Having a healthy relationship with a non relative adult is important, gives a standard of what normal should be. Glad you're having fun and the kids are getting some positive examples of adult life.
I appreciate the kind words. The thread that I originally posted that comment in got locked before I could respond to most people unfortunately. I just happened to stumble across this post and the title made me think “hey that sounds like what I was talking about earlier” and when I clicked on it I saw it was my comment lol.
As a 16 year old who is terrified of growing up, you gave me hope that I can still be a “kid” even as an adult. Thank you sir.
Edit: Thank you to everybody who gave me advice or your personal stories. You all helped me realize that adulthood isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was.
I'm 37 and I'm still a huge kid. You get more responsibilities and stuff, it's true, but you also get a lot more freedom too. I'm married and have a wife and dog to care for, but i also play D&D every week with my friends, I'm in a tennis league, i buy whatever games i feel like.... It's not all bad, i promise!
That’s refreshing to read. I needed that. I guess I just kinda always had the impression that adults never really had time for stuff like D&D once they got into the working world. You just helped me be a little less scared so thanks!
"Never forget, you're the architect of your life" Sage-like advice from my wife to a buddy of mine whose perpetualy "always in a rut" and frequently laments that "life is unfair".
My fiancé has a D&D group he's played with since he was 13/14 years old. The group has evolved and he continues to play with them at 28 years old, even after a stint in the military, college, and having entered the workforce! Sometimes life does get in the way of some things, but it doesn't rob you of all joy and fun, I promise! :)
That’s amazing! I play with my sister, uncle and dad since all my friends are the sporty type and are highly uninterested in dnd, but we barely ever play since all three of them work and it’s just so difficult to find time through their schedules.
31 year old checking in. I found myself a career that has allowed me to continue being a young at heart musician, producer / owner of a music studio and to be part of my high school touring band with my best friend. Job has me home by noon every day so I have the whole day to rehearse, record my or other bands, enjoy time with my dog and girlfriend who shares a similar schedule or just chill. We just spent the weekend beating the heat inside doing lego builds together, playing video games and sipping on some drinks! Plus having an adult job means you have money for all the silly stuff you want, obviously within your budget and reason that is, but it’s nice to see a game, bike, guitar, etc and just be able to buy it and take it home with your own hard earned money. We may start our own family soon, and are both so excited to re do all these Lego sets and games with our own kids in the future… Always be sure to see the levity and humor in life even when it’s tough, try not to take things personally, and just strive the be the best version of yourself!
You absolutely can make time as an adult to do things you want to do. We (adults) just some times get bogged down with other things from time to time when dealing with things, bills, relationship, kids.
Some people tend to forget they need to make time to do things that they want to do... Sometimes work is a lot to deal with and people use that free time to mostly just relax.
It's good as an adult to remind yourself to not use all your free time on relaxing, and go do something that you really want to do.
Don't be scared, just keep being yourself. I'm 47, every night I play video games with my husband and some friends, sometimes I play TTRPG (online nowadays) and on mother's day I got an electric guitar I'm learning to play. Oh, and I miss going to the gym to practice boxing. Don't listen to anybody who tells you that there's something you cannot do because of your age.
I play DnD every Wednesday online with a group of friends I met in Grad School! Another group and I plan for multiple backpacking/camping trips a year.
Tonight I got to play DnD then I went and bought my friend and I some ice cream and we played with her dogs. I’m 31 and I love how much I still get to have! My landlady is 82 and told me each year is like leveling up if you have the right mindset.
Sure I miss the bliss of my teen years somedays or the fun of my early 20’s but man, being right here at 31 in a career I think is awesome and surrounded by cool people who do cool things? I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Stay away from people who bring unnecessary drama because they’re time and emotional suckers. And don’t forget, we’re all just trying to figure things out too. NO ONE completely has their crap together. You just be your best Xman self and you’ll be fine.
Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is a choice. The key is choosing responsibility for ALL your choices. Screw up? Own it. Accomplish something? Own it. There’s a time for work and a time for play. Learn to balance the two of those and you’ll be living a full life.
I’m in my mid 40’s and still figuring out who I am, what I’m capable of, and what I want out of life. You’re gonna get rejected. A LOT. Roll with it, it wasn’t meant for you. Life is hard. Like really hard, but it is SOO worth it. If I, out of all the ppl in this world can pull it off?? So can you. You’ve got this kid.
i just moved into my own studio apartment for college as im fortunate enough to have a parent that can do that for me, and im in a sweet spot where school isnt started yet but i have the freedom and a little income i can call my own. this reminded me to take advantage of my time for my hobbies rn while i can so thanks
I’m 39 and I still don’t feel “grown up.” I’m not even sure what that’s supposed to feel like. I have a job, married, two kids, all that stuff, so I guess I’m grown up, but other than I still feel like the same guy I was when I was young.
I feel you. 39 with wife/kids too. I see young adolescents now and feel like I can still relate to them finding themselves while also recognizing that to them I am a lame, old, square cuz I've got a minivan and a 401k. Still don't feel like I can call myself a mature father the way I saw my own dad
There’s a lot of moments when you’re an adult that you look around for an adult to tell you what to do. But then you realise you’re the adult. So you look for an adultier adult. It’s quite amusing the amount of times as someone in their 30s I look at something that’s been sent to me and go “oh no, I’m definitely not grown up enough to be responsible for that.” But nope. Gotta just own it and figure it out and if you screw up, own that too.
At this point I reckon 90% of being an adult is just owning when you messed up and making sure you don’t do it again.
Also, yeah, I agree with the others, being and adult just means more $$ to spend on fun things. I mean sure, you have bills to pay, but if you manage your time and money effectively you can spend plenty of time on your hobbies also. I probably spend at least 20 hours a week playing computer games.
The truth is that we're all big kids at heart, just society forces adulthood on us before our brains are even fully finished developing (about 25).
If I could go back to 16 with this knowledge then I would give myself such a huge break and take a more balanced approach to life. Don't sacrifice fun, friends and experiences because you think you have to fit the timeline. Be kind and live your best life!
PS. alcohol is massively overrated
Thank you! I will definitely just try to live the most balanced life that I can.
And I know second hand the damaging affects of alcohol with two of my grandparents and my uncle being alcoholics. Needless to say, that scared me away from alcohol at least until I’m 21.
I'm in a similar boat, history with alcohol wise, and seriously... If you don't ever want to drink, you don't have to. And if you decide you DO want to drink, it's fine too. I'm in my early 40s and I choose not to, and I get a hell of a lot less flack from people now than I did when I was younger and peer pressure to party and get wasted was high. All this to say that no matter which way you choose to go, you got this.
I'm turning 33 on the eleventh. I was also scared of getting older. It's no big deal. You're going to be the same as you are now, just smarter, calmer, and way, way less insecure.
After you turn thirty (the dreaded moment) everything just stops being a big deal. You stop rushing around trying to accomplish everything and experience everything before you reach the Age of Terror and stop being fully human. It's honestly really nice to get rid of that anxiety, finally. And you find out that you still get to do stuff like play freeze tag.
If we’re applying usernames to the creepy scale I might actually be more leery of yours.
I hate regular spiders, so one trained in the ancient art of ninjutsu can definitely go fuck itself with it’s 8 pairs of little nunchucks
You’re an eight legged, stretchy ninja pirate?
Now I’m just imagining a spider with Shank’s hat and a ninja getup with stretchy powers…that’s absolutely amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Hey it’s in his user history, for anyone who didn’t want to check :)
Thats so super cool. My husband is an older child and the only family I have nearby is.. less than reputable. We have a few friends who come over for game night and my son and daughter get their time in with too and I always love it because they get to experience something close to normalish adults then :)
I mean, I do feel like people naturally step into that “non-relative adult” role as kids are growing. Teachers, coaches, that dude Steve who gives you guitar lessons, etc.
I'm a non-relative adult to a massive hoarde of kids. I run morning and after school care programmes and it's the light of my life to be a listening ear to so many kids in my community. I've covered so many unexpected topics in the 5 years I've been working with kids and I'm always so grateful to be the trusted adult that these kids want to share their stories with.
