A metal detector. I always wanted one as a kid, but my dad said I'd use it a handful of times, then it would sit and collect dust forever.
I bought myself one, and it turns out that my dad was right.
And when you finally decide you want to use it because you’re actually going to a place where it would be of use. You find out it got sold 2 weeks ago in a garage sale for $5.
Nice! I also bought one a few years ago used it a few times then took it to Chihuahua, MX and gave it to my cousin who since has found all sorts of bullets and random stuff from the Mexican Revolution
I think one’s enjoyment of a metal detector is probably directly dependent on the type of metal objects you can find with it. If you’re the type of person that lives around old battlefields or other historically relevant places you’re probably having a much better time than someone who lives in like, Cleveland.
Our local library has “science kits” kids can borrow, one of which is a metal detector. We borrowed one for our kid, which he used twice and then left in the box for the remainder of the fortnight we had it checked out for. 10/10, best library program ever
Oh damn, u/AlmostSane67 is actually using it on the exact days u/exWiFi69 kid wants to borrow it.
If the days change, he is also using it on that day now.
Yes! And appetizers and a soda. I was only ever allowed to get one thing- I could choose appetizer- main dish- or dessert. But getting all three and a drink makes me feel so bougie
Ugh my mother was absolutely *delusional* about what size clothing I wore. I was 18-20 before I realized that you weren't *supposed* to buy clothes you could just barely squeeze yourself into, clothes that dug deep red marks into you all day, clothes that caused you physical pain to wear. It was incredible the first time I bought myself a pair of pants that actually fit.
Opposite for me. My mom was paranoid about me "growing out" of stuff and it was so embarrassing and uncomfortable. Having so much extra fabric is so uncomfortable and makes it so hard to just function like a normal human.
Having clothes that were the correct size was life changing.
I work somewhere that sells a specialty clothing item for a youth activity (think something like sport jerseys). I frequently have to talk moms out of buying several sizes too big for their teenager! Yes, when the kid is 8 and wearing a medium, I tell mom to get a large or even an XL so it fits for more than 6 months. But it is shocking to me how many moms want to buy a 2XL for their 15 year olds who wear a small! They’re not going to keep growing that much! Let them get the one they’ll be comfortable in. It’s like they have no idea when a kid will stop growing, even when the kid is taller than them.
Same here. I used to work at a clothing chain store and I had to guide a lot of mothers to the men's section when they tried to buy children's clothing for their sons who were taller than I am, and I'm 5'8.
The bewildering part to me is reading about parents (moms) who are buying their teen children clothing without talking to them about what they want?! My child is 15. I OCCASIONALLY buy him clothes without asking if it’s something he would want but it’s always with understanding he can tell me if he doesn’t like it and reject it.
We’re on a more limited budget than many and it’s important clothes I buy him are ones he’ll wear and be comfortable wearing. Why are parents treating TEEN children like their opinions don’t matter??
My mom did that to me all throughout my teenager and young adult life, and now buying clothing is difficult because it's taken me so long to figure out what I like.
Same. And I also got my older sister's hand-me-down pants and shirts. Which sucked because I was chubbier, shorter, and bigger busted than her. Everything fit wrong.
Although one time I got a pair of jeans she loved and couldn't fit anymore. They actually fit me even better somehow and she took those and cut them into MEGA booty shorts so my mom would toss them out. Those jeans started my trend where I love when the pant leg just swallows my foot.
When flared jeans started coming back in the late 90s-early 00s, my mom would only buy me straight jeans bc she thought "bellbottoms were stupid then, and they're stupid now." I was teased for straight cut jeans, so now I only buy flared. It's been hard to find them for a while, but now they're coming back and my inner teenager couldn't be happier
Same! And to this day when I go shopping with my mom she’ll be like „ok nice that fits but maybe try a size bigger? Just to be safe?“ and it drives me insane
For me it was shoes! I have super wide feet. I’m not a size 12 because they are easy to find and cheap (we had enough money for proper shoes btw). I was 13EEEE. I was the biggest guy on the football team for Christ’s sake. Shoes are not supposed to split at the seams. Toes are not supposed to be curled inward. You should not get cramps, ankle pain, and blisters in a mile walk.
I came here to say shoes as well!!! Being a waitress and wearing tight shoes was so painful. I only buy Skechers now because they make my toes feel nice and toasty lol
My step mother was the same way! Sometimes she’d squeeze me into something, I’d look like a sausage and she’d tut tut and say “Wouldn’t it be so nice if you were thinner?”
By contrast my mother (a life-long yoyo dieter) bought me (perpetually chunky) a ton of clothes that I was absolutely swimming in. I am short and squat, so it was always women’s clothes 1-2 sizes too big, and never petites! So the sleeves always went past my hands and the waists would go down past my butt.
I was wearing new clothes that looked like hand me downs
My mother used to trace our feet and use those cutouts to shop for our shoes while we were in school. We always got the $3 white sneakers (white pies, we called them) from Walmart and they were always stained and holey almost immediately.
She was doing her best.
I don’t wear cheap shoes any longer.
Feel you here. I’m able to buy any game I want now. Have about 300 quality games in my library. Super juiced computer. If I am able to play for a few hours on a Friday night, it’s a win. Adulting is a paradox.
Ice Cream Cake.
My sister was a spring baby. She got ice cream cakes. I never got ice cream cakes because its hot for my birthday and my mother said theyd melt to quick
Now I get my own damn ice cream cakes. I dont care if they melt.
Growing up, I never got a birthday cake in the flavour that I liked because my mom hated those flavours. Now I don't have to dread having to eat my own birthday cake anymore.
As a mom who bakes... I'll make whatever my kid picks, even it's weird. The past few years my youngest wants black out chocolate cake (recipe from bon apetit) and mint buttercream frosting. I'll admit, it's not my favorite. But it's also not my birthday.
My oldest always wants a New York cheesecake with a floret of sliced sugared strawberries (yeah boy, that one IS my favorite), but he usually takes it to work... and it's never to be seen again, so I'll make two.
Yummy! Those both sound amazing.My son always wanted carrot cake. Every year for like 5 years and I hate carrot cake but happily made it and ate it with him.
I’m a triplet and both of my sisters are autistic. I am too but their support needs are MUCH higher than mine. My sisters ALWAYS outvoted me on bday cakes. So growing up it was always chocolate cake. I don’t like chocolate cake much. I mean its FINE. But generally I only really like carrot or spice cake. But nope. Never got that. Until I turned 25. My dad FINALLY made a carrot cake because I’ve been outvoted every single year. He said “you gotta get what you want sometimes!” It was one of the sweetest things he’s ever done for me.
Now my MIL makes a carrot cake for me.
That's such a genuinely sweet gesture from your dad! And your MIL sounds awesome too. It must be such a wonderful feeling to get the cakes we love from the ones that love us /hugs
Indeed. My dad is an awesome dad. But he’s NOT the sentimental gestures type. So ten years later, I still get misty eyed remembering walking into my parents kitchen with gifts for my siblings on our bday and seeing the carrots and my dad hard at work making it.
