Take this couple, for example. They made a clear, mutual decision to have a child-free wedding—simple, practical, and honestly quite common. But the moment those save-the-dates went out, things took a turn. The groom’s sister wasn’t exactly thrilled, and what started as a disagreement quickly snowballed into full-blown family drama on his side. Keep reading to see how the couple handled the pressure and why they refused to budge.

On their big day, many couples want the focus to remain on them, which is why they may choose to have a child-free wedding

Jonathan Nenemann / Pexels (not the actual photo)

One person shared how their decision to have a child-free wedding caused family drama when their fiancé’s nieces were left off the guest list

Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Jaded-Bluejay-5595

Many couples today are choosing child-free weddings to create a specific vibe and atmosphere for their big day

The moment guests see “adults-only” on a wedding invite, the first thought is often—“Oh, they must hate kids.” But let’s be real, that’s rarely the case. Most couples aren’t anti-children; they’re just trying to plan a smooth, stress-free event. A child-free wedding is usually less about feelings toward kids and more about logistics, comfort, and the kind of atmosphere the couple wants to create for their big day.

And this isn’t some rare or controversial choice anymore; it’s quickly becoming the norm. A December 2023 New York Times piece by Hilary Sheinbaum found that of 4,000 couples planning weddings in 2024, 79.5% leaned toward kid-free celebrations. That’s not just a trend; it’s a shift. Couples today are rethinking traditions and choosing what works best for them, rather than sticking to expectations that don’t quite fit their vision (or their budget).

In fact, guest count can have a much bigger impact on a wedding budget than couples might initially realize. Popular planning resources, such as The Budget-Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer by Jessica Bishop, also emphasize that guest count is one of the biggest factors influencing a wedding’s overall cost. Every additional person means more than just another meal; it can also mean extra invitations, cake, favors, tables, chairs, linens, centerpieces, and sometimes even a larger venue. So, while leaving children off the guest list may seem like a small decision, cutting even a few guests can add up to noticeable savings when you factor in all those costs.

To get a clearer picture, Bored Panda spoke with Raghubir Singh, founder of BMP Weddings, who’s seen every kind of wedding scenario you can imagine. And he gets straight to the point. Singh says, “Weddings are expensive, and venues often charge for children at rates similar to adults.” He adds, “By excluding children, couples can significantly reduce their overall bill or use that budget for other things.” 

But money isn’t the only factor; it’s also about the experience guests have. Singh says, “Couples often want their parent-guests to let their hair down and enjoy a night off.” And honestly, that hits. Weddings can be one of the rare occasions where parents get to dress up, relax, and enjoy themselves without constantly being on snack duty or chasing a toddler across the dance floor. “This allows guests to be fully present and stay longer without worrying about bedtime logistics or childcare,” he adds. Basically, it’s a night off that many parents don’t even realize they need until they get it.

Then comes the not-so-glamorous but very real issue: venue logistics. Singh points out, “Some venues have safety hazards like open flames or steep steps, features that make them unsuitable for young children.” And once you picture it, it makes sense; those dreamy candlelit aisles and scenic water backdrops aren’t exactly toddler-proof. He adds, “We’ve booked venues that look stunning but simply aren’t designed with kids in mind.” On top of that, capacity limits mean every guest counts, so couples often have to make tough decisions about who makes the list.

Daniel Duarte / Pexels (not the actual photo)

It’s important for guests to respect a couple’s choices and boundaries, rather than expecting them to change their plans

And let’s talk about the ceremony itself; the moment everything builds up to. Singh says, “An adults-only rule prevents interruptions like crying babies and allows for more relaxed, unfiltered speeches or entertainment.” Because while kids are adorable, they’re also unpredictable. One unexpected meltdown during vows or a loud interruption during speeches can shift the entire mood. Couples who go child-free are often just trying to protect those once-in-a-lifetime moments they’ve spent months planning.

Of course, even with clear rules, not everyone plays along. Singh shares, “I have seen guests bring kids to weddings despite clear instructions.” And that’s where things get awkward. “Many venues aren’t equipped to handle children, and couples don’t always arrange babysitters or child-friendly spaces,” he explains. Yet somehow, some guests still expect those arrangements to magically exist. It puts the couple in a tough spot—on a day that’s already packed with pressure.

In the end, Singh keeps it simple and grounded. “It’s the couple’s day, and their choices should be respected.” And really, that’s what it comes down to. Weddings already come with enough opinions, expectations, and moving parts. Respecting a couple’s boundaries (whether it’s about kids, guest lists, or anything else) is the easiest way to show up for them on a day that’s meant to be about their story, not everyone else’s preferences.

Coming back to this particular case, the couple seems to have been very clear about their decision from the start. It wasn’t last-minute or unclear; it was communicated thoughtfully. Yet the groom’s sister chose not to accept it, turning a simple boundary into a full-blown issue. Creating a fuss and expecting a couple to change their plans for one person feels… a bit unfair, especially when everyone else respected it. At the end of the day, it’s their wedding, their rules. But what do you think: Are child-free weddings reasonable, or should couples always make exceptions for family?

Many people felt the author wasn’t wrong for sticking to their child-free wedding rule, although some pointed out that having children at a wedding isn’t necessarily a bad thing

Internet users took to a hilariously honest discussion on Threads to share the worst things people do that get petty and judgmental side-eyes from them. We’re featuring our favorite posts, and you’ll find them below. Don’t forget to share these with the most narcissistic people you know!

#1

People who have no idea what personal space is, like move the hell back.

© Photo: yellyonto

#2

People who stop in the middle of the grocery store aisle. Scoot to the side to stop and chat or browse or whatever. Move out of the way!

© Photo: tai_butterflai

#3

People who have “outside only” dogs. Especially in very hot or very cold places. I feel so awful for the dogs and don’t understand why the humans are cruel to their dogs.

© Photo: trasi.judd

Having to deal with a narcissist can be exhausting, no matter if they’re a stranger or a friend, and you need to be ready to protect your boundaries.

And though narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) might not be curable, it is treatable with dedicated time and effort. But unfortunately, usually, people with NPD don’t reach out for professional help on their own because they rarely have the self-awareness to recognize how their behavior harms others.

Narcissists tend to be prolific liars, have a huge sense of self-importance, lack empathy, are incredibly entitled, and constantly require being admired. They are manipulative and exploitative, and constantly try to boost their self-image. At their core, they are self-centered and often believe they are superior to others. In short, they believe that the world owes them, well, anything they want because they are ‘special.’

#4

© Photo: pldavis2003

#5

© Photo: justinbwilliamsvo

#6

© Photo: nerdy_hawaiian_

Broadly speaking, there are two types of individuals with NPD: grandiose narcissists and vulnerable narcissists, WebMD notes.

The former are likely who you think of when you hear the word ‘narcissists’: they’re aggressive and confident elitists who brag loudly. The latter, however, are deeply insecure and constantly feel like they’re not good enough, so they swing between feelings of inferiority and superiority. And yet, vulnerable narcissists still get upset if others don’t treat them like they’re special.

#7

People who put their TP in mullet mode instead of bangs. I will switch it in your house.

© Photo: billsmafia214

#8

When the dad is walking like twenty paces in front of his entire family or when the mom is carrying ALL the baby gear AND the baby.

© Photo: cheynicholeart

#9

People who try to get on an elevator or train before letting anyone out.

© Photo: ruthdesabia

Clinical psychologist Jennifer Keluskar, Ph.D., argues that random acts of meanness can teach all of us that it might not be so important to determine who is right and who is wrong. No matter how polite and civil you are, you will inevitably encounter rudeness. What we should focus on instead is recovering emotionally from these situations. A core part of this is being more compassionate toward ourselves and others.

You can try releasing the tension you feel from other people’s rude and mean behavior by exercising or venting in a journal. Meanwhile, you can also try imagining having a conversation with the person at fault so that you can move toward forgiveness and understanding.

In the meantime, if you’re venting to family or friends, actually let them know that you want support and validation, instead of immediately looking for solutions.

#10

When I was a server and a family requested a high chair I ALWAYS automatically put it next to the dad.

© Photo: handriscoll

#11

When people say "I could care less" it's couldn't care less dumbo.

© Photo: mike.dragon1987

#12

We want to hear what you think, Pandas! Join the conversation in the comments at the bottom of this post.

What are the most annoying, frustrating, rude, and entitled behaviors that you see in public that you can’t stand? What can you not help but judge?

Do you tend to judge others silently or do you call them out loudly? Tell us all about it!

#13

People who don't turn their turn signal on until they're turning - I need to know before doofus.

© Photo: recwrite2

#14

People who say "I seen" instead of "I have seen" or "I saw". I judge the HELL out of them.

© Photo: notthegrl

#15

Breaking traffic rules to be polite. That can end people's lives.

© Photo: theclewis

#16

© Photo: guytat22

#17

© Photo: scilla_aka_calypso

#18

#19

When you hold the door open for someone and they don’t say thank you, I want to slam the door in their face……hey I’m old and manners are free.

© Photo: sihinds

#20

© Photo: goldenho

#21

© Photo: sam_baker21

#22

#23

#24

© Photo: ladeelinda

#25

#26

© Photo: crochetednonsense

#27

#28

#29

#30

#31

#32

© Photo: lamaestra0411

#33

#34

I have an amazing friend who is quite normal looking but we were browsing through Target (years ago, calm down) and some middle aged women was sitting in the CVS with her phone blasting her convo over speaker.

So my friend grabs some random package from the shelf and almost shouts, “Don’t buy this it made my privates itch” & then repeated it a few more times while the obnoxious lady scrambled to take her phone off speaker. My friend just put the item back & strolled away. Funniest thing I ever saw.

#35

#36

#37

#38

People judge me because I back into parking spaces. It's actually the safest way to park.

#39

#40

#41

#42

© Photo: inwhich_emmawrites

#43

#44

#45

#46

Anthem singers who try to "make it their own". It's the national anthem... Leave it the alone.

#47

#48

Oh my. Do we have enough time for this? Personal space, including the freedom of being volume-free. I don't want to hear your music or your conversation.

Perfume. Dear heavens I don't want to smell you from a kilometer away. And people who walk slow. Move the hell out of the way.

#49

#50

#51

#52

© Photo: crt685

#53

#54

#55

She says she was in bed when she heard someone downstairs… Not exactly an ideal situation for someone who suffers from PTSD. It turned out to be her husband’s son who had come to “hang out.” When she asked him for a simple heads-up the next time he pops in, all hell broke loose.

Hearing someone in your house at night while everyone’s already sleeping can be scary

Pablo Merchán Montes / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

That’s why this woman asked her adult stepson for a heads-up before visiting but now she’s being accused of hating him

Getty Images / Unsplash

erebusfreya

Parts of the incident left some people confused, so the woman elaborated

Many people totally got it, having been in similar situations themselves

Someone pointed out that there are always three sides to a story

Some felt the woman was wrong for treating her stepson unfairly

Someone asked “What micro aggression was so micro, you'd look crazy for pointing it out?” and netizens cracked their knuckles and shared their stories. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own experiences to the comments section down below.

#1

My last boss would cheerfully greet everyone in our department but me. I was the only one who noticed and if I had brought it up I would have looked nuts. The only time she ever talked to me was to correct something she thought I did wrong or if she wanted me to do something. Best day at this job was watching her "Accept another position." I am so glad she is at some other university inflicting herself on someone else. 

Edit: Seems like this is a pretty big problem for a lot of people! I hope you all find a place that appreciates you and treats you the way you deserve to be treated. .

© Photo: CaptainCacoethes

#2

When someone is perfectly warm and chatty with everyone else, then suddenly gets weirdly flat, formal, or distant with you specifically.

If you call it out, it sounds petty because nothing huge happened. But you can absolutely feel the difference when someone is giving you the human equivalent of “corporate email tone” in a casual room.

© Photo: yumi1115

#3

Using your name a bit too much as they speak to you.

© Photo: deloittious

#4

When I was around 13, my brother and I were getting a haircut, our hairdresser said that my brother would do well with girls because he was good looking and I would do well because I am funny. She was spot on but I still think about it

© Photo: iwbia123

#5

Contrarianism to only your ideas or attaching an addendum to everything you say.

© Photo: Traditional_Car249

#6

People often leave open train seats next to me on packed trains. I'm a minority in the country I live.
It happens enough that I know it's purposeful, especially the times a seat somewhere else will open and the person beside me scrambled to get the new seat, despite it also being next to someone and not a better seat, but if I told anyone that saw it happen once or twice it's easy to pass off as "they don't want to sit, it has nothing to do with you".

© Photo: Jealous_Amount_9278

#7

One of my coworkers, anytime he sees me heading for the coffee machine, *rushes* to start using it before I can so I have to wait several minutes before I can use it

it sounds like I'm reading too far into it, and that we both just wanted coffee, but it's *every day* and he always has a snide comment to go with it ("gotta be quicker than that" was the most recent one).

© Photo: Chavestvaldt

#8

There's a certain way someone asks how my cats are, difficult to describe. But I immediately understand that this person thinks a man owning not just one but multiple cats is ridiculous.

Edit: I have been shamed! Please accept my apologies with the cat tax.

© Photo: scoyne15

#9

As a disabled person, when people tell me I'm lucky that I get to rest all day (when I don't have a choice in the matter) .

© Photo: RaspberryJammm

#10

For about a 10 year stretch, it seemed like everyone I met would ask me how many children I have, and then when I told them I didn't have any, they would get this sad look on their face, and then they would get really awkward as if they had made me admit some great shame and now they are embarrassed about it. It was so weird.

I didn't really care that people made the assumption, but that combined with their reaction was so uncomfortable and got old really fast.

What's really weird is at some point people just stopped assuming that, and now people don't even ask me if I have children. I think societal standards about appropriate questions of strangers have really changed.

© Photo: Electric-Sheepskin

#11

I'm not sure if this fits. Long ago, a girl in one of my high school classes turned to me and said:

"You look like that blond girl on 90210."

I was shocked she said that, as I have always been average looking. I'm sure I started smiling & thanked her for the compliment. It really made my day for a fraction of a second.

Then she said, "Oh. Not the pretty one."

I wanted to sink through the floor.

© Photo: sophies_wish

#12

I'm of Asian heritage and my ex's aunt visited the country of my heritage and called the clothes people were wearing "costumes".

© Photo: FlanFlaneur

#13

I was comforting my friend when she was talking about her insecurities, by saying that all of us had insecurities, myself included. She responded by saying "Your nose, right?". Guess who couldn't forget that comment even years later?

© Photo: Lonely_Switch_7092

#14

“My mom said you were really ugly, but I stuck up for you and told her she was being mean.”.

© Photo: flurrfegherkin

#15

Someone said "no offense" before a totally normal sentence, still thought about it for days.

© Photo: SpotSudden9488

#16

My colleague is a veteran and he refers to the other veterans on our team as "Brother." I am also a veteran, and he has no way to refer to me in such a manner since I'm not a man. He does it to vets from different service branches too, so it isn't just the Army vets he says it to. It is such a little thing, the only ones who have clocked him saying it are me and the other woman on the team in these meetings.

© Photo: HappyInTheRain

#17

When my aunt didn't invite me to my grandparents' birthday and only invited her son because her son has kids "and the grandparents love seeing the little children."

I'm infertile. I've been trying to have kids for years plus now I'm excluded from family events because of it?

© Photo: Shitp0st_Supreme

#18

In 2020 I was calling a coworker a lot at a new job. When we finally met in person, she saw me and stopped in her tracks before saying, “you didn’t sound like you used a cane over the phone.” Am I supposed to announce that before my salutation? I was working at a regional center for individuals with developmental disabilities at the time. These people worked with the disabled and I have never faced more stupid comments about my disability in my life.

© Photo: UnrulyApparition

#19

I have no learning disabilities or neurodivergence of any kind but I am always labeled neurodivergent (specifically autism) by my peers because I am trans.

I have taken all of their “quizzes” and surveys and they always come up with nothing. Sorry guys, being queer is not a mental illness.

#20

Too many compliments. I face it a lot as an Autistic person. A few compliments are fine, but sometimes someone gives enough compliments that it's like, okay you're laying it on too thick now, you're acting like I'm a child or someone who constantly needs their ego boosted. I don't. These are usually the same people who get mad at me when I'm struggling.

#21

My partner’s mother loves to ask me how old my cats are, followed up by “how long do cats usually live?.” or she’ll comment that one of them is looking a lot older.

She plays it off like she’s just innocently asking about my cats. When my partner confronts her, she victimizes herself. “What? I didn’t mean it like that at all, oh you must think I’m so awful.”

Needless to say, I avoid all unnecessary interactions with her.

© Photo: kurotoes

#22

Being told I'm “surprisingly articulate.”

Thank you, I think?

© Photo: blondie956

#23

Someone at work will not stop parking their shoes in front of my locker so I can’t open it without moving them. Perfectly lined up and clearly deliberate. It’s cause it’s right in front of the bench. But like? You have your own locker, there’s ten shoe racks, a shoe mat under the bench, and now they’re in the middle of the very narrow isle. wth. It’s been months of me having to move someone’s smelly hospital shoes. It’s so minor and frustrating.

Another one is when some random person kicks someone’s else’s shoes in as far a different directions as possible. It’s so rude.

© Photo: Carinne89

#24

I will sign off an email with "Regards," instead of "Best regards," if I am annoyed.

© Photo: doghaircut

#25

I went to a Krispy Kreme with a coupon and ended up with a dozen of cheap fresh donuts. I ran into my neighbor while walking in to the hallway. I asked her if she wanted one. She said "no thanks,  gotta stay thin for my job" and then stared me up and down before walking out the exit to the parking lot. You'd think I weighed 500 pounds with that glance. (I'm also a woman and weigh roughly 150. She appears to be around 120. It felt to be a bit of a slight on my weight but whatever, I'd rather enjoy a donut than think stressfully about every treat I want to indulge in. Some of those donuts went stale, dammit, I was just trying to avoid food waste.) .

© Photo: Lazy_Blackberry7926

#26

I saw in a personal finance sub someone post about buying a house post divorce and a majority of the comments were about grieving the marriage and waiting. This person is a woman and makes good money, shared their income and can afford it.

I’ve never seen a man post about divorce and a majority of the comments are about getting therapy, and taking a cooling off period or about feelings. The replies are typically about the financial advice they asked about.

#27

The singular Pride-themed thing I regularly carry is a rainbow wallet. A cashier looked at it silently for several seconds as I looked for the needed bills and then said “Merry Christmas.” I said thank you, you too because asking him if he thought that I would be one of those War on Christmas people would have been absurd and also because I was thankful for the holiday cheer.

© Photo: fredisnotmyboss

#28

Had a barista who looked like she as having a bad day. I made sure I had my full order ready and spoke clearly and enunciated to try and help her out. She continued to have a sour face and asked my name. I told her, loud and clear, "It's Joanna". She sorta rolled her eyes at me and made a face, which was weird. I tipped her well regardless. I know working retail sucks.

Time goes by and my order hasn't come up. Everyone that came after me had their drinks. All of a sudden I hear someone loudly call, "Joe! JOE! JOE!" And it dawns on me... I'm Joe. Embarrassed I go get my order, because it's clear they thought I just wasn't paying attention. I thought about telling them, "Hey, the original Barista shortened my name so I didn't recognize it", but knew they'd think I was weird. I've been "Anna" or "Joanne" on coffee and it never bothered me.

But when I looked back and remembered the fact she had rolled her eyes at me when I said my name, I realized she was annoyed at me that I had a "long" name. And then shortened it. Super weird micro aggression, but not one that deserved bringing up to the staff. Still leaves me weirded out whenever I think about it.

© Photo: daizers

#29

Years ago I was at Thanksgiving with my boyfriend at the time's family.

The turkey platter was too heavy to really pass around, so plates were getting passed around. His grandma started to put a whole turkey leg on my plate, then asked whose plate it was. When she found out mine she put the leg back and put some scraps on the plate.

I can't remember if this was one or two years after she sat me and him at the "kids table" alone, while the actual children were at the main table.

© Photo: Digital_Fire

#30

"I wish I could stay home all day and knit," said by my husband's friend's wife, eighteen years ago. I've never forgotten it, and I dreaded talking to her at my husband's funeral a few months ago, because of it. I wasn't just sitting around, I was raising my daughter, running household errands, cleaning, and cooking meals. Knitting was how I stayed calm and relaxed.

#31

New sister in law consistently passively aggressively pointing out things she doesn't like about me.

I have autism among other things.

Certain quotes:

"Oh you're a little bit OBESSED over that aren't you?"

"Have you taken your medication today?"

"Can you make the pie you're making healthy?"

"I think you need to stop talking," and immediately picks off when I stopped.

"You KNOW what black tie is don't YOU?"

And a myriad of others. Lord give me strength.

#32

I knew an older lady who would say "Well, we didn't all get to go to university!" in this particular tone...but always in response to things that I learned in public school.

Examples include being able to multiply 8x6 in my head, knowing that the word "phony" is used frequently in Catcher in the Rye, and looking on the official Elections Canada website to see where to vote.

#33

Sometimes it's just a look in the other direction while you're talking.

#34

When people jokingly say the reverse of some obvious thing about your appearance.

Like, if you are old, they say “Well, young man, what will it be?”

Or, if you are tall, “What’s up, Shorty?”

Or (dangerous territory) “Hey, Skinny!”.

© Photo: CHSummers

#35

Being the only guy addressed as "bud" in a group of men.
"Okay, bud". "Thanks, bud.".

© Photo: katanakid13

#36

I had a coworker who would wait until I went home every evening and move the alphabet magnets on my whiteboard. It was never anything important, just a letter out of place. But it was so obvious! I saw it as soon as I came in! It drove me nuts!

And I looked like a lunatic telling my principal that coworker was messing with my letters.

© Photo: the_owl_syndicate

#37

Being in a conversation with male and female colleagues, and every time you're talking, if a man pipes up, everyone turns to him whether he's interrupting you or he-peating whatever you just said.

#38

My mom has this nasty habit of sweetly asking: can I ask you a question and you promise you won't get mad?

1) She knows it's going to infuriate me

2) if I tell her no, she is going to ask anyway.

No matter what she has "politely started an argument.

#39

People casually but repeatedly bringing up your age or your relationship status.

#40

When I’m clearly expected to do something, it’s on my list to do, and I’m the only one who has done work on the assignment, the question “have we done this yet?” This is my most recent pet peeve.

No, *we* have not done anything. *I* wrote something, revised it, and did everything including adding *your* signature.

Another that makes me feel crazy is when people remove niceties from an email. “Hi Name,” becomes “Name:” .