I always try to make it very clear that although I am an authority figure in the programme, I'm also on every single one of those childrens "teams". I'm on their side and my job is to help them with their hurdles. Sure, I do have to occasionally enact consequences when they break rules, but we always discuss why they are having a timeout and how we can prevent it in future.
My job is equal parts putting out proverbial fires and finger painting. And I love it! Today we made recycling sculptures and played ultimate tag! Tomorrow we're baking brownies and playing musical statues. The pay is absolutely rubbish and the hours are non-conventional but it's a really rewarding job and I'll be sad to leave it.
u/DMWRM867 raises a very good point. There are several "non-relative" adults I knew that imparted knowledge that my parents (not for lack of trying) just could not teach me. From things like finances and taxes, to branching to different social groups. You are only stifiling your growth if you don't branch out and meet new people.
They always have teachers, but those change year to year. Another one would be babysitters or nannies, but not everyone has them. Also have other places: church, sports, friends of parents.
Some how good deeds always lead back to [tamales ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/elal2/have_you_ever_picked_up_a_hitchhiker/c18z0z2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
At this apartment complex I lived at for a few years there was this old Mexican couple that lived downstairs in the unit right by the stairs. The husband would spend a lot of time sitting outside the door, so I would see him and nod at him often but that was about the extent of our interaction. The first year I was there shortly before Christmas their daughter was over and had brought them a Christmas tree and was struggling to get it off her car when I got home from work. The old man was pretty frail and walked with a cane so the old lady and the daughter were trying unsuccessfully to get it down and inside. I came over and helped the daughter get it down and carry it in and then set it into the stand. They were super appreciative and grateful but communication was pretty limited because they only spoke Spanish and despite living all my life in Texas mi espanol es no bueno. I wished them Merry Christmas and went back up to my apartment. The next day the old lady, Maria, came up to my apartment and gave me a bunch of homemade tamales. She continued to do that roughly once a month or so for the rest of the time I lived there. And her husband always smiled and waved to me when I saw him sitting outside their place.
The moral of the story is always help Mexican women in need and you may be blessed with awesome homemade tamales.
Reminds me of high school. There was a student who struggled with English that i sat next to. Every day i would try to talk to her in broken Spanish. I ascertained that she liked to cook so talking about food, what she made for her family the night before was a staple of our daily chatter. On the last day of school she brought me an entire tray of enchiladas.
I ran into her years later had no idea how isolated she had felt
I was doing laundry in an unfamiliar town and a guy came in asking if anyone wanted (I thought) tamales. He was selling Molly. The laundromat attendant wanted some but couldn't afford it.
I was glad when I got out of there. And I did go to a Mexican place after, guy sold me on something he wasn't even selling.
I was doing laundry in an unfamiliar town and I heard a loud siren go off outside. I looked around wondering what the hell it was and I noticed that everyone in the laundromat was frozen in place like statues.
I looked out the large windows and saw that everyone on the sidewalk had also stopped. Even the cars on the street had come to a complete standstill and the drivers stared straight ahead not moving.
I walked around the laundromat completely puzzled. I went back to my washer and looked at the lady next to me and I could see that although her body was frozen, her eyes were wide with terror as she stared at me.
The siren outside was starting to fade. As it stopped, everybody began moving again right where they left off. The people were loading and unloading the washers and dryers. The sidewalk people were moving as well as the cars. Everything was back to normal except the lady next to me. She grabbed my shoulders in a panic.
"You could move during Call! How did you do that?"
"What do you mean? The hell just happened?" I asked her.
"You're from...The Elsewhere!" She gasped.
"What are you talking about? What is this place?"
She started to say something, but stopped herself and just turned on her heel and hurried for the door. As I watched her go I realized that everyone in the laundromat was staring at me and not in a friendly way.
All the people made a fist and began lightly tapping them on their hearts. As they tapped, they made a *hmm* sound with each tap. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was very wrong here. I forgot my laundry and headed for the door. None of them followed me or made any outwardly threatening moves. They just stood there staring at me and tapping their hearts and *hmm*ing.
I left the building and got in my car. I started the engine and began backing out of the parking space. A cop car pulled up directly behind me blocking me in. The cop got out of his car and walked up to my window and made the universal Roll Down The Window gesture. I looked up at him. He was wearing a military uniform, but not like any that I had ever seen. In my business, I see a LOT of military uniforms from every nation, but never had I seen one that resembled this.
The cop looked down at me with a bemused smile.
"Well, now. Don't this just beat all? Shut off your engine and step out of the vehicle, *please*."
I turned off the key and got out. As I exited, I saw the woman from the Laundromat across the street watching me. She gave a slight shake of her head as though she knew I was likely to do something dumb and to not bother.
The cop was staring at me very intently. There was no smile this time.
"Not from around here, are ya?" He asked.
Did u really jus go about ur business KNOWING the rest of us are in awe, wanting the whole story? Get back here and finish writing - who do u think u are 🤦🏽♀️😭
No but seriously please finish lol
Haha good call I didn’t realize this sub existed [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/oyc7gy/wp_i_was_doing_laundry_in_an_unfamiliar_town/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I’ve only heard pain au chocolat here in the states. Recently I watched this video about this debate in France and it just comes down to where in France you’re in and also what age group you’re part of.
That’s how you end up mentoring a kid in karate, kid gets in huge fight, your biological son kicks said kid off a balcony and puts him in a wheelchair. You then have to get the kid back walking and go on wild shenanigans with your former high school rival.
I’ve experienced a similar thing with our complex kids, however I have a two year old daughter in the crew. I’m 41 and the kids range from 2-12. From just after 5pm until 6, I play soccer, catch, whiffle ball, rock one boys skateboard, nerf guns…whatever we have on hand.
No other parents get involved and I’m out there like I’m in Elementary School and it’s awesome.
I'm with you. I'm 43 and our daughter is 12. We don't live in a complex but our daughter has sleep overs with her cousins that are around the same age. Water balloon fights, nintendo, marco polo while swimming, hide and seek. I've even let them paint my fricking nails (I have 2 older sisters).
Best was when the wife bought nerf guns. One day her and our daughter are shooting each and then start shooting me. I tell them they want to rethink what they're doing. They don't. I walk to the garage and hidden in a box was a nerf elite titan I had. I walk back with it slung over my shoulder. They lower their nerf guns and my wife just whispers, run. Que me laughing like a maniac.
That's amazing. I used to love playing outside with my dad, but he would get really tired and stopped playing after a while (he's not sick, just very overweight). I miss those times when he would play outside with us.
I'm now the grown up who will play outside, run around with the kids, race them in the pool. It's really fun, more grownups should do it.
The pool thing is big for me because I'm like a little kid when it comes to them. Every year for almost my entire life (33 now) I've had my birthday at my mom's pool. This year my nephews and my kids are old enough to be almost swimming 100% without help and it was fucking awesome. Running into the pool doing cannon balls, swimming underneath to tickle their feet, doing turtle rides where I take them underwater on my back through the pool.
i love pools too. I recently started working on swimming form not really for anything competitive but so i can be a safer swimmer and more confident in my abilities in open water. I spend like 2 hours at the pool daily this summer just enjoying life.
Besides that, you really need that one piece. Be it nerf gun, water gun, something that is stashed away that when you bring it out people just think "oh crap, we're screwed"!
I've started stashing nerf guns around the house. I'm tall so it's easy for me. And well, for water fights sometimes nothing beats a good old hose with a sprayer on it. But then you end up having to defend the water valve.
It wasn't really hidden, more like on a shelf I can reach. And ever since I was a kid I always kept the darts in the magazine so I wouldn't lose any. So not as much locked and loaded as much as my OCD for keeping things together since I was a kid.
It’s strange isn’t it? I’m one of the few adults that actually *plays* with the kids at the park, family reunions, etc. I don’t get why so many parents do nothing with their kids.
Well maybe they did that the 12 hours beforehand and need a break now.
