We tend to have an idea of the various things we should know about, taxes, death, and simple math, but we are burdened with the knowledge that we are supposed to know it by a certain age. Out of embarrassment, we just don’t let on that we aren’t sure about something, as at that point we are too afraid to ask.
One internet user wanted to learn what others only realized way too late in life. The lessons ranged from practical to juvenile to poignant, so make sure to upvote your favorites and comment your own experiences as you scroll through. And take notes in case some of these are relevant to your own life.
More info: Reddit
#1
Hr is there to protect the company, not you. Hr is not your friend.
Image source: Puzzleheaded-Mood689, Amy Hirschi
#2
There’s no such thing as “feeling like an adult” I’m 34 and still forget I’m an adult sometimes lol
Image source: scelestai, Erik Mclean
#3
That my height shapes how people perceive what I say. I’m a 6’4 male with a deep voice. I learned it at 40 when I had a boss who was 6’6. I was suddenly aware of my own height and the power position, looking up to him. I realized pretty much everyone is looking up at me, and I began smiling more and asking people questions about themselves to reduce the power implications of my height.
Image source: ClydePincusp, Hunters Race
#4
That we should shake the CEO’s hand with the exact same enthusiasm and firmness as the janitors hand.
Image source: tfresh2death, Chris Liverani
#5
That I don’t have to become a mother if I don’t want to.
Image source: detective_kiara, Bethany Beck
#6
My grandmother had a clock that would break if anyone touched or tried to move it.
I always found that curious. Then some time in my 30s my wife and I were talking and it came up. I was wondering how they moved it out of their house after they passed. As I was explaining “… I think it must have had some delicately balanced mechanism or something that would be disrupted if moved…” my wife’s face made me quickly realize it was just a lie told to young me to keep my dirty clumsy hands off of it.
Also, I’m an engineer.
Image source: P-eh-triot
#7
1. Everyone is just f*cking winging it.
2. “The rules” do not apply evenly.
3. Everyone around you will always prioritize their needs first, regardless of any verbal assurance to the contrary.
Image source: ohhappyday88, Jacek Dylag
#8
That just because two people are in love doesn’t mean they should be together
Image source: JetBrink
#9
Trying to treat myself as I would others.
The ol’ reverse golden-rule
Image source: kageroshajima, Christian Battaglia
#10
you know metal? that genre of music that’s loud and yelly?
it’s called metal because it’s harder than rock
Image source: fuckjustpickwhatever
#11
That I’m an introvert and shouldn’t try to replicate the lives of the extroverts around me.
Also, I’m nowhere near as booksmart as I thought I was.
Image source: svkrtho
#12
I learned that other people’s opinions of me don’t matter. MY opinion of me matters, and since I hold myself to an exceptionally high standard….I’M AWESOME!!
Image source: sllysam45
#13
That treating people with respect and being honest are not mutually exclusive
Image source: Seannaboy0923, Priscilla Du Preez
#14
Who I am is more important than how I look.
Image source: Lazy-Thanks8244, piotr szulawski
#15
I got a good one! I grew up and Brooklyn, New York. Believe it or not I never knew j walking was a thing. So when I was in my 20’s I ended up in Hawaii thanks to the military. I was crossing Kalākaua Ave in the middle of the street and two cops started yelling at me. They were yelling at me about j walking and I thought they were messing with me. I started laughing and told them that not real. One of them got real mad and wanted to detain me but his partner was like “ where you from? “ I told them Brooklyn and they both started laughing and explained to me that the rest of the U.S. has this thing called j walking. 😂😂 I felt pretty silly afterwards not knowing a pretty common law.
Image source: kazeno95
#16
The adults in my life never had it figured out either, they just made it seem like that to a kid.
Image source: palinsafterbirth
#17
Stop expecting things to be fair
Image source: thelastpies
#18
If you come from a poor family, you have to work x3 as hard to get ahead.
Image source: Illustrious-Study237
#19
That the housework can wait awhile. To sit and enjoy the dinner I just cooked with my family. The dishes will still be there when I get to them, they ain’t going anywhere lol
Image source: Expensive-Royal471
#20
That there are no guarantees, you may never find love, tragedy may befall you, you may not win, you may die alone.
Image source: beepo7654
#21
On a more serious note. I learned way too late that sometimes I was the bad guy.
I was raised in a house where everyone was so defensive. Nothing was ever anyone’s fault. I still jump on the defense with my husband now.
After some bad decisions and burned bridges I realized that not everyone is willing to overlook you doing something wrong if all you do is say it’s not your fault. You are sometimes the bad guy in someone’s story.
I find it really difficult to deal with my family after realizing this. But hey ho.