#41

My grandma (a white woman) would gush over my sister who is white. I’m more Native American passing. Granted, my sister is tall, blonde and very pretty. One time we came to my grandma’s house and my sister walked in and my grandma immediately said “oh -sister-, you’re so beautiful, you could be a model.” When I walked in she said “you’re cute too.”.

#42

Being asked where you are from. As an immigrant who's been a citizen for decades... Any single one of those questions is innocent, but when you get asked that same question several times a week by randos for half of your life, it really wears on you. It's basically being reminded that you will always be an outsider. .

#43

"Hey, you look good *today*."

"I'm sure *someone* here will want to get pedantic and fact check what I'm about to share, but ...".

#44

When you’re a different culture/ethnicity and they have to tell you every person they know of that culture/ethnicity.

“Our doctor is also X!”

Great! .

#45

There are many gendered examples that some would call “flirtation” but that, on the receiving end, leave a person feeling like a piece of meat or dirty. Looks, comments on one’s body, touching that doesn’t quite cross the line, for instance. Any one of these things, by themselves, don’t seem worth mentioning. But over a lifetime they add up, and they define a subordinate position for the person experiencing them.

#46

When someone compliments or agrees with you, but precedes it with the word “actually.” “That’s actually a very good idea.”.

© Photo: natgris

#47

I had signed up for a swing dance class. Arrived early to get signed in. A small line had already formed and I was third from the end behind a couple. The assistant instructor worked her way down the line asking each person their info and crossing their name off the attendance list. She went by me, signed in the couple, turned to walk into the studio, turned back and asked if I was part of the class. I had been waiting patiently in line, watching the whole process. I said yes and she signed me in.

Everyone in that class was a white or asian yuppy. I was the only brown in the class. The instructor spent the first 5 minutes talking about the history of swing, how it's a black American and African creation and how they think it's very important to respect the roots of the form rather than appropriate and divest it of its context.

I have endless microagression anecdotes, as a minority in a western city. They happen to me every time I leave the house, every sidewalk, every room. It's the reason I'm very shy and introverted and don't go out or interact much. If I get snappy, or make a fuss, It's all plausibly deniable and I'm the bad guy.

#48

Bestie, when people say “you look tired” like, thanks for the reminder, 2000s vibes.

#49

I was part of a panel doing an interview for a finance position. The applicant said he would “dumb it down” so we could understand it. He did not get the job.

#50

Noticed this real weird one while I was in a wheelchair.

I'm going down one side of a grocery store aisle, somebody is travelling the opposite direction on the other side. Neither of us is in each other's way, we're just proceeding on our path without disturbing each other. About 50% of the time, the other person would apologise as they passed me.

Like... are you sorry you have to pass me? Sorry I'm in a wheelchair? What exactly are you apologising for?

#51

I have a neighbor I see e v e r y t I m e I step out the house . Does not matter the time 4am or 10pm it’s too much of a coincidence. I felt crazy because I noticed they kept their window shades constantly open looking into my apt. It wasnt until I put curtains that I felt better but yet I see them everytime I step out. Most times I have to wait them out because I don’t want to greet them.

#52

I’m a trans woman. One time, I was about to order a burrito, and the guy working there said “Let me guess, vegetarian?”

It didn’t help that he was right.

#53

People who emphasize their Doctorate status.
When unruly customers call and reiterate it's DOCTOR Jane Doe. 
Me: "Jane, if you click on the details it clearly states what's required."
Them: It's DOCTOR Jane Doe.
Me "will there be anything else we can assist you with today Jane?"

Like no, your doctorate in literature has ZERO impact on this conversation. STFU!

#54

As a food/customer service worker, when boomers go out of their way to tell me how good of a job I'm doing.

Old man a few days ago couldn't go more than five seconds without saying "youre so good at this!"

I'm just making a sandwich, man. I'm here physically but mentally I'm on autopilot.

#55

My roommate likes to leave 1 or 2 seconds on the microwave oven. I started leaving it open after I done with it. If he ever says anything about leaving it open, I'll just say, "Not me. Must be the same ahole who leaves 1 second on it when they're done.".

#56

Everyone in my life telling me how "amazing" and "incredible" I look now after losing 85 lbs just makes me realize they thought I looked like a fat piece of trash before.

#57

I was a foreign student studying uni abroad and always heard "wow your English is so good" from everyone, and from some of them more than once.

#58

There was a while where I was traveling internationally a lot for work and one time at customs a guy looked at my passport and just went ‘oh…how nice’ in a way that clearly sounded like he didn’t think it was nice. Then he made me take my glasses off, put them back on, and take them off again. At 3 am in the country.

#59

Calling someone 'champ'.... I don't know if my new boss knew what he was saying when he called a co-worker that name in our workplace group Whatsapp but oof! the reverberations.

For some mothers-in-law, meddling and controlling behavior can seem like an extension of their parenting role, even when their children are adults with families and lives of their own. Some may struggle to respect boundaries, while others might bulldoze them entirely and take their behavior much further. The stories we’ve rounded up here from r/JUSTNOMIL cover a wide range of difficult family situations—some frustrating, some astonishing, and some genuinely disturbing.

#1 My Biggest Regrets

I lost my husband suddenly to a heart attack on 3 June. He was my entire world and I am devastated. My only consolation with him having passed is that I know how much he loved me and I know he felt completely loved in return.

But I'm posting on here because I look back and putting up with my in laws is my biggest regret. My husband and I put up with so much from them out of fear, obligation and guilt.

We never got the Christmas we wanted together. We always said "They won't be around forever, we will just put up with their toxic behaviour for now". But it was my husband who passed away first.

We wasted so much time and energy doing a 10-hour round trip to see them. When we arrived, Marjorie, my mother in law, would present us with a selection of the mouldiest veg we had ever seen and demand we cooked her a meal. Again, we put up with it - "It's just a weekend" we would say. But it was precious time that was already running out.

We put up with tantrums, weirdness, and all kinds of toxic behaviour. While they discharged whatever psychological issues they had going on, we soaked up all that stress and carried it. A lifetime of this contributed to the fact my husband had a heart attack despite being young, slim, and fit at 53.

When my father in law passed away, I supported my mother in law with sorting out all her finances and probate.

Since my husband passed away my in laws have not contacted me to check whether I am OK.

DON'T be the bigger, better person.

DON'T think you have all the time in the world. You may not. Every weekend is precious.

Cut toxic people out like the cancer they are.

Do it now.

© Photo: snarkacademia

#2 Tell Me This Is Not Normal

My BIL is recently divorced. The room he rents doesn't allow him to keep his kids (F11 and M9) on days he has them, so they stay with my MIL on those days.

Over the summer, my BIL asked if the kids could stay with me because he needed someone to watch them. I work from home and they're old enough to not need my full attention, so I agreed.

My husband and I noticed that when the kids were over they smelled pretty bad. My husband asked his brother when the last time they bathed was and he told him it had been a few days, and asked him if they smelled. My husband said yes, and his brother said he'd make sure they showered when they got home. My husband asked him why they weren't regularly bathing, and BIL said it was because their mom (MIL) made them feel uncomfortable.

Right away that response seemed like a red flag to me. I asked my husband what she could be doing to make them feel uncomfortable, and he instantly got defensive and kept telling me he didn't know.

A couple weeks later, I was texting back and forth with my SIL (BIL's ex wife). I asked he if she knew about her kids not bathing while they're with their dad, and she said she knew. That the reason was because their grandma (MIL) watches them while they shower.

I told my husband this information, and he didn't really react or seem shocked by it. I told him I no longer want our kids to be at his mom's house without him being present (I'm no contact with her, for other reasons) My husband agreed, but when I tried to talk to him about what his mom was doing, he got really defensive. So I hesitantly dropped the subject.

What shocks me is that I'm the only one here who really seems to be concerned about this. Why isn't anyone telling her that this isn't okay?

© Photo: jacks414

#3 Mil Threw A Massive Tantrum Because We Moved Our Daughter’s 1st Birthday Party By One Day

I need to vent and get perspective on my unhinged MIL.

She has a history of hyper-focusing on our daughter (her first grandbaby). Sometimes it feels less like an excited grandma and more like she's trying to play mother when she’s around. She’s even accidentally referred to her as "her child"…

Anyways our daughter’s 1st birthday is coming up. My husband and I jointly decided to hold the party the day after her actual bday so my parents could make the trip and attend.
When my husband called his mom to explained our actual plans, she went nuclear. Turns out, she’s been planning her own party for our daughter’s bday without telling us. She was making plans with other family members to show up, assuming we’d just fall in line with her unannounced schedule. She flat-out refused the plan we made and said that she always has to compromise and will throw her own bday party on babies actual bday. She also blamed me entirely.

She refuses to accept that my husband has autonomy. In her mind, he can do no wrong, so I must be the one pulling the strings behind every decision and boundary we set.
On top of that, she said she’s "sick of tiptoeing around me." Her prime example? In the past, when she babysat, I laid out pjs for our daughter to wear, and apparently, this was an act of extreme tyranny.

My husband stood his ground, which infuriated her. She accused him of "always taking my side," insulted me, and hung up when he said: "We're the parents and you're the grandma, so we make the decisions."

We are united, but I’m exhausted by her resentment and refusal to respect us as a team. I just feel very confused. Has anyone dealt with a MIL like this?

© Photo: Complete_Use4791

Whether it’s constantly dropping in unannounced, making the occasional subtle but snide remark at the dinner table, or making their thoughts on how you do things known, shall we say, less delicately, we’ve all seen our fair share of pushy mothers-in-law. I mean, they’re practically pop culture’s favorite villains. But as lists like this show, the meddling mother-in-law stereotype is hardly confined to fiction, and plenty of people have learned firsthand that in-law conflicts are very real.

In fact, that might just be one thing couples and mothers-in-law agree on: a 2022 study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science found that men and women in the US “reported more conflict with mothers-in-law than with mothers, and mothers reported more conflict with their daughters-in-law than with their daughters.”

#4 My MIL Is Now An “Estrangement” Content Creator

surprise surprise. my MIL- the one who attempted destroying my marriage back in May, who has been [terrible] to me for ten years, who blew up on my husband and i during my second pregnancy last year, who tried to meet my daughter in the nicu when i was still intubated and hadn’t met her myself- is a heroic estrangement content creator.

you can find her on facebook, instagram, tik tok, and youtube.

she literally has videos where she says “i’m allowed to not remember things happening a certain way.” and “memory loss is a thing you know!” and stuff about how intentions can be more important than impact. so if she “didn’t mean it” that’s all that matters.

someone on tik tok called her a gaslighting narcissist looking for external validation from strangers lol.

she uses ai to generate herself locked in a gothic castle screaming out for “her grandbabies” to not forget her.

© Photo: larryfisherman555

#5 My MIL Doesn’t Wear Pants

I’m fat, I am not body shaming my MIL. I am a bigger woman and when I wear dresses I wear bike shorts underneath to remain decent.

My MIL is very overweight, fairly short, and literally walks around everywhere she goes wearing tshirt “dresses” and underwear, where you can see EVERYTHING underneath. Like a very short 2 sizes too small dress that doesn’t pass her hips. And always light pink briefs. People in public have stopped her to say something, but nobody in her family will address it. She was in the background of some pictures from my child’s bday party but literally everything was out to see so my family had to delete pictures. I’m also sick of her coming to my house and having her bare basically everything in my couch. I also don’t really want my daughter to think that is normal. It’s very indecent IMO. She will bend over in front of people to play with my daughter and you can see everything. It’s making me uncomfortable??? What is the point in this?

My husband said she has dressed like that his entire life, nobody in the family will say anything to her. They are very poor communicators and non confrontational about everything.

Is there a way I can politely address this? It’s just getting to the point of uncomfortable and I know 100000% if I were doing this I would want my husband or sister to say something, rather than have strangers come up and say things or have pictures taken.

She dresses this way year round if she sits on a couch the dress rides up so you can see her belly button just to give a reference on how short we’re talking. This is the only thing she wears. The only outfit. She has multiple of the same dress in different colours but always the same light underwear.

© Photo: emdiflo

#6 MIL Wants Me To Let Baby Go Hungry

Husband and I have a 3 month old baby girl. Shes clearly going through a growth spurt because we get her weight checked regularly. She takes a bottle of formula every 3 hours during the day. It is on the larger volume for her age (6 to 7oz) but she usually finishes it comfortably. She has mild reflux.

Twice this week MIL has been at our place and baby has started crying. Same exact situation both times. I look at the clock, see it has been almost 3 hours since baby's last feed and start preparing a bottle.

Bottle is ready. I ask "MIL, do you want to feed baby or shall I?". By this point baby has escalated crying.

MIL replies "she cannot possibly be hungry, its not been that long since the last feed. I bet she has a tummy pain. I bet she is bored." MIL dances baby around for a good 15 minutes with baby wailing.

By this point baby is too distraught to even eat without me calming her with her dummy first.

After this happened yesterday MIL's comments were not an apology but rather "baby should be able to go longer between bottles now, the packet says three to four hours. Wouldn't four be nicer? Wasnt she going almost four a few weeks back?"

I said babies are not robots and you need to feed them when they are hungry.

Husband asked her to leave abruptly. But when she had gone he said we wanted to ask a professional this week why our baby is "so hungry all the time" because maybe mil "has a point".

The way she gets into his head infuriated me. Also v sad because I am dealing with PPD and MIL is the most available person we have to watch baby for a few hours so I can go to therapy/have some me time etc. She used to be wonderful with baby in the newborn phase but now whenever I give advice about baby schedule or cues to her she takes it as an insult ("I DO know how to care for a child, you know")

I guess I am just grieving the idea of unconditional support with baby. I am also scared of leaving baby with MIL for hours in case she lets her go hungry. But shes meant to have her on friday night! And I have zero idea how to have a productive conversation with her!

My hair is already falling out but this makes me want to rip out even mooooore

© Photo: oioinanami_____

One reason these relationships can be particularly tricky is that families are essentially “microcultures,” explains Professor Christine E. Kunkle, PhD, who has researched family and mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships. Each has its own patterns of behavior, traditions, rituals, and expectations. This family culture, she says, is “like water to a fish”—easy to overlook when we’ve been swimming in it all the time. It’s only when we’re dropped into someone else’s water that, as Oprah Daily writer Rory Evans puts it, we “notice every detail, every tiny little bothersome bit of flotsam.”

#7 Epic MIL Freak Out

Story time - 25 years ago, when my son was a newborn, MIL came for a visit with my husband’s half-brothers who were about 10 & 13 at the time. We live 1500 miles away in a different state, and had a small house.

We were all sound asleep in the back bedroom and were woken by shrieks and screams. MIL and the brothers were sleeping in the living room. It was 5am. MIL was screaming her youngest son’s name over and over. My first thought, judging by the sound, was that she had found him deceased. It was horrendous.

We jumped out of bed, and went to see what was happening. Both of the babies were crying. She was standing in the kitchen with her hands dripping with dish water, crying and screaming. I checked the boys and they were terrified but okay. I was confused.

She had poked her finger on a knife that was in the kitchen sink while washing the dishes. It was barely bleeding.

When DH realized what had happened, he started laughing. I could tell that he was laughing so he wouldn’t strangle her. We had thought there was a terrible accident, when in reality, she was drawing attention to herself for doing the dishes when everyone else was sleeping.

She’s always been extra. Unfortunately that was on the second day of their 7 day visit. She scared the hell out of all of us, and didn’t seem to realize why everyone was so [angry]. That was probably the worst thing she ever did. I seriously thought someone passed away.

© Photo: gingerjuice

#8 MIL Thinks She’s Entitled To Hold Our Baby

For context my newborn is 5 weeks old spent the first 24 hours in an incubator with an infection and since coming home has been back and forth to the hospital with prolonged jaundice, she’s having her bloods taken 1-2 times a week at the moment. Her urine came back positive for cmv on day 25 and they want more tests as are concerned it could be the congenital cmv. Her bilirubin levels are still high but stable as of last blood test. Yesterday I had a phone call that we need to bring her back in for more tests first thing this morning, as she’s too high risk and they can’t take any chances. Her results have been discussed with multiple specialist teams in bigger hospitals and they are making a plan. MIL has been told we aren’t passing baby around as health visitor had said safer not to till you know plus no need to at this age. Plus mother in law doesn’t accept boundaries as even after telling her absolutely no kissing baby she came over while I was mid breast feeding pulled the cover away and kissed baby directly on the face near her nose and mouth, that was after being repeatedly told she is not to do that.MIL is calling us cruel and has tried to say we are making stuff up because ‘if it was that serious she’d be in Hospital’ she even went as far as saying ‘if she is that ill then we should be allowed to hold her Incase smth happens because it’s not fair if we can’t’ she claims she spoke to her ‘doctor friend’ and it’s ’not normal and she would be in hospital if it was like that’ but no idea what lies she been feeding him as doesn’t tell the truth only her own story. So we have told her right now it’s safer for our daughter to not be held by other people as we do not know what could be happening in her little body right now and do not want to risk her getting sick. Plus we aren’t very comfortable passing her around either. MIL thinks I’m the problem. I do not know what else to do, am I wrong for not passing baby around?

© Photo: Sure-Breadfruit-2626

#9 MIL Lifted My Shirt Up While I Was Breastfeeding And I’m Still Processing It (3 Weeks PP)

I’m 3 weeks postpartum and still very much in the “figuring out breastfeeding” phase. My husband and I were home when his mom and sister came over to see the baby.

I was nursing on the couch with my shirt draped over for coverage , nothing dramatic, just doing what I normally do. MIL comes in, says hi, sits right next to me, and starts touching baby’s feet and arms. Sweet, normal grandma stuff. Then she leans in closer to baby’s face and, before I even register what’s happening, she lifts my shirt straight up.

My breast is just… out. In front of my husband, in front of his sister. I froze for half a second before yanking my shirt back down. She genuinely looked startled and shocked and confused when she saw what she saw lol

My husband immediately says, “Mom, what are you doing?! She’s feeding the baby!”

And she goes, completely unbothered, “Oh it’s okay! Seen one breast, seen them all!”

My husband: “Doesn’t mean she wants you to see HER breasts!”

She got quiet and looked a little embarrassed after that. Husband and I talked about it after and we’re pretty sure she genuinely didn’t clock that I was breastfeeding under there ! She never nursed any of her kids, went straight to formula, so maybe the “covered shirt while holding baby” setup just didn’t compute for her the way it would for someone who’d done it themselves…?

Still though. My brain keeps looping back to the moment she actually grabbed my shirt and pulled it up. Like what did she think was under there that made lifting it seem like the move? Was she trying to see baby’s latch? Just curious about the baby in general and not thinking at all?

Genuinely asking , anyone had a MIL (or anyone) do something like this? How did you handle it going forward?

Now I bought a complete breastfeeding blanket cover thing that snaps in the back so this doesn’t happen again when people come over and just don’t realize that I’m literally feeding baby .

© Photo: qweeendeee

Psychologist Terri Apter, author of the 2009 book What Do You Want From Me? Learning to Get Along with In-laws, offers a similar perspective. She refers to our “blood families” as a kind of “very powerful template” that gets to the very core of who we are, and notes that we often don’t even realize we’re referring back to it. This “template,” she explains, teaches us how to behave and guides us in “the ways in which life may be lived and understood.” Within a family, she says, “there will be rules about how loud you can speak, how much emotion you can show, either positive or negative.” That’s why, she says, there are always cultural differences when two families overlap, and why we don’t always realize how deep these are.

#10 MIL Cried On The Phone For 40 Minutes

MIL called me last night to chat. My husband is working out of town and she wanted to “keep me company”. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while, and I was a bit lonely so I was okay with it.

About 20 minutes into the conversation she was asking about my daughter (D) D doesn’t like her grandmother much at all. MIL is very devout catholic and tends to proselytize a LOT at times which isn’t popular since none of us are religious. D has some problems (she’s 26) and has been NC with MIL for almost two years.

Anyway, when she brought up D, I was trying to run conversational interference. I told her that I wasn’t going to discuss it as the conversation gets extremely repetitive. D is an adult, and I have no control over her thoughts and feelings about MIL or about God and religion. I’ve told her this multiple times.

I changed the subject, and she started the waterworks. She cried about D not liking her, and before I knew it she was crying about my husband’s father and how they broke up. That was 52 years ago. It was a shocking performance. I flat out asked her to call me back when she was feeling less emotional and she cried harder. It was insane.

I remained calm, and told her again that I was hanging up. That’s when the love bombing started. She told me how wonderful I am, and that I’m her best and closest friend (still sobbing) and that she is the matriarch, but I will be there someday too. Barf.

I ended the call and had a stiff drink. I don’t think I will be taking her calls for a while. I just can’t imagine wanting to stay on the phone with someone while I was that upset. It’s manipulation and I’m sick of it.

© Photo: gingerjuice

#11 She Tried To Overrule Me On Pool Safety And Make My Kid Leap Into The Shallow End

My son was trying to jump into the shallow end of the pool so I told him hold on, let's go to the deeper end so you don't splat. The she-devil PUSHED ME ASIDE and told him to jump! I turned around and said very clearly, very do-not-[mess]-with-me NO! I do not want him to jump in a shallow end! She ignored me and kept trying to get my son to jump. My wife stepped in and chastised her. I wished I remembered what exactly she said, but I was in such fury that I tunnel visioned it out.

Of course she moped and pouted like she was the victim and we were being unreasonable. My son went back to playing happily and safely.

© Photo: letsgoiowa

#12 MIL Won’t Stop Trying To Put My Daughter In School

So for the past couple of months, my MIL has been insistent on putting my 3 year old daughter in school. Me and my husband have already told her that we want her to stay home until at least next year, when we put her in pre k. Shes already gone ahead and emailed a daycare and made me go with her to tour it.

Now she’s gone ahead and called and picked up an application at a head start school and won’t stop asking when I want to take the application. My husband told her today that we aren’t planning on it and she’s mad. I even told her on a phone call that it’s not up for discussion and that she needs to drop it. She’s making it seem like I’m ruining my child’s future by keeping her home one more year. She acts like I don’t read to my child or interact with her. It’s so annoying. Sometimes she’s super ignorant about things and she talks like we have no interest in our daughter’s education.

Idk what else to do to make her understand. Tell her straight up doesn’t do it, idk what will

© Photo: mochimangoo

This may help explain why we sometimes find it easier to connect with our own relatives than our in-laws. As Professor Gretchen Perry, co-author of In-Law Relationships in Evolutionary Perspective: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, explains, people tend to share more beliefs, interests, and mutual understanding with their immediate families than with their in-laws, where there’s “less of an overlap in common agreement.”

