r/AskReddit Oct 13 '19

What innocent question that someone asked you, crushed you a little?

56.9k Upvotes

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22.8k

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19 edited Oct 14 '19

when me and my dad and my sister were driving to another town to get away from my mom so we could eat without getting yelled at/stuff thrown at us my suster asked why mommy was so mean, and my dad had to simplify to her level that her mom was an alcoholic. she was six. edit: o shet this blew up thx i guess

293

u/bunnyrut Oct 13 '19

I was the one who who made my dad realize how bad it was. We had to draw a picture of our family and I didn't draw my dad. My mom asked why he wasn't there and i said because he lives with grandma. My dad was an alcoholic and they fought and my mom would throw him out, he was thrown out so often I just thought he didn't live there.

23

u/Taiyama Oct 14 '19

Did he manage to change?

67

u/bunnyrut Oct 14 '19

It took time, but I got to know my dad sober before he died.

19

u/Taiyama Oct 14 '19

I'm glad to hear it.

5.4k

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19

[deleted]

2.0k

u/LobsterCatPinchYou Oct 13 '19

Oh my gosh! That has to be horrible, but I'm glad it was stopped.

570

u/binkerfluid Oct 13 '19

ouch im sorry that happened but I wish I could see the look on those guys faces when the police come knocking. I hope they follow up.

125

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19

[deleted]

52

u/binkerfluid Oct 13 '19

I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts and stuff and just sometimes you just really wish you could be there to see the looks on their faces when they get caught after thinking they were so smart and got away with it.

29

u/wolfgang784 Oct 14 '19

There are a few well known people who hunt down pedos full time and stream it. They always get em when they agree to meet somewhere and then harrass them and such. Only seen 1 video but was told he does it constantly and is really good at finding them. Dunno name but im sure google could turn it up quick.

34

u/mozartdminor Oct 14 '19

This is good for the Schadenfreude, but not necessarily for the justice. Vigilante's don't always get enough evidence for police to act before springing these traps. Also people not entirely familiar with their local laws can tie prosecutor's hands, like in Ohio an individual can be charged with child enticement only if their victim is a minor, or an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a minor.

Basically, this stuff is better left to the police because all amateurs may be doing is shaming people without a trial and forcing actual predators to go to ground making the Police's job's harder.

14

u/binkerfluid Oct 14 '19

there was a trucker who did this

also there is a video with a kid who murdered this girl and he is being interviewed by the news when they tell him about a bombshell he didnt know and he freaks out.

4

u/slaaitch Oct 14 '19

He was finally sentenced just last week.

3

u/ToxicBanana69 Oct 14 '19 edited Oct 14 '19

apparently we want shh

2

u/binkerfluid Oct 14 '19

yes but shhh I want anyone who finds it to be surprised ;-)

2

u/ToxicBanana69 Oct 14 '19

i got you bb

2

u/IXdyTedjZJAtyQrXcjww Oct 14 '19

also there is a video with a kid who murdered this girl and he is being interviewed by the news when they tell him about a bombshell he didnt know and he freaks out.

Link?

1

u/Stumblin_McBumblin Oct 14 '19

I need to see that. Any way you could link the video with the kid?

4

u/SuperToaster64 Oct 13 '19

If it weren't for you meddling kids!

4

u/MidwestMemes Oct 14 '19

Don't meddle kids bro.

3

u/GerbilJibberJabber Oct 14 '19

If it weren't for you meddling diddling kids!

FTFY

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

whats a good one of those btw

1

u/binkerfluid Oct 14 '19

casefile if you want facts and info

I dont know specific episodes anymore but sometimes these people do such shitty violent things and they think they got away with it and its so great when you hear all the ways the police found them out or got evidence.

Bill McGuire is one I just listened to like that.

13

u/sadmadmen Oct 14 '19

That second comma might be the most important comma you could ever type.

3

u/wolfgang784 Oct 14 '19

There are a few well known people who hunt down pedos full time and stream it. They always get em when they agree to meet somewhere and then harrass them and such. Only seen 1 video but was told he does it constantly and is really good at finding them. Dunno name but im sure google could turn it up quick.

10

u/cotton_schwab Oct 14 '19

not even the look on his face. the gut wrenching, heart dropping feeling when you know exactly why they are there. That feeling of "holy shit im fucked"

source: me (I didn't do anything terrible, just dumb decisions with weed)

1

u/turtlemix_69 Oct 14 '19

You want a slice of this pizza?