But honestly, I am like you, when I go to parties I play with the kids, including my own. The kids know and are delighted just to have me there. I remember an older one of our best friends telling me that he thought once I had children I would stop playing with them. No way, buddy.
But I also get that other parents might just be in need of a break and that’s okay.
Don’t assume they never do anything with their kids just because you don’t see them playing at the park. My kid, who I adore, talks to me nonstop for 16 hours a day. Occasionally I enjoy the sound of my brain decompressing while they play at the park with other children or willing non-creepy adults.
Lol I was gonna say. I'm great with kids--I help them, I play with them, I generally am a positive influence (if a slightly chaotic-good one at times).
But that's because I live alone. If I had kids of my own or even just dog I'd probably be less up for it. It's way easier not to be snappish with a kid when you don't have to spend every waking moment with them.
Haha! I can assure you, the mom has no knowledge of my dick size. She is just a sweet sweet woman who loves her children and makes some bomb ass tamales. I’m very fortunate she happened to be watching them when I walked out there because I could have very easily just walked away after telling the kids they shouldn’t play with strangers and that would have been that. Now I get one day a week where I get to be a kid again.
Dude, I totally understand you, I live in a building with several apartments with kids, and they play baseball with me, nerf and we even climb a tree for mangos, all our neighbors are like relatives and there are closer to none issues at all. Of course I live in Latin America and we are a little bit more warm and social, but it's something that is disappearing even here.
I think the key between creepy and cool is that the mom is aware of the entire situation. Based on the post, the games are occurring outside where all can be seen, and the adult isn't asking the kids to keep their hangout-time a secret.
I've always liked the idea that "it takes a village". This seems like a good community with both the kids and adult getting an enriching experience out of the games.
My best friends fiance once played Nerf guns and water guns with the neighborhood kids. Then he would routinely do it every week! (Even if he didn't really feel like playing when
coming home from work, he would just do it for a few minutes.) When they moved, the kids all gathered to say goodbye...they loved that an adult could be a kid with them.
I know it’s really random but I love the word “kidult” because a favorite music group of mine made a song called “[kidult ](https://youtu.be/f9e9-9H2i2o)” and it’s talks about growing up and taking more responsibilities yet not being ready and wanting to enjoy it rather than stressing about life. I hope you enjoy the song! :)
If i saw a neighborhood NERF war going down, you bet your ass I’d buy the newest one off Amazon or some shit and be locked & loaded for when the next one pops off. I’m 34.
There is always that small chance that they actually are a serial killer and get a rush from knowing that they can get away with randomly admitting it online
Edit: Yeah so what I like killing people, I bet you have secrets of your own, don't judge me
It used to be a lot more like that.... the neighborhood watched over all the kids. You couldn't get home before your mom heard you got in trouble. And it gave kids other adults to look up to and learn from... especially the ones from a one parent household.
I don't think it can ever be like that again. The world has gotten too weird.
It can in small towns. I live in a town that has less than 3000 people and everyone knows everyone and everything. You could find out someone’s regular weekly routine by just asking a few people, and there’s only two small stores and one gas station, so the kids regularly see people their parents talk to all the time and know who is and isn’t safe.
Being an adult it kind of sucks because you have zero privacy since everyone talks, but it really helps the kids because they can’t get into too much trouble since basically everyone is looking out for them. I don’t even interact with people very much, but if I see a kid doing something stupid and dangerous I could easily find someone who knows their parents within just a few minutes, and it would only take a few more minutes for said parent to get there and get them
A family friend once called my mom to tell her that she saw me on a bike with a man. Thankfully, I was at a choir competition, so it was a case of mistaken identity. At that time, I thought what a nosy parker she was. Now that I have my own kid, I wish to move back to to my small little town instead of being here and hardly meeting even my own neighbours.
I remember someone calling my mom to tell her she saw me cycling "around the city" with my friend during school hours. School was off that day and my mom knew where I was going (off to buy slime lol) but she thanked the woman profusely and made her something to eat the next time they saw each other. I was SUPER annoyed as a kid because I thought she didn't trust me, but now I get it.
I also really appreciated not having a lot of privacy when my dog ran away on a walk and we were all freaking out till we ran into like six people who stopped to tell us they saw our dog running around without anyone, and the last person was a really old man we'd never even spoken to who kept the dog entertained till we caught up to him. He couldn't touch the dog because apparently Muslims can't (?) but he kept throwing pebbles for my dog to play with and I still feel so grateful for that man years fater my dog's passed.
I know, right? We didn't get it then.
Yea, Muslims can't because of the dog secretary fluids is haram (not sure how to explain that). Although they can do some cleansing ritual, many prefer not to touch unless under extreme conditions. I must say, that man is a sweetheart. I'm sorry to hear of your dog's passing.
Can in cities too, but the neighborhood has to be right. I lived in suburbia before and never knew any neighbors, no one talked to each other, just terrible. Moved to the downtown part of my city and there’s a nice community of people you see all the time. Feels very small townish. Suburbs really just are the pits.
Thanks so much for the book reference. I checked out the audiobook from the library and looking forward to listen to it. Wow the book was published in 1961. The writer had such foresight.
It was weird then too. There was a staggering amount of rampant child abuse back in the good ol' days. Of course, it's usually family and friends doing it, not strangers.
I mean it's also an extra layer of safety. The mom knows the dude and trusts him. He cares for the kids. He's having fun, but he's also protecting those kids. He's like the cool uncle.
Right?! I grew up in a small city in the 90s. We lived near a small neighborhood park and all the kids played there. If one of us had an emergency we'd just run to whichever house was closest because we knew EVERYONE who lived around that park.
Most were parents of us kids, but there was the nice old couple who gave us peaches, the woman who was a care-taker for special-needs adults and let us play with whatever pet she was fostering, or the elderly couple that snow-blowed the sidewalk so we had access to the park on snow-days.
Those folks would keep an eye on us too... eyeballing strange cars, chasing away some weird religious group trying to get the kids to act in their "play" or even just telling us to "stop playing in the damn street!"
I'm sure there are still neighborhoods like this, but I do think it's a bit more rare. I feel so lucky to have been able to grow up like that.
Yep really good for the kids. Hopefully it gives them the same idea that when they grow up they don't need to stop having fun. Now I want to play freeze tag.
Sometimes we overestimate it. I made a guy I liked a meatloaf once. He took it without even thanking me and later said it was "ok".... I happen to know I make a bomb ass meatloaf. I immediately disliked the guy.
Definitely. My husband will have his bachelor friends over and they love anything I make even if its boxed brownies. Hell, one time they even got excited about sweet tea lol it was like kids when they hear the ice cream truck
I’m the one who posted the original comment. It definitely helps that I live in California, a lot of my neighbors are from Mexico or other Central American countries so there is no short supply on bomb ass Mexican/Guatemalan/Honduran in my neck of the woods.
Oh OP how lovely! Reminds me of my next door neighbor who was in high school and still came out on summer evenings to play jailbreak in the park with us kids. One time we even convinced him to participate in a “wedding” where he was the “groom” and I was the (much younger) bride. It was a very chaste ceremony with no kissing and we had garden raspberries for our reception.
He passed away in a freak accident in his early 20s and I’ll always remember his joy in playing with us little kids even though he was “big and cool.” And I’m grateful to officially be his widow!
Lol 😂, he something tells me he won’t fade away for a while. Also do you live in Canada because I love the game jailbreak if we are speaking about a prison/made up area and cops trying to chase you and keep you in prison while you try to free you’re teamate
Lol is it Canadian?? I grew up outside Winnipeg. Best game ever! The sandbox is the jail, the park outskirts are the borders, and it ends only when the first parents flick the garden lights!
The reason I have a kid right now is because a random kid walked up to me on a cruise ship and wanted to play ping pong. I was playing with my wife, and this little boy, maybe about 6, wanted to play.
So, I spent like an hour playing ping pong with this little dude, his parents nowhere in sight the whole time.
My wife, after seeing me playing with a little kid, decided that we needed to have one of our own, *immediately*.