#13 Why Does The Birth Of A New Baby Break Them?

Up until about 7 mo this ago I’d have told you I had the ideal situation. We got along well, no one jumped into our business and we helped when it was needed and vice versa. Being pregnant has triggered some unknown JNMIL curse that I was unaware of.

We’ve known each other for over a decade with no issues! Now all of a sudden it’s constant little comments, asking about me but not really caring about the answer, about how my rough pregnancy experience is one I need to suck it up and get over it etc etc. Then the emotional manipulation about not being needed when we genuinely don’t need help and how she’s unwanted etc etc. like Jesus. It’s like a baby has broken her mind. And it’s not even the first grandchild! It’s the 4th! Just the first from us. I don’t get it. He’s not even born yet! I’m a little shocked tbh. I wouldn’t have pegged her for this.

© Photo: Sammyrey1987

#14 MIL Overstepping With 5 Year Old, Picking Out Her Clothes With Her For The First Day Of School

MIL was generous to ask to buy my daughter some outfits for the first day of school. She said it’s a tradition in their family so I said okay. I had my daughter pick out a few things on Amazon and I thought that was nice of MIL.

The first day of school was today. MIL came out last night because she’s in town to “help” me out. She came over and immediately said to my daughter, “let’s go pick out your outfit for school tomorrow.” I was annoyed but I didn’t say anything because I felt like it wasn’t that bad since she bought my daughter school clothes.

She came over today after school and after we ate dinner and I was cleaning up after everyone, she says to my daughter, “Let’s go pick out your outfit for tomorrow!” At this point I was irritated and I said, “Is that a grandma job?” And I said to my kids’ dad, “did your grandma help you pick out your outfits when you were in school?” MIL said, “yes Colleen took them shopping!” She didn’t answer the question and she pretended that she only wanted to see what my daughter picked out…but that’s not what she said to my daughter.

I wasn’t having it. This is my only daughter. I said to her, “I feel like you’re taking this moment away from me. Picking out her clothes for her first days of school is overstepping.” My kids’ dad flipped out on me. They left abruptly. I’m happy I stood my ground. I let the behavior go on the first day and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. Now I’m the bad guy (again) but I honored my feelings and that is a win for me.

© Photo: ToughRaspberry186

#15 Naming Of Our First Child

Hi everyone,
My partner and I have already chosen a name, and it’s unisex so it doesn’t matter the gender.
However, my MIL has said that if it’s a girl, then we absolutely cannot name her this name. But if it’s a boy, then she can live with it.
It’s insane to me, because the name is Max. We love the name. MIL doesn’t like the name for a girl because her distant relative is named Max and is a girl and she’s apparently a jerk. That’s literally the reason.
She has said to me, and I quote “you can’t name her Max. I won’t allow it, that’s the only thing I will ever say. It cannot be Max”

Would I be wrong to name our (possible) daughter Max, out of spite? But not even out of spite because she literally has no say. Idk, help a girl out please

© Photo: chickenlittle_06

And when it comes to mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, the picture can be even more complicated. As BBC features correspondent Megan Carnegie explains, research has long suggested that “a woman and her mother-in-law are more likely to clash than male members of the family.” Apter’s research, conducted over more than two decades, found that 60% of women said their relationship with a female in-law caused them long-term unhappiness and stress. They described these relationships with terms including “strained,” “uncomfortable,” “infuriating,” “depressing,” “draining,” and “simply awful.”

#16 I Saw Just No MIL For The First Time In Almost 9 Months

I’ve been no contact with mil since my baby was eight weeks old for crossing boundaries. She took it so far to call my mom and ask her why she doesn’t get to see baby my mom basically told her all the stuff she did when I was freshly pp. biggest one was lying that she was sick or was around sick ppl to still get access to my newborn. My mom told her she needed to apologize to me. And try to make things right in order to see her grand daughter.

My husband has also told her why she doesn’t see baby and she needed to apologize. She never did. She told my husband whatever she said she needed to explain herself to me not apologize.

All summer I’ve been avoiding family parties and anywhere they’d be but this weekend we were at a party they also attended. Mil acted like everything was normal tried to hug me and converse with me like normal. She even tried to take my daughter from my husband.

I was sitting with my daughter the entire party she was sitting by herself never once came to talk to me or apologize for calling me lazy after I had baby or telling me my breastmilk won’t fill her she needs formula, trying to push her religious beliefs on my baby when she was 3 weeks old. All things my husband and mother told her upset me. She’s talked to everyone else about me but not talk to me.

When I saw her at the party I thought she would try and say something like “I’m sorry can we put everything in the past”. I think that’s all I wanted to just let it al go. When I told my husband my thoughts. He said he doesn’t think she will ever apologize to me 🫤.

I did not let her hold my daughter nor fil. My mom thought it was a bit harsh that I didn’t let them at least hold her. For me it’s the entitlement they’re the type of ppl that think they can do whatever and as long as some times passed everything is fine and because they’re her grandparents they have rights to her

© Photo: Express_Relation723

#17 The Beginning Of The End Of My Relationship With Her: A Story

I was able to pinpoint the beginning of the end of our relationship-the turning point. Mine was textbook where things were fine until I got pregnant.

My mom and I were planning my baby shower which was an unwrapped shower - people show up with the gift unwrapped and you put cards out so you can see who gave what. The reasoning was we were renting a hall and I didn’t want to spend 1.5 hours of a 3 hour shower opening things because my bff was flying in from across the country and I wanted to spend time with her and other guests (actually several traveled in for it). I had been to a ton of unwrapped showers recently. Note: though mil wasn’t planning the shower, I still involved her in some stuff like getting people together the week before to make cookies, so I tried to include her in stuff too.

Mil lost her [mind] over this unwrapped concept. Hated it. Complained that she was “missing out” on the “shower experience” because of it. I told her I would open hers, but this is how I wanted it. And she could still see what everyone got me! She called me about this three separate times leading up to the shower. I didn’t budge; having time to talk to guests was my priority.

The shower was fantastic. People loved it and were so kind and complimentary of the food and decor and everything. I felt so loved. Some other friends even surprised me by visiting. It was truly amazing.

Mil called me after the shower. I really thought she was going to tell me how much she enjoyed it. Instead she told me how much she hated the display shower.

My neighbor came over a few days later for coffee and said mil was trash talking me and my shower decisions at her table where my neighbor was sitting.

Anyway it’s been downhill from there.

© Photo: Sad_Cheesecake_3450

#18 MIL Lied About Kissing Our Baby - Keeps Lying And Destroying All Trust

So we have this rule that nobody kisses our baby. I know a lot of people do not agree but this just has always been our rule (health, bodily boundaries etc). Now MIL was over a couple of weeks ago and kissed our baby and blew raspberries in his neck. When it happened I grabbed him and washed him off and my husband wrote her afterwards to not do this again. This has been a rule since before we had him so we were both to shocked to speak. I know, dumb. Her response: I didn’t do it. Husband then went NC for two weeks and now she wrote again and said that all our rules are too complicated and she did kiss him and blow raspberries.
She did not apologize.
I’m just so fed up with the lying. This has not been the first time. There was one incident when he was a NEWBORN where she didn’t tell us about her passing out (resolved now) out of fear that she wouldn’t be allowed to hold him. Being completely fine with risking dropping a baby. She then lied about when she found out and when she told other people etc. One of my husband’s cousins told us because she was afraid that she would drop him.
I’m just so [angry] now. Like how would I ever be able to trust her if her first instinct is lie? He will never be alone with her but what if he would be and he’d fall and hit his head and she wouldn’t tell us out of fear of not seeing him anymore?
I’m so angry at her. How do adult people behave this way.

Experts have suggested that patriarchal traditions and gendered stereotypes may help explain why these relationships can be particularly fraught. As Apter is quoted as saying, “Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict often emerges from an expectation that each is criticizing or undermining the other, but this mutual unease may have less to do with actual attitudes and far more to do with persistent female norms that few of us manage to shake off completely.”

And those norms are reinforced by the way these relationships are portrayed more broadly. As Carnegie notes, “a potent mix of patriarchal traditions, media tropes and characters in pop culture also popularise the idea that in-law relationships will be tense at best, toxic at worst—especially among women.”

#19 MIL Is Calling Me Her “Other Daughter”… How Do I Shut That Down?

She doesn’t like me. She asked my now husband not to marry me. She talks bad about me when I’m not around but I think she has seen the damage her actions have caused and now she is back tracking. Instead of apologizing she has just moved on and acts like we are the perfect happy family and me and her and I are now best friends. She puts on huge fake performances and it makes me really uncomfortable.

She wants me to call her mom but now she is calling me her “other daughter”🤢 she says it so much now that I am suspecting she says it and expects me to validate her feeling and roll with it and call her mom and gush about how much I love her because she gushes about how much she loves me.

This week she texted me saying “I love you and I’m checking in on my “other daughter” how has your week been…” I didn’t respond to that, just skipped it and told her about my week. Her next text was “oh that’s so good to hear that my other daughter is … ect” 🤢

I do have a sense of humor so I’m not (too) afraid to push back but what the hell can I say back to her? This woman is giving me stage 5 clinger ick.

She is coming down in a week to visit us and she is giving off the vibes where she needs me to validate her unstable feelings… how do I shut this down😂

#20 MIL Gave Us Expired Crackers And Moldy Cheese

I recently gave birth (1 week postpartum when this happened) and my MIL and FIL told my husband that they’d bring us “dinner” when they came to visit the baby. Well, dinner ended up being an expired box of crackers and a package of cheddar cheese that was literally BLUE from mold when hubby opened it for a late night snack 🫠

Ok that’s all, rant over

#21 Mil Shared Our News

Wow. Just wow.

FH and I are keeping our wedding date secret until the invites go out, but MIL shared OUR news with her side of the family. Why? She thinks our invitation list is inadequare and this is her way of pressuring us to concede to what she thinks is best by getting family memebers not on the list to text us.

(And no, she in no way contributed financially to this wedding).

It's even worse because FH EXPLICITLY told her NOT to share and even shared with her the details of why he doesn't want the news out publicly yet - but her own entitlement couldn't handle less than a week of secrecy out of respect for - nope not mine - but her OWN SON'S boundaries.

Needless to say we are both upset about this.

We're damage controling with family, but she has made herself no longer privvy to plans or announcements before they're public knowledge. I consider this a win since now we know she is untrustworthy before we're married and how to handle that moving forward.

If this were a pregnancy announcement I would be off the wall [angered].

My other comfort is that FH sees this toxic behavior too and he's even less for the BS than I am.

That may be why Evans suggests letting go, if you can, of “the trope of the hostile in-law relationship, with all its baggage and bad punch lines.” Part of the problem is that these expectations can follow people into the relationship itself. As therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab, author of Drama Free, explains, both mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law can enter the relationship with preconceived ideas about how the other person should behave. “Even before you meet, you think, This is how this person should be.” A better approach, she suggests, is to “imagine the relationship without the title. Pretend you’re walking into a relationship with a coworker—that has lower stakes, right?”

#22 MIL Acts Like A Dog Marking Territory Going On 5 Years Now

Ever since I met my husbands mother she always marked her territory by giving him a wet loud kiss on his cheek. She does it in the most random moments .. for example- we could be out to dinner with my husband and his parents and during a conversation or dinner she will get up and kiss him On the cheek. She also tries to hold his hand when we are sitting down or having conversations as a family outing. And she always has to sit next to him or close as possible. One time we had them over to watch the football game and I got up to get another slice of pizza and she jumped into my spot and tried to cuddle with my husband- who was not reacting and was obviously not interested.

Yesterday we were at there house and I got up to go to the bathroom while I was in the bathroom. She must’ve went over and tried to kiss him on the cheek and he told her no that he needs to start treating her like a grown man and that he is not a little kid anymore. I came out of the bathroom and his dad said did you hear what happened? His mom isn’t allowed to kiss him anymore. It was very awkward and I just kind of said nothing and tried to change the conversation. She said but your my son. They asked me if my mom tries to kiss my brother and I said no and they asked if my brother tries to kiss my mom and I also said no. I said usually it’s more of a casual hello and goodbye.

Every time she tries to do this to my husband, it makes me feel weird, but I also feel bad for her at the same time. It makes me feel on edge and uncomfortable like I have to watch out for her next move, so I really hope that she respects his boundary. I feel that if it were my adult son, I would want to treat him as such and also respect that he is grown and has a wife.

#23 Just To Vent

I think my JNMIL is obsessed with being my son’s mother rather than his grandmother. She’s always bragging about how much milk she had when she had her children — ‘I had enough milk for twins’ — and yesterday she asked me, out of the blue, if I still had enough milk to breastfeed my son, who is EBF (I actually have enough milk to donate to the milk bank).
A few minutes later, she was holding my son, who was hungry and looking for the breast. Instead of handing him back to me, she said, ‘Grandmothers should have milk to breastfeed their grandchildren too.’

#24 Always Keeping Tabs On Our Sunday Plans And I’m Tired Of It

Title sums it up. I’ve just been tired of my MIL constantly asking if our Sunday plans include going to church. My husband and I don’t go to church because it’s our only slow day and we just want to spend it at home to get some rest for the following work week. She kept telling us that we’re missing spiritual guidance on life and our married life by not going to church and that it only takes an hour. Sure, the service only takes an hour but getting ready and getting there already takes up time and I just want to rest. I don’t think I’m really missing out on much. Like, ok I don’t go to church but I am sure I’m not a bad person. To note, I’m a believer but I just don’t consider myself too religious. I’d rather be this way than her who constantly speaks of the teachings and yet thinks people who don’t go to church and don’t have the same faith as hers will burn in h3ll. It’s really none of her business and she’s not the one to judge whether I or others need to go to church. I’m just so tired of it all.

And perhaps there’s something to be said for that mindset. You can respect someone, care about them, and work toward a common goal without assuming you have to agree on everything or become BFFs. In this case, that common goal might be a son, daughter, or partner who feels happy, supported, and loved. The trick, perhaps, is remembering that there are different ways to support that goal—and that sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is respect someone else’s boundaries.

#25 Is My MIL Being Passive Aggressive?

so I’m 3 months postpartum now, and I avoid going to my in laws house and taking my baby there because they aren’t good people, and they don’t respect boundaries, like kissing my baby. well I hadn’t gone over there in a month and as soon as we got there my MIL said “you know we want to see you and want you to come over with the baby right?“ she just said it staring at me. and then later in the night she said “I know it’s SO HARD for you to get out” said that to me randomly 🤷‍♀️ idk why. I hate going to her house yes, but we get out a lot with our baby.

And after someone else’s baby shower she texted me to compliment me but then says she can tell I’m on my toes and it’s those hormones and to hang in there.

she also tried to take my baby away from me when she was crying. and I was about to go feed her, she said she could take her to a quiet room alone to calm her down. I said “i hold her if shes crying“ and she just said ok. she was weirdly standing very close to my husband when he was holding her and waited for her to cry so she could ask. I wouldn’t mind all of this so much if she hadn’t already said some weird things.

edit to add:

she’s been passive aggressive in the past like offering me her old clothes because they‘re “way to big for her” when I’m not bigger than her, I’m just tall. and has asked me if I think I have damage from the vaccines I got 🙄

#26 Why Does She Try And Draw Me Into Arguments?

Hi-my MIL is here visiting (staying at a hotel this time, thankfully) but almost every time my husband is out of earshot or out of the room she tries to draw me into an argument. It’s feels like she has topics up her sleeve that she knows we’ll disagree about and wants to create conflict. The regular stuff like religion and politics, but her upper middle class wealth and privilege gives her opinions that I don’t agree with. I’ve learned to say that I disagree and won’t discuss the subject anymore, but then she starts up something different next time. Why does she do this? I try and keep subjects light and friendly so the visit can go well, but she won’t quit. WHY!? I’m tired, but i only have one day left!

#27 MIL Gets Me Asian-Themed Everything Mo

This is more of something to laugh about but here it is.

MIL is a generally ok person, albeit some petty passive aggressiveness and cattiness that I just have to get over. HOWEVER, I’ve noticed a trend where whenever she gets me something (ie a bday gift, some gifts from when her and FIL travel, etc), she always has to give me something Asian related😭. For context, I’m half-asian and she is very much a white woman from middle America. I don’t normally take offense but it is a big bruh moment when it happens. Like most recently, she got me a plant for my birthday (thanks ig?) and it was called a Chinese Money plant. Ok, moving on. But that got me thinking as this last Christmas, she got me chopsticks and an oriental hand fan. Like… what do I even do with that. I can name a few more gifts, but the common thread is that they are all somehow related to Asia. I don’t expect gifts from her, but it does feel like she just types “Asian gifts” into Google whenever it’s gift giving season.

There’s not much to say or do other than laugh at this point lol.

But unfortunately, not every mother-in-law seems interested in taking that approach. For some, boundaries are less a line to respect than a challenge to overcome. And that brings us to the stories on this list. Let us know which ones hit a little too close to home—or made you a little more grateful for your own in-laws.

#28 Well, It Happened

I’m 7.5 months pregnant and my MIL comments on my body every time she sees me since she found out at 12 weeks. she also announced the pregnancy to others despite being asked not to until my 20 week US so we knew all was well and the baby was going to stick, after a multi year infertility journey.

well last night my worst fear on the MIL pregnancy bingo card happened - she invited herself to my delivery.

beyond the body comments she also had to pick a special grandma name for herself despite being in her mid 70s and is wildly grandma-aged (I am only ok with custom grandma names if you’re like 38 becoming a grandma or if there is some strange dynamic where the kid has extra grandparents and you don’t want to call them all the same thing). she also keeps calling the baby “ours” like including herself which would never have bothered me if it were not for all the other [stuff]. she also wants to be living with us after the birth, I found out last night.

It’s like she has the awkward MIL bingo card in front of her and she is daubing them all off as we get closer to the deadline. my partner spoke to her about not making comments about my body anymore because it was literally every time I saw her - and yet last night she told me I looked like I was gonna have a ten pounder.

© Photo: vivariium

#29 MIL Hosting An Event To “Show Off The Next Generation”

We have a very difficult relationship with my JNMIL, she’s narcissistic. Truly I don’t know that she does this maliciously but everything is about her. We live about an hour from each other and she cannot be bothered to see our kids. We recently had a new baby and MIL has met baby 2x in 5 mos, one of those times initiated by me. Highlights: made my parent’s cancer diagnosis about her (I hope you don’t feel you need to spend more time with them, I could be gone tomorrow!) to essentially ruining every milestone my parter and I have had by trying to manipulate and control him. Notably MIL is a social media fiend and saves pictures that we post to repost about our kids (no tag so we just every now and then see a photo we’ve posted on her social pages).

Anyhoo. About two months ago MIL says she wants to host a gathering, a cook out. In my head I’m like we don’t need 2+ mos notice to grill with you but okay. I told partner I should set a play date for our child and just go with baby because she would be bored and they said, I think MIL wants the kids there, like that’s the whole point. I asked why they say that…:It turns out she sent out an invitation (my partner got it, I did not) with details. MIL invited her extended family (think aunts/uncles/cousins) who I’ve never met despite being together 15 years (partner recalls meeting a few of these people as a child). The invitation is to gather together to “meet the new generation of (family name)” our children will be the only kids there. She’s having a party to show off our kids who she sees on a quarterly basis…

I’m going to wear our baby to try to avoid him being passed around/used as a prop, but I’m so beyond irritated that my kids are once again being used to perpetuating this wonderful grandparent performance for people who won’t know better. We’re now debating making an appearance for an hour and a half or so and then leaving to visit friends nearby, jerk move?

© Photo: idrinkmycoffeeneat

#30 Jnmil Obsessed With My “Employment”

DH saw MIL/FIL this weekend for FIL’s birthday. He went to their house and spent the night. Both are JN’s, but JNMIL is the drama stirrer as my DH was her substitute husband/emotional confidante when their marriage got rocky. Obviously when I came into the picture, she lost her [mind].

DH told me the ONLY things JNMIL asked about was my job. What I’m doing, who I’m working for, etc. Mind you, I have been self employed for almost a year, running a small business, and I do contract work on the side for people locally, all of which JNMIL is aware of. I’ve only had 2 jobs since DH and I got together, which JNMIL made frequent comments about me “job hopping.”

DH repeatedly reminded her I’m self-employed and do contract work on the side, which has always been the arrangement. She acted stunned as if she didn’t realize my small business was “actually a business” and that I’m “working for so many different people”

BTW, JNMIL barely worked herself, and despite not having a job, had a house keeper and had meals delivered every night while DH was a child. So it’s really rich coming from her.

#31 Entitled And Expects Weekly Visits

My husband and I have a 6 month old. Mil has always been controlling and demanding, but having a child has made things much worse. My husband and I are middle school teachers and didn’t have to work all summer, so we could easily accommodate weekly visits throughout the summer. In hindsight, we should’ve stopped the weekly visits a long time ago, but I can’t change the past. Now that we’re both working full time, we only get to see our son a few hours each night. He also is not a good sleeper, so we are exhausted.

Mil has reached out three times in five days about seeing baby. We saw them Saturday AND Sunday last weekend! She texted me Monday asking when they could see baby this week. I was brief and said I had no idea, as we are just taking things day by day. She then called and texted husband a day or two later, begging us to go out this weekend so she can babysit. He told her that this is not a good weekend, as we are busy the entire weekend. He also told her that we are no longer able to accommodate weekly visits, as we are back to working full time. She gave him the silent treatment. Last night, she then texted me asking if they can see the baby this weekend, even though she knows we’re busy. She said they would love to see him for just a little bit. I told her we are not able to see them this weekend, and she never responded.

Here’s the pattern I am seeing: she disguises all her attempts as helpful and loving, until she gets an answer that she doesn’t like. She then moves to the silent treatment, or starts a fight (with my husband, never me) and tries again in a day or two presenting a new request. She never accepts “no” and moves on. Im so sick and tired of it. I am EXHAUSTED and done managing the emotions and expectations of a 60 year old woman. How much more direct do we need to be? I have always tried being civil with this woman, but I’m getting close to my wits end.

Also, she knows how hard sending my son to daycare has been. I have been in shambles!!! I went from every waking second with him to now losing 50 hours per week with him. It absolutely breaks my heart. She never had to do daycare, she was a stay at home mom. That makes the demands to see my son even more upsetting because she does not have the ability (or care enough) to put herself in my shoes. It’s all about her agenda and what she wants.