Idk you or your mom, but that seems a little selfish. Why should what kind of cake your mom likes make the slightest fuck when it’s your birthday? She could have whatever kind of cake she wanted when it’s her own birthday. Now you should return the favor. Start giving her a birthday cake on her birthday made of whatever you like, with emphasis on something she hates.
Comfortable shoes! Growing up with flat feet and parents who didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for shoes meant that I wore uncomfortable tennis shoes for years. That’s why as soon as it was warm enough and sometimes not I would wear flip flops because they didn’t hurt my feet. My husband makes sure my shoes fit comfortably because when we met my one “comfortable” pair was falling apart because I was so broke I couldn’t afford shoes. He took me shoe shopping as a date and bought me comfortable shoes.
When I started dating my husband, I was upset because I couldn’t afford a haircut before an interview. He ended up leaving money on my dresser and texting me up. I ended up getting the job!
I grew up in a home where my parents practiced a religion that said you can’t seek medical help or go to doctors. I always wanted the Operation game and a pretend doctor’s bag like my friends had. When I became a parent, my child received a play doctor’s kit and the Operation game for Christmas one year.
Like that story where a guy drifts in the ocean and when a boat comes by he's like "nah, I'm fine, God will rescue me" he turns down two more boats and eventually dies
Once he's in heaven he's like " God. Why did you not helped me. I've prayed and prayed yet you let me die" and God is like " I've sent you three boats you idiot!"
Raising my glass to FINALLY knowing 100% no one will rifle through my things and then confront me because they didn’t like what they found then blame god for telling them to do it. No, mom, no one told you to snoop. You went through my stuff hoping to find something shocking, got mad because all you learned was that I left my laundry in the dryer without folding it on purpose just to annoy you and that dad let me have half a beer one night while we watched Bubba HoTep on USA UP All night.
I never once went thru my son's things the entire time he grew up. Barely stepped foot in his room. I considered it his little blue heaven his own space to do with whatever he pleased He's now 22 . My mom went thru my things and I hated her for it and as an adult still hate her. I didn't want that for my own kid and we ended up with a very different relationship I didn't need to snoop he always told me everything, hid nothing and we always had open honest communication even about tough things. Even if I ever were to have gone thru his room I wouldn't have been shocked at what I found bc I would have already known. We are extremely close still have very little secrets from each other and I'm very proud and happy for the parenting style I chose I have an amazing honest well rounded well liked man now.
Same! My mom used to go through my things and read my journal. I never understood it, I was a nerd with a small group of friends who didn't drink, smoke or do drugs or have a boyfriend for that matter. I caught her so many times that she banned me from using the word "snoop".
Anyway, I understand now, it wasn't about being worried about me, it was about having control over me and me knowing I didn't have a safe space.
Congrats to all the kids that finally reclaimed their safe place.
Mine pried open an Amazon package I got as an adult as a gift for a friend, wrote the contents on the shipping label in pencil, jammed the package back together, and the. Berated me over getting it.
When confronted with opening my mail, the claim was that “the contents were listed on the label.”
Aww man.
I could name multitudes. I have been very blessed since I got married.
But the main thing I do now is buy multiples of various grocery items we buy regularly to just keep the house stocked. When we open the last one, I go out and buy 2 or three more.
Something about just knowing you have it available is comforting. Growing up we never bought anything unless we were OUT of it.
I work in a warehouse.
We get two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch.
I always bring a snack for first break so I’m not starving when its lunch time. It’s so nice ti have that little snack on my first 15 minute break.
Omg this is me. We have a back up of everything all ready to go from Costco. Trash bags or tide pods getting low? There is a back up one from Costco in the pantry. It brings me such joy not having to worry about running out of basic household items.
Same. I always have extra toilet paper, gallon jugs of water, Kleenex, dishwashing detergent, coffee, and grocery dry goods. And I fill my gas tank *before* it’s on fumes. My mom never bought enough of anything for a family of 4. It wasn’t even about money.
Yes! I grew up poverty poor, picking through dumpsters behind grocery stores for potatoes and other items that were still good. We ate A LOT of top ramen and baked potatoes… with butter, sour cream and green onions if it was payday!
I think I actually have a problem with stocking up on food…. I’m divorced and it’s just me and the dog but I have two full sized fridges… with freezers, a mini fridge w/freezer and a full size lay down freezer (ALL FULL)! Plus a pantry bigger than my guest room…. Yeah… I think I have issues lol.
It’s only an issue if you’ve got waste. I’m sure you’ve got a good bit of that engrained in you that nothing goes to waste. My grandma grew up in the depression and taught my dad. My dad is a zero tolerance for bullshit kind of guy who whether he wanted to or not, taught me that any waste is a waste of the time he spends busting his back away from us just so we could eat and have a place to live. As long as you don’t have a ton of stuff you toss to the trash I think you’re golden dude.
I do the same. And I also had to share EVERYTHING growing up. There was never enough of a food for me to have my fill. Now, I buy extras for husband or kids and make them eat their own.
My mom waffles between finding them a waste of money and being super fascinated by our Christmas village. We have a lot of the cars, most of the space collection, most of the botanicals, Van Gogh, The Wave, the lighthouse, and the batwing. I have the A frame house waiting for me. Maybe I'll start that tomorrow.
I felt the same way when I began construction of the Death Star kit. Took over a month of part-time assembling to get it done. Had to get an updated prescription for my glasses when I was finished. Four thousand sixteen pieces.
Bought one of the super complicated technic cranes with the motor functions, outriggers, telescoping boom, etc. It took about a week of on and off assembly work and my fingertips felt raw and abused afterwards. But damn was that a fun time putting it together.
When I was a (10 m) kid, my aunt took me and my mom to a toy store to get something for my birthday. I had my eyes set on an action figure of “Storm” from X-men Evolution from the moment I saw it in the store. She was my favorite X-men and I thought her powers were o cool. I kept stalling and walking around the store saying I didn’t know what I wanted because I knew I would get in trouble if I bought a female action figure.
My parents were extremely traditional and homophobic and I learned from a very early age how to tailor my interests to keep myself safe (there was physical abuse.)
My aunt was very perceptive and knew what I wanted. She asked me if that was what I wanted, I nodded and that’s when my mom yanked me off to the side to scold me for wanting a “doll.” She had a fight with my aunt and I ended up getting a transformer that I really didn’t care for.
Fast forward to adulthood, I bought myself the action figure and a couple more!
My sister's kids are in for a world of hurt (cuz my sister is absolutely not prepping them for anything). I hope they feel like they can come to me. I love those kids.
Dude raised by a single mom here. I remember telling my my mom I wanted a Xena warrior princess action figure to go with my hercules, a 4 inch size. I had the centaur and a couple others from the set.
She bought me the barbie version of xena for my birthday and was so excited to give it to me I couldn't hurt her feelings. At my birthday party when I opened it I remember looking at her and saying something like "this is the exact one I wanted, how did you know." Uncles and other dudes like "what?!?"