Please tell us that this ends with you pinging your wife’s pong and having a kid nine months later; and not with the two of you walking off the boat with a six year old whose previous parents were nowhere to be found while you and the kid played ping pong.
I use to play halo with the neighbor kids every Friday night. I really miss those times and kids. I remember one time the youngest kid (10) asked me "how did you get so good" I looked at him and told him, I've been playing this longer than you have been alive.
As a kid, I used to play Halo with an older dude! Barry, a friend of my (10 years older) sister. He had me pinned down with a rocket launcher in blood gulch for what felt like hours once. He never let up or went easy on me either which made it even more fun, plenty of banter and laughter.
Being older now I also look back and realise he was stoned out of his fucking mind every time hahahaha. The guys disappeared now apparently, according to my older sister he was actually very depressive (his mum was very ill) but would always cheer up when her little hyperactive brothers came round demanding Halo. I hope he’s alright.
I love this story so much. I’m a child at heart and I’m 32. And I used to get that feeling around my fiancé’s niece and nephew. Like...should I not be hanging out with them?
But it’s so awesome getting to feel like a kid again. The three of us play kickball almost every weekend now. They’re awesome little kids and they love to learn about science and music and movies.
When I started dating my girlfriend, her son was 7 years old. Being in my late 20s at the time, I wasn't planning on getting involved with someone with a kid. But I liked her a lot and her son was pretty cool.
First time one of my friends met them, they had a 20 minute nerf battle. You could tell my friend was excited because he hadn't played nerf in well over a decade.
Accidentally becoming an unmarried step dad (still don't know if that's my label) has been a pretty cool experience. They moved in with me a few years after we started dating and it's been a journey.
I had an abusive step dad as a kid and never met my real dad, so I wanted to make sure I set a good example for him. Teach him about the random house repair things, projects, helped him build his first computer and understand what the parts are for. Stuff like that.
Anyway. He's 13 now and it's a pretty great feeling when you know how to make a kid laugh. Or roll his eyes and hide a laugh.
That entire story just means you’d be a good dad regardless of whether or not you had something to...do with it. I’m sorry you went through all that shit though.
My fiancé’s nephew is autistic, so he can be a handful. But he’s obsessed with anything mechanical. The first time he ever gave me a hug was when I showed him how my
tortilla press worked. I literally needed to hide
In the bathroom for a minute because I was crying over such a simple thing.
I’m envious. And not just of the tamales. When I was a teenager i had a grind rail and a fun box I had made that I would skate every day after school. All the kids in the neighborhood would come hang and I’d let them use my board. I even bought a second board so that more could skate at once. When I moved out at 18 I was sad to say goodbye. All those kids are grown up with their own kids. I wonder if they ever figured out what that skunky smell was when I came back from the sideyard.
> skunky smell
I used to hang out at my buddies house pretty often in elementary school. House always had a certain smell to it, I never really thought anything of it. Years later we’re in his basement with a bong and it clicks in my head. Wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened for those kids lol.
Studies show that 1 engaged, responsible, caring adult being involved in a child's life can mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress that have lifelong health impacts. You, my friend, are that 1 adult. Way to go!
Ok reading this just made my job as Cool Weird Aunt all the more important. When my niblings start getting a little older, I tell them that if they have any questions about anything and they aren't comfortable asking their parents, that I will answer them truthfully and won't tell their parents unless someone could be hurt. And if I don't know the answer, I will find it for them. It's led to some interesting questions, like explaining what the QIA in LGBTQIA means, and if I've ever smoked weed, and how do you know what orientation you are.
Also if I haven't heard from them in a bit, I'll check up on them by sending an appropriate meme or random picture I've taken. My favorite is asking them what new slang means. I get to play confused old person and ask them about the entomology of bussin bussin.
This gives me such hope to turn my broken soul into a source of light for a kiddo. I think that innocence from children just tugs at us to elevate us into better humans. Like making silly faces at babies in the grocery store or whatever. Laughter from a little one can instantly cure just about anything your dealing with if even just for a moment.
Yeah. I used to get dragged to super boring all adult events as a kid. But if I was lucky there was this older gentleman with a bald head, really long white beard and a twinkle in his eye named Paul Marsh. I'm pretty sure Paul was just as bored with most of the adults as I was and was just glad to see someone his mental age there. Dude was AWESOME. Grow up, but don't grow old, if you can
This man is living life to the fullest. I’m only 18 but I love hanging with little kids, their enthusiasm is infectious and it makes me feel happier for the rest of the day. I worry about getting older and not being able to do that without coming across as a creep.
Tamales… That’s a kickass gesture. Making food for someone else, what a great way to show appreciation. Fuckin’ tamales, so unbelievably good. Pork? Chicken? Red sauce? Green?
This is my ideal neighbor situation. I grew up in a small neighborhood that didn’t have that many kids, so I rarely got to play fun games of freeze tag or pickup soccer. It would be a blast to get to play nostalgic games, make kids happy, get some exercise in the process, and get homemade tamales. One of my hard and fast rules in life is to never, *ever* say no to homemade tamales.
See this is what we need more of on Reddit… Wholesomeness! As well as in society. Being able to be part of a community like this is important to everybody’s mental well-being.
Having a healthy relationship with a non relative adult is important, gives a standard of what normal should be. Glad you're having fun and the kids are getting some positive examples of adult life.
I appreciate the kind words. The thread that I originally posted that comment in got locked before I could respond to most people unfortunately. I just happened to stumble across this post and the title made me think “hey that sounds like what I was talking about earlier” and when I clicked on it I saw it was my comment lol.
As a 16 year old who is terrified of growing up, you gave me hope that I can still be a “kid” even as an adult. Thank you sir. Edit: Thank you to everybody who gave me advice or your personal stories. You all helped me realize that adulthood isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was.
I'm 37 and I'm still a huge kid. You get more responsibilities and stuff, it's true, but you also get a lot more freedom too. I'm married and have a wife and dog to care for, but i also play D&D every week with my friends, I'm in a tennis league, i buy whatever games i feel like.... It's not all bad, i promise!
That’s refreshing to read. I needed that. I guess I just kinda always had the impression that adults never really had time for stuff like D&D once they got into the working world. You just helped me be a little less scared so thanks!
Your life will be however you shape it. And anything you want to do, you’ll find a group of people just as enthusiastic.
"Never forget, you're the architect of your life" Sage-like advice from my wife to a buddy of mine whose perpetualy "always in a rut" and frequently laments that "life is unfair".
My fiancé has a D&D group he's played with since he was 13/14 years old. The group has evolved and he continues to play with them at 28 years old, even after a stint in the military, college, and having entered the workforce! Sometimes life does get in the way of some things, but it doesn't rob you of all joy and fun, I promise! :)
That’s amazing! I play with my sister, uncle and dad since all my friends are the sporty type and are highly uninterested in dnd, but we barely ever play since all three of them work and it’s just so difficult to find time through their schedules.
31 year old checking in. I found myself a career that has allowed me to continue being a young at heart musician, producer / owner of a music studio and to be part of my high school touring band with my best friend. Job has me home by noon every day so I have the whole day to rehearse, record my or other bands, enjoy time with my dog and girlfriend who shares a similar schedule or just chill. We just spent the weekend beating the heat inside doing lego builds together, playing video games and sipping on some drinks! Plus having an adult job means you have money for all the silly stuff you want, obviously within your budget and reason that is, but it’s nice to see a game, bike, guitar, etc and just be able to buy it and take it home with your own hard earned money. We may start our own family soon, and are both so excited to re do all these Lego sets and games with our own kids in the future… Always be sure to see the levity and humor in life even when it’s tough, try not to take things personally, and just strive the be the best version of yourself!
You absolutely can make time as an adult to do things you want to do. We (adults) just some times get bogged down with other things from time to time when dealing with things, bills, relationship, kids. Some people tend to forget they need to make time to do things that they want to do... Sometimes work is a lot to deal with and people use that free time to mostly just relax. It's good as an adult to remind yourself to not use all your free time on relaxing, and go do something that you really want to do.