#32 My MIL Created A Scene When I Was 4 Days Postpartum

My MIL created a scene when I was just 4 days postpartum. My husband and I really liked a name for our baby so when our baby was born (via an emergency c section) we decided to reveal the name to our immediate family. She was behind this topic even during pregnancy and wanted to have a say or rather wanted to name the baby herself. At 3rd day postpartum she said the name we chose has the meaning that’s not good and then gave a sly remark about how we didn’t consult her so now we just have to live with our baby’s terrible name. Obviously I was pissed but wanted to avoid any fights (also my husband and my mother were completely silent at the moment, like always) I just thought I’ll avoid talking to her for a while. Next day when I was discharged from the hospital and went to home with my baby, in the name of decoration my MIL, FIL, Brother in law and his wife completely disrupted my home (moved furniture and even curtains). I was pissed again but just calmed myself thinking baby is the first priority. When I went inside the room to feed the baby, my husband did a lot of to and fro from my room to the room my in laws were staying all the while telling them to leave our house and stay at my brother in law’s instead. To this everyone just assumed it was me who ordered my husband to say this to them and then my MIL started crying and my husband and FIL hugged her and comforted her. Then everyone left the house leaving behind me my husband and my mother. When I asked what was the need to cry (not only in my living room but also outside the home in the apartment complex for our neighbours to see) my MIL, FIL, brother in law and his wife of 3 months now fought with me. What should I do and how should I heal now? I have been feeling like an outsider in my own home since past 5-6 years now.

#33 My MIL Is Out Of Touch And It Is Angering Me

Me(33f) and my husband (35m) just got married and we are looking for a house. right now we live in my one bedroom condo and are bursting at the seams. We have been looking since before we got married probably at least a few months. We have been looking in the 350-430k range which where we live can get you a decent house. We are not afraid of some projects but not too much. Now on to my MIL. My husband called his mother to update him that we found a really good house in our price range. We sent her the listing and she absolutely hates it. Some of her concerns my husband and I have discussed and dismissed. The main thing that is getting me angry is how out of touch she is. She told my husband that we need to look under 300k. She still lives in the house my husband grew up in which means she hasn't bought a house since the 80s. She is also blames me because my husband makes way more money then I do. She also refuses to look online at houses or change her opinion when we tell her an under 300k house isn't feasible unless we want to do more work then we are comfortable with. She does zero work and yet wants to impose her will on us. I feel like we are lucky that we are at least finding some houses in our price range. Everyone is saying I am being too emotional but I feel like we take one step forward and getting hit 10 steps back.

#34 MIL Is Expecting A Visit Every Weekend!

My MIL and I generally get on nowadays, largely due to the fact that we have moved out of her house. She is still overbearing and still intrusive, but my husband’s manages her or I just say things as they are. I prefer communicating via text because I can think about what I want to say and I have proof of our conversation. Anyways, we went over to her house on the weekend, bear in mind we’ve not seen her for exactly 9 days. She starts by giving me (not my husband) a huge lecture on respecting elders, they don’t want anything from you but respect, that they just want your time etc. and then proceeds to tell me that she expects us to come every weekend without fail. She said she understands we are busy in the week, but we should make time for family on the weekend. She then said to my husband that if we don’t come she will get ill. My husband and I just looked at each other like ‘what is her problem?’

I already know what I’m going to do: ignore her comments and still do whatever my husband and I want. It’s just so damn frustrating that this woman seems so entitled to our time. WE (my husband, son and I) are a family now. What about OUR family time? My husband and I both work, weekends are our own full days together. We run errands, organise ourselves for the week, maybe even have a family day out to treat our son and make some memories. We also don’t just have her as family. What about making space in our lives for other relatives? What about my own parents? What about friends? It’s just what she wants when she wants it.

I do have my own relatives coming over next weekend. This woman said to me that I need to tell her when they come over so that she can come over and say hello, which I’m sure is just another excuse for her to try and get us to commit to this ‘see me every weekend’ thing she wants. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to have her there too. My family is going to travel 4 hours here and 4 hours back. I have very limited time with them as it is. I don’t want us all to feel on edge because my MIL has randomly planted herself into a gathering that wasn’t for her.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t actually mind spending time with her, but not THIS much.

#35 I Really Don’t Like My Engagement Ring And I Think My Mother In Law Had Something To Do With It

I have been married for two years now, I love my husband and I am very happy.

However my engagement ring looks nothing like what I hinted at. I sent him pictures, and looked at jewelry with him months before he proposed.

My mother in law helped him find the ring. My husband sent her the pictures and she pretty much chose the ring. To me the ring looks outdated but not in a vintage classic way.

So I don’t think my husband put much efforts into finding a ring.

I ended up with a ring that I don’t like, aside from the stone color and shape.

I did recently share my feelings with my husband, he felt horrible and wanted to make it up and get a new ring. I told him to just wait for our 5 year anniversary to upgrade the ring. So I can’t wait.

But now my mother in law is shopping around for a new ring ( For herself). She sent me some pictures and the ring is identical to some of the ones I showed my husband! We might have matching rings when I upgrade…

I don’t want to think negatively but I am starting to feel that my mother in law picked out a ring she knew I would not like.

© Photo: Calm_Syrup_2829

#36 MIL Wont Stop Leaving The Room With My Baby

My MIL takes my baby to another room any chance she gets with him. She has done this since he was born and it is driving me crazy, ive asked my husband to say something and he is too scared to. Hes 4 months now and i am at the point where I don’t want her holding him anymore because she continues to do it, normally i will follow her shortly after, today i wanted to give my husband the chance to stop her and he didnt.

Am i being crazy for being upset about this?

She is always making passive aggressive comments and makes everything about herself.

#37 Last Minute Plans

Just a little story

DH and daughter were driving through the parking lot of the store they were going to and saw MIL SILs and their spouses vehicles all having dinner together. MIL saw DH's very identifiable truck driving through the parking lot, and started flagging him down!

MIL got to the truck to talk to him and saw that he didn't have our newborn with him and said "next time have the baby with you"

He said "Well if we were invited to family dinner we would have had him" MIL tried to tell him it was just so last minute that they didn't tell us but we live 5 minutes from the restaurant they were at so it didn't add up.

Oh well at least she didn't get what she wanted out of seeing DH so consider that a win, thank goodness I wanted stay home with the baby lol

#38 Why Is Mil Doing This?

Trying to conceive and have been asked to take zero stress. Mil does something everyday and puts me in chain of overthinking.

She can't communicate at all. Moreover, she twists everything from our daily kitchen related talks and presents them to my husband and my fil in a way that I don't intend to help her or am irresponsible towards house duties.

Eg: a routine kitchen conversation -

Mil: if you are going to the grocery right now, to get potatoes, please get a packet of papad

Me: I am not going to grocery right now , I will go to buy potatoes in evening

Mil: ok

Mil to my husband: I told her to bring papad, she refused saying she is busy

( Btw she never said Direct that she wanted me to buy papad)

she portrays like she is the good one and I am the bad one.

Husband obviously supports me but these silly and petty things point out that she has so much poison for me. It really makes me feel helpless that someone hates me so much. And can turn things against me so easily .

#39 It Finally Happened

So me and my husband live with my MIL and she crosses boundaries constantly including cleaning up our area and doing the laundry when we explicitly asked her not to as it's a violation of privacy. We live in the downstairs area and she comes down without our permission. I'm under the opinion that you should try and prevent embarrassing things from happening because once it does there's no recovering the relationship. Well now she finally saw some things I wish she didn't see as she came down when we were out of the house as usual. It's kind of embarrassing to discuss it but let's just say I can't face her now. What do we even do now? I can't talk to her about it, it's too embarrassing. Basically she did my laundry and some women here may guess why that's embarrassing.. How do I even talk to her about this when she won't listen?

I've changed some real life details of this post to keep me anonymous but no I can't get a lock.

We’ve all had experiences that we shudder to think about. But these moments are a lot more amusing when they happen to other people. Bored Panda has scoured the internet to find some of the most facepalm-worthy photos that have been shared online and compiled a list of them below. Enjoy scrolling through these pics, and be sure to upvote the ones that give you secondhand embarrassment!

#1 What’s The Problem?

© Photo: StrokeRN18

#2 We Ordered A Grill. Got 300 Ipads

© Photo: usuzulose

#3 Seems Legit?

© Photo: [deleted]

Cringe content certainly isn’t anything new. It’s been done countless times on television and in movies, with The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm being some of the most famous examples. But there’s something about this style of humor that people still can’t get enough of. It makes us uncomfortable, yet we can’t look away. 

According to DW News, cringe content is addictive in the same way that junk food is. The kind of content that elicits what psychologists call secondhand or vicarious embarrassment can be oddly enjoyable. We can’t help but have a strong reaction to these moments, and even though they make us uncomfortable, we can start to crave that feeling. 

#4 Bare Feet On Indoor Seating

Like why do people do this. It's so gross. You want to be barefoot, fine go sit outside then or go to the beach. He wasn't ever wearing sandals. He had socks and sneakers on. He took his socks off

© Photo: xNotebookNomad

#5 Sarasota

© Photo: bence73

#6 Painting Jumble

This is at my psychiatrist office, the top row is correct the bottom left should be bottom middle, bottom middle is upside down and should be bottom left. Bottom right is in the right place but upside down. Is this a test?

© Photo: Many-External-1561

Experts say that cringing can even be a useful reaction to have in certain situations. It indicates a level of self-awareness, as it allows you to communicate to others that you know you’ve done something embarrassing or awkward. Cringing is a way to signal to them that you didn’t do it on purpose.

And when we cringe at something another person has done, it’s often a way of being empathetic. We understand what they’re going through, and we would feel embarrassed in their situation. While it can be judgmental, it doesn’t have to be. Just because you’re cringing at something that another person has done does not mean that you’re judging them.  

#7 Builder Broke The Window So The Spigot Would Be Outside

© Photo: 1qwertyuiopasd

#8 When You Ask Facilities To Cut A Hole In Your Desk To Allow Air Flow From The Vent

© Photo: Uffda_90

#9 “Hold On! I Think We Need Another Guy”

© Photo: Last_Pay_8447

There are apparently two types of cringe content, according to Big Think: contemptuous and empathetic. The former is the kind where people try to distance themselves from those whom they are cringing at. They act like their situation is unrelatable and show no compassion. Empathetic cringe comedy, however, is when viewers put themselves into the “cringey person’s” shoes. They feel embarrassment on their behalf, rather than disgust or annoyance.

#10 Do You Consider This A Human Being?

© Photo: ckgjfxfcgb

#11 My Roommate’s Solution To A Broken Toaster

Kind of respect the ingenuity but am afraid my house may burn down when he inevitably forgets about putting something in there

© Photo: sit-there

#12 This Was Their Idea After Dropping The Ladder In The Pool Twice

© Photo: Mnmsaregood

It’s important to remember when we’re enjoying cringe comedy that we should try to avoid “punching down.” Someone making a social faux pas can be funny, in general, but it’s best to understand the context of the situation. For example, if that person is disabled or has a disorder, it would be wrong to laugh at them. You never want to mock someone, especially not for something that they can’t help. And we all experience embarrassing moments, so it’s cruel to pretend like you don’t. 

#13 Can You Find The Tuna In My Tuna Wrap?

The local market had this tuna wrap on sale, which I figured was because it needed to be eaten asap. As that was my plan anyway, I bought it. Apparently, it was discounted because it contained almost no tuna. Lots and lots of lettuce, but very little tuna

© Photo: phyrsis

#14 A Lot Going On

#15 Coconuts In The Feed The Beast Tracklist:

© Photo: fishingforsomepies

Another outlet for cringe content that many people can’t get enough of is reality television. Ria Bhatia at The Established explained that cringe is a significant factor in why certain reality shows are so popular amongst audiences.

Discussing and analyzing the cringe moments featured on these shows is particularly fascinating for many viewers, because not everyone can come to a consensus on what exactly is cringe and what is a perfectly normal reaction to any given situation. It’s fun for audiences to share their thoughts on these moments that weren’t scripted or created specifically to elicit cringe.

#16 New Umbrella Design

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#17 Giant "Thank You Elon" Behind A Cybertruck

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#18

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When reality TV lovers binge these shows, many of them enjoy feeling like they’re better than the subjects featured on their screens. They might think that they would never behave the same way in that situation, and therefore, the people on their screens deserve to be judged. Perhaps you’ve had that same feeling while scrolling through this list! If someone is going to do something so embarrassing in public, they’re just asking to be scrutinized. 

#19 Apparently My Nails Are Too Strong.... You Had One Job!

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#20 Pizza Came Out Of The Box Like This

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#21 Makeover Weaves Be Like

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Some people even say that they enjoy watching cringe shows as a palate cleanser from deeper, more intellectual programming. They can shut their minds off and simply enjoy a trashy show like they’d devour a greasy fast food burger. Meanwhile, others enjoy these programs because they can actually spark self-reflection in those who are open to it. If they see a woman fall head over heels for a man in only two days on a dating show, they might realize how ridiculous it is for them to feel the same way after only two dates in real life. Something can be gained from this cringe content if the viewer is open to it.  

#22 If Only There Was Another Way To Get Up There

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#23

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#24 Now Accepting Orders

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Are you enjoying these bizarre yet hilarious examples of cringey and embarrassing moments, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones that make you wonder what in the world those people were thinking, and let us know in the comments below if you’ve done anything recently that makes you cringe to think about. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another article from Bored Panda featuring photos that might make you slightly uncomfortable, look no further than right here!

#25 I Can't Stop Laughing At This. I Have No Words

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#26 Some People... Smh

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#27 Car Lock

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#28 The Panel On My TV Fell Off

The LCD panel on my TV decided it would fall off. I have no idea how this happened and I've never seen anything like this happen before. My wife sent me the photo so I have no idea if it's salvageable as a second TV or whatnot but my guess is that the glue holding it together gave way.

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#29 My Girlfriend's Scooter Snapped In Half While She Was Riding It

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#30 Construction Worker On Scaffolding W/ No Safety Rope

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#31 Just Wait Until The Tide Comes In And Over-Inflate The Rear Wheels

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#32 New Pet I'm Begging

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#33 Is This Guy Crazy?

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#34 Tiny Pants Vance

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#35 The Fact That They Didn't Wash It Before Using It

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#36 Still Doing Better Than You

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#37 The Mastermind In The Coil

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#38

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#39 A Large Boulder The Size Of A Small Boulder

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#40

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#41

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#42 Cringe In The Comment And Cringe At The Unnecessary Charges

"CPT Code 96127 (brief emotional /behavioral assessment) can be billed for a variety of screening tools, including the PHQ-9 for depression, as well as other standardized screens for ADHD, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, suicide risk • For depression, use in conjunction with the ICD-10 diagnosis code Z13." Every time someone spurgs about something and doesn't have a clue what they are talking about, it hurts the cause. f**K the US healthcare system.

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#43 Found In My Neighborhood

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#44 Posted In The Entry Way Of An Antique Store

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#45 Common Sense Is Not So Common

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#46

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#47 This Is How I Need To Start My Day

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#48 This

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#49 The Message On This Dudes Car

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#50 Ultrasound Manicure

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#51 A Pipe Broke Upstairs

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#52

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#53 Slayed

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#54 You're Standing Right In Front Of The Best Example In The Whole World That Proves That Walls Don't Work

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#55

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#56

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#57

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#58 The Way She Cluelessly Takes The Picture LOL

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#59 Writing On The Wall

That’s exactly what happened in a Reddit thread where doctors were asked to share some of the dumbest patients they had ever encountered. From hilariously obvious questions to decisions that probably should have involved a little more common sense, the stories had plenty of people laughing—and occasionally shaking their heads in disbelief. Keep reading, Pandas, to find out what doctors had to say about some of their most unforgettable patients.

#1

Turns out using cement as a DIY cast for your broken (but not reset) leg is a bad idea. Turns out the chemicals in the cement irritate and dissolve your skin. He became septic and almost died by the time he presented for medical care. Emergency Medicine - preventing natural selection one stupid person at a time.

© Photo: fleur_essence

#2

I am an ER doc. I once had a 20 year old and his girlfriend come in at 2 am freaking out becuase "something had tore his throat open". He seemed fine. No blood. Breathing fine. I had him open his mouth, saw nothing. So didn't want him to lose confidence in me, clearly something had happened, so I'm looking, and looking....there is nothing wrong with this kids throat. Finally I say look, it seems ok...what do you feel or see? "I dont feel it but LOOK ITS RIGHT THERE". WHERE??? Looking, looking. It was his uvula. Somehow this kid had gotten to the age of 20 without ever noticing his uvula. Girlfriend was also horrified....I told them it was normal. Did not believe me. So I told them I was about to blow their minds and showed him his girlfriends uvula. Minds blown, another life saved in the ER.

© Photo: Hathathn

#3

As a med student myself and another student took a history from a guy who drank several (10+) cups of tea a day with 6 sugars in each one "for my thirst" and had 6 meals a day of 4 bacon sandwiches, with butter, "for the energy".

That's all he had every day. That's it.

He couldn't understand why his heart disease wasn't getting better, why he'd put on weight, why he was now showing high blood sugar and was borderline diabetic.

Edit: Seriously guys - to the people telling me "but bacon isn't bad food!" or whatever; I never said it was. Read what I posted, especially the bit where I said "That's all he had every day. That's it." because if you can't process that with the rest of what I've said, I think you're in danger of becoming a patient mentioned in threads like this.

© Photo: SoForAllYourDarkGods

We spend so much time taking care of our bodies, yet there’s still an incredible amount we don’t know about what’s happening beneath the surface. For instance, most of us know that an adult human skeleton has 206 bones, but did you know that babies are born with around 300 bones? As they grow, some of those bones gradually fuse together, eventually forming the 206 bones found in the typical adult skeleton. These bones are divided into two main groups: the axial skeleton, which contains 80 bones and forms the central axis of the body, including the skull, spine, ribs, and sternum, and the appendicular skeleton, which contains 126 bones in the shoulders, arms, hands, pelvis, legs, and feet. 

#4

14 year old couple...splitting birth control pills to be extra safe...girl gets pregnant...boy gets gynecomastia.

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#5

Had a patient who was convinced that drinking grape juice with baking soda was helping him fight prostate cancer.

"But your cancer is actually getting worse."

Him: "I'm gonna stick with my plan, I really feel like it's helping."

Edit: Yes, it is kind of like Steve Jobs. You can all stop replying that now, because we all get it.

© Photo: YoungSerious

#6

Had a girl in the ER who got beer poured over her while at a party. She went to the bathroom to clean herself but didn't find anything to wash herself with like a sponge or something.
So she used the next best thing she found and meticulously scrubbed her chest with steel wool.

© Photo: AustrianReaper

Interestingly, even some basic facts about our bodies aren't as well known as you might expect. A USANA-sponsored survey of 2,000 Americans conducted through OnePoll found that 35% of respondents didn't know their own blood type. The survey also found that only about one in 10 people knew that O-negative is considered the universal red-blood-cell donor type, while just one quarter correctly identified the four main blood groups: A, B, AB, and O. Knowing your blood type can be useful information, particularly when it comes to blood donation, pregnancy care, and medical situations. Of course, hospitals still test and confirm a person's blood type before giving a transfusion, but knowing your own can certainly be helpful when you're trying to understand your health.

#7

I worked at the ER during my internship and met a girl who had increasingly painful and red eyes since a couple of days back. The last 24h had been horrible. I asked about all the normal stuff, and she claimed to have no idea why she had this eye problem - she had never had anything wrong with her eyes. I proceed to drop some dye in her eyes to check them in a microscope, and when I do I realize she's wearing contacts.

She didn't like her natural eye colour, so she had bought a set of blue coloured lenses 8 months earlier. Never removed them, not even during night time. Didn't even think to mention this to me, claimed to have no "foreign materials" in her eyes.

Needless to say, I gave her quite the harsh lecture and a referal to an ophtalmologist.

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#8

I met one who was taking lactulose (extra strength laxative) for her lactose intolerance.

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#9

GP here. The most outrageous thing I've heard was from a boy who was something like 20-22 years old. Very poor, illiterate family. The boy had a bad case of tonsilitis and refused to take any meds because all he needed to do was "bite the sun". Basically at noon he had to look up to the sun, open his mouth as wide as possible and "bite" the sun several times so it would "burn" his tonsils and cure him over the course of a couple weeks. When that wouldn't work, plan B was to do the same at night but only under a full moon.

TL;DR: Bite the sun and cure you tonsilitis.

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And sometimes, the best way to appreciate just how fascinating the human body is is to look at it from a completely different perspective. That’s exactly what Bill Bryson does in The Body: A Guide for Occupants, a lively and often funny exploration of how our bodies work and what makes them so remarkable. The book is packed with fascinating, mind-boggling, and occasionally gross facts about human biology, including one particularly fun question: How much would it actually cost to build a human being from scratch? Citing a Royal Society of Chemistry calculation, Bryson notes that the 59 elements needed to construct a human body, using Benedict Cumberbatch as the example, would cost around $151,578. Of course, that price only reflects the estimated value of the raw elements—not the rather more complicated task of turning them into a living, breathing human being.

#10

I was an intern in the ER. I have seen a lot of stupid people; it was a small town and all. The worst I think was when I walked in, and the floor smelled like... I don't even know. It was by far the worst thing I had ever smelled.

Well, the doctor is preparing to go into this room, but I did not expect what would happen next. He opened the door, and I almost barfed. It was extremely hard to keep my professional composure.

The guy had his leg wrapped up. The doctor asked him to unwrap it, and it was gangrene. From his foot up to the middle of his thigh. The smell I had been smelling was rotting flesh. The cause?

"The four-wheeler I was riding caught fire six months ago.".

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#11

There was the guy whose elderly mother suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and I had to tell him there was nothing surgically we could do for her. He tearfully told me, that he would do anything for his mama, and she could have his brain to save her life. Dude wanted us to do a brain transplant. I had to tell him that no, unfortunately that would not be possible.

© Photo: KosstAmojan

#12

We had a woman that went through 3 hospitalizations for diabetic ketoacidosis in 6 weeks. Her glucose was up to 1100.

Her explanation is that she didn't like her endocrinologist, so she refused to go back.

© Photo: Anitsisqua

And the more you learn about the human body, the more you realize that even some of our most familiar sensations are not quite as straightforward as they seem. We cannot actually feel wetness directly. Human skin doesn't have specific receptors dedicated to detecting “wetness.” Instead, researchers believe that the brain works out that something is wet by combining other sensory information, particularly changes in temperature and mechanical sensations on the skin. That's why water can feel wet even though your skin is really detecting a combination of different signals. In other words, that familiar sensation of being wet is partly your brain making sense of the information your skin is sending it. Pretty impressive, considering how effortlessly we experience it every day.