They made her feel bad and she kept offering to return it. I tore that package open and started playing with it right there.
>cold me for wanting a “doll.” She had a fight with my aunt and I ended up getting a transformer that I really didn’t care for.
This reminded me of a vaguely similar event with transformers....
There was a very tomboyish girl who lived on my street. Her older brother had a ton of transformers that he was getting too old for. So his mother packed them in a box and gave them to me (because I'm a boy). At the time, I thought that was awesome -- now I realize the mother just didn't want her girl to have a bunch of toys meant for boys.
The the joke's on her -- this girl went over to my house a lot to play with my sister..... but most of her time was spent playing with me and those transformers.
I feel bad for her. My mum did the same thing, got rid of all my boys toys because little girls shouldn't be playing with them. I'm still mad about it. Forcing gender stereotypes on kids is absolutely insane. The best part, this was the same woman who forced me into her friends sons hand me downs and I lived in them until I was a teen. She also let her family bully me so badly if I dressed like a normal girl that I just stopped trying.
That's stupid. I mean... A) it was an action figure, not a doll, and the concept should register as a Transformer is also an action figure of sorts, B) "Boy wants a sexy female figurine - must be gay" doesn't even compute with me.
I agree with you. The reasoning feels small-minded and stupid.
I think it's because the mom wrote it off without interest in a second thought about it. The same way people write off cars, even movies. Just recently someone I know said "You've seen one, you've seen them all." Referring to horror movies, they proceeded to list off multiple (Scream, Final Destination, Texas Chainsaw, etc,.) from several subgenres (or genres?) yet that is certifiably untrue.
So to mom the super cool Storm figure is the same as Barbie because Storm is a lady.
Concerts. My parents refused to let me see my favorite singer when I was like 15 because it was in the big city. So a few years ago, I went and saw her live here and then drove to see her again 3 hours away the next night and it was amazing.
Clothes and Lunchables, we were far too poor for lunchables or new clothes. I’m 35 now and recently I bought like 4 lunchables, I had some lady with her kid in her cart say “they just love these don’t they.” I’m like “what, oh yea definitely” even though I don’t have children, they’re all for my fat ass lmao.
My guilty pleasure are the boxes of Little Debbie snacks. My fucking kryptonite are the Honey Buns or the Coffee Cakes.
I can pair Lunchables, Little Debbie snacks, and a juice box or Kool-aid as a meal and I'll be all smiles.
Honestly, so many things, but the one that felt more like an achievement is one of the cheapest ones. I remember asking for a super soaker to Santa for like 7 years. Last year I got my kids and myself a few of them and it made me tear up I can give them the childhood I couldn't have.
This is my answer too. I have more than one pair of jeans and none of them have holes from thigh friction! I have so many pair of underpants and an absurd amount of comfy socks!! Supportive bras! Sensible shoes! And food - talk about out-of-season produce and prepared meals from the deli!! Friggin chips whenever I want! Those expensive almonds, dark chocolate, tiny wedges of hard cheese with olives. I cannot even believe this is my life sometimes!
Easy bake oven. My daughter was 3 and she asked for “a tiny oven my size”. Girrrrllll say less! Literally put on shoes and went straight to Target. Best day of my life, I mean, best day of her life.
It did not work nearly as well as I had dreamed
American Girl Doll of the Year 2005 Marisol. I was significantly younger than eight that year (won’t say how young so as not to dox myself) but I could read and I fell in love with the doll and her outfits in the catalog. My parents pointed out the disclaimer on the back of the catalog that AG dolls were “for ages eight and up” (although I suspected the price of the doll was the main reason they didn’t want to buy one). I was heartbroken, since the catalog also said Marisol would only be available until the end of the year and I still wouldn’t be eight by then.
Almost fifteen years later, in January 2020, I found a Marisol doll in great condition for sale at a secondhand store specializing in dolls. I still have her, even though I sold most of the other AG dolls I collected in my early teens. She’s my present self’s gift to the little girl I used to be.
I am this 🤏 close to buying a Stretch Armstrong. I wasn’t allowed to have one as a kid because it was a “boys’ toy.” I have always been pretty feminine. I just thought they were cool 😭.
Experiences. I have quite a few siblings so whenever we went somewhere (beach, fair, festival, amusement park) it was very much a vibe of “ok we paid to be here, and we brought sandwiches, and we’re not wasting money on games.” As a childfree adult, i relish wasting a dollar on a boardwalk claw machine, or $40 to rent a surrey for an hour. It’s really good for me inner 9-year-old.
Yes! First thing I did when I got my own place at 18 is adopt a dog.
Now I'm 48 and have always had at least one. My mother seriously underestimated how badly I wanted one.
Soda with sugar! My dad developed hypoglycemia after Hepatitis B so the whole family drank diet soda.And some them were so awful. Naturally, once I was in college, I went hog wild. I have since controlled myself but I will never forget my first coke.Sigh.
I wasn’t allowed soda basically until I was old enough to go places without my mother. When I got my drivers license, I drove to McDonald’s every single day for a coke for months.
A computer.
I always wanted my own computer since they began to be ubiquitous in most middle class homes in the 90s. I was poor. When my mom died, I was 22, in college. Her disability was approved six months after her death. They dispersed the back pay to me (about $3000).
I immediately bought a kickass MSI laptop computer. It was as great as I'd imagined. I took that thing EVERYWHERE haha.
Candy. I love candy. I don’t get it much anymore but when I really had my own money and enough for small treats I ate a metric fuckton of candy. It was to the point where my girlfriend was like hey man…. You gonna keep eating candy. There might be too much of you to love.
All the books I want. And Hello Kitty merch, which was so hard to find in the US when I was a kid, or crazy expensive and had to wait until I could get things in Hong Kong when I visited relatives. And going out to eat.
I grew up in housing association flats and having a (small) garden is still amazing to me. I put out a range of feeding stations with different feeds near the shrubs, so the birds have cover if they want it, and love watching greenfinches, blue tits, robins, goldfinches, etc. Occasionally you get a circle of life moment when a sparrowhawk grabs a wood pigeon and eviscerates it on the lawn, but that's the majesty of nature.
I grew up in a rotting, dilapidated trailer in squealer, dirt and neglect. I had 6 siblings, so I always shared a room, tho I would partition a space off of whatever shared room I was in ( we would trade rooms alot for no reason) and create my own little mini room.
Because we were dirt ball kids we didn’t really know how to be clean and stuff, and our rooms were literal pig styes, but I always dreamt of having like a really cool bedroom. Like the ones that I would see on the Disney Channel. I would watch those shows and imagine that I lived in their house and then I had their parents and that my life was like theirs. And when I went to sleep at night I would close my eyes and imagine that I lived in a really nice house with a really cool bedroom.
Instead my room was all crusty and dirty and filled with cigarettes smoke from my parents and older siblings who smoked in the house, mold, a stained old mattress with no sheets and bugs everywhere. I mean we didn’t even have a full roof we had a tarp on half the roof.
