking bad about her because she's very sweet. She's kinda like a puppy. She's sweet and easy to love, but don't expect her to do your finances.

- MrR08070

Happy Halloween

To my ex boyfriend earlier this year (he is 26 and I am 25) I had to explain that Halloween is the same date every year. He asked me which day Halloween was this year, I said: "It's on a Thursday"

to which he replied "No what is the date date of it?"

I thought he was kidding until I realized he wasn't.

- RhondaSwanson

Cursive

Had to explain to an acquaintance in college that cursing, i.e. vocalizing words that societal groups regard as obscenities, was not the same as cursive, i.e. handwriting stuff where all the letters are getting freaky and loopy and all up in each others' business.

It took me about 5 minutes to fail to explain the difference to him, after which point I felt like cursive him out.

- Times_Hunger

Animals

The definition of "animal".
To explain, this is how they thought things were arranged:

Humans - Humans
Animals - Anything with fur that is not human
Lizards - Uh?
Bugs and Birds - Catch-all for none of the above

They argued with me saying bugs are not animals, they are bugs. They also argued that plants are not living.

- pakidara

Even When You're Not In California

Ok when the bottle of brake cleaner says " known in California to cause cancer " you are not exempt because your not in California.

- Stone057

The Neighbors Fruit

I have to explain to my cousin that you can't take your neighbor's fruit that they planted in front of their house without their consent. I don't know if she is just being greedy or what but what a thing you have to say to 30 yo woman. No wonder she is still single until this day.

- Letsrain

Stars And Stripes

I was in a car with my Father In Law and we drove past an American flag and he said he wondered how many stars were actually on the flag and if they meant something or it was just the way it was designed. Yes, we're both Americans and this was in America.

- rlw0312

Swimming While Pregnant

My best friend was pregnant around 18. I couldn't convince her that it was okay to go swimming because she was concerned the baby would drown. In the end, I told her to just call the doctor so we could go swimming.

- efhunter31

Fridge And Freezer

That a fridge and a freezer were two different things with two different purposes. Worked with a guy in a kitchen who honestly thought that both functioned in the same way, kept finding ice cream and such in the fridge and veg etc. in the freezer.

- antipop2097

Driving To Hawaii

My mother wouldn't believe that you could not drive to Hawaii. She told me I didn't know, since I had never been to Hawaii. She's a stubborn old broad who won't take criticism and evidently has never seen a map.

- SpicyHumor

Giphy

Pierced Ears

They informed us about STDs in school and they said that we shouldn't use used needles, so a girl asked: "Am I getting AIDS if I pierce both of my ears with the same needle?"

- TheWorstGirlEverXD

So listen, some of the answers were things that if we squinted really hard we could kind of understand ... kind of.

Nobody really expects you to be an expert in 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

United States of America flag in window behind wooden pane
Max Sulik on Unsplash

Culture Shocks Americans Faced Moving Home From Abroad

Culture shock is defined as "the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes."

But what if the culture is the one you were born and raised in?

Keep ReadingShow less
Cillian Murphy
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Lionsgate

Fans Think They Spotted A Cillian Murphy 'Cameo' In The '28 Years Later' Trailer—And It's Already A Meme

It's only been 22 years since 28 Days Later, but nevertheless fans of the iconic 2002 zombie apocalypse film are definitely ready for the long-awaited third chapter in the saga, 28 Years Later.

Produced and directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland like the very first installment, the film centers on exactly what the title suggests—the situation 28 years after an incurable zombie virus upended the world.

Keep ReadingShow less

Industries That Are Far More Sinister Than People Realize

Corporations and big industries are taking over the world.

At least, that's what it feels like.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Former Aide Calls Out Rep. Nancy Mace Over The Reason She's Wearing A Sling After 'Assault'

Republican South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace was accused of being a "crisis actor" online when she showed up wearing an arm sling after claiming to be attacked by a "pro-trans" man at the Capitol building.

Mace is a vocal opponent of transgender rights who championed a resolution banning House members and staffers from "using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex."

Keep ReadingShow less
Amy Adams; Drew Barrymore
@thedrewbarrymoreshow/TikTok

Amy Adams Hilariously Flustered After Not Realizing What 'Netflix And Chill' Means

Actor Amy Adams let on more than she intended when she described her favorite thing to do with her husband, and she immediately blushed after realizing her gaffe.

Adams stopped by The Drew Barrymore Show to promote her new black comedy film Nightb*tch alongside the movie's director Marielle Heller.

Keep ReadingShow less