#13

Girl came to the ER for nausea/vomiting. Tried to give her some Zofran. "No thanks, I'm not really a medicine-type person. My body rejects chemicals.".

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#14

Surgical resident here, one that comes to mind while I was on the cardiothoracic service was a gentleman that came in through the trauma bay with a stab wound to the chest. He reported (after we fixed the rather large hole in his right ventricle) that he was just visiting a friend and while on the stoop of the building, a random stanger stabbed him with a sword from a 1st floor window. He proceeds to laugh, get back in his car with his buddies and drive home, despite the rather profuse bleeding from his chest. He drives home for some period of time and then eventually decides he should go to the hospital. Drives BY HIMSELF to the hospital. Last thing he remembers was being on the way to the hospital. He was found in the parking lot, had passed out in his car. Eventually made it to the OR and walked away just fine.

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#15

We had a patient once on a PCA (a kind of pain medicine pump with a button that the patient pushes to dispense more medicine). She thought she had to physically lick the button in order to get the medicine. It was weird.

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When you zoom out from how the body experiences the world to what it's actually made of, the answer is surprisingly simple. You might not have enjoyed studying the periodic table at school, but those chemical elements are literally what make you, you. Just six elements—carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus—account for roughly 99% of the human body's mass. Oxygen and hydrogen are especially abundant because the body contains a large amount of water, while carbon forms the backbone of many of the molecules that make up our cells and tissues. Nitrogen is essential for proteins and DNA, while calcium and phosphorus are particularly important for bones and teeth. So, despite being an incredibly complicated biological system, the human body is built largely from a surprisingly small collection of elements.

#16

There are several close calls...
- The patient who fixed an appointment for a pedicure the day after open heart surgery. He said that he'd just sneak out of the ICU and that nobody would notice.
- The patient who had an amputation of half of his foot and decided that it would be a good idea to walk to the toilet after returning to his room, covering the floor in bloody footsteps because the suture ripped open again.
- The patient who said that he didn't have any previous operations, but was basically covered in scars... when asked about each of them, he suddenly remembered having about 15 surgeries for various accidents.
- The patient who forgot that he had his kidney, spleen and part of the colon removed (because of a tumor).
- The patient who decided that he'd never take more than three pills a day. He was on four or five different meds at that time, and basically just chose at random which meds he was going to take which day.

© Photo: Iylivarae

#17

Not a doctor, but as an Army medic, I have had some dumb patients.
One of the first guys I treated got really bad road rash from a motorcycle crash and decided to treat it himself by pouring whiskey on it. By the time he came to the medics, it was pretty bad and I had to do debridement with a scrub brush: basically scrubbing the bad parts off with plastic bristles. He was in a lot of pain and I was trying not to laugh at him.

A lot of people don't respect medics at all even when we are very good at our jobs. One guy came in with fluid filled bumps on a red base around his mouth-textbook herps. I asked him if it was his first herpes outbreak and he started yelling at me for saying he had herpes. He refused to listen to anything else I said and asked for the PA, who took one look at him and asked if it was his first herpes outbreak.

We once had a guy who had the tip of his finger amputated. His first question was, 'will this grow back?"

One guy had a sore back, and while I was doing the physical exam, he said, "Doc, my spine is curved (it wasn't). That's why my nose is crooked."

Medics all have lots of fun stories.

© Photo: anon

#18

Had a marine once who came to me complaining of a rash to his right forearm c 2 weeks. This was his first visit for the issue, and hadn't had anything like this before and was worried, since he reported worsening symptoms since initial onset.

When asking about prior skin issues, he told me he had ring worm just prior to THIS rash.

Look at his arm, it looked like a mild second degree chemical burn in a rather circular shape, with blisters on the edges. What got me was the exact definition in the burn edge. Asking the young LCPL how he got that he replied:

" well that's the burn I got from the bleach I poured on my arm".

When I asking him WHY he poured bleach on his arm:

"Well how else was I going to get rid of the ringworm?".

© Photo: DocMichaels

We use the internet every day and are used to information traveling almost instantly, but our own bodies have an impressive communication network too. Nerve signals can travel at speeds of around 120 meters per second, or roughly 430 km/h, in the fastest myelinated human nerve fibers. These electrical signals allow your brain and body to communicate incredibly quickly, helping you move, react to danger, feel sensations, and coordinate everything from walking to picking up a cup of coffee. So while your Wi-Fi connection might occasionally let you down, your nervous system has been running its own high-speed communication network inside you all along.

#19

Dentist here. I had a patient a few years ago who could not understand how she had gum disease on her upper teeth. She though gravity would pull all the bacteria down onto her lower teeth, leaving her top teeth plaque free.

© Photo: doctorwhodds

#20

I had a patient who came to the emergency department vomiting so much I had to admit him for intravenous fluids. I took the usual history, including what he'd eaten recently - nothing out of the ordinary. A few hours later, he calls me over. 'Doctor.... I did eat some chicken and rice earlier. My girlfriend made it yesterday and we left it in the pan on top of the stove overnight, and I ate it this afternoon. (This was in a July heatwave.) Do you think that could have been it?'
'Yes. Yes, I do.' *sighs* We had a little talk about food hygiene.

© Photo: forest_rose

#21

When I was doing rounds in the ER for my medic I encountered this woman. She was in her early forties and was apparently a frequent flyer for pain meds. Since she had become known in the community (this was a small city in West Michigan) she was no longer able to trick doctors into giving her meds. So what does she do? She pulls out her own teeth. She had tried to do a couple but they wouldn't come all the way out. She did eventually get one out bit this was after a few attempts. This isn't the stupid part however. She felt that this may not do the trick. So she waited for a few days knowing she would get an infection and we would have no choice but to give her what she wanted. Well it didn't work they gave her NSAID's and antibiotics.

#22

Had a 70 year old female come in with a broken rib and clavicle after falling. Tells me her only medications are insulin and Tums. While taking her history she seems off. She's acting confused, her voice is deep, her face is swollen and she's had been having balance problems, textbook hypothyroidism. Turns out she had her thyroid removed a year ago. When I asked her if she was taking any medications for that she tells me "Yes, the Tums, I need the calcium for my thyroid." Where she came up with the idea that tums were a great substitute for your thyroid I will never know. Needless to say she left with a new synthroid Rx.

© Photo: Pamlico

And then there's your heart, one of the hardest-working organs in your entire body. An average adult heart beats roughly 100,000 times a day, which works out to more than 36 million beats a year. Over a typical lifespan, that can add up to well over 2.5 billion heartbeats, depending on factors such as your resting heart rate and how long you live. Think about that the next time you feel your heartbeat—it has been quietly doing its job thousands of times every day, without you having to consciously tell it what to do. It's one of those everyday things we rarely think about until we stop to appreciate just how remarkable it really is.

#23

While in nursing school I had a patient who had wounds on his leg and refused wound care because "Hospitals are clean and you can't get an infection in a hospital." He refused even after having me and then my instructor explain to him about hospital acquired infections and the need for wound care.

© Photo: mursican

#24

This happened in a rural area, and this was at the indigent hospital. A man came in who had been chopping wood. The ax slipped, hitting his leg. He poured gasoline over it to try to "disinfect" it, and stop the bleeding. Then he lit a cigarette. We were treating him for a very badly infected leg, which was also severely burned.

Also - there is a saying in rural areas, that "it hurt so bad I could have shot it off". A woman came in who had sprained her ankle. She couldn't take the pain, so we ended up treating her for a self inflicted gunshot wound to the foot.

© Photo: sanna43

#25

Had an old coot (best possible description of the man) who was sweet but had clearly spent his adult years drinking away whatever brain cells he started with... he presented with a chief complaint of "I can't drink beer any more. Every time I drink one, I just throw it back up a few minutes later."

Well... turns out Cooter hadn't been able to eat actual food in months, was subsisting on pretty much just beer, and hadn't pooped in over two weeks. But that didn't bother him a bit... until he couldn't have the beer. *Then* it was an emergency!

He had a big ol' tumor blocking the distal part of his left colon (so near the end of the road, intestinally speaking), and everything gradually got backed up all the way to his stomach. That's why he couldn't keep a beer down--there was just no more room at the inn.

I fixed him with a colostomy, and he got better and left. He refused chemo and I figured he'd just go home and pass away of cancer. But then, almost exactly one year later, he came back to me with just about the same complaint... obstructed to the point of not being able to drink beer.

Except this time, it was that his ostomy had essentially retracted into his abdomen and the skin had nearly grown shut over it. He was pooping out of a teeny-tiny hole in his skin.

Even my oldest partners had never seen anything like it, but once again Cooter wasn't remotely fazed. He just wanted us to fix it so he could go home and keep drinking.

I did. Haven't seen Cooter since. I kind of hope he's still out there, treating his cancer with Budweiser and just blissfully ignoring the Grim Reaper.

© Photo: janedjones

#26

We had a patient come in for theatre. When asked if she'd followed the fasting instructions she said yes but luckily the nurse didn't believe her. With some prodding the patient eventually confessed to having 6 chocolate bars and an orange juice for breakfast. Obviously the surgery was delayed.

© Photo: meowfacenator

Ultimately, the human body is far more complicated (and fascinating) than most of us realize. We may know the basics about bones, blood, muscles, and organs, but there are countless strange little details hiding beneath the surface that many of us don't know. Coming back to today's post, the questions and things people shared highlight just how much we can misunderstand about our own bodies. Some are genuinely surprising, while others are bizarre, or downright confusing. Which one of these shocked you the most, Pandas?

#27

I had a patient in her 30s complain of monthly rectal bleeding that would last 4-6 days and stop on its own. It started when she was 11. She just thought she should get checked out. It did stop for a while when she was pregnant.

© Photo: SaintKavorca

#28

Optometrist here. Had a guy come in for a glasses exam for the first time in ten years and I discovered he had full blown glaucoma going on and I asked him if I could run a test to help confirm. He got super angry with me and demanded his prescription. I said I'll give that to you but I need to prescribe you medicine to help save your sight. His response was "Well if the good lord wants me to lose my sight then who am I to stop him." I made him sign a waiver and he left. I've never been so frustrated at a patient.

© Photo: Talisker12

#29

Maybe not the dumbest patient I've ever treated, but certainly a memorable one.
While working a nightshift in the ED, I grabbed a chart for a P&B (our shorthand for pregnant and bleeding). I walked into the room and came across a young woman who was laying on the stretcher with her legs open in a pool of blood and … tissue. She was about 20 weeks pregnant and had been bleeding for almost 3 days before she decided that it was time to go to the hospital.
When I asked why she didn't come in sooner, she replied that she thought it was just her period, since she had heard that "you can still be pregnant even if you get your period". For medical clarity, yes, having a menstrual cycle shortly after unprotected intimate relations does not mean you are in the clear and definitely not pregnant. … Once you have a confirmed bun in the oven, it don't work that way.
After having to explain to the poor daft girl that she was, indeed, pregnant, I then had to spend the next 10 minutes pulling from her vaginal canal the remaining products of conception from her miscarriage.

© Photo: SharpWingDoc

#30

I have the grandma, the mom, and the teen in the room. The teen is pregnant, but this apparently is a good thing. There are no fathers/grandfathers/boyfriends/jobs in the picture, but everyone decided it was about time a new generation was added to the family lineage. Apparently the teen did not appreciate the fatigue, full bladder, back pain, etc that go along with being pregnant and is also experiencing some cramping pains. She demands that we do a C-section because she's tired of being pregnant (even though she's still not far enough along) because then we can just hook up the premie in an incubator to finish growing and the government can just pay for the [incredibly expensive] ICU stay. My jaw just dropped.

Then there was the lady wearing short shorts and no underwear who raised her leg and showed me the puss-filled wound on her labia ... while in the middle of the waiting room.

I don't miss rural OB/Gyn experiences.

© Photo: fleur_essence

#31

R leg necrotic with maggots. Has been this way for >30 days. Wrapped t-shirts around the leg, and when the outer layer was soaked with pus they threw another one on top. He finally called 911 for shortness of breath. He passed from septic shock.

"My breath smells like trichomonas"

Pt gets told she required urgent surgery after a bad home-birth, give her instructions including nothing to eat. Walk in to bring her to the OR and she's scarfing down burger king, tries to hide it after she sees me.

Pt is informed to begin taking Eliquis IMMEDIATELY (anticoagulant, they just got a cardiac stent placed) and told the risks of delaying taking that medication. The pharmacy was out of it for the weekend, she comes in 3 days later with "the same chest pain as before, I thought you fixed me, is my doctor stupid?" MI.

© Photo: BChannel

#32

So; guy comes in with lumbar compression fractues after being pushed off a 2nd story balcony by his girl. Hes told by more than one person to leave her, including doctors and cops, he doesnt press charges. Comes in a year later stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife that went all the way through his chest and was sticking out the other side. who was he srabbed by? The same girl. He lived was lucky the knife missed his vital organs.

#33

Took care of a patient who we (I) diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This sweet woman was is her late 20s. For those that don't know, NHL responds pretty well to chemo. Her father-in-law had a business selling camels milk. She opted for a camels milk treatment plan over chemotherapy. She was convinced that camels milk can treat ANYTHING. She said she came to the hospital just to find out what it was that she was going to treat with the camels milk. Smh...

She had a 2 and a 4 year old. Fortunately, I could convince her to only try camels milk for a finite amount of time and then follow up with our oncologist to see if camels milk did the trick.

#34

Once a boy had a cut on his skull due to head injury, and his parents applied tea powder to stop the blood flow!

#35

Common situation: do you take any medications? Just asprin. K great. .. Later on, do you have any numbness or tingling in your legs? Yes. From the diabetes. Oh your diabetic? Yeah but I'm taking meds for that. 😔 ok sounds good. Any other medications? No. K. .. Later on, how much are you exercising? Well, I try to walk a couple times per week because of my blood pressure. Oh you have high blood pressure too? Yes. Are you medicated? Yes. 😣

#36

Not a doctor. But EMT. I was working in the ER and a homeless guy comes in. Not unusual. He looked completely fine, but he's was complaining of unbearable leg pain. My job in the ER basically is to do initial assessment/vitals and to get patients settled in. So I go to check out his legs. I cut thru his pants and he's wearing knee high socks. As soon as I cut thru the elastic on the socks....maggots. Like a waterfall of them. Turns out he was wearing the same socks for 6 months and they cut into his skin. Good knees north surgeon said he could save his legs thanks to the maggots.
Lesson is change your socks regularly.

#37

Peds patient's parents were given the usual pre-op instructions. Blah blah blah, patient needs to be NPO the usual eight hours prior to surgery, clear liquids only-"you can see through it." Parents the next morning during admissions said they followed the instructions to the letter. They only gave the patient donuts...because they could see through it.

#38

Not a doctor, but work at a pharmacy. Once heard the story of a woman who came in ask the pharmacist what she should ask the doctor to prescribe for a different kind of birth control as she was having a hard time swallowing the one that she was on. So the pharmacist looks up what she was taking, only to find out that this woman had been swallowing her Nuvaring.

#39

The lady who thought she had "a pa-na-men-own-ya" She didn't end up having pneumonia.

#40

I had a pt. with c/c of back pain. I casually asked if he ever passed the stone. The replay was: no doc, but wait, I did once. I've farted and had a stone in my undies. I had a trouble to keep my face straight.

#41

Happened when I was an intern. Guy came in for some random complaint, got admitted for sepsis. Saw him in his room, which had an oddly pleasant odor. Kinda odd but didn't think much of it. Started to examine him and saw lots of bandage on his lower leg. Asked him why, and the dude said he had a wound and he wrapped it himself. So I started to take off the bandage, and started to see blue. I was like, what? More and more blue bandage, and even his skin ulcer was blue. So, turns out, he thought since you would use windex and Lysol etc to clean tubs and drains, that would also be a great idea on his wound. Took a great while to convince him to stop. Not entirely sure I succeeded.

#42

Once had a patient keep refusing he ever had hip surgery despite multiple CT scans showing hardware in his hip. Sat down and showed him each one spanning multiple years but he kept refusing he ever had surgery.

How do you forget hip surgery!?

#43

I'm one of those idiots who went to the ER because of something minor. One of my ears closed and I couldn't hear out of it. Apparently, it's one of the symptoms for an allergy I have and it'll go away after a day or two. The doctor told me that and let me out the back door so that way I didn't have to pay for that ER visit. LOL.

#44

I am a nurse practitioner. I did a pelvic exam on a young woman and removed a home made ceramic, satanic doll. It had the head, horns, and hooves of a goat, the body of what seemed to be the cookie monster, and she had tied a felt cloak around its neck. I used forceps to extract this amazing art project and asked her, "Do you want to keep this?".

#45

Gastroenterologist here. 2 similar patients, years apart. First one came in with signs and symptoms of cirrhosis. Said he only drank one drink per day, and insisted on it, and how could he get cirrhosis on one drink per day (by the way, women have been reported to get cirrhosis on as little as TWO drinks per day, but it's pretty unlikely). Anyway, his wife comes in later and tells me he bought a large glass that holds 32 oz of fluid, and that is his "one drink."

Years later I diagnosed another man with alcoholic cirrhosis, and he, too, was incredulous. How could he get cirrhosis--he didn't drink at all? "Just beer." How much? A case per day. Well, that's not really the "stupid" part. He drank during the day, on his job. As an electric company lineman, working on "hot" power lines 30-50 feet up. He would drive his truck from one site to the next, drinking beer between each site, and by the end of the day, the case of beer would be finished! Amazing he made it long enough to get cirrhosis... Actually, he was one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, so it was really too bad.

#46

I'm not a physician, but I am a healthcare professional. I once had a chest-pain patient who came into the Nuclear Medicine department for a typical MPI and he had a very pungent, disgusting smell to him. I work/go to school at a university medical center so we serve the locals and indigent patients mostly. Finally I get him to acknowledge the small and he says his toe has been "feeling funny". Turns out he cut it or something and an infection engulfed that toe and began eating part of his foot. It seriously might have been gangrene. I immediately called our nurse who notified about 3 different physicians who took samples and immediately rushed him out of our department.

#47

"Peter, We're going to have to cut you toe off. I sorry, its the diabetes."

" I can't believe, Doc., I just can't believe it!"

"Peter, have you noticed that we've already cut two other toes off ... and all of the other leg."

Same patient, 45 minutes after getting back to the ward, took himself downstairs- bleeding through the bandages- for a smoke and a coke. Wasn't actually dumb, just a selective believe system.

But today, we're focusing on the guys. Bored Panda has collected stories from people who dealt with some of the most abysmal male behavior imaginable, earning their partners the title of “Worst” boyfriend, fiancé, and husband. 

If you feel like sharing your own experiences, feel free to do so in the comments below.

#1 Aita For Telling My Boyfriend To Go To The Dentist

I (25f) and my boyfriend (26m) have been fighting the past few days over him going to the dentist. My boyfriend told me when we first got together that he has only been to the dentist once in the past 7 years and vowed never to go back.

Additionally, he only brushes his teeth 85% of the time. My mom was a dental hygienist so I really value dental care. I have brought up going to the dentist since the beginning of our relationship and we made a deal that for my birthday he would finally go. However, he did not hold up his end of the bargain.

Recently his breath has been pretty stinky even right after brushing his teeth and I told him to either go to the dentist or we aren’t sharing a bed. He said his feelings are hurt and that his breath isn’t that bad, but I am genuinely just concerned about his health.

© Photo: Lopsided_Jello_4198

#2 Aita? My Boyfriend’s Mom Called Me Selfish After I Refused To Give Up My Weekend Plans For Her

I’m 19F, living in LA and going to community college. My boyfriend is 22M and we’ve been together for about a year.

His mom had surgery recently and he asked me if I could spend the entire weekend at their house to help take care of her while he worked.

I said I could come over Saturday afternoon and stay for a few hours, but I already had plans Sunday.

He got annoyed and said I should be there for his family because “that’s what serious girlfriends do.”

I reminded him that I’m not his mom’s caretaker, and that I was willing to help for a few hours but I wasn’t going to cancel my entire weekend.

His mom apparently overheard us arguing. Later that evening she texted me saying she was disappointed in me and that she thought I was “more family-oriented.”

I honestly didn’t know what to say to that. I told my boyfriend that I felt like everyone was expecting me to take responsibility for something that wasn’t actually my responsibility.

He said I was being selfish and that this was one of those moments where he needed to know whether he could actually depend on me.

Now I’m wondering if I handled this badly. I don’t think refusing to cancel my plans makes me a bad girlfriend, but maybe I should have been more willing to help given the circumstances.

© Photo: OpeningMysterious465

#3 Aita Cause I Wont Change My Driving Style

I have my drivers license for 12 years now. No accident nothing. Im not speeding. Like really never speeding. Im not sticking to other cars bumpers. Im really no aggressive driver and i think i drive good. My boyfriend had a few accidents and lost his drivers license due to drinking. Since a year i'm driving him around. He was sometimes naging about me taking the curve to fast or not breaking fast enough. But mostly i have my foot already on the break ready to break. Im breaking a lot on the motor too. Im rather a forward looking driver then the moment. Like today i probably saw the lights far earlier then him so i saw not only that they were green no i saw that they just turned from red to green so i knew i dont have to break and he is going crazy about how he is frightened and if i cant drive more carefully etc.

But i know everything was under control. I know my care i saw the lights i was not speeding. I told him he can go by foot, bike or bus if he is to frightened cause i wont change sth i think is good for his fear and for sure not for somebody who lost his drivers license. Now i am the bad one cause im ego tripping in his opinion and dont care about his fear.

Am i really the butt hole or is he maybe just frightened cause he cant control the car and due to his accidents in the past. Im not sure but i really think he should look for him self how to get around if he is that frightened. I think he should be grateful im driving him around for already a hole year with no speeding no aggression nothing

© Photo: SillyManagement6194

You will notice a common trend in a few stories on this list, where the man showed emotional unavailability in some form. 

If you've heard this term thrown around but don’t know exactly what it means, it describes someone who deflects serious conversations with humor or shuts down when the topic gets uncomfortable.

#4 Aita For Being Upset That My Boyfriend Invited His Parents To Stay In Our Home Without Talking To Me First?

AITA for thinking my boyfriend should have talked to me before inviting overnight guests into our home, even though the plans don’t technically interfere with my schedule?

My boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years and share a home. The house is legally his, but I pay rent, contribute to household expenses, clean, and help care for the home. He has 2 sons whom we have half the time.

I’ve met his parents 4 or 5 times. I really like them and look forward to getting to know them better, but I still don’t know them that well.