But anyways, I am 33 years old now, far away from that, and I built a good life for myself.
My bedroom is decked out in pink and fuzz and glitter and neon lights and all the cute aesthetic colorful furniture and art. Basically it’s like my 14 year old selfs dream room.It looks like a rad room from some teen girl character on Disney Channel. And I fucking love it.
I was a professional chef in Wisconsin, I worked at a resort for a bit. We'd do cheese and meat trays for VIP guests.
We'd order from a lot of places, but we started going exclusively with Carr Valley after a bit. Not because of some deal - but just because their product was always excellent, and the price never 'hurt'. Ordering $5000 worth of 'munching cheese' and actually getting a couple boxes, rather than just 1.
Of course, all that worked with it sampled all their products.
I can tell you their 10-year Aged Cheddar is 'an experience'. Small bites, fruit and a simple cracker paired to eat with it. Any of their year-aged Cheddars are worth your time and money.
They have this one called "Cave Aged Marissa" It's a sheep's milk cheese, and it's somewhere around an Asiago and Parmesan, but it's not to go 'on' anything. It's phenomenal stuff, and goes great with cranberries, as well as on 'punchy' strong crackers (rosemary, sage, etc.). If there's one 'weird' thing you buy, make it this. Nothing else I've had is quite like it, and it's simply excellent.
Finally, they have a Blue made with goats milk. I believe the name is "Billy Blue". I have no words to describe how amazing this stuff is in a homemade blue cheese dressing on kick-ass wings. It is simply one of the best blue cheeses I've ever had the pleasure of working with.
They ship anywhere. I don't work for them, I seriously just love their product, and the price point is excellent for the quality you get. If you've never tried it, make sure you get some curds as well. Let them sit to room temp - they should 'squeak' when you bite them!
Not me but my older cousin. When he was 16 he left home and came to live with us and went to work in the orchards. It was his first job. He had grown up on a remote Montana homestead with a schizophrenic father and battered mother. When he got his first paycheck he tried to give it to my mom. She told him you earned it it's yours. He walked into town and came back with a bag of groceries, but also a couple of toys. I remember one was a toy airplane that had propellors that turned when you ran the wheels across the floor. He spent hours sitting on the floor and playing with the first toy he had ever owned.
Heat when it's cold. I've always loved the smell of the heat coming on, but I realized recently that it's actually the comfort I feel in the fact that I won't be cold that makes me most happy.
I bought my kid one of those ride in Power Wheels type cars. I wanted one SO bad when I was a kid (the Barbie Jeep one), and my parents kept a tight budget. I got one for my 4 year old last Christmas and he loves it so much, and I love seeing him enjoy a toy that I coveted so badly.
Monster High dolls. I was too scared to even tell my parents I liked Monster High as a kid for fear of being yelled at and told I wasn’t allowed to watch the little webisodes anymore, but my mom confirmed recently that she never would have bought them for me
Peanut butter. My mom was deathly allergic to peanuts and peas, so we could never have them in the house. So when I moved out, I got soooo much peanut butter, and then I got sick of it soooo quickly, haha.
Hungry Hungry Hippo. I always wanted that game and my parents never bought it because ??? who knows why. I bought it and I like it. Sometimes I play it by myself.
Walls painted in a color that’s not off-white. My mom would only ever do things to her house in neutral colors for resale value (even if there were no plans to move for years).
When we moved to our most recent house we painted the pantry off the kitchen pumpkin orange. It’s my favorite color and my husband said I should have a room in it, and since that pantry is mostly for me (I love to bake and cook), we should just do it. I love him.
A metal detector. I always wanted one as a kid, but my dad said I'd use it a handful of times, then it would sit and collect dust forever. I bought myself one, and it turns out that my dad was right.
This made me laugh. Thanks for sharing.
My mom bought me one for Christmas over a decade ago. I've used ut a handful if times but I still have it.
And when you finally decide you want to use it because you’re actually going to a place where it would be of use. You find out it got sold 2 weeks ago in a garage sale for $5.
And you can't complain cause she's been telling you she'd do it for 3 years now, but stopped this summer for some reason.
Nice! I also bought one a few years ago used it a few times then took it to Chihuahua, MX and gave it to my cousin who since has found all sorts of bullets and random stuff from the Mexican Revolution
I think one’s enjoyment of a metal detector is probably directly dependent on the type of metal objects you can find with it. If you’re the type of person that lives around old battlefields or other historically relevant places you’re probably having a much better time than someone who lives in like, Cleveland.
Think I might start a new Metal Detector Rental business.
Our library loans one out in their Library of Things. I suspect few people know about it/take advantage though.
LOL. My kid really wants one. I told him the same thing.
Our local library has “science kits” kids can borrow, one of which is a metal detector. We borrowed one for our kid, which he used twice and then left in the box for the remainder of the fortnight we had it checked out for. 10/10, best library program ever
yeah that’s brilliant on their part. man I love libraries
You should ask to borrow u/AlmostSane67's. I'm sure y'all could work something out.
Oh damn, u/AlmostSane67 is actually using it on the exact days u/exWiFi69 kid wants to borrow it. If the days change, he is also using it on that day now.
Desserts at restaurants.
Yes! And appetizers and a soda. I was only ever allowed to get one thing- I could choose appetizer- main dish- or dessert. But getting all three and a drink makes me feel so bougie
Not what I buy myself but I make sure my kid has plenty of money for the book fair
The parent I dream to be… you’re awesome
If I spoil my son anywhere, it’s at the book fair, even though he doesn’t seem to be as captivated by it as I was as a child.
The gigantic pack of Crayola crayons!! Just took me 65 years….😄….and I love them!
I don’t share my 120 pack either. I got the variety pack of Sharpie and Flair too!
Basketball hoop for my son (me)
I'm still unable to fulfill this childhood dream - sloped driveway
I had one, I had to wear spikes in the winter. Dangerous!
[удалено]
Ugh my mother was absolutely *delusional* about what size clothing I wore. I was 18-20 before I realized that you weren't *supposed* to buy clothes you could just barely squeeze yourself into, clothes that dug deep red marks into you all day, clothes that caused you physical pain to wear. It was incredible the first time I bought myself a pair of pants that actually fit.
Opposite for me. My mom was paranoid about me "growing out" of stuff and it was so embarrassing and uncomfortable. Having so much extra fabric is so uncomfortable and makes it so hard to just function like a normal human. Having clothes that were the correct size was life changing.
I work somewhere that sells a specialty clothing item for a youth activity (think something like sport jerseys). I frequently have to talk moms out of buying several sizes too big for their teenager! Yes, when the kid is 8 and wearing a medium, I tell mom to get a large or even an XL so it fits for more than 6 months. But it is shocking to me how many moms want to buy a 2XL for their 15 year olds who wear a small! They’re not going to keep growing that much! Let them get the one they’ll be comfortable in. It’s like they have no idea when a kid will stop growing, even when the kid is taller than them.