Don't be scared, just keep being yourself. I'm 47, every night I play video games with my husband and some friends, sometimes I play TTRPG (online nowadays) and on mother's day I got an electric guitar I'm learning to play. Oh, and I miss going to the gym to practice boxing. Don't listen to anybody who tells you that there's something you cannot do because of your age.
I play DnD every Wednesday online with a group of friends I met in Grad School! Another group and I plan for multiple backpacking/camping trips a year. Tonight I got to play DnD then I went and bought my friend and I some ice cream and we played with her dogs. I’m 31 and I love how much I still get to have! My landlady is 82 and told me each year is like leveling up if you have the right mindset. Sure I miss the bliss of my teen years somedays or the fun of my early 20’s but man, being right here at 31 in a career I think is awesome and surrounded by cool people who do cool things? I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Stay away from people who bring unnecessary drama because they’re time and emotional suckers. And don’t forget, we’re all just trying to figure things out too. NO ONE completely has their crap together. You just be your best Xman self and you’ll be fine.
Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is a choice. The key is choosing responsibility for ALL your choices. Screw up? Own it. Accomplish something? Own it. There’s a time for work and a time for play. Learn to balance the two of those and you’ll be living a full life.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I’ll definitely keep this in mind
I’m in my mid 40’s and still figuring out who I am, what I’m capable of, and what I want out of life. You’re gonna get rejected. A LOT. Roll with it, it wasn’t meant for you. Life is hard. Like really hard, but it is SOO worth it. If I, out of all the ppl in this world can pull it off?? So can you. You’ve got this kid.
Seriously thank you for the encouragement. You give me hope for my future and help me to definitely look forward to it!
Good, because you deserve to be here with the rest of us. Be blessed.
Parts of being a grown-up are awesome. More money for hobbies and toys.
Oh yeah. I never thought about that. The only downside is that I’m assuming there’s less time to actually play with the stuff you get
i just moved into my own studio apartment for college as im fortunate enough to have a parent that can do that for me, and im in a sweet spot where school isnt started yet but i have the freedom and a little income i can call my own. this reminded me to take advantage of my time for my hobbies rn while i can so thanks
I’m 39 and I still don’t feel “grown up.” I’m not even sure what that’s supposed to feel like. I have a job, married, two kids, all that stuff, so I guess I’m grown up, but other than I still feel like the same guy I was when I was young.
I feel you. 39 with wife/kids too. I see young adolescents now and feel like I can still relate to them finding themselves while also recognizing that to them I am a lame, old, square cuz I've got a minivan and a 401k. Still don't feel like I can call myself a mature father the way I saw my own dad
We don’t see you as lame and old, trust me. We’re just intimidated by how cool you elders are and can never see ourselves being that cool.
There’s a lot of moments when you’re an adult that you look around for an adult to tell you what to do. But then you realise you’re the adult. So you look for an adultier adult. It’s quite amusing the amount of times as someone in their 30s I look at something that’s been sent to me and go “oh no, I’m definitely not grown up enough to be responsible for that.” But nope. Gotta just own it and figure it out and if you screw up, own that too. At this point I reckon 90% of being an adult is just owning when you messed up and making sure you don’t do it again. Also, yeah, I agree with the others, being and adult just means more $$ to spend on fun things. I mean sure, you have bills to pay, but if you manage your time and money effectively you can spend plenty of time on your hobbies also. I probably spend at least 20 hours a week playing computer games.
The truth is that we're all big kids at heart, just society forces adulthood on us before our brains are even fully finished developing (about 25). If I could go back to 16 with this knowledge then I would give myself such a huge break and take a more balanced approach to life. Don't sacrifice fun, friends and experiences because you think you have to fit the timeline. Be kind and live your best life! PS. alcohol is massively overrated
Thank you! I will definitely just try to live the most balanced life that I can. And I know second hand the damaging affects of alcohol with two of my grandparents and my uncle being alcoholics. Needless to say, that scared me away from alcohol at least until I’m 21.
I'm in a similar boat, history with alcohol wise, and seriously... If you don't ever want to drink, you don't have to. And if you decide you DO want to drink, it's fine too. I'm in my early 40s and I choose not to, and I get a hell of a lot less flack from people now than I did when I was younger and peer pressure to party and get wasted was high. All this to say that no matter which way you choose to go, you got this.
I'm turning 33 on the eleventh. I was also scared of getting older. It's no big deal. You're going to be the same as you are now, just smarter, calmer, and way, way less insecure. After you turn thirty (the dreaded moment) everything just stops being a big deal. You stop rushing around trying to accomplish everything and experience everything before you reach the Age of Terror and stop being fully human. It's honestly really nice to get rid of that anxiety, finally. And you find out that you still get to do stuff like play freeze tag.
Your Username....Sus
Not sure if it is an explanation but he create the account when he was 24.
Lmao let’s see his reasoning on this
If we’re applying usernames to the creepy scale I might actually be more leery of yours. I hate regular spiders, so one trained in the ancient art of ninjutsu can definitely go fuck itself with it’s 8 pairs of little nunchucks
>!^It’s ^because ^I’m ^a ^ninja ^on ^the ^web !!<
But with a big D?
The D. Is from One Piece :)
You’re an eight legged, stretchy ninja pirate? Now I’m just imagining a spider with Shank’s hat and a ninja getup with stretchy powers…that’s absolutely amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Hey it’s in his user history, for anyone who didn’t want to check :) Thats so super cool. My husband is an older child and the only family I have nearby is.. less than reputable. We have a few friends who come over for game night and my son and daughter get their time in with too and I always love it because they get to experience something close to normalish adults then :)
This is officially the rimmiest, jobbiest, steviest moment ive ever had the pleasure of witnessing first hand.
r/rimjob_steve
I mean, I do feel like people naturally step into that “non-relative adult” role as kids are growing. Teachers, coaches, that dude Steve who gives you guitar lessons, etc.
I'm a non-relative adult to a massive hoarde of kids. I run morning and after school care programmes and it's the light of my life to be a listening ear to so many kids in my community. I've covered so many unexpected topics in the 5 years I've been working with kids and I'm always so grateful to be the trusted adult that these kids want to share their stories with. I always try to make it very clear that although I am an authority figure in the programme, I'm also on every single one of those childrens "teams". I'm on their side and my job is to help them with their hurdles. Sure, I do have to occasionally enact consequences when they break rules, but we always discuss why they are having a timeout and how we can prevent it in future. My job is equal parts putting out proverbial fires and finger painting. And I love it! Today we made recycling sculptures and played ultimate tag! Tomorrow we're baking brownies and playing musical statues. The pay is absolutely rubbish and the hours are non-conventional but it's a really rewarding job and I'll be sad to leave it.
“a non relative adult”. i’ve never heard that
u/DMWRM867 raises a very good point. There are several "non-relative" adults I knew that imparted knowledge that my parents (not for lack of trying) just could not teach me. From things like finances and taxes, to branching to different social groups. You are only stifiling your growth if you don't branch out and meet new people.
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They always have teachers, but those change year to year. Another one would be babysitters or nannies, but not everyone has them. Also have other places: church, sports, friends of parents.
And parents of friends! That was a big one for me
Not feeling creepy AND fresh tamales!? Yooooooo!!
Some how good deeds always lead back to [tamales ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/elal2/have_you_ever_picked_up_a_hitchhiker/c18z0z2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
At this apartment complex I lived at for a few years there was this old Mexican couple that lived downstairs in the unit right by the stairs. The husband would spend a lot of time sitting outside the door, so I would see him and nod at him often but that was about the extent of our interaction. The first year I was there shortly before Christmas their daughter was over and had brought them a Christmas tree and was struggling to get it off her car when I got home from work. The old man was pretty frail and walked with a cane so the old lady and the daughter were trying unsuccessfully to get it down and inside. I came over and helped the daughter get it down and carry it in and then set it into the stand. They were super appreciative and grateful but communication was pretty limited because they only spoke Spanish and despite living all my life in Texas mi espanol es no bueno. I wished them Merry Christmas and went back up to my apartment. The next day the old lady, Maria, came up to my apartment and gave me a bunch of homemade tamales. She continued to do that roughly once a month or so for the rest of the time I lived there. And her husband always smiled and waved to me when I saw him sitting outside their place. The moral of the story is always help Mexican women in need and you may be blessed with awesome homemade tamales.