My boyfriend has a habit of making or changing plans and telling me afterward. We’ve talked about it many times. I think we should talk to each other while plans are being made if they involve the other person, our home, or our shared schedule. Not because I would say no or want to control him. I just think it’s respectful to run things by someone you share a home and life with.

He thinks plans happen in real time and that because he tells me afterward, I still know about them.

In early August, I was offered a dog sitting job for September. I told my boyfriend the dates that day. Dog sitting is normal for me, and if there had been a conflict, I could have turned down the job.

That weekend is supposed to be our weekend with the boys, but my boyfriend will be away sailing. I normally sail with him, but this time I’ll be dog sitting. Usually, if he is away, we switch weekends with the boys’ mom.

He then told me that in July he had invited his parents to stay with us for a week in September. They’ll be visiting and taking care of the boys while he’s sailing.

After I finish dog sitting, I would be home alone with his parents and the boys for most of Saturday and all day Sunday. I’m happy they’re visiting and glad they’ll spend time with their grandsons. I just don’t know them well enough to feel comfortable spending that much time alone with them while my boyfriend isn’t there.

I’m sure they wouldn’t expect me to entertain them and would let me do my own thing, but I would feel rude ignoring guests in my home and would feel obligated to act as a host. I’ve also never been alone with his parents and the boys before, and I don’t know them well enough to feel comfortable in that situation without my boyfriend there. I’m considering getting an Airbnb for those 2 days instead.

When I said I wished he had talked to me before confirming everything, he said I have 8 weeks of notice and the visit doesn’t interfere with my dog sitting plans. When he made the plans, he assumed I would be sailing with him. His position is that because I don’t have to change my plans, it shouldn’t matter that he didn’t ask me first.

I like his parents, want them to visit, and don’t want him to cancel. I just want us to talk to each other before inviting people to stay in our home. For me, this isn’t about whether their visit interferes with my plans. It’s about communication and having some say in what happens in the home we share.

© Photo: EasternSunset

#5 Aitah For Not Being On My Boyfriend's Side

I 30F just got into a fight with my boyfriend 31M. We have been together for 3 years now and have been living together for two. We live with two other roommates and one of them is my bf's friend 30M-he has known him since middle school.

I have started to notice things he will always tell/ demand his friend to do things (ex. do your dish, clean the floor) and his friend always responds like "don't talk to me like that i'm a grown man". Our other roommate 30M does the same things too (leave dishes in sink) but my bf doesn't talk to him like that, only his friend.

So I talked to my boyfriend about how he demands things from him instead of asking politely like saying "hey, can you do your dishes please?" instead of his usual aggressive "do your dishes" and it turned into a huge fight saying that i'm defending our roommate, his friend. Side note, my boyfriend and I agreed when we moved in together that one of us will cook and the other would do the dishes. I don't have a problem cooking because I like cooking and if he would cook it would be something frozen and I prefer a real meal. So most of the time he does the dishes.

Recently he has been irritated doing the dishes because our other roommates leave the dishes in the sink. AITAH for not just being on his side? because i feel like it creates unnecessary tension in our household. I don't want either of our roommates to move out because we live in a semi-expensive apartment but it's close to our jobs and if one of them moves out we won't be able to afford it.

© Photo: CautiousSquirrel8502

#6 Aita For Not Going To My Boyfriend’s Birthday Party?

I (26 f) do not want to go to my (28 m) birthday party. I’m celebrating his birthday the day before with just him and I, but the next day he’s seeing his friends. For context, my boyfriend plays a game with his friends almost every Saturday night. I don’t go most days due to us being long distance and having issues with his friends, but I’m at bigger events.

Lately, I’ve been having issues with his friend group. Some examples are that one of them is in love with him and ruined my birthday surprise for him the year prior, I got close with one of his friends wives and she decided to end the friendship with me since I was talking about my relationship problems with her, even though she talks to me about her relationship problems with her husband, a couple of them speak derogatorily about peoples sexuality and race which makes me incredibly uncomfortable, I could go on but this post would take forever.

On top of issues with his friends, I start grad school in a couple of days and we are long distance. On top of all of this he was supposed to go out of the state for his birthday up until a couple of days ago. The plan to change just a regular weekly friend outing to a birthday was done recently.

I’m incredibly anxious about grad school, the drive can be a lot, and I don’t want to make myself more anxious by being around people who don’t generally like me or speak to me. But I feel awful about my decision, I feel guilty, I feel like a bad girlfriend. I genuinely don’t want to go. So, am I the jerk?

© Photo: veronichaotic

Experts aren’t quick to fault people who fall under the definition of emotionally unavailable. According to marriage and family therapist Tara Gogolinski, such behaviors are shaped by past experiences, whether in childhood or previous relationships. 

“It’s a protective mechanism,” Gogolinski told TIME. “Something about being emotionally available feels dangerous or threatening.”

#7 Aita For Asking My Boyfriend To Stand Up For Me Over This?

Me and my boyfriend have been together for three years. Him and his brother just started talking after a few years. Me and my boyfriend met on a family/family friend camping trip, our parents went to highschool together. Now I continue to invite him every year, and now it falls on our anniversary. This year he asked to invite his brother (25) ). I said sure and arranged for him to come out for the visit, paid for his food, ferry ticket, bus tickets the whole deal.

The first day of the camping trip was fine, I was a little annoyed that he kept trying to sound smarter than me to his brother, everything I said he would say something “smarter”. I pushed it off I wasn’t going to make a deal out of something small. The 2nd day was mine and my boyfriend’s 3 year anniversary. I recognize and understand that he hadn’t seen his brother in a while and let them spend the whole first day together, but this was our day. His brother kept following us around and eventually I had mentioned it was our anniversary and had requested some time alone. He snapped back that this was HIS brother and that since he hadn’t seen him in a while that this time with him was more important. I pushed that aside too. I wasn’t going to make a scene.

Flash forward to now. He’s in town for the county fair where me and my boyfriend live. Yesterday we went to the fair. My boyfriend and his brother were supposed to meet me and my siblings at a bus stop to ride to the fairground. After we got on the bus I got a text from his brother saying they missed the bus and were driving. My boyfriend and his brother arent from this area, I responded asking if he knew where they were going since I was going to ask them to go to a specific gate where the bus was dropping us off. He said that “Google Maps exist Yknow. You don’t need to try holding this mom act with me like you do with your siblings. Matter of fact. Stop.” I left him on opened and found them when we got to the fairground. They parked at the complete opposite gate as us, which I was going to get to if he hadn’t been snappy with me. When I asked for us to do our group fair button photo he said “You know that there’s a camera on your phone. Why take time out of our day for that”. (We’ve been doing the annual fair photo for YEARS). I didn’t respond and just waited for my brother.

I spent the rest of the fair quiet and waiting for my siblings to be done. When we got home I asked my boyfriend to talk to him since it was his brother. When confronted he said that this is all happening because I’m “babying him”. He explained that me asking if they knew where the fair was was babying him. Now my boyfriend and his brother haven’t talked for the past day, he’s kinda avoiding him until he returns home tomorrow because his brother still believes he’s done nothing wrong. AITA?

© Photo: Any-Advertising-844

#8 Aita For Telling My Sister's Boyfriend That He Is Not A Good Boyfriend?

My sister, Tina (30) and I (26) are really close. She has been the one person I could always tell everything to.

Every Christmas, our family and I visit a nice cottage. Last Christmas, Tina brought her boyfriend, Chris, whom she's been with for a year. I had only met him twice. He seemed very quiet and kind. During Christmas, I noticed he'd leave rubbish everywhere and eat everyone's gifted food, like boxes of chocolates. At first, I just considered maybe he'd never been in this sort of environment and thought the gifts were to be shared. Which, in this scenario, I'm sure if he asked, they would've been shared. I asked Tina why he did this, and she told me, "He was a foster kid; I don't think he's had many family get-togethers."

I understood immediately and never brought him up again. Until Tina and Chris asked to stay the night at our house whilst they were visiting (Tina and Chris live elsewhere), and I agreed. Chris and my boyfriend got on well and played Call of Duty for ages. That left Tina and me to chat. Tina told me all about how Chris had gotten a new job, but was fired a day after for lying on his job application, stating he had such work experience as 10 years with a company.

Tina told me she didn't care and that it was because he was struggling to get work. I told her it's immature. We fell out after that, and so I went for a walk. When I came back, my apartment was trashed, clothes and electronics stolen, plates smashed, and most of all, my boyfriend wasn't there.

Fortunately, my boyfriend came back after 20 minutes. He told me Tina had come in and told him I had run away. He'd been out looking for me. I realised that Chris and/or Tina had trashed the apartment whilst we were out.

When I saw Tina next, which was the day after the squabble, when we were at my parents', I told my parents about the situation and that Chris was a bad influence. She just kept arguing with me and telling me that he was a foster kid. My Dad was furious and told Tina to break up with Chris. I agreed. I told Chris, just to him, that I thought he was a bad boyfriend. He acknowledged it and said he needed to work on it/

I absolutely recognise the impacts of being a foster child, but is this an excuse for the downright disrespectful things they had done? Does it actually correlate with his childhood?

So, AITA?

© Photo: popadoodledee

#9 Aita For Telling My Boyfriend That He Looked Like A Fictional Character?

Longtime lurker, first time submitter (this is a burner account). I'm a cisgendered 24M and my boyfriend is a 22M trans man. We've been dating for the last year or so and I've given him my support all through his coming out journey and transition (he's been on hormone therapy for the last 6 months).

He decided to come over for the whole week since we both live in the same city, and and we decided to binge every single Jurassic Park related media ever made for fun. I loved Jurassic Park 1 as a kid and he's only seen the first one so why not. We finished the first 4 movies in a day and decided to watch the kids show they made for Netflix called Camp Cretaceous. There's a character on there called Ben Pincus and I thought it was pretty funny that he sort of looked like him, so I joked about it.

He didn't take it too lightly. He said he doesn't look like some loser Mormon kid and I told him I didn't mean it that way. I only pointed out how they both look similar to one another, and honestly I found it pretty endearing. I already told him I was sorry if it came off as anything but that. He sounded like he was really annoyed and bummed out for the rest of the night so I didn't want to push his buttons any further. We continued to watch the first season through the night but the room felt weird and awkward. I feel like it might've come off as me making fun of his dysphoria or something but that's not what I meant at all and it hurts to think about it that way.

© Photo: RampartMampart

Experts are also pointing to rigid masculinity as a reason why many end up being toxic romantic partners. According to them, societal standards play a role, pushing men into performative behaviors. 

“There’s this confusion around who they are, how they relate to feminism and women, and how they find their place in the world,” psychotherapist and leadership coach Daniel Ellenberg tells the American Psychological Association (APA).

#10 Aita: I Want To Go On Solo Holidays But My Boyfriend Finds An Issue In It

me (M23) and my boyfriend (M27) have been arguing over this weekend over stupid little things, but this one has kinda left me stuck?

we’ve recently went to rome start of this month and we’ve very much enjoyed it etc. i’ve spoken to him that it would be nice to go on another holiday as we’ve not been on one for 2 years before rome. he said he doesn’t think he could afford it as he pays bills and finds it stressful booking holidays and can’t relax with it, which i understand as i live with my mum and don’t pay rent which helps me save a lot and i enjoy the ‘adrenaline’ of the busy city holidays.

so i’ve explained that i might want to go on solo holidays as i’ve been on a few before ive met him and that it’ll be few days to different countries in the future, but we’ll still see each other over weekends, and he didn’t seem happy but told me that i should go, so i’ve told him if he’s sure and why he didn’t look happy with it.

he explained that he might feel jealousy and worried then said that why can’t i go on holidays with him, which i’ve said that i will love to go on holidays with him but due to him not affording it etc, i’d like to go myself when i can but will go on holidays with him when he has the money or whenever we can.

we’ve talked about it this morning again and he said that me going on solo holidays would be a push? and i said that i don’t want him being jealous that it’ll build his resentment towards me as i love him and want him to be happy for me. and he just couldn’t answer it?

i apologise if my post doesn’t make sense as my mind is so muddled, so i’m just confused as i’d want to go on my solo holidays but i don’t want him feeling resentment or that he’s not happy for me to go, even though im happy in our relationship and we love each other.

© Photo: ghostlyeth

#11 Aita For Getting Upset That My Boyfriend Made Me Wait For Two Hours?

Sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language.

So about the context

Today my boyfriend asked if he could come to my house so we can have dinner, maybe watch something and then sleep together. I said sure because why not. He was ate the gym and would come for my house after, so i waited and waited and waited...

After about two hours it was almost 10pm and i asked where he was, then he said he changed his mind and decided to go to his home. The problem is, he didn't send me any messages telling me that, and after that he said sorry, that he "forgot" and "i thought i sent the message"...

He usually forget things so it's not abnormal, but this made me really upset, because i was hungry, waiting for him and wanted to sleep and sending a message saying "i chaged my mind" wouldn't take more than 30 seconds.

He already send me a message saying that he's sorry, but i can't help but feel upset. Normally i don't really mind his forgetful, but this time i can't get over it.

So, AITA for getting upset that my boyfriend made me wait for two hours?

© Photo: batatalobs

#12 Aitah For Not Wanting My Boyfriend To Pick Up His Friends On Our Day Together

So my boyfriend and i have been planning to go to the carnival for a while and now two days before (thursday) he brings up wanting to pick up his friend and friends girlfriend to bring them along. Im already really going out of my comfort zone even going to a carnival and it was supposed to be just me and him. he even offered to pay for both their tickets ($30 each so $60 for both). I ended up telling him no but i feel like a jerk for it i dont know what to do really im not a social person and im already meeting some of his family there too.

© Photo: NBRWonyt

NYU Developmental Psychology professor Dr. Niobe Way shared a similar sentiment, focusing on “boy culture,” which she describes as a “cartoon character” of a boy as a person with only a “hard side.” 

“Thinking and feeling do not have a gender identity. We have gendered what is human. Boys have a soft side. They have the capacity to be sensitive and caring just like girls and gender nonconforming kids,” she said. 

#13 Aita For Joking About Job-Searching With My Boyfriend And Getting Personal About It?

So basically, my boyfriend (19M) and I (19F) are always joking around with one another. I brought up job-searching earlier because I was talking about how I have lots of homework and applications to put in. In other words, I had no time to watch YouTube videos with him like we do on the occasion. He told me that the way I was phrasing employment was similar to how they speak on Sesame Street, which gave me the impression that we were having one of those goofy moments with one another per usual. After declaring the word of the night "job" and making him laugh with it, I brought it up again, probably dragging the humor of it at that point.

After a brief silence, he suddenly started questioning my own dollar amount in my bank account and my job experience with sudden anger. Both of us only have internship and odd job experience, so I told him honestly that I don't have traditional paid work experience (like McDonald's or smth) either, but I was definitely eager to find a company that would interview and hire me as their newest recruit. Thinking it was over, I shifted the topic towards my college internships slightly because I thought it would be a common ground to talk about.

He quickly called me "privileged to not have to work" and that I had the luxury of saving my money. Thing is, I'm not "saving my money" now because I have to pay out of pocket for college due to an unusual change of circumstances that I'm still trying to configure now. I won't be getting my computer to go to university any time soon, and I'll be lucky if I can even finish my current degree, let alone certificate on the side. He brought up his old tech internship again before calling my earlier joke bs that he didn't want to hear about anymore.

I told him I wasn't privileged, that I needed a paying job in order to continue my studies because I'm no longer receiving aid or any external source of income. My mom and her bf are also pushing me to work so I can afford my assets without fafsa reliance, so there's that too. I also let him know that I deeply didn't appreciate being labeled as privileged when I might not be able to finish my degree at COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL. Uni is a nightmare for another day, but I struggle enough without falling into endless habits of playing video games for almost half the day. I did take accountability for making broad assumptions about his job-search status and agreed to not discuss job stuff anymore, even if I thought it was detrimental because he complains about being poorer than everyone else, but not wanting to hear about job advice or ways to get certain employers to notice him.

I couldn't have a decent conversation with him afterwards because we both knew we were still upset about the argument earlier, so we called it a night just to avoid starting another needless argument that didn't have to occur. This is our first argument in a long time, but I feel like it is more significant now and I can't get it out of my mind... AITA?

© Photo: Silver_3295

#14 Aita For Asking My Boyfriend To Contribute More?

Me(20f) and my bf(19m) have been living together for over a year now. We’ve always split things mostly 50/50, although there has been times where he’s paid for more than me but overall total wouldn’t have been more than 55/45. We are both students at different universities. I’m in Biochem premed and he’s a business student.

The reason I want him to pay more is because he has significantly more access to more money and resources than I do, he makes more money than I do at work, and I’m currently going through chemotherapy. I make around 1k a month working part time in EMS, and he makes around 2.5-3k a month working full time at a parking lot windshield repair place. We both have access to around 15k in student loans, his tuition is 6.5k and mine is 10k.

Starting in September I’ll be making around 500-800 a month because I’ll barely be able to work and he’s the same. He also has access to a 15k RESP and 10k coming sometime soon from inheritance money. My half of the rent is 880 plus I pay the whole internet bill which is 100 and other expenses I have are my phone bill(100), gas(150), my medication(~250) groceries(200) and tuition but loans will cover that. He has similar expenses except he doesn’t pay the internet and his Mom pays his phone bill and no medication. I’m losing more money than I make every month.

My parents help when they can but it’s rare and it’s usually them asking me for money. I talked to him about this and tried to make him understand and he called me a manipulative liar. We’ve been together for well over four years, we’ve talked about marriage and we’ve been living together for over a year now I wouldn’t be asking him if we just started dating. I’m at a loss on what to do, I’m drowning financially and physically doing terrible and I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep working through my chemotherapy.

He told me he thinks 50/50 is fair and that we’re just roommates and I wouldn’t ask anyone else for this which is true but I thought that since we’ve been together so long he would be more lenient and try and help me. He spends hundreds of dollars a month on fast food and other stuff and despite the fact that he makes so much more than me he has zero money saved. I do all the cleaning, although I’ve been struggling to keep up with it since I’ve been sick, and neither of us really cook often. AITA?

© Photo: East-Eggplant5622

#15 Aita For Being Upset About Boyfriend Giving Me False Hopes About Something I Dreamt Of For Ten Years?

I 21F have been a die hard BTS fan since I was 11. Their music got me through my mother's passing, and everything following since. Frankly, it was my solace, motivation (I wrote my college essay about their music) and seeing them live had been my dream. I would close my eyes to imagine myself in their concert and would sob every single time, except this summer I was told that I am close to my dream.

My boyfriend 22M insisted on getting me tickets to Chicago when I said I could get tickets in Boston for much cheaper (40 dollars versus 300) or at least pay for my half in Chicago. He told all our friends and families how we are going to the concert in Chicago and I told him to not get my hopes up.

Well he kept talking about how the tickets were super expensive and how he will get them closer to the dates except the prices jumped to 400, 500 and then to 900 hours before the show. I understand how he tried until the last minute and worked extra shifts but I find it so unfair that he gave me false hope for something that meant so much to me.

I am trying to be mature but I never asked him to do this for me in the first place or expected him to splurge for me. AITA for being upset at him for giving me hope?

© Photo: Available-Pair-3095

Toxic masculinity happens in adulthood, often caused by the lack of guidance as children. This is why experts like behavioral science professor Dr. Mark Kiselica encourage exposing boys to healthy masculinity at a young age. 

#16 Aita For Not Picking Up My Fiance From Jail?

I(26M) have been with my fiance(27F) for 3 years. I proposed to her last year, and we are in no rush to get married. We are very happy together. I work full-time for an agency, and she works as a cleaner and does babysitting on the side. I am happy that she wants to do something she enjoys.

We live in a very nice apartment that is great for the two of us. We have one cat and a few fish. I do pay most of the rent and she helps out with the grocery shopping and cleaning. I have been noticing that she has been drinking more and it's affected her work and how she treats everyone around her. She has missed a few job interviews due to the drinking and I am really worried about her. Her parents are both alcoholics. Her brother(29M) and sister(30F) are sober.

I was at work when I received the call that my fiance had been arrested for a DWI. This was about 10:00AM and I was about to go into a meeting. I quickly called her family and asked if they could pick her up. Her brother bailed her out and dropped her off at the apartment. When I got home from work, she starts yelling at me that I was the AH for not bailing her out. I explained to her that I was in a meeting and could not miss it. She stormed into our room and slammed the door. She has been giving me the cold shoulder and her friends think that I am the AH for not being the one to bail her out.


AITA for not picking up my fiance from jail?

#17 Aita For Not Picking Up My Fiance After Work?

My fiance and I just bought a townhome about 30 minutes away from our current apartment. I work from home from 9am-6pm Mon-Fri and she is currently in between jobs. She doesn’t drive so I always drive us which I don’t mind because I get motion sick as a passenger.

So today she Ubers from our apartment to the townhome to let carpet cleaners in then spent some time hanging out with her parents that live in the same development. We just got back from a two week vacation and got very sick with the flu and have felt horrible all week. I’m still fatigued, coughing with a temperature but worked all week including 10 hours today because I don’t have the stones to take sick days after two straight weeks of PTO.

The plan today was for me to take some boxes over from our apartment to the new place after work. We got a huge storm and she told me to wait it out and she didn’t want me driving in it. Fast forward and it’s 9pm, she calls and asked me what I wanted to do. I said “Tbh, I feel terrible and don’t feel comfortable driving 40 minutes round trip after my long workday, would it be ok for you to Uber back here? I’ll pay for it.” Granted, throughout the day she texted me to ask how I’m feeling and to let her know what I wanted to do. With that context I believed I had an option if I wasn’t feeling up to it. After asking her if she could take an Uber back she got really angry because she thought I was going to pick her and that this wasn’t the plan we discussed. I understood that but also told her every 2-3 hours when we texted how awful I felt so this really shouldn’t be a surprise. Further, I said since I don’t have the strength to move those boxes tonight what difference does it make if I drive over to pick you up or if you come back the way you first left with an Uber? She got really upset and said I’m being a bad fiance. Am I the jerk?

#18 Aita For Asking My Fiancé To Drive Slower

Am I (f30) the jerk for asking my fiance (m33) to not drive over 85mph with me in the car because it scares me and makes me feel unsafe?

I get driving anxiety so he drives us almost everywhere we go together which I am so grateful for. However, he tends to drive fast (sometimes without noticing). We live in Southern California around major freeways and see accidents pretty much daily during 10-20 min drives at busy times of day. I worry about when he commutes everyday, but obviously can’t comment on his solo driving.