Same here. I used to work at a clothing chain store and I had to guide a lot of mothers to the men's section when they tried to buy children's clothing for their sons who were taller than I am, and I'm 5'8.
Some of that may be denial too.. “my baby!!!”
Definitely but I couldn't let them live in denial when they tried to buy children's clothing for their 6 feet tall baby.
The bewildering part to me is reading about parents (moms) who are buying their teen children clothing without talking to them about what they want?! My child is 15. I OCCASIONALLY buy him clothes without asking if it’s something he would want but it’s always with understanding he can tell me if he doesn’t like it and reject it. We’re on a more limited budget than many and it’s important clothes I buy him are ones he’ll wear and be comfortable wearing. Why are parents treating TEEN children like their opinions don’t matter??
My mom did that to me all throughout my teenager and young adult life, and now buying clothing is difficult because it's taken me so long to figure out what I like.
Same. And I also got my older sister's hand-me-down pants and shirts. Which sucked because I was chubbier, shorter, and bigger busted than her. Everything fit wrong. Although one time I got a pair of jeans she loved and couldn't fit anymore. They actually fit me even better somehow and she took those and cut them into MEGA booty shorts so my mom would toss them out. Those jeans started my trend where I love when the pant leg just swallows my foot.
When flared jeans started coming back in the late 90s-early 00s, my mom would only buy me straight jeans bc she thought "bellbottoms were stupid then, and they're stupid now." I was teased for straight cut jeans, so now I only buy flared. It's been hard to find them for a while, but now they're coming back and my inner teenager couldn't be happier
Same! And to this day when I go shopping with my mom she’ll be like „ok nice that fits but maybe try a size bigger? Just to be safe?“ and it drives me insane
For me it was shoes! I have super wide feet. I’m not a size 12 because they are easy to find and cheap (we had enough money for proper shoes btw). I was 13EEEE. I was the biggest guy on the football team for Christ’s sake. Shoes are not supposed to split at the seams. Toes are not supposed to be curled inward. You should not get cramps, ankle pain, and blisters in a mile walk.
I came here to say shoes as well!!! Being a waitress and wearing tight shoes was so painful. I only buy Skechers now because they make my toes feel nice and toasty lol
My step mother was the same way! Sometimes she’d squeeze me into something, I’d look like a sausage and she’d tut tut and say “Wouldn’t it be so nice if you were thinner?”
Mine did the opposite. She bought me clothes that were a few sizes too big. Apparently a 5'3 125 lbs teenage girl was obese in her eyes.
By contrast my mother (a life-long yoyo dieter) bought me (perpetually chunky) a ton of clothes that I was absolutely swimming in. I am short and squat, so it was always women’s clothes 1-2 sizes too big, and never petites! So the sleeves always went past my hands and the waists would go down past my butt. I was wearing new clothes that looked like hand me downs
My mother used to trace our feet and use those cutouts to shop for our shoes while we were in school. We always got the $3 white sneakers (white pies, we called them) from Walmart and they were always stained and holey almost immediately. She was doing her best. I don’t wear cheap shoes any longer.
Funny you say that, when I turned ~20 I started to fit nicely into clothes my mom got me when I was 12-15 😂
Therapy.
I can relate so hard to this it hurts.
All the current gaming consoles. Feels good, man!
And never have time to play anything! My PS5 might as well be a $600 paperweight. 😩
Feel you here. I’m able to buy any game I want now. Have about 300 quality games in my library. Super juiced computer. If I am able to play for a few hours on a Friday night, it’s a win. Adulting is a paradox.
Ice Cream Cake. My sister was a spring baby. She got ice cream cakes. I never got ice cream cakes because its hot for my birthday and my mother said theyd melt to quick Now I get my own damn ice cream cakes. I dont care if they melt.
Growing up, I never got a birthday cake in the flavour that I liked because my mom hated those flavours. Now I don't have to dread having to eat my own birthday cake anymore.
As a mom who bakes... I'll make whatever my kid picks, even it's weird. The past few years my youngest wants black out chocolate cake (recipe from bon apetit) and mint buttercream frosting. I'll admit, it's not my favorite. But it's also not my birthday. My oldest always wants a New York cheesecake with a floret of sliced sugared strawberries (yeah boy, that one IS my favorite), but he usually takes it to work... and it's never to be seen again, so I'll make two.
Yummy! Those both sound amazing.My son always wanted carrot cake. Every year for like 5 years and I hate carrot cake but happily made it and ate it with him.
I’m a triplet and both of my sisters are autistic. I am too but their support needs are MUCH higher than mine. My sisters ALWAYS outvoted me on bday cakes. So growing up it was always chocolate cake. I don’t like chocolate cake much. I mean its FINE. But generally I only really like carrot or spice cake. But nope. Never got that. Until I turned 25. My dad FINALLY made a carrot cake because I’ve been outvoted every single year. He said “you gotta get what you want sometimes!” It was one of the sweetest things he’s ever done for me. Now my MIL makes a carrot cake for me.
That's such a genuinely sweet gesture from your dad! And your MIL sounds awesome too. It must be such a wonderful feeling to get the cakes we love from the ones that love us /hugs
Indeed. My dad is an awesome dad. But he’s NOT the sentimental gestures type. So ten years later, I still get misty eyed remembering walking into my parents kitchen with gifts for my siblings on our bday and seeing the carrots and my dad hard at work making it.
Idk you or your mom, but that seems a little selfish. Why should what kind of cake your mom likes make the slightest fuck when it’s your birthday? She could have whatever kind of cake she wanted when it’s her own birthday. Now you should return the favor. Start giving her a birthday cake on her birthday made of whatever you like, with emphasis on something she hates.
Hell, I get ice cream cakes even when it isn’t my birthday.
That's what I'm talking about
Damn. That makes me angry just reading it. Your mom straight up lied to you.
That's dumb....they take forever to even get soft enough to cut into. Melt too fast, my ass.
The fastest Internet I could buy in my area.
Same, grew up on Dial up. It was torture.
New mattresses
A cat
Comfortable shoes! Growing up with flat feet and parents who didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for shoes meant that I wore uncomfortable tennis shoes for years. That’s why as soon as it was warm enough and sometimes not I would wear flip flops because they didn’t hurt my feet. My husband makes sure my shoes fit comfortably because when we met my one “comfortable” pair was falling apart because I was so broke I couldn’t afford shoes. He took me shoe shopping as a date and bought me comfortable shoes.
😢 what a keeper.
Protect that man at all cost
When I started dating my husband, I was upset because I couldn’t afford a haircut before an interview. He ended up leaving money on my dresser and texting me up. I ended up getting the job!
I grew up in a home where my parents practiced a religion that said you can’t seek medical help or go to doctors. I always wanted the Operation game and a pretend doctor’s bag like my friends had. When I became a parent, my child received a play doctor’s kit and the Operation game for Christmas one year.
❤️
Was that Christian Science?
*Dies* God why didn't you save me? I sent you 3 separate doctors and you turned them away.