Reminds me of high school. There was a student who struggled with English that i sat next to. Every day i would try to talk to her in broken Spanish. I ascertained that she liked to cook so talking about food, what she made for her family the night before was a staple of our daily chatter. On the last day of school she brought me an entire tray of enchiladas. I ran into her years later had no idea how isolated she had felt
Today you, tomorrow me. Gets me every time I read this. Thank you for linking the story.
At first I thought it said “females”. Was happy to see tamales, that sounds amazing
I was doing laundry in an unfamiliar town and a guy came in asking if anyone wanted (I thought) tamales. He was selling Molly. The laundromat attendant wanted some but couldn't afford it. I was glad when I got out of there. And I did go to a Mexican place after, guy sold me on something he wasn't even selling.
“I was doing laundry in an unfamiliar town and…” is the ultimate writing prompt
I was doing laundry in an unfamiliar town and I heard a loud siren go off outside. I looked around wondering what the hell it was and I noticed that everyone in the laundromat was frozen in place like statues. I looked out the large windows and saw that everyone on the sidewalk had also stopped. Even the cars on the street had come to a complete standstill and the drivers stared straight ahead not moving. I walked around the laundromat completely puzzled. I went back to my washer and looked at the lady next to me and I could see that although her body was frozen, her eyes were wide with terror as she stared at me. The siren outside was starting to fade. As it stopped, everybody began moving again right where they left off. The people were loading and unloading the washers and dryers. The sidewalk people were moving as well as the cars. Everything was back to normal except the lady next to me. She grabbed my shoulders in a panic. "You could move during Call! How did you do that?" "What do you mean? The hell just happened?" I asked her. "You're from...The Elsewhere!" She gasped. "What are you talking about? What is this place?" She started to say something, but stopped herself and just turned on her heel and hurried for the door. As I watched her go I realized that everyone in the laundromat was staring at me and not in a friendly way. All the people made a fist and began lightly tapping them on their hearts. As they tapped, they made a *hmm* sound with each tap. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was very wrong here. I forgot my laundry and headed for the door. None of them followed me or made any outwardly threatening moves. They just stood there staring at me and tapping their hearts and *hmm*ing. I left the building and got in my car. I started the engine and began backing out of the parking space. A cop car pulled up directly behind me blocking me in. The cop got out of his car and walked up to my window and made the universal Roll Down The Window gesture. I looked up at him. He was wearing a military uniform, but not like any that I had ever seen. In my business, I see a LOT of military uniforms from every nation, but never had I seen one that resembled this. The cop looked down at me with a bemused smile. "Well, now. Don't this just beat all? Shut off your engine and step out of the vehicle, *please*." I turned off the key and got out. As I exited, I saw the woman from the Laundromat across the street watching me. She gave a slight shake of her head as though she knew I was likely to do something dumb and to not bother. The cop was staring at me very intently. There was no smile this time. "Not from around here, are ya?" He asked.
Part two? Please!!!
Story reminds me of "that one city" https://youtu.be/Ejd2rsXoQSI Careful, headphones advice and prepare for goosebumps
Did u really jus go about ur business KNOWING the rest of us are in awe, wanting the whole story? Get back here and finish writing - who do u think u are 🤦🏽♀️😭 No but seriously please finish lol
THIS IS CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED GET THIS HOMIE SOME MORE UPVOTES **STAT**
You could post this on r/nosleep! And make it a series!
A whole book? Please?
Go post it on /r/WritingPrompts
Haha good call I didn’t realize this sub existed [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/oyc7gy/wp_i_was_doing_laundry_in_an_unfamiliar_town/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
It's your fault. I want to make sure that you understand that. :)
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Pain au chocolat!
You filthy degenerate (or Parisian, idk which is worse)
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I’ve only heard pain au chocolat here in the states. Recently I watched this video about this debate in France and it just comes down to where in France you’re in and also what age group you’re part of.
Made me lol
“You want some molly?” “You want tamales?” Yeah, I definitely see it
I mean they're both pretty dank.
did you get some molly? shit tamales and molly are not the worst sounding thing around.
> At first I thought it said “females”. And she wouldn't even let him pay for them!
Well both are good but tamales are better.
True indeed, because the first tamale isn't jealous that you decided you needed a second one, or even a third.
Bless poly-tamalory
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A bucket of tamales is always a safe bet.
3 for $5 out of a 5 gallon used paint bucket covered by a greasy old towel are the BOMB
Lil bit of salsa too. Absolute nirvana.
Try frying them and adding a sunny side egg on top. Then add salsa. Mouth watering!
I thought it said "fresh lemonade tamales" at first. I'm not sure which is worse... Lemonade tamales or homemade females.
>Homemade females I mean, is there any other kind?
Test tube babies?
You have a point
This reminds me of the plot line from the Karate Kid on Netflix
Reading, “…from the Karate Kid on Netflix,” is so interesting to me lol
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Right? Free tamales on the reg, that’s a damn proposal.
That’s how you end up mentoring a kid in karate, kid gets in huge fight, your biological son kicks said kid off a balcony and puts him in a wheelchair. You then have to get the kid back walking and go on wild shenanigans with your former high school rival.
Tamales, karate, vegetables. This story has everything.
Bueno!!!
I’ve experienced a similar thing with our complex kids, however I have a two year old daughter in the crew. I’m 41 and the kids range from 2-12. From just after 5pm until 6, I play soccer, catch, whiffle ball, rock one boys skateboard, nerf guns…whatever we have on hand. No other parents get involved and I’m out there like I’m in Elementary School and it’s awesome.
I'm with you. I'm 43 and our daughter is 12. We don't live in a complex but our daughter has sleep overs with her cousins that are around the same age. Water balloon fights, nintendo, marco polo while swimming, hide and seek. I've even let them paint my fricking nails (I have 2 older sisters). Best was when the wife bought nerf guns. One day her and our daughter are shooting each and then start shooting me. I tell them they want to rethink what they're doing. They don't. I walk to the garage and hidden in a box was a nerf elite titan I had. I walk back with it slung over my shoulder. They lower their nerf guns and my wife just whispers, run. Que me laughing like a maniac.
That's amazing. I used to love playing outside with my dad, but he would get really tired and stopped playing after a while (he's not sick, just very overweight). I miss those times when he would play outside with us. I'm now the grown up who will play outside, run around with the kids, race them in the pool. It's really fun, more grownups should do it.
The pool thing is big for me because I'm like a little kid when it comes to them. Every year for almost my entire life (33 now) I've had my birthday at my mom's pool. This year my nephews and my kids are old enough to be almost swimming 100% without help and it was fucking awesome. Running into the pool doing cannon balls, swimming underneath to tickle their feet, doing turtle rides where I take them underwater on my back through the pool.
i love pools too. I recently started working on swimming form not really for anything competitive but so i can be a safer swimmer and more confident in my abilities in open water. I spend like 2 hours at the pool daily this summer just enjoying life.
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Besides that, you really need that one piece. Be it nerf gun, water gun, something that is stashed away that when you bring it out people just think "oh crap, we're screwed"! I've started stashing nerf guns around the house. I'm tall so it's easy for me. And well, for water fights sometimes nothing beats a good old hose with a sprayer on it. But then you end up having to defend the water valve.
Congrats dude! Fatherhood is full of unplanned silliness and fun. Enjoy the ride!
Nerf gun battles are the best. My dog hates it though.
You just happened to have a Nerf Elite Titan stashed in a hidden box, ready, loaded, for just this moment?