Am i an jerk for asking him to drive slower when im in the car because that is annoying backseat driver behavior?

 “I’ve worked in schools or agency settings where boys are having conversations about a wide variety of topics, including very personal matters, while they’re playing a game. Through game-playing and other action-oriented activities, boys get to know each other intimately, little by little, over time,” he said. 

#19 Aita I Wouldn’t Let My Husband Take Our Children Out In The Ocean

We are on a family beach vacation with my (40f) family. The ocean has been extremely rough so much so that when we tried to let the kids (6,5,2) play in the surf at ankle depth they were getting tossed around and we had to go back to the house because it was too much (red flag posted at the beach access which in NC means “A single red flag on North Carolina beaches means a high hazard with dangerous surf conditions and strong, frequent rip currents. Officials strongly advise everyone to stay out of the water because swimming is extremely dangerous.”) We go back out the next day and the red flag is still there. Visibly it’s slightly calmer but not by much. My husband who is a self-admitted “strong swimmer” wanted to take our 6 year old son out in the water past the breakers maybe 10’ out. I said absolutely not and my mom who was also there panicked and said “husbands name absolutely no one is out swimming right now. Do not go out there.”

My husband stormed off the beach. Then came back out and made a big show of swimming in the water. Later that evening he said I disrespected him big time by not letting him teach his son to swim in the water. I said that going out in those conditions was a hard non-negotiable for me for our child’s safety and that no matter how good of a swimmer he was something could happen that even the best of swimmers wouldn’t be a match for. He told me that he had gone out and tested the conditions and he felt it was safe and would never put his son in danger. I said I felt differently about the situation and that I understood he felt it was safe but I did not. Husband is furious with me and feels like I disrespected him. TLDR: AITA for not letting my husband take our 6 year old out in red flag ocean conditions?

#20 Aita For Not Allowing My Husband To Use Shared Break Room For Work?

Background: I rent a single office in a shared space with 4 other offices, all rented to individuals. I signed the lease myself. It's an office share under my name. We have 1 single break room, and 1 waiting room with 4 chairs. This is a small space. The break room is tiny, with 1 table big enough for two people to sit at maximum.

My husband and I run a business. I am the main person who uses the office because I consult with people, and he answers calls and schedules appointment from home since he was laid off. When I am with people, for privacy reasons I keep my door closed. I am basically meeting with people from 9am-7pm.

My husband once drove me to work, then asked if he could use the break room to write some emails. I agreed. Now whenever he drives me to work he insists on sitting in the break room, for at least 1-2 hours, calling clients and just doing office work until I asked him to leave- I have no idea how long he would have worked himself.

I told him I felt this was not an appropriate use of the very small break room, and to be considerate of other people who need may need to use the room for other purposes. No one has complained to him directly, but he thinks this behavior is acceptable because it says "Staff room" and he's my staff. I asked him not to do this on a regular basis because it's inconsiderate.

AITA for asking him not to use the break room as his office on a daily basis? I feel it is selfish and inconsiderate to use the break room like this for several hours every day while I am already with clients.

#21 Aita For Getting After My Husband “Like A Child”?

40 wife and mom of 6 (20 - 2), I was preparing to cook dinner when I realized that we were short on tortillas. I asked my husband (37) if he could put the chicken in the oven while I ran to the store. We usually cook together or take turns cooking so he knows his way around the kitchen.

I returned home to find the kitchen baby-gate open and no husband. I noticed on the counter the remnants of him opening the package of chicken with a pair of children’s scissors. There’s a drawer of utensils (including a knife)underneath the area he left the raw chicken juice covered scissors and trash. The kitchen shears are in the knife block an arm’s length directly behind. He chose to use the pair the kids do homework and crafts with and are kept on the ledge in a pen cup.

When my husband came back into the kitchen, I asked “Why did you use these dirty scissors when there are a million other ways to open the chicken? Why is this mess still sitting here? And the gate was open, Boogie (2) could have been in the kitchen with the oven and stove on, what the heck were you thinking?” He starts screaming at me saying I treat him like trash and he’s not a child. Turns out he was playing a flight simulator video game in the bedroom when I asked him to help, so he was just trying to get back before he crashed.

Am I the a-hole for reacting the way I did or has my husband freaky friday-ed with our 16 yr old?

#22 Aita For Saying It's My Husband's Fault

Im 28F he's 32M. We went to the store and got groceries including a steak. He was getting groceries out of the trunk, he comes inside and just says "the steak leaked" then he just stands there. So i grab paper towels and go out to the car and start wiping it down. As I'm doing that he's just standing by the garage talking to our neighbor accepting a beer. I then look up and say "why am I the only one cleaning this?" And he just comes to stand next to me and says "idk why you're getting mad at me".

He got blood on the sodas, my trunk from one side to the other and the seat and straps of the baby's stroller. When I got frustrated because the blood wasnt coming out I said "how did you get blood all over the trunk?" And he just keeps repeating "idk, it wasn't my fault" he has a history of saying nothing is ever his fault and there's always extenuating circumstances on why nothing is his fault. I said "so the blood just magically went from the steak to everywhere in the trunk" to which he responds "so you're saying it's my fault the steak leaked" I just tell him he's cleaning my trunk and he just repeats he doesn't know what happened. AITA?

#23 Aita For Expecting My Husband To Stock The Fridge When He's Currently Under Huge Pressure?

I (36F) came today with out 3 children (10F, 5F, 1M) from a 2 week visit to a family. My husband (38M) stayed behind because he needs to work. At the moment he is working full-time and also in the middle of opening his privat business which is followed with a lot of challenges for him because he is very unorganized and suffers from a bad case of procrastination. That makes this whole process a much more stressful for him.

Anyway, as I said, kids and I came back today. The car ride was almost 10 hours. The whole stay with the family was physically and at times emotionally draining, because my father (66M) and I were most of the times taking care of 6 children (my three and my sister's three). So I couldn't wait to come home.

So now is the part which may make me an A-hole. As I finally stepped out of the car the first thing I saw was that my beautiful flowers in front of the door were wilted because he didn't water them at all (I did told him to do it, but didn't remind him while I was gone). Inside of the home wasn't too messy, it wasn't how I'd do it but I was satisfied. Untill I opened th fridge - almost nothing to eat, lot of rotten vegetables, no water (I only drink cold bottle water). I went to our guest room where my father (who drove us back) should sleep, it was such a mess there that you could barely walk into the room. Our storage room was also a mess. Our couch in the living room was dirty because he obviously put his dirty feet on it.

I didn't say anything but I noticed it all. He did cook a really nice lunch for us and cleaned kitchen after.

But the breaking point came when I asked him to make dinner for the girls because I needed to put out 12 months old to sleep. Then I heard him decline every suggestion the girls made, because he didn't buy bread or milk (we live in Germany, today is Sunday and everything is closed). I made a comment that it's really disappointing that we came home to an empty fridge and that tomorrow I'm left with 3 children and no options for breakfast, that making lunch was a bare minimum. He got upset and sad that my lack of appreciation is disappointing, because I know under how much stress he is and that I should give him some grace because the kitchen and living room were clean and the lunch was made.

Additional info - I'm taking one more year off work (so 2 years total) to be with our youngest. My husband's upcoming business should keep the roof over our heads, even though it's extremely unlikely that the business will fail, we don't know how long it'll take for it to generate enough money. Our whole livelihood is on his back right now.

So AITA for making this comment and expecting him to stock the fridge when he's currently under huge pressure?

#24 Aita For Refusing To Get A Second Job Because My Husband Wants To Finish Our House Faster?

I’m 38F and my husband is 42M. We are currently building our house together. Neither of us wants to take out a bank loan, so we save money and build in stages. Basically, when we have enough money for the next part, we do it.

We both work and we both contribute financially. The difference is that my husband is a complete workaholic. He works, comes home, sleeps, and then works again. He seems to genuinely enjoy living this way because he is very focused on getting the house finished.

I work 40 hours a week. When I get home, I actually like having a life. I crochet, watch Netflix, see friends, etc. I also do most of the housework. I do all the grocery shopping and clean the whole house. We both cook, but pretty much everything else household-related falls on me.

Recently my husband told me that he thinks I should get a mini-job/part-time job after my regular job. His reasoning is that we could save more money and therefore build the house faster. I said no.

This is where we are having an argument. He thinks I'm being selfish because he is working so hard for our future and I'm spending my evenings doing hobbies and watching TV instead of earning more money.

I told him that I already work 40 hours a week, contribute to the house financially, and take care of the majority of the household chores. I don't think it's unreasonable to want some time in the evening that belongs to me.

His response was basically that if the house is our shared goal, then I should be willing to make sacrifices for it. My response is that we aren't actually in a hurry to finish the house( I mean not in 2-3 years anyway).

There is no deadline. We don't have to move in by a certain date. We deliberately chose not to get a bank loan because we wanted to avoid financial pressure. I'm perfectly happy with the house taking longer if it means I can have a normal life while we're building it.

My husband thinks that since he is willing to work himself into the ground to get the house finished, I should be willing to do more too. I don't think his decision to work constantly means I have to do the same.

At the same time, I can understand why he feels frustrated. From his perspective, he is making a huge sacrifice for something that belongs to both of us, while I'm choosing to spend my free time on hobbies. So now I'm wondering if I'm being selfish.

AITA for refusing to get a second job when my husband is working constantly to help us finish our hours faster, even though I'm happy to take longer to build it?

#25 Aita For Asking Husband To Not Tag Along On Family Visit?

My husband regularly visits his mother without me for context. My family lives further away (less than 2 hour drive) and I decided this weekend to visit on Saturday. He typically has Saturday morning plans that are solo so I didn’t plan around them. I thought it would be nice if I had time on my own. For additional context, during a recent argument, he told me my family makes him uncomfortable with hugging as they are big huggers and he doesn’t like it. (We have been together for almost 30 years and he had never asked me to ask them not to do so or said anything to them himself). He decided to forgo his plans for Saturday and tag along when I told him my plans. I asked him to keep his plans so I could have solo time with my family and he was butt hurt about it. My exact words were “Hey, I was thinking you should keep your plans and I will visit without you. I’d like to just hang out with them solo like you do with your mom”

#26 Aita Not Doing More To Help Out My Husbsand?

My (43f) husband Jim (48m) has a super stressful job. Its not unusual for him to still be responding to emails at 11pm or wake up to respond at 4am before getting ready to go to work. I know he's an incredibly hard worker and very goal and career oriented. I respect and appreciate how hard he works to provide for our family and ensure our older kids, who are out of the house, to finish college debt free.

I'm a sahm to our 2 youngest, a 12yo boy and 3yo boy. Our 12yo is homeschooled because of medical needs. He's immunocompromised, has arfid, chronic migraines and cyclic vomiting. The 3yo is just a crazy toddler. My day to day consists of taking care of the boys and school for my 12yo, cleaning the house, cooking, laundry once a week, running any errands needed, managing all the bills and finances​, and managing Jim's emotions when he comes home.

At home, Jim's responsibilities are laundry once a week, mowing/weed eating the yard, and fixing things when they need it.

We both schedule our own car maintenance when needed.

Jim is asking me to take his time of laundry off his plate because he feels he has enough to deal with already between his job and the yard. He says he never gets time to unwind and me taking his share of laundry over would give him some time to himself for a few hours a week. (Even when he does the laundry I'm still the one to fold and put it away.)

I don't disagree that self care time is important, and I wish I had that, too. So far I've declined taking over Jim's laundry day simply because I feel like I also have plenty on my plate already.

(Jim does take the boys out to breakfast once a month to give me time to do a little deep cleaning on my own without tripping of our 3yo)

#27 Aita For Wanting My Husband To Sell His Boat?

My husband bought a 40k boat 5 years ago, just a week before we met so it’s technically his boat and I don’t believe I have much of a say but we’re married now and it’s been draining our bank account.

It seems like every year there’s something wrong with it and he has to pay to get it fixed. This summer, the engine broke when he used it for the first time and he’s been trying to fix it for the past couple of months. He doesn’t want to pay someone to fix it so he’s trying to do it himself and there’s missing parts and a hole somewhere so it’s just been a huge mess. He’s just been so busy trying to get it fixed and worrying about it, it’s stressing both of us out. We also have a baby and he’s trying to hard to fix it so the baby can go on it but it’s taking time away from him spending time with her.

I know it’s his pride and joy and he works so hard on it but it’s just not the right time for it right now with a new house and a new baby. We can’t afford it and he knows that but he’s just too stubborn. I keep telling him to sell it and put the money in a separate bank account and we can buy a new, better boat in a few years once the baby is older and we have some money saved up.

Am I the jerk for wanting him to sell it? It’s taking time away from his family and draining our bank. Fuel also costs thousands and we just can’t afford it now and just having it stored somewhere costs thousands a year so it’s not worth it but he doesn’t want to let it go.

TL;DR I want my husband to sell his boat because It’s taking time away from his family and draining our bank.

#28 Aita For Asking My Husband For The Gift Money

I (30F) had visited shopping with my Husband (32M). There I really liked 3 dress and I bought them for myself though it was expensive. My husband said he liked one of them specifically and said it's a gift from him ( the most expensive one). On our way back home he told his mother specifically that this dress (for which he had not paid yet) was a gift from him to me. Later I said why would he tell all the details to his mother especially if he hasn't paid me the amount yet.

He said he will send me the amount In a day / next day by evening. He did not. I reminded him to send me the money. He got very upset saying I don't trust him and gave me extra money saying keep the original amount with interest! But the total amount which he gave me was still 500 rupees lesser than the original price. I said he doesn't need to take the credit for the gift if he can't pay for it. Am I the jerk?

#29 Aita For Asking My Husband To Talk To His Brother About His Lack Of Hand Washing After Using The Bathroom?

My brother in law comes over to our house and consistently doesn’t wash his hands after using the bathroom. I brought up to my husband about how uncomfortable this makes me and he told me to deal with it if I don’t like it. He acts pissed off anytime I bring it up to him as if I’m the one doing the act so it’s a touchy subject. I’ve confronted my brother in law once about a different thing in the past and he responded with anger towards me so the thought of bringing something else up to him makes me nervous.

#30 Aita For Being Resentful Towards My Husband And In Laws In This Situation

AITA in this case?
Hi this is my first time ever doing this so please bear with me. My husband and I been married for 6 years and we have a 1 year old.

My husband and I both contributed for last 5 years towards our savings but I quit my job after I had our baby.

So we have a joint savings account but since I can’t contribute anymore we can’t save anymore.

Recently my husband’s disabled mom decided to finally get a divorce from her horrible husband. FIL has been financially controlling towards MIL so she didn’t gave funds to pay for a lawyer and my husband decided to cover all of it hoping that whenever she gets her share, my husband will get it back, which is looking highly unlikely lately because of how the case is going.

So our savings are disappearing day by day, and my husband decided to move back in with MIL to save money on rent, but the relationship is very very toxic since they constantly fight and my SIL lives there too and she smokes (my) all day long and the house has mold and and in no condition to be bringing the baby. Every argument I bring my husband brings up the fact that I’m not working and not contributing. I can’t keep up with the way he fight it always gets ugly. But I can’t also work because he categorically refuses daycare idea. He always says that my parents should come and watch him, which is impossible cuz they’re in different country and not in the right health. I’m in a pickle. Even if I leave I don’t want judge to give my husband custody, since the issues in the house and toxicity and I have no proof. What would you do in this case ?

#31 Aita For Asking My Husband To Get Up With Baby Before Work

I ask my husband a few days a week to get up with our 7 month old baby from 7a-8a before he works (from home). Mind you, almost every day that I don’t wake him up he doesn’t wake up for work on time so he’d normally be sleeping during this time anyways. He gives me push back every time saying that he “needs to get ready for work.” And I say, you were sleeping anyways and I get very broken sleep with the baby all night, never waking my husband up at night. I said I’d love if you took the baby by choice these mornings to do something nice for me. And he said we both need to do nice things for each other then. Which, okay sure. I told him I’m not feeling appreciated to which he scoffed. I exclusively breastfeed, am currently eating dairy and soy free for baby’s allergies, and work as a nurse 2, 12 hour shifts a week. He does A LOT with our kids and things are usually about 50/50. This is our third child so he takes the older two (who aren’t always easy to get to bed but sleep through the night). I’m conflicted typing this out because I see his perspective and he is usually right about EQ things, I have more issues with mental health and usually have to apologize for being mean or in the wrong, but I do feel like I’m right on this one. AITA?

#32 Aita For Wanting My Husband To Get A Flight With Me To Visit Our Country Together?

Me and my husband are going to visit our home country again after two years. I have two fewer weeks of vacation than he does so i can’t go longer than two weeks. We also have two dogs.
I wanted to book my ticket early so I could get a better price and avoid having to wait for him, because my husband always leaves everything until the last minute, and in the past I’ve ended up paying two or three times more for tickets just because I waited for him. He told me he’d rather book later, even if that meant paying more.
I asked him several times to confirm that he was definitely coming, and he told me yes.

Yesterday, while I was asleep, he booked his ticket — and it turns out he’s going to travel before me and come back after me.

So I’m going to spend Christmas alone, and I’ll also have to take the dogs to the dog sitter by myself and pick them up by myself.

Am I overreacting for feeling hurt about this?

#33 Aita For Mentioning How Dirty The Kitchen Is When I Get Home Rather Than Kissing My Husband First

Today my husband got mad at me because instead of walking in and giving him a kiss, I got home and immediately mentioned the fact that we had a sink full of his dishes that could’ve gone into the dishwasher that I went out of my way to unload last night so he didn’t have to. (He never puts his dishes in the dishwasher. He always leaves them in the sink even when the dishwasher is empty. He’ll purposely keep piling up the dishes in the sink instead of just unloading the dishwasher. It takes like 5 minutes.)

My husband seems to not do anything when he’s left home to care for our baby and I’m at my wits end. For insight, my husband and I both work full time but since we both work 4 10s we are also able to stay home during the week with baby. (Trying to avoid daycare) Anytime my husband stays home with him, I come home to a mess. Dirty clothes, diapers, and bottles everywhere. Kitchen full of dirty dishes and milk bags even though our trash can works and the dishwasher is free. I get so frustrated because my husband never comes homes to a house left the way he leaves it for me. And we’ve had talks about it, I just don’t know what else to do. I thought maybe it’s because the baby is giving him a hard time. But, he told me our baby is a great baby so Im confused as to what’s preventing him from simply cleaning up after himself. I’m so frustrated. Im four months postpartum, juggling a full time job plus mandatory overtime twice a month, breastfeeding/pumping, a baby, and cleaning up after myself and a grown man. I feel like I’m going crazy. So am I really the jerk?

#34 Aita For Telling My Husband He Can’t Do Laundry When He Asked

We are at a stage in our life where we have a biweekly house cleaner come in to help us stay on top of things. To ensure that the bed sheets are changed I declared the washing machine off limits on the morning the cleaner comes so that we can strip the bed before leaving the house. My husband decided that it’s most effective for him to wait until that same morning to throw his entire pile of laundry in the machine.

He thinks he’s helping because that means his side of the bed is clean. I haven’t been able to get this worked out even though I’ve been consistent about suggesting he plan his laundry earlier in the week so that the only thing that can’t be washed early (because we are sleeping on it) is what gets cleaned the day the bed gets made.

At some point I gave up on reiterating this logic, and later on he also started asking if he could wash his clothes on the cleaning day each week. Today he asked and I said no, I wanted use the washer for my stuff. Which was partially sarcasm, I meant for our shared bed sheets.

He didn’t believe me when I said the point was that he was never supposed to wash his clothes on this one morning and now believes I was just selfishly telling him no so I could wash my clothes (I don’t have anything to wash).

I want him to feel a little perspective about how our house is managed and realize he was interrupting what could be a smooth morning when he has six other mornings where no one is trying to use the washing machine. I could have just plainly spoken my reason but that has never worked before. I felt a little sarcasm was in order. So…aita?

#35 Aita For Asking My Husband To Tell Me Where He's Going?

My husband sometimes goes off to rest in our room. The problem is, he doesn't TELL me he's doing this, and so I'll be sitting around waiting for him to re-emerge from what I assume is the bathroom. Then he won't re-emerge, and I'll go off and look for him, and find him laying in our bed looking at his phone. I should mention that usually we spend our leisure time in the same room when we're both at home and usually it involves watching a show together, whereas if I'm by myself I usually read a book or watch something different that he wouldn't want to watch. And if he's doing something else like working on something in the study or anything hat'll take more than 5 minutes, he usually DOES tell me what he's doing, so this is a bit of an outlier.

I should also mention that he does a lot around the house and is a good partner - legitimately does at least as much of the life admin as I do. This is not a "my husband is lazy and sleeps in our room all the time" issue so don't even go there Reddit.

One day I got annoyed with him about this, and asked that he let me know if he's going to lay down so I can just do my own thing rather than be semi twiddling my thumbs expecting that he'll get back and we'll do something together. I should also mention that we have a baby, so I do also like to know if he's not coming back any time soon to help me wrangle her. Again, he does plenty of baby-wrangling, so that's not the issue.

He says that it's not hard to find him when he does this and thinks it's a weird household rude to announce his minor comings and goings. I think it's mildly rude to disappear without telling me where he's going, even it's in the house, because it changes what I'm doing with my time if he's going to be gone for a while doing his own thing versus just taking a dump or taking out the trash or something.

#36 Aita For Not Celebrating My Husband Birthday "Enough"

Neither of us grew up celebrating our bdays, but we still do a simple desert+dinner+card combo.

This year it just so happened his birthday is also the same day as my close friend's wedding, (he knew this, we were BOTH invited to the wedding). Ive been helping with this wedding as well, so his birthday did slip my mind BUT we still did the usual combo we always do.

But this time he complained that he didnt like how much more effort I was putting into my friends wedding vs his birthday. So not only did we do the usual combo, but the day after I also logged off work early and we went wine tasting and thrift shopping.

Now hes saying that he still thinks im not celebrating him enough and wants both of us to take TEN DAYS OFF and go on a road trip with just us. I suggest that we can do 7 days, and maybe he can spend the first 3 days doing whatever he wants solo, and he had a huge meltdown over it.

He says Im always prioritizing work and other people and not him.

Both of us work full time, both our parents are elderly, we have a 3yo, and a mortgage to pay.

We already went on a week long trip to Singapore earlier this year, and have been doing a lot of home projects together every weekend.

I think 7 days off is just as valuable as 10?

#37 Aitah For Sulking At My Husband's Dinner Treat?

My husband treated me to dinner to celebrate finding a job after more than 5 years of depending on me financially.