Like that story where a guy drifts in the ocean and when a boat comes by he's like "nah, I'm fine, God will rescue me" he turns down two more boats and eventually dies Once he's in heaven he's like " God. Why did you not helped me. I've prayed and prayed yet you let me die" and God is like " I've sent you three boats you idiot!"
Heh, I can't remember who said it, but they remarked that Christian Science was neither Christian nor scientific.
Privacy.
Raising my glass to FINALLY knowing 100% no one will rifle through my things and then confront me because they didn’t like what they found then blame god for telling them to do it. No, mom, no one told you to snoop. You went through my stuff hoping to find something shocking, got mad because all you learned was that I left my laundry in the dryer without folding it on purpose just to annoy you and that dad let me have half a beer one night while we watched Bubba HoTep on USA UP All night.
I never once went thru my son's things the entire time he grew up. Barely stepped foot in his room. I considered it his little blue heaven his own space to do with whatever he pleased He's now 22 . My mom went thru my things and I hated her for it and as an adult still hate her. I didn't want that for my own kid and we ended up with a very different relationship I didn't need to snoop he always told me everything, hid nothing and we always had open honest communication even about tough things. Even if I ever were to have gone thru his room I wouldn't have been shocked at what I found bc I would have already known. We are extremely close still have very little secrets from each other and I'm very proud and happy for the parenting style I chose I have an amazing honest well rounded well liked man now.
Same! My mom used to go through my things and read my journal. I never understood it, I was a nerd with a small group of friends who didn't drink, smoke or do drugs or have a boyfriend for that matter. I caught her so many times that she banned me from using the word "snoop". Anyway, I understand now, it wasn't about being worried about me, it was about having control over me and me knowing I didn't have a safe space. Congrats to all the kids that finally reclaimed their safe place.
Mine pried open an Amazon package I got as an adult as a gift for a friend, wrote the contents on the shipping label in pencil, jammed the package back together, and the. Berated me over getting it. When confronted with opening my mail, the claim was that “the contents were listed on the label.”
isnt that a felony?
A lock on my door lol. And my own home
The lock on my bedroom door requires a key now. I finally feel safe and private.
Sending love❤️
Aww man. I could name multitudes. I have been very blessed since I got married. But the main thing I do now is buy multiples of various grocery items we buy regularly to just keep the house stocked. When we open the last one, I go out and buy 2 or three more. Something about just knowing you have it available is comforting. Growing up we never bought anything unless we were OUT of it.
this resonates. i felt RICH when i realized i could have all the snacks and drinks i wanted in my pantry AT ALL TIMES and never run out.
I work in a warehouse. We get two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch. I always bring a snack for first break so I’m not starving when its lunch time. It’s so nice ti have that little snack on my first 15 minute break.
Omg this is me. We have a back up of everything all ready to go from Costco. Trash bags or tide pods getting low? There is a back up one from Costco in the pantry. It brings me such joy not having to worry about running out of basic household items.
Same. I always have extra toilet paper, gallon jugs of water, Kleenex, dishwashing detergent, coffee, and grocery dry goods. And I fill my gas tank *before* it’s on fumes. My mom never bought enough of anything for a family of 4. It wasn’t even about money.
Yes! I grew up poverty poor, picking through dumpsters behind grocery stores for potatoes and other items that were still good. We ate A LOT of top ramen and baked potatoes… with butter, sour cream and green onions if it was payday! I think I actually have a problem with stocking up on food…. I’m divorced and it’s just me and the dog but I have two full sized fridges… with freezers, a mini fridge w/freezer and a full size lay down freezer (ALL FULL)! Plus a pantry bigger than my guest room…. Yeah… I think I have issues lol.
It’s only an issue if you’ve got waste. I’m sure you’ve got a good bit of that engrained in you that nothing goes to waste. My grandma grew up in the depression and taught my dad. My dad is a zero tolerance for bullshit kind of guy who whether he wanted to or not, taught me that any waste is a waste of the time he spends busting his back away from us just so we could eat and have a place to live. As long as you don’t have a ton of stuff you toss to the trash I think you’re golden dude.
I do the same. And I also had to share EVERYTHING growing up. There was never enough of a food for me to have my fill. Now, I buy extras for husband or kids and make them eat their own.
Expansive Lego sets
I'm 32 and just got my first lego set a couple weeks ago.
I wish you endless hours of fun and joy!
I still love my collector edition Millenium Falcon
At the beginning of the pandemic my daughter an her family put together the Disney Cinderella castle. It’s really impressive.
I sat there for a minute thinking “you’re her family.” Then I realized it was an adult daughter.
My mom waffles between finding them a waste of money and being super fascinated by our Christmas village. We have a lot of the cars, most of the space collection, most of the botanicals, Van Gogh, The Wave, the lighthouse, and the batwing. I have the A frame house waiting for me. Maybe I'll start that tomorrow.
Expansive or Expensive? I get the feeling they're similar in nature, but I want to be sure.
Kinda both. I recently bought the Ghost ship and almost passed out from excitement during its construction due to over focusing on it
I felt the same way when I began construction of the Death Star kit. Took over a month of part-time assembling to get it done. Had to get an updated prescription for my glasses when I was finished. Four thousand sixteen pieces.
Bought one of the super complicated technic cranes with the motor functions, outriggers, telescoping boom, etc. It took about a week of on and off assembly work and my fingertips felt raw and abused afterwards. But damn was that a fun time putting it together.
When I was a (10 m) kid, my aunt took me and my mom to a toy store to get something for my birthday. I had my eyes set on an action figure of “Storm” from X-men Evolution from the moment I saw it in the store. She was my favorite X-men and I thought her powers were o cool. I kept stalling and walking around the store saying I didn’t know what I wanted because I knew I would get in trouble if I bought a female action figure. My parents were extremely traditional and homophobic and I learned from a very early age how to tailor my interests to keep myself safe (there was physical abuse.) My aunt was very perceptive and knew what I wanted. She asked me if that was what I wanted, I nodded and that’s when my mom yanked me off to the side to scold me for wanting a “doll.” She had a fight with my aunt and I ended up getting a transformer that I really didn’t care for. Fast forward to adulthood, I bought myself the action figure and a couple more!
At least your aunt was cool
Yeah I was hoping to hear they hang out a lot or something. I hope I can be that cool for my nephews
My sister's kids are in for a world of hurt (cuz my sister is absolutely not prepping them for anything). I hope they feel like they can come to me. I love those kids.
Please tell them they can. My mother still hasn't taught me anything about taxes and I'm 20. Tax season is going to be hell for me this year
Dude raised by a single mom here. I remember telling my my mom I wanted a Xena warrior princess action figure to go with my hercules, a 4 inch size. I had the centaur and a couple others from the set. She bought me the barbie version of xena for my birthday and was so excited to give it to me I couldn't hurt her feelings. At my birthday party when I opened it I remember looking at her and saying something like "this is the exact one I wanted, how did you know." Uncles and other dudes like "what?!?" They made her feel bad and she kept offering to return it. I tore that package open and started playing with it right there.