Image source: Walawala-bingbang
#22
Insurance and credit cards. Trying to figure out basic adult finance stuff without any guidance or help will force you to feel like an idiot for a long time.
Image source: Cheetodude625, rupixen.com
#23
That cows had to have had a calf to make milk. They don’t just make milk. I had to be a mom myself and nurse my kid when it dawned on me.
Image source: ababyalady, Ryan Song
#24
The hole women pee out of isn’t the same hole they stick the tampon in
Image source: Royal-Orchid-2494
#25
4% of 25 is the same as 25% of 4
Image source: cdn_gooner, Vaskar Sam
#26
It never made sense to me that we would go under tables during an earthquake, because wouldnt the ground crack open? The table wouldnt do anything then?
Wasnt until last year I realised that it was to stop debris from falling on us. Smh
Image source: whats_yesterday, Nadiia Ganzhyi
#27
Life is too short. Take the time to stop and smell the roses. RIP Myles grandpa loves and misses you
Image source: deadjedi70
#28
That not everyone has a storyline ongoing inside their heads.
I used to be inside my own and would laugh at things happening in my story, and everyone would look at me funny; so glad that I wear a mask now.
Image source: ___young___
#29
Why girls in high school often didn’t participate during sports class.
“You don’t feel well? Why don’t you go home if your sick?”
10 years later: aaaaaaahhh…
Image source: _Steven_Seagal_, Steven Lelham
#30
That my parents are human beings who make mistakes and not perfect divine beings
Image source: ripMyTime0192
#31
That my happiness and feelings matter too. I have always felt that I was there to support others and being the best person I can, and all it lead to was people taking advantage of me or making me feel like I did something wrong if I wasn’t what they wanted. I don’t feel that way anymore. I am not going to apologize to people treating me like c**p anymore. I only put my energy into people that actually deserve it now.
Image source: MSWitch2015
#32
You can’t ever rely entirely on any family or friends for life.
Image source: igivup
#33
“Queue” is not pronounced like “kwee wee”. I learned this in a meeting at work when I mispronounced it.
Image source: blastocladiomycota, Adrien Delforge
#34
That sex is nothing to be ashamed of. I grew up in a strict, repressive household. Became sexually active at 18 but felt a lot of guilt over it which didn’t go away for a couple years. Those feelings negatively impacted my relationship at that time.
Image source: Exotic-Ferret-3452
#35
That there are tons of people out there who engage in sexual intercourse with other people not for the purpose of reproduction, but rather for enjoyment reasons, and that I am a part of a minority group of people called “asexuals”.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, but it has gone a long way to explain why I see so many people in relationships with terrible people who don’t want to leave, or why something as unfathomable as cheating to me can seem like something valid to many others.
Image source: ChosenSCIM
#36
Actual hygiene. It wasn’t until I was 12 and went to summer camp for the first time that I realized when you shower you’re suppose to wash yourself with soap. I would just wash my hair and hangout for while because I liked the hot water, THANK GOD I DIDN’T SWEAT A LOT.
Image source: Leafy_Lyndsey
#37
I have ADHD, penny dropped at 43 years old.
Image source: Ilostmypassword43
#38
Boundaries.
Image source: Jinx_BuyMeSomeCoke
#39
I learnt that we’re supposed to brush both sides of our teeth . The inner side needs to be brushed as well.
I saw all of the commercials just showing them brushing the outer portion so i assumed that this is the way
Image source: FaTes-EnD, Superkitina
#40
It was some point in high school, probably around 10th grade, that it was made clear to me that two non-infected gay men engaging in monogamous non-protected intercourse didn’t magically produce the hiv/aids. To be clear I literally thought the simple act of gay sex resulted in hiv/aids.
Image source: SharkWeekJunkie
#41
That I belonged to a cult
Image source: MormonEscapee
#42
Pickles are brined cucumbers. Only found out a few years ago. I’m about to turn 42.
Image source: Goose1981, Eric Prouzet
#43
Martha Stewart does not own Martha’s Vineyard….
Image source: valhalla-at-your-grl, David Shankbone
#44
That paprika is just crushed red pepper
Image source: sklurpington
#45
That male circumcision is not just a Jewish thing and that I’m circumcised
Image source: polardbear48
#46
Parents have names too, learned at like 9 or 10
Image source: Rooster_Keystone, Klara Kulikova
#47
My whole life is an embarrassment if that counts. I’m in my thirties and I still struggle with basics.
Image source: Dark_Vengence
#48
How to say the last name Nguyen.
Image source: TD-Eagles
#49
How to brush my teeth.
I was super neglected as a child so that is something I’ve always struggled with and even after going to a dentist for 2 years and having exams every 4 months I only learned last month that you need to brush your gums 🤷🏻
Image source: HersheySquirtz2014
#50
Riding a bike at 15
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