It was nothing fancy, but in the middle of dinner, I tipped over my drink and the first thing he said was "that was an expensive drink". No napkins for me whatsoever. Then he went to the bar and said, "She spilled the drink! She spilled the drink! She hasnt had a sip and she spilled the drink!" The staff told him that it will be an additional order to while he replied, "it is what it is."

Then when the new drink came, he snickered, "Let's hope she doesn't spill it this time."

I wanted to walk out of the restaurant, but alas! I'm recovering from stroke and in a wheelchair.

Tell me, Reddit. Am I the jerk?

#38 Aita For Using My Husband's Car To Drive Contractors?

My husband and I car pool to work. We use his car--which is a newer car (2024). Last week it came back from the shop again after another unexpected repair, this time to the air conditioner. On the day in question I dropped him off and then I headed to work. For the last several weeks my office has been working with new contractors. This was their first in-person day. When contractors come to the office, we usually go out to lunch. I mentioned to my husband the day before that I was going to go to lunch with the contractors, but didn't explicitly state I was driving them. I drove two of them in my husband's car. One of them was tall--like over 6 ft. I said he may need to move the passenger seat back to be able to sit comfortably. He did. When we got back to the office, he didn't to move the seat back to the original position.

The next day my husband got in the passenger seat and noticed that the seat was moved further back. He asked why the seat was moved, and I told him the contractor moved it. He seemed to get annoyed the seat was moved because (a) he didn't know I'd be driving two people who I just met in person in his car (2) the one guy moved the passenger seat back and didn't return it to the original position and (3) it was an invasion of of personal space.

I apologized to my husband. I also said I would (a) take my car when there was any possibility of driving anyone and (b), if I had his car again, and a similar situation arises, that I would carpool with someone else. He says that is not feasible as you can't always know when or if you may have people in the car. He says now he has to be as prepared possible because he doesn't believe me when I mentioned (a) and (b) above, even though we agreed to it last week.

This week, he cleaned the car, bought new floor mats, and removed various personal items from car. He feels that if an unknown number of strangers are going to be shuttled around in the car an unknown number of times then the car needs to be cleaned and prepared for a greater number of contingencies. He has also considered purchasing a spare tire, additional insurance, and placing cameras in the car for safety and to head off potential lawsuits. He has not asked me to limit the number or type of people I drive in any way. Instead, he feels he needs to over-prepare for every possibility. He seemed to be very annoyed with me this evening because he is mad about last week. I explained that I think he may be blowing this out proportion and that if this happened to another 100 people, he would be the only only to react this way.

But some corners of cyberspace also offer content that uplifts people, and the Wholesome As Heck subreddit is one of them. This online community is rife with adorable animal photos that can make you forget about the ills of the world for a few good moments. 

As always, we’ve collected photos from the page to give you some much-needed good vibes that can last for days.

#1 Big Smile :)

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#2 Hammock

© Photo: togmahe

#3 15 Minutes Old 🥰

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

Many of us have felt urges to squish something utterly cute, like many animals in these photos. Filipinos have a term for it called gigil, which is essentially an overwhelming, uncontrollable physical reaction like cute aggression. 

And no, it doesn’t make you an unhinged psychopath for feeling such emotions. According to experts like University of Cincinnati professor and researcher Dr. Oriana Aragón, it is completely normal behavior.

#4 The Odd One

© Photo: EverettMorlen1991

#5 He’ll Learn

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#6 Innocent!

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

As Dr. Aragón explained in a 2023 interview, cute aggression is simply a byproduct of a mismatch of emotions, otherwise known as dimorphous expressions. 

She further noted that cute aggression can act as a release for these emotions and as a reminder to treat seemingly fragile beings like babies and, in this case, animals, with care.

#7 No Talk, Only Hold

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#8 I Am The Perfect Cuddle Ball Of Hamster

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#9 You're In My Spot

© Photo: tucchurchnj

“If you were to see people crying tears of joy, when removed from context, people think that the person is sad. In context, for instance, when receiving an award or seeing a loved one for the first time in a long time, those tears are easily interpreted as representing a positive emotion.”

#10 Hello, Yes How Much For This Potato?

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#11 Tiny Baby Shrew

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#12 She Is Bb

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

A pair of academics actually conducted a study on cute aggression. Psychologist Katherine Stavropoulos, who co-authored the research, says the entire brain is involved when these emotions arise. 

"It's not just reward, and it's not just emotion,” she said. "Both systems in the brain are involved in this experience of cute aggression."

#13 Mrs. Steal Yo Birb

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#14 How It Started vs. How Its Going

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#15 Kitty Sees Her First Christmas Tree 🥰

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

Stavropoulos also concluded that having the desire to squish a kitten’s adorable face is a perfectly normal and involuntary response to being overwhelmed by positive emotions. 

“(People often think) ‘This is weird; I'm probably the only one who feels this way. I don't want to hurt it. I just want to eat it,’” she said. “When (they) feel this way, it's with no desire to cause harm.” 

#16 By Popular Demand, The Felon’s Sentence Has Been Extended

© Photo: myghostfellout

#17 Wasabi Has Been Informed They Are 'Teh Cutest Kitty' And Is Still Processing This Information

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#18 Still A Cat

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#19 They’re In Love

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#20 Waffles Enjoying Her First Puppicino

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#21 🐌

© Photo: Lucky-stack

#22 Hi How Are Ya

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#23 Saffron Accepts The New Baby

© Photo: [deleted]

#24 He's Trained To Find People That Deserve Happiness For No Other Reason Than Existence

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#25 Lick

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#26 Banana Cat

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#27 Important Meeting

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#28 Corporate Needs You To Find The Corgi In The Picture, You Have Until Lunch

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#29 Oh Lawd

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#30 Scientific Name: Lil Floof

© Photo: tucchurchnj

#31 Just One Very Good Boy

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#32 Cuddle Bear Is Hiding Somewhere In This Picture

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#33 An Impawsible Distraction

© Photo: tucchurchnj

#34 Cat V Bun

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#35 Kitten Kisses 🥺

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#36 You Have Summoned The Comfy Kits

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#37 Sherduck Holmes At Your Service

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#38 Dog_irl

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#39 Special Ducky Keeps You Safe

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#40 Just The Babiest Kitty

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#41 Cute Bird Showing Off For Daddy

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#42 Please Study This Dinosaur Diagram

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#43 Meet Randy :)

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#44 You Mess With The Bork-Bark, I Make Your Heart Stop

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#45 I Have Found 4 Minstakes Hooman

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#46 Say Goodbye To The Cone Of Shame. Say Hello To The Bread Of Tame!

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#47 Henlo

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#48 How Do The Accused Plead?

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#49 Three Very Good Reasons Why All Your Paper Products Have Tiny Nibbles In Them

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#50 I'm Gonna Do The Sleep

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#51 Small Bunny

© Photo: tucchurchnj

#52 I'm Just Retweetin The Tweets

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#53 What Is It You Do Here At Inventec?

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#54 Penguin Hug

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#55 Smol

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#56 A Bucket Of Pups

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#57 Moop Is Hiding :)

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#58 It's 3am, Do You Know Where Your Brother Is?

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#59 "Parker Just Has This Very Impawtant Stick To Share With Y'all 😌"

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#60 Best Bun

© Photo: floofyboop1

#61 Ser Borks A Lot Here To Defend You From Loneliness

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#62 Tiny Spiky Boi

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#63 Snacc

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#64 Chillin’

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#65 Smiley Boy

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#66 Bunny Cuddle Muddle Puddle

© Photo: tucchurchnj

#67 😁

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#68 🥰

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#69 Round Ball Of Happiness

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#70 It's Clawed A Cactical Turtleneck Lana

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#71 Derp

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#72 Flower Girl 🥰

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#73 First I Cute, Then I Flop, I The Best At Bunny Hip Hop

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#74 Excuse Me, Sir

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#75 Don't Flop To Me Or My Bun Again

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#76 We Are Special Baby Brothers And We're Just Getting Used To A New Home

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#77 This Is Getting Out Of Hand, Now There Are Two Of Them

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#78 Bam-Bam (Full Bio In Comments)

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#79 Smelling The Flowers 🌸

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#80 Ok Hold Mommy's Trunk We're Gonna Cross The Savanna

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#81 Always Winking 😉

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#82 Sargent Snuggles At Your Service

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#83 Is Your Tabby Getting Into Pot?

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#84 Felt Cute, Might Do Heartwings Later Idk

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#85 Unbelievabill Friendship

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#86 Get In We're Going Off Roading

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#87 Surprise Visit From A Birdy Friend Who Let The Random Hooman Give A Tiny Scritch

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#88 For The Most Perilous Of Missions

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#89 ☮️✌🏻

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#90 Doggo Feets On The Couch Where He's Perfectly Allowed To Do The Snooze

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#91 There Is No Greater Bond Than That Between A Girl And Her Dinosaur

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#92 Pup

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#93 When You And Your Friend Are From Different Paths But You Just Vibe Really Hard When You're Together

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#94 Spaceship Bun Says "Take Me To Your Largest Financial Institution"

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#95 Cozy Boi

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#96 Kisses 🥰

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#97 Goes By Tony Hops

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#98 Graduation Day!

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#99 You May Approach The Bun

© Photo: tucchurchnj

#100 The Quack That Loves You Back

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#101 She’s From Texas, So Sometimes She Wears A Hat, Too

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#102 Her First Set Of Orphan Bottle Babies. She’s Had Them Since Before Their Eyes Were Open. One Is A Little More, Uh, Special

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#103 Hi 🥺

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#104 🥰

© Photo: michaelsenpatrick

#105 Safety Birdst

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#106 Now That's A Happy Bun

© Photo: eliteprephistory

#107 You Under Awwwest For Being Too Cute

© Photo: eliteprephistory

Bored Panda has curated this list of retro family photos and ads featuring 1980s technology, and the devices almost feel like long-lost school friends who you haven’t seen since graduation. Scroll down to take a trip down memory lane. We hope this is enough motivation for you to finish working on your time machine!

#1 Unwrapping The New Atari Gaming System Christmas Morning, 1980

© Photo: immacculate

#2 1980s Tech, Still Ticking Away

Platinum Writing Watch (1980) in both pen and pencil versions. The amazing part? After 40+ years, they’re still running and keeping time.

© Photo: Due-Entertainment541

#3 1980s Technology

© Photo: 8Bitforever

If you somehow managed to transport a person from the 1980s to the present, they’d probably feel incredibly confused.

On the one hand, many of the technologies that they were used to (phones, computers, television sets, etc.) will be familiar, even though their designs have changed.

On the other hand, the rise and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, automation, smart tech, the internet, and social media might shock them. Though, to be fair, 2026, in many ways, would probably feel alien to many people even from just a decade or two ago.

Personally, we feel that a lot of the tech we see nowadays feels very sci-fi… cyberpunk and dystopian themes included.

#4 This Is What Peak Technology Looked Like In 1982

© Photo: jeremykunayak

#5 1980s Technology!

© Photo: otusc

#6 Love The Tech Setup Of This Office In The 1980s

© Photo: hotbowlsofjustice

Recently, the debate surrounding artificial intelligence has become even more tense. Security and out-of-control models are major issues.

For example, Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot, has tightened its testing procedures after admitting “failure of operational security” due to a series of hacking incidents. The company admitted that its tech was “not perfectly aligned” with human values and goals.

#7 Kid Watching TV

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#8 Boy And Girl In A Car With A Radio Cassette Player

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#9 Cute Blond Girl Smokes While Chatting On A Wired-In Sleek Line Phone

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

The Guardian reports that Anthropic’s models recently accessed the internet 3 times and gained unauthorized access to the systems of 3 organizations.

“We had been largely relying on a single layer of defense … where we needed several,” Anthropic said. Now, the company has stated that it has implemented new security measures and has resumed tests.

#10 Little Girl With A Walkman

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#11 Who Else Used These When Coming Into Work?

© Photo: EdwardBliss

#12 A Woman Using A Pay Phone In 1980s On City Island In The Bronx, New York. Photo By Ron Terner

© Photo: RealWorldToday

Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, said that Anthropic essentially admitted that its “factory was running faster than its quality control.”

Instances of AI escaping users’ control have risen to worrying highs. As per the Loss of Control Observatory’s findings, looking at reports made by AI users on X, these have risen to more than 300 in July 2026, almost double that of the previous month. Simply put, we are witnessing more and more cases of misaligned AI ignoring instructions and pursuing harmful goals.

#13 Remember This?

© Photo: TrustNoOne2370

#14 The Walkman Was Superb, Even Though The Batteries Ran Out Sharpish And Made The Tape Sound Demonic

© Photo: crimsonavenger77

#15 Peak 1980s Technology

© Photo: NooR90he

“There is sometimes a perception that these types of misaligned and covert behaviors only occur in tests or evaluations, but we are seeing similar worrying behaviors in wider use. We need to not be complacent that these things won’t happen in the real world and there is evidence that they already are,” Tommy Shaffer-Shane, the senior policy manager at the Centre for Long Term Resilience, which operates Loss of Control Observatory, explained.

According to the expert, companies and labs need to put more emphasis on systematic monitoring.

#16 My Corner Of 80s Tech!

© Photo: [deleted]

#17 The Inside Of A Padd Apparently Contains Late 1980's Tech (From "A Fistful Of Datas")

© Photo: zeroone

#18 Young Woman With A Walkman While Reading And Smoking

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

It is not just Anthropic’s Claude that has security experts and regular people around the globe worried, though.

OpenAI has been in the crosshairs of critics recently, too. The company’s most cutting-edge AI agents escaped their training environment to wreak havoc. Around 700 autonomous agents launched days-long hacks of software repository Hugging Face.

Staff had seen signs of rogue behavior in its agents weeks before this happened, The Guardian reports.

#19 Boy At The Computer

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#20 Boy Playing Video Game

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#21 Girl By TV Set

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

The OpenAI controversy was the very first known case of a group of automated AI agents “acting offensively without authorization.”

OpenAI promised to “centralize and standardize its incident response protocols” and ensure that “employee detection of misaligned behavior is triaged and escalated appropriately.” What’s more, the company said that it will “identify with more specificity which teams must be included in misalignment incident responses, including relevant security and safety personnel and other response functions.”

All of that is tech-bro and corpo-speak for “we messed up and promise to do better.” We’ll have to wait and see for the results.

#22 Girl On Phone By TV

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#23 Girl Playing Pacman At Coral Springs Festival

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#24 Woman Sitting By An Atari 800 Computer

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

However, not everyone is worried about the impact of artificial intelligence. For example, CNN reports that hobby stores, musical artists, and sewing shops are generating jobs in a tepid labor market.

Based on recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these categories saw the largest percentage employment gains during the 18 months ending in June 2026.

Specifically, hobby, toy, and game retailers added 35k jobs, which is a 29% spike. Musical groups and artists added 9k jobs, a whopping 25% increase. Meanwhile, sewing, needlework, and piece goods retailers added 7k jobs, or a spike of 24%.

#25 Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES really showed people that they could play awesome games without having to go to the arcades

© Photo: cracked

#26 Casio Databank. Calculator Watches Taking Over The World

© Photo: cracked

#27 Discman

If you wanted to take a walk while listening to your Discman, you had to walk slowly to avoid skipping. Later models added the "anti-skip system" so you could walk a bit faster. But the risk of ruining your CD was always there

© Photo: cracked

Even though these 3 categories make up just 0.15% of the US labor force, combined they accounted for 9% of all jobs added to the market during that period.

Hobby, toy, and game store spending rose 27% in July compared to a year ago. And hobby-oriented categories are driving toy industry sales growth.

“People just want things that bring them joy and want a little break; they want to do things that are relaxing,” Kristen McLean, consumer analytics firm Circana’s vice president of client insights, told CNN.

Furthermore, US consumers are also spending more on beauty, self-care, cookbooks, small appliances, as well as home goods. They are, essentially, “investing in their house.”

#28 Film Cameras. You Couldn't See How The Pictures Turned Out Until You Finished The Entire Film

© Photo: cracked

#29 Floppy Disk Era

© Photo: cracked

#30 Typical Friday Night, At Home

© Photo: therealduckie

Which of these photos from the 1980s did you like the most? What tech and designs do you miss the most? On the other hand, what tech-related inconveniences are you glad the world moved away from in recent decades? What decade do you personally miss the most, and why?

Putting the past aside for a moment, what tech are you most excited about and wary of in 2026?

We want to hear your thoughts and stories! After you’ve upvoted your favorite pics, if you’re feeling social, join the discussion in the comments underneath these pics or at the very bottom of this list.

#31 George Lucas Tries His Hand At The Star Wars Arcade Game (1983)

© Photo: Tony_Tanna78

#32 The First Cellphone.. Motorola’s Dynatac 8000x, A 2-Pounder Priced At $3,995 In 1984

© Photo: RealWorldToday

#33 Portable Music Players In My Teenage Years

© Photo: ComfortableTruck354

#34 Anyone Remember This?

© Photo: FroztyJack

#35 Remember Foldaway Travel Clocks 70s/80s

© Photo: Alone_Purple822

#36 Who Had A View-Master?

© Photo: Sir_Colby_Tit

#37 My Mom In The 80’s!

© Photo: glitterbongwater

#38 80s Bubblegum Pink Cassette Player!

© Photo: wendyrgould

#39 Frog Phone (1980s)

© Photo: RetroTechDreams

#40 Teenagers At A Gameroom

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#41 Kids Playing Video Game

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#42 Kids Pose During An Intermission On Commodore 64 Computer

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#43 Boy Playing Odyssey

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#44 Boy With A Walkman

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#45 Couple Playing Video Games, 1983

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#46 Make A Phone Call

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#47 Man Makes A Call At The Office

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#48 Teenagers Playing Handheld Game Console

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#49 Two Women In Office. Before Offices Were Computerized And Cordless Phones

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#50 Sega Genesis. Also Known As The Mega Drive In Other Parts Of The World

© Photo: cracked

#51 Walkman. Nothing Like Carrying Your Favorite Music Around With You In A “Pocket” Device

© Photo: cracked

#52 Yamaha Dx7. A Synthesizer So Good, They Still Make New Versions Of It To This Day

© Photo: cracked

#53 Apple II+

© Photo: cracked

#54 Macintosh 512k

512K? What were people supposed to do with all that space?

© Photo: cracked

#55 Novelty Phones. While Cellphones Were Becoming A Thing, Landlines Needed To Step Up Their Game

© Photo: cracked

#56 Video Game Passwords

The PlayStation 2 and the SEGA Dreamcast revolutionized gaming with memory cards that allowed you to save your games on an external storage unit you could use anywhere. Before that, the only way to save the game was with passwords. Every time you cleared a stage, a password would appear, in case you wanted to start from there on your next play session.

© Photo: cracked

#57 You Had To Go To A Place To Develop Your Pictures, A Process That Could Take Between 24 Hours And An Entire Week

© Photo: cracked

#58 Rotary Phones

© Photo: cracked

#59 Busy Hours. It Was Really Tough To Get Service And Send Text Messages During The Holidays

© Photo: cracked

#60 Blow Cartridges. It's Been Proven That Doing This Didn't Change A Thing, But It Felt Incredible Anyway

© Photo: cracked

#61 Computers Didn't Turn Off By Themselves. You Had To Press The Button To Shut It Down After Seeing This Message

© Photo: cracked

#62 Taping Shows

Streaming wasn't a thing, so if you wanted to catch your favorite show, you literally had to be there. If you weren't, taping it was the only way to watch it until the next rerun

© Photo: cracked

#63 TV Antennas. Even If You Paid For Cable, Sometimes It Wouldn't Work Properly. You Had To Adjust The Antenna And Pray For The Best

© Photo: cracked

#64 Real Arcades Of The 80s Never Had Blacklight-Reactive Glowing Carpets. It's A Mandela Effect. Here's What They Actually Looked Like:

© Photo: therealduckie

#65 Arcade Room At Claremont Mckenna College, California (1983)

© Photo: Tony_Tanna78

#66 Who Remembers Playing This Game Growing Up In School ??!!

© Photo: ComplexWrangler1346

#67 Who Remembers The Sony Sports Line In All Its Yellow Glory?

© Photo: EdwardBliss

#68 Remember Renting Your TV (Visionhire, Radio Rentals Etc)

© Photo: Alone_Purple822

#69 Apple II At My Local Coffee Shop!

© Photo: [deleted]

#70 Just Found This Photo Of Me From 1981 On Our Family's First Computer

© Photo: zxcvbn113

#71 Need Some Folders And An Ash Tray For My '80s Office 🥹

© Photo: xjortsu

#72 An Underrated Console

© Photo: polkadotcthulu

#73 Early 80s Portable Computing

© Photo: CentennialBaby

#74 Which 80s Tech Was The Most Transformative?

© Photo: [deleted]

#75 Any Soviet Tech Enthusiasts Around?

Got this interesting thing. I think it's one of the only soviet computers to be completely soviet made? (As in boards designed and printed in the USSR, etc.) It's a wonder it still works.

© Photo: DecentlySpaghetti

#76 Woman Talking On Phone On Boat

© Photo: Rare Historical Photos

#77 Girls With A Radio On Hollywood Beach, Florida

© Photo: stevenm_61

#78 Vhs Players

© Photo: cracked

#79 Nintendo Game Boy. A Literal Game Changer

© Photo: cracked

#80 Coleco Vision. A Great Console For Those Who Loved The Atari 2600

© Photo: cracked

#81 Sharp Pocket Computer. A Glorified Calculator

© Photo: cracked

#82 Sinclair Zx Spectrum 48k. Powerful Like A Gaming Console, But With A Keyboard For True Nerds

© Photo: cracked

#83 Speak & Spell. Released In The Late ‘70s, But In Every Home By The ’80s

© Photo: cracked

#84 Ibm PC. The First Personal And Home Computers Debuted In The '80s

© Photo: cracked

#85 Cd Binders

© Photo: cracked

#86 Mouse Balls. You Had To Clean Your Mouse Often So It Could Work Properly

© Photo: cracked

#87 Primitive Texting. Cellphones In The Early 2000s Didn't Have Full Keyboards Or Touch Screens, So Texting Someone Took Some Time

© Photo: cracked

#88 Tapper

© Photo: CarloCarrasco

#89 Defender

© Photo: CarloCarrasco

#90 Commodore Amiga 1000

© Photo: cracked

#91 Stylus

With the first touch screens, companies like Apple and Nintendo would include a Stylus pen. It was believed to be the future of handheld devices, but that quickly went away

© Photo: cracked

#92 Concurrent Computer Systems (1987)- Still In Operation!

© Photo: [deleted]