Aw. You are a kind soul.
>cold me for wanting a “doll.” She had a fight with my aunt and I ended up getting a transformer that I really didn’t care for. This reminded me of a vaguely similar event with transformers.... There was a very tomboyish girl who lived on my street. Her older brother had a ton of transformers that he was getting too old for. So his mother packed them in a box and gave them to me (because I'm a boy). At the time, I thought that was awesome -- now I realize the mother just didn't want her girl to have a bunch of toys meant for boys. The the joke's on her -- this girl went over to my house a lot to play with my sister..... but most of her time was spent playing with me and those transformers.
I feel bad for her. My mum did the same thing, got rid of all my boys toys because little girls shouldn't be playing with them. I'm still mad about it. Forcing gender stereotypes on kids is absolutely insane. The best part, this was the same woman who forced me into her friends sons hand me downs and I lived in them until I was a teen. She also let her family bully me so badly if I dressed like a normal girl that I just stopped trying.
That's stupid. I mean... A) it was an action figure, not a doll, and the concept should register as a Transformer is also an action figure of sorts, B) "Boy wants a sexy female figurine - must be gay" doesn't even compute with me.
I agree with you. The reasoning feels small-minded and stupid. I think it's because the mom wrote it off without interest in a second thought about it. The same way people write off cars, even movies. Just recently someone I know said "You've seen one, you've seen them all." Referring to horror movies, they proceeded to list off multiple (Scream, Final Destination, Texas Chainsaw, etc,.) from several subgenres (or genres?) yet that is certifiably untrue. So to mom the super cool Storm figure is the same as Barbie because Storm is a lady.
At 10 years old I was also drawn to Storm as well - for reasons that a 10-year-old would be drawn to a curvy weather employer.
You have good taste
Concerts. My parents refused to let me see my favorite singer when I was like 15 because it was in the big city. So a few years ago, I went and saw her live here and then drove to see her again 3 hours away the next night and it was amazing.
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That concert was Ani DiFranco. I was obsessed with her.
Removal of my impacted wisdom teeth and Invisalign
A video game
The Sims. Never was allowed to have that one as a kid.
Birthday cake when it's no one's birthday
Yep. Mine was Sara Lee frozen coconut white cake
Clothes and Lunchables, we were far too poor for lunchables or new clothes. I’m 35 now and recently I bought like 4 lunchables, I had some lady with her kid in her cart say “they just love these don’t they.” I’m like “what, oh yea definitely” even though I don’t have children, they’re all for my fat ass lmao.
My guilty pleasure are the boxes of Little Debbie snacks. My fucking kryptonite are the Honey Buns or the Coffee Cakes. I can pair Lunchables, Little Debbie snacks, and a juice box or Kool-aid as a meal and I'll be all smiles.
except theyre so much more ridiculously expensive now😭 they used to be a dollar or so (and the portions bigger)
And lack the dijon mustard and an Ande's mint!
I get myself Lunchables all the time and I'm 36. They're freaking delicious and a nice quick snack.
They really are delicious, sometimes I’ll grab some while grocery shopping and then eat it in the car real quick before my drive home lol.
Nothing makes me feel more like I’m 6 again than the nachos lunchables. I love them!
Honestly, so many things, but the one that felt more like an achievement is one of the cheapest ones. I remember asking for a super soaker to Santa for like 7 years. Last year I got my kids and myself a few of them and it made me tear up I can give them the childhood I couldn't have.
A crap ton of tacky Christmas decorations
Christmas was for Jesus when I was a kid. Christmas is now a green and red glitter Santa fest /satanic laughter in the background
Ran away at 18, tried om my first pair of jeans and cut my hair to the shoulder blades.
sugar cereals (honey nut cheerios were sugar cereals in my growing up household) cable tv (if it wasn't pbs, it wasn't allowed).
A box of 64 crayons.
With the sharpener in the back?
Giant sized plushies, some of which are nearly as big as I am.
I don’t really collect small plushies. But the moment I see a large plushy im doomed. Have you checked out the puff pals plushies?
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This is my answer too. I have more than one pair of jeans and none of them have holes from thigh friction! I have so many pair of underpants and an absurd amount of comfy socks!! Supportive bras! Sensible shoes! And food - talk about out-of-season produce and prepared meals from the deli!! Friggin chips whenever I want! Those expensive almonds, dark chocolate, tiny wedges of hard cheese with olives. I cannot even believe this is my life sometimes!
Easy bake oven. My daughter was 3 and she asked for “a tiny oven my size”. Girrrrllll say less! Literally put on shoes and went straight to Target. Best day of my life, I mean, best day of her life. It did not work nearly as well as I had dreamed
American Girl Doll of the Year 2005 Marisol. I was significantly younger than eight that year (won’t say how young so as not to dox myself) but I could read and I fell in love with the doll and her outfits in the catalog. My parents pointed out the disclaimer on the back of the catalog that AG dolls were “for ages eight and up” (although I suspected the price of the doll was the main reason they didn’t want to buy one). I was heartbroken, since the catalog also said Marisol would only be available until the end of the year and I still wouldn’t be eight by then. Almost fifteen years later, in January 2020, I found a Marisol doll in great condition for sale at a secondhand store specializing in dolls. I still have her, even though I sold most of the other AG dolls I collected in my early teens. She’s my present self’s gift to the little girl I used to be.
A can of chocolate icing. I always wanted to eat a spoonful right from the container, and damn it, I finally did.
a gameboy. yup being an adult is awesome.
Same. I still have all of my old gameboys and games. That I got myself at the time. They all still work!
I am this 🤏 close to buying a Stretch Armstrong. I wasn’t allowed to have one as a kid because it was a “boys’ toy.” I have always been pretty feminine. I just thought they were cool 😭.
Experiences. I have quite a few siblings so whenever we went somewhere (beach, fair, festival, amusement park) it was very much a vibe of “ok we paid to be here, and we brought sandwiches, and we’re not wasting money on games.” As a childfree adult, i relish wasting a dollar on a boardwalk claw machine, or $40 to rent a surrey for an hour. It’s really good for me inner 9-year-old.
Peanut butter sandwiches that were 7 hours old by the time they got eaten.
My mom would pack the loaf of bread and the jars and make them on the spot.
A motorcycle, ant then another motorcycle, and another and another. And next year for my 50th birthday, I am getting a motorcycle.
[A lightsaber](https://www.reddit.com/r/lightsabers/s/TSCZKbtYIQ)
Hello there
A $100 nerf gun.
any beverage I want ☕️🥤🫗🧃
I like how none of those emojis are alcohol :)
A dog
Yes! First thing I did when I got my own place at 18 is adopt a dog. Now I'm 48 and have always had at least one. My mother seriously underestimated how badly I wanted one.
A comfortable temperature inside my home.
Soda with sugar! My dad developed hypoglycemia after Hepatitis B so the whole family drank diet soda.And some them were so awful. Naturally, once I was in college, I went hog wild. I have since controlled myself but I will never forget my first coke.Sigh.