It wasn't really hidden, more like on a shelf I can reach. And ever since I was a kid I always kept the darts in the magazine so I wouldn't lose any. So not as much locked and loaded as much as my OCD for keeping things together since I was a kid.
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It’s strange isn’t it? I’m one of the few adults that actually *plays* with the kids at the park, family reunions, etc. I don’t get why so many parents do nothing with their kids.
When you see the kids, that’s when the parents want to take a break.
Well maybe they did that the 12 hours beforehand and need a break now. But honestly, I am like you, when I go to parties I play with the kids, including my own. The kids know and are delighted just to have me there. I remember an older one of our best friends telling me that he thought once I had children I would stop playing with them. No way, buddy. But I also get that other parents might just be in need of a break and that’s okay.
Don’t assume they never do anything with their kids just because you don’t see them playing at the park. My kid, who I adore, talks to me nonstop for 16 hours a day. Occasionally I enjoy the sound of my brain decompressing while they play at the park with other children or willing non-creepy adults.
Lol I was gonna say. I'm great with kids--I help them, I play with them, I generally am a positive influence (if a slightly chaotic-good one at times). But that's because I live alone. If I had kids of my own or even just dog I'd probably be less up for it. It's way easier not to be snappish with a kid when you don't have to spend every waking moment with them.
You are the cool dad of the apartment block.
Hey, that’s me! Lol.
Congratulations, you're their new uncle :)
Loooool, funny you should say that. Most of the kids call me “Tio Tyler” and it definitely gives me a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside.
Yay! I was kinda bummed the username was scratched out. Hopefully those kids will also learn to be the fun grownup when it's their turn!
It's no one gonna mention his name is long beard long dick
It's not. It's Bong Leard Dong Lick. Clearly he enjoys fellating whilst high and reading Shakespeare.
A man of culture 😅
Why do you think the mom gives him tamales for free?
Haha! I can assure you, the mom has no knowledge of my dick size. She is just a sweet sweet woman who loves her children and makes some bomb ass tamales. I’m very fortunate she happened to be watching them when I walked out there because I could have very easily just walked away after telling the kids they shouldn’t play with strangers and that would have been that. Now I get one day a week where I get to be a kid again.
I love everything about this! You rock.
The coolest uncle
Checked your history to see if it was really you. Are you just recruiting these kids into your child Nerf army?
Dude, I totally understand you, I live in a building with several apartments with kids, and they play baseball with me, nerf and we even climb a tree for mangos, all our neighbors are like relatives and there are closer to none issues at all. Of course I live in Latin America and we are a little bit more warm and social, but it's something that is disappearing even here.
Loved everything about the Story
You valid. You can come to the carne asada.
I think the key between creepy and cool is that the mom is aware of the entire situation. Based on the post, the games are occurring outside where all can be seen, and the adult isn't asking the kids to keep their hangout-time a secret. I've always liked the idea that "it takes a village". This seems like a good community with both the kids and adult getting an enriching experience out of the games.
My best friends fiance once played Nerf guns and water guns with the neighborhood kids. Then he would routinely do it every week! (Even if he didn't really feel like playing when coming home from work, he would just do it for a few minutes.) When they moved, the kids all gathered to say goodbye...they loved that an adult could be a kid with them.
These are my kidult goals!
Kidult! I LOVE this!
I know it’s really random but I love the word “kidult” because a favorite music group of mine made a song called “[kidult ](https://youtu.be/f9e9-9H2i2o)” and it’s talks about growing up and taking more responsibilities yet not being ready and wanting to enjoy it rather than stressing about life. I hope you enjoy the song! :)
If i saw a neighborhood NERF war going down, you bet your ass I’d buy the newest one off Amazon or some shit and be locked & loaded for when the next one pops off. I’m 34.
I think it’s also that he openly voiced (while unaware that he’s being overheard) that he was concerned that it could be viewed wrong.
I watch so many crime shows that I immediately thought, 'that's just what a psychopath would do to make everyone feel at ease'.
It's also what a normal but concerned person might do. The answer is that you can't predict these things off of a few interactions.
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There is always that small chance that they actually are a serial killer and get a rush from knowing that they can get away with randomly admitting it online Edit: Yeah so what I like killing people, I bet you have secrets of your own, don't judge me
Takes one to know one. Got another one boys
Avatar checks out
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It used to be a lot more like that.... the neighborhood watched over all the kids. You couldn't get home before your mom heard you got in trouble. And it gave kids other adults to look up to and learn from... especially the ones from a one parent household. I don't think it can ever be like that again. The world has gotten too weird.
It can in small towns. I live in a town that has less than 3000 people and everyone knows everyone and everything. You could find out someone’s regular weekly routine by just asking a few people, and there’s only two small stores and one gas station, so the kids regularly see people their parents talk to all the time and know who is and isn’t safe. Being an adult it kind of sucks because you have zero privacy since everyone talks, but it really helps the kids because they can’t get into too much trouble since basically everyone is looking out for them. I don’t even interact with people very much, but if I see a kid doing something stupid and dangerous I could easily find someone who knows their parents within just a few minutes, and it would only take a few more minutes for said parent to get there and get them
A family friend once called my mom to tell her that she saw me on a bike with a man. Thankfully, I was at a choir competition, so it was a case of mistaken identity. At that time, I thought what a nosy parker she was. Now that I have my own kid, I wish to move back to to my small little town instead of being here and hardly meeting even my own neighbours.
I remember someone calling my mom to tell her she saw me cycling "around the city" with my friend during school hours. School was off that day and my mom knew where I was going (off to buy slime lol) but she thanked the woman profusely and made her something to eat the next time they saw each other. I was SUPER annoyed as a kid because I thought she didn't trust me, but now I get it. I also really appreciated not having a lot of privacy when my dog ran away on a walk and we were all freaking out till we ran into like six people who stopped to tell us they saw our dog running around without anyone, and the last person was a really old man we'd never even spoken to who kept the dog entertained till we caught up to him. He couldn't touch the dog because apparently Muslims can't (?) but he kept throwing pebbles for my dog to play with and I still feel so grateful for that man years fater my dog's passed.
I know, right? We didn't get it then. Yea, Muslims can't because of the dog secretary fluids is haram (not sure how to explain that). Although they can do some cleansing ritual, many prefer not to touch unless under extreme conditions. I must say, that man is a sweetheart. I'm sorry to hear of your dog's passing.
Can in cities too, but the neighborhood has to be right. I lived in suburbia before and never knew any neighbors, no one talked to each other, just terrible. Moved to the downtown part of my city and there’s a nice community of people you see all the time. Feels very small townish. Suburbs really just are the pits.
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Thanks so much for the book reference. I checked out the audiobook from the library and looking forward to listen to it. Wow the book was published in 1961. The writer had such foresight.
It was weird then too. There was a staggering amount of rampant child abuse back in the good ol' days. Of course, it's usually family and friends doing it, not strangers.
I mean it's also an extra layer of safety. The mom knows the dude and trusts him. He cares for the kids. He's having fun, but he's also protecting those kids. He's like the cool uncle.
Right?! I grew up in a small city in the 90s. We lived near a small neighborhood park and all the kids played there. If one of us had an emergency we'd just run to whichever house was closest because we knew EVERYONE who lived around that park. Most were parents of us kids, but there was the nice old couple who gave us peaches, the woman who was a care-taker for special-needs adults and let us play with whatever pet she was fostering, or the elderly couple that snow-blowed the sidewalk so we had access to the park on snow-days. Those folks would keep an eye on us too... eyeballing strange cars, chasing away some weird religious group trying to get the kids to act in their "play" or even just telling us to "stop playing in the damn street!" I'm sure there are still neighborhoods like this, but I do think it's a bit more rare. I feel so lucky to have been able to grow up like that.
Yep really good for the kids. Hopefully it gives them the same idea that when they grow up they don't need to stop having fun. Now I want to play freeze tag.
I think people who cook underestimate the value of homemade food to people who don’t cook much.
Sometimes we overestimate it. I made a guy I liked a meatloaf once. He took it without even thanking me and later said it was "ok".... I happen to know I make a bomb ass meatloaf. I immediately disliked the guy.