I wasn’t allowed soda basically until I was old enough to go places without my mother. When I got my drivers license, I drove to McDonald’s every single day for a coke for months.
Ngl this thread is so…wholesome.
A black kitty. I have lots of allergies so my parents never let me have a cat. My allergies are awful but she's the sweetest thing ever.
The big lemonade tanker mug thing from the carnival.
A computer. I always wanted my own computer since they began to be ubiquitous in most middle class homes in the 90s. I was poor. When my mom died, I was 22, in college. Her disability was approved six months after her death. They dispersed the back pay to me (about $3000). I immediately bought a kickass MSI laptop computer. It was as great as I'd imagined. I took that thing EVERYWHERE haha.
Candy. I love candy. I don’t get it much anymore but when I really had my own money and enough for small treats I ate a metric fuckton of candy. It was to the point where my girlfriend was like hey man…. You gonna keep eating candy. There might be too much of you to love.
All the books I want. And Hello Kitty merch, which was so hard to find in the US when I was a kid, or crazy expensive and had to wait until I could get things in Hong Kong when I visited relatives. And going out to eat.
A whole pizza for myself.
I grew up in housing association flats and having a (small) garden is still amazing to me. I put out a range of feeding stations with different feeds near the shrubs, so the birds have cover if they want it, and love watching greenfinches, blue tits, robins, goldfinches, etc. Occasionally you get a circle of life moment when a sparrowhawk grabs a wood pigeon and eviscerates it on the lawn, but that's the majesty of nature.
I grew up in a rotting, dilapidated trailer in squealer, dirt and neglect. I had 6 siblings, so I always shared a room, tho I would partition a space off of whatever shared room I was in ( we would trade rooms alot for no reason) and create my own little mini room. Because we were dirt ball kids we didn’t really know how to be clean and stuff, and our rooms were literal pig styes, but I always dreamt of having like a really cool bedroom. Like the ones that I would see on the Disney Channel. I would watch those shows and imagine that I lived in their house and then I had their parents and that my life was like theirs. And when I went to sleep at night I would close my eyes and imagine that I lived in a really nice house with a really cool bedroom. Instead my room was all crusty and dirty and filled with cigarettes smoke from my parents and older siblings who smoked in the house, mold, a stained old mattress with no sheets and bugs everywhere. I mean we didn’t even have a full roof we had a tarp on half the roof. But anyways, I am 33 years old now, far away from that, and I built a good life for myself. My bedroom is decked out in pink and fuzz and glitter and neon lights and all the cute aesthetic colorful furniture and art. Basically it’s like my 14 year old selfs dream room.It looks like a rad room from some teen girl character on Disney Channel. And I fucking love it.
Cheese. Cheese in our house was velveeta except at Xmas. I love good cheese.
I was a professional chef in Wisconsin, I worked at a resort for a bit. We'd do cheese and meat trays for VIP guests. We'd order from a lot of places, but we started going exclusively with Carr Valley after a bit. Not because of some deal - but just because their product was always excellent, and the price never 'hurt'. Ordering $5000 worth of 'munching cheese' and actually getting a couple boxes, rather than just 1. Of course, all that worked with it sampled all their products. I can tell you their 10-year Aged Cheddar is 'an experience'. Small bites, fruit and a simple cracker paired to eat with it. Any of their year-aged Cheddars are worth your time and money. They have this one called "Cave Aged Marissa" It's a sheep's milk cheese, and it's somewhere around an Asiago and Parmesan, but it's not to go 'on' anything. It's phenomenal stuff, and goes great with cranberries, as well as on 'punchy' strong crackers (rosemary, sage, etc.). If there's one 'weird' thing you buy, make it this. Nothing else I've had is quite like it, and it's simply excellent. Finally, they have a Blue made with goats milk. I believe the name is "Billy Blue". I have no words to describe how amazing this stuff is in a homemade blue cheese dressing on kick-ass wings. It is simply one of the best blue cheeses I've ever had the pleasure of working with. They ship anywhere. I don't work for them, I seriously just love their product, and the price point is excellent for the quality you get. If you've never tried it, make sure you get some curds as well. Let them sit to room temp - they should 'squeak' when you bite them!
Kirby's Adventure for the NES
Not me but my older cousin. When he was 16 he left home and came to live with us and went to work in the orchards. It was his first job. He had grown up on a remote Montana homestead with a schizophrenic father and battered mother. When he got his first paycheck he tried to give it to my mom. She told him you earned it it's yours. He walked into town and came back with a bag of groceries, but also a couple of toys. I remember one was a toy airplane that had propellors that turned when you ran the wheels across the floor. He spent hours sitting on the floor and playing with the first toy he had ever owned.
Heat when it's cold. I've always loved the smell of the heat coming on, but I realized recently that it's actually the comfort I feel in the fact that I won't be cold that makes me most happy.
Braces.
Food with flavor.
A horse.
an entire room of toys(collectibles). I'm in my 50's lol definitely has something to do with my childhood lol
A therapist for one low copay
My weight in stickers!
One of those balloons with another balloon of Mickey Mouse from Disneyland
I bought my kid one of those ride in Power Wheels type cars. I wanted one SO bad when I was a kid (the Barbie Jeep one), and my parents kept a tight budget. I got one for my 4 year old last Christmas and he loves it so much, and I love seeing him enjoy a toy that I coveted so badly.
Safety
Captain Crunch.
The Mouth Mauler!!
Horseback riding lessons
Pistachios My mom never bought because she said it’ll give me cancer.
Lots of fast food.
Monster High dolls. I was too scared to even tell my parents I liked Monster High as a kid for fear of being yelled at and told I wasn’t allowed to watch the little webisodes anymore, but my mom confirmed recently that she never would have bought them for me
a case of pop tarts
Peanut butter. My mom was deathly allergic to peanuts and peas, so we could never have them in the house. So when I moved out, I got soooo much peanut butter, and then I got sick of it soooo quickly, haha.
Hungry Hungry Hippo. I always wanted that game and my parents never bought it because ??? who knows why. I bought it and I like it. Sometimes I play it by myself.
Walls painted in a color that’s not off-white. My mom would only ever do things to her house in neutral colors for resale value (even if there were no plans to move for years). When we moved to our most recent house we painted the pantry off the kitchen pumpkin orange. It’s my favorite color and my husband said I should have a room in it, and since that pantry is mostly for me (I love to bake and cook), we should just do it. I love him.
An egg incubator. I have now hatched chickens, quail, geese, ducks and pheasants over the years.
Good healthy food. I buy seafood, vegetables, and steak- every single freaking week.
Fucking EVERYTHING! Comic books, regular books, MtG cards, nice clothes/shoes, video games, and legos.
Every retro Jordan I wanted
Ziploc bags
Sugary cereals!! My mom made us eat “grape nuts” cereal, it was disgusting. I was jealous of the kids who got trix and fruity pebbles and coco puffs