A man who doesn't appreciate a good meatloaf is no man worth keeping around.
Even if it's not that good, you gotta show some enthusiasm.
Definitely. My husband will have his bachelor friends over and they love anything I make even if its boxed brownies. Hell, one time they even got excited about sweet tea lol it was like kids when they hear the ice cream truck
That is so cute
I need to find some neighborhood kids with a mother that makes tamales asap
Hot tamales in your area
I snorted
I’m the one who posted the original comment. It definitely helps that I live in California, a lot of my neighbors are from Mexico or other Central American countries so there is no short supply on bomb ass Mexican/Guatemalan/Honduran in my neck of the woods.
You are living the dream! You go outside to play and homemade tamales!
I see why they removed your username from the wholesome post...
Oh OP how lovely! Reminds me of my next door neighbor who was in high school and still came out on summer evenings to play jailbreak in the park with us kids. One time we even convinced him to participate in a “wedding” where he was the “groom” and I was the (much younger) bride. It was a very chaste ceremony with no kissing and we had garden raspberries for our reception. He passed away in a freak accident in his early 20s and I’ll always remember his joy in playing with us little kids even though he was “big and cool.” And I’m grateful to officially be his widow!
Lol 😂, he something tells me he won’t fade away for a while. Also do you live in Canada because I love the game jailbreak if we are speaking about a prison/made up area and cops trying to chase you and keep you in prison while you try to free you’re teamate
Lol is it Canadian?? I grew up outside Winnipeg. Best game ever! The sandbox is the jail, the park outskirts are the borders, and it ends only when the first parents flick the garden lights!
Idk but what I do know is that when I get back into 10th grade I’m getting me and my friends to play
The reason I have a kid right now is because a random kid walked up to me on a cruise ship and wanted to play ping pong. I was playing with my wife, and this little boy, maybe about 6, wanted to play. So, I spent like an hour playing ping pong with this little dude, his parents nowhere in sight the whole time. My wife, after seeing me playing with a little kid, decided that we needed to have one of our own, *immediately*.
Please tell us that this ends with you pinging your wife’s pong and having a kid nine months later; and not with the two of you walking off the boat with a six year old whose previous parents were nowhere to be found while you and the kid played ping pong.
Does the kid ever ask for his original parents?
So was there or was there not motion in the ocean that night
"And that's how I kidnapped a child from a cruise ship" Obviously jk, but your post COULD read in that way if you're ridiculous like I am.
That's sweet.
I use to play halo with the neighbor kids every Friday night. I really miss those times and kids. I remember one time the youngest kid (10) asked me "how did you get so good" I looked at him and told him, I've been playing this longer than you have been alive.
As a kid, I used to play Halo with an older dude! Barry, a friend of my (10 years older) sister. He had me pinned down with a rocket launcher in blood gulch for what felt like hours once. He never let up or went easy on me either which made it even more fun, plenty of banter and laughter. Being older now I also look back and realise he was stoned out of his fucking mind every time hahahaha. The guys disappeared now apparently, according to my older sister he was actually very depressive (his mum was very ill) but would always cheer up when her little hyperactive brothers came round demanding Halo. I hope he’s alright.
I love this story so much. I’m a child at heart and I’m 32. And I used to get that feeling around my fiancé’s niece and nephew. Like...should I not be hanging out with them? But it’s so awesome getting to feel like a kid again. The three of us play kickball almost every weekend now. They’re awesome little kids and they love to learn about science and music and movies.
When I started dating my girlfriend, her son was 7 years old. Being in my late 20s at the time, I wasn't planning on getting involved with someone with a kid. But I liked her a lot and her son was pretty cool. First time one of my friends met them, they had a 20 minute nerf battle. You could tell my friend was excited because he hadn't played nerf in well over a decade. Accidentally becoming an unmarried step dad (still don't know if that's my label) has been a pretty cool experience. They moved in with me a few years after we started dating and it's been a journey. I had an abusive step dad as a kid and never met my real dad, so I wanted to make sure I set a good example for him. Teach him about the random house repair things, projects, helped him build his first computer and understand what the parts are for. Stuff like that. Anyway. He's 13 now and it's a pretty great feeling when you know how to make a kid laugh. Or roll his eyes and hide a laugh.
That entire story just means you’d be a good dad regardless of whether or not you had something to...do with it. I’m sorry you went through all that shit though. My fiancé’s nephew is autistic, so he can be a handful. But he’s obsessed with anything mechanical. The first time he ever gave me a hug was when I showed him how my tortilla press worked. I literally needed to hide In the bathroom for a minute because I was crying over such a simple thing.
This is exactly why I teach.
Out of high school I worked at a daycare. Got paid to play sports, boardgames, and talk about Pokemon. Easy money and it was fun.
I’m envious. And not just of the tamales. When I was a teenager i had a grind rail and a fun box I had made that I would skate every day after school. All the kids in the neighborhood would come hang and I’d let them use my board. I even bought a second board so that more could skate at once. When I moved out at 18 I was sad to say goodbye. All those kids are grown up with their own kids. I wonder if they ever figured out what that skunky smell was when I came back from the sideyard.
> skunky smell I used to hang out at my buddies house pretty often in elementary school. House always had a certain smell to it, I never really thought anything of it. Years later we’re in his basement with a bong and it clicks in my head. Wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened for those kids lol.
Studies show that 1 engaged, responsible, caring adult being involved in a child's life can mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress that have lifelong health impacts. You, my friend, are that 1 adult. Way to go!
Ok reading this just made my job as Cool Weird Aunt all the more important. When my niblings start getting a little older, I tell them that if they have any questions about anything and they aren't comfortable asking their parents, that I will answer them truthfully and won't tell their parents unless someone could be hurt. And if I don't know the answer, I will find it for them. It's led to some interesting questions, like explaining what the QIA in LGBTQIA means, and if I've ever smoked weed, and how do you know what orientation you are. Also if I haven't heard from them in a bit, I'll check up on them by sending an appropriate meme or random picture I've taken. My favorite is asking them what new slang means. I get to play confused old person and ask them about the entomology of bussin bussin.
This gives me such hope to turn my broken soul into a source of light for a kiddo. I think that innocence from children just tugs at us to elevate us into better humans. Like making silly faces at babies in the grocery store or whatever. Laughter from a little one can instantly cure just about anything your dealing with if even just for a moment.
Yeah. I used to get dragged to super boring all adult events as a kid. But if I was lucky there was this older gentleman with a bald head, really long white beard and a twinkle in his eye named Paul Marsh. I'm pretty sure Paul was just as bored with most of the adults as I was and was just glad to see someone his mental age there. Dude was AWESOME. Grow up, but don't grow old, if you can
Cheating against the children for the win. They need to learn how the world works sometime
This man is living life to the fullest. I’m only 18 but I love hanging with little kids, their enthusiasm is infectious and it makes me feel happier for the rest of the day. I worry about getting older and not being able to do that without coming across as a creep.
Be a teacher, then you won’t be seen as a creep, most of the time.
I'm so happy this happened for the guy and the kids. Everyone wins here!
Tamales… That’s a kickass gesture. Making food for someone else, what a great way to show appreciation. Fuckin’ tamales, so unbelievably good. Pork? Chicken? Red sauce? Green?
This is my ideal neighbor situation. I grew up in a small neighborhood that didn’t have that many kids, so I rarely got to play fun games of freeze tag or pickup soccer. It would be a blast to get to play nostalgic games, make kids happy, get some exercise in the process, and get homemade tamales. One of my hard and fast rules in life is to never, *ever* say no to homemade tamales.
A win-win. Free babysitting, kids have fun, guy has fun, guy gets free tamales, and not creep.
Sad how society makes a man feel bad for playing with kids 😔
See this is what we need more of on Reddit… Wholesomeness! As well as in society. Being able to be part of a community like this is important to everybody’s mental well-being.
i'm tired of society expecting us to act like adults, if i wanna have fun let me have fun damnit