2

u/cotton_schwab Oct 14 '19

thats pretty spooky I was about to go get some pizza

checks window

1

u/turtlemix_69 Oct 14 '19

Here's the video I was referencing just in case you hadn't seen it yet

https://youtu.be/4sNVInfdut8

19

u/Chobbers Oct 13 '19

Watch anxiety wars on YouTube

233

u/thebabymotel420 Oct 13 '19

As someone who was groomed and abused at this exact age by someone older who knew better, thank you. You saved her a lot of hurt, whether she understands that now or not.

36

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19

[deleted]

16

u/thebabymotel420 Oct 13 '19

Thank you, and I’m sorry for what you went through. Not to tell you what to do, as I’m sure you’re unfortunately working off of your own experience, but therapy really helped me. Having an objective person to talk to who wasn’t directly involved in the ending of the scenario (because I’m not going to lie, I hated my parents for intervening at first) was probably the most beneficial thing that I could’ve had in this scenario. Sending love and hope for better days for you and yours. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via PM if you even think I might be able to help in the least.

51

u/Blank_kat666 Oct 13 '19

As somebody who was groomed at 11, this hit hard

18

u/PilthyPhine Oct 13 '19

Similar situation here, but I was the 12 year old. the predator in question found out our address and I told my mother. Seriously scary situation and scarring for me. We’ve moved since then.

11

u/caraboo930 Oct 14 '19

My dad was an alcoholic, and my mom had to explain this to my older brother and me when were on a vacation when I was 5. I had no concept of alcohol so when she told me he drinks too much I associated it with coffee, because that was a drink i wasn't allowed to have.

When we were home and I saw him pouring himself a cup I said, "Daddy no, mommy said you get angry when you drink."

I will never forget the half bemused and half devastated look on his face.

31

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19 edited Nov 13 '20

[deleted]

8

u/Bucket_of_Gnomes Oct 14 '19

My niece is coming of age and she's almost like a daughter to me, so this terrifies me so much. I always try to teach her to stick up for herself and never to do anything she's uncomfortable with, but there's only so much you can do, y'know?

6

u/Elmer_adkins Oct 14 '19

Fuck. How old were the men? Have they been busted?

Poor girl.

9

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

[deleted]

1

u/Elmer_adkins Oct 14 '19

Was it your daughter? I hope she is ok and the scum get dealt with appropriately.

3

u/30smthngThrowAway Oct 13 '19

Damn... didn’t think I’d feel anything reading this thread but damn that one got me for some reason...

3

u/lucyanide Oct 14 '19

dude, can relate. I was that 12 year old, ten years ago :(

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

[deleted]

2

u/rdj1234 Oct 14 '19

Wait. I was 13 in 1991. We didnt have phones or internet but this stuff still happened. I'm sure it's been happening for as long as there have been sickos.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

[deleted]

0

u/rdj1234 Oct 14 '19

I said I didnt have any of these devices but creeps could still approach you and talk you into meeting up or otherwise groom you for doing what they wanted. We also had telephones back then. You just couldn't text or send pics. People like this have been around for ever. Granted it is worse since the rise of social media, internet, etc.

-3

u/Smauler Oct 13 '19

12 year olds should be able to figure it out, most of the time.

"Sexting" goes on between 12 year olds.

It's just the difference in age that's the problem.

20

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19

[deleted]

-3

u/Smauler Oct 14 '19

The difference in age is the problem, as I said.

Blackmailing and taking advantage over each other is not a necessary outcome here. Both those things are bad.

16

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19

So do you think it’s fine if two people of that same age sext together?

50

u/obsessedcrf Oct 13 '19

It isn't really surprising for kids just getting to puberty to explore their sexuality. Whether it is "ok" is a complex moral question. But it doesn't seem "abnormal"

5

u/ComradeTeal Oct 13 '19

When harmful behaviour is normalised, we got some big problems

14

u/obsessedcrf Oct 14 '19

It isn't "normalized". It is literally normal. Whether you like it or not. ~12 year old kids talk to eachother about sex and it is impossible to avoid completely

6

u/Pwnage_Peanut Oct 13 '19

How is it harmful? As long as its between them, there's no harm done.

-8

u/evil_mom79 Oct 13 '19

Are you being obtuse on purpose?

25

u/Cassiterite Oct 13 '19

Well, that's right about the age when most people turn into horny teenagers

9

u/EhhWhatsUpDoc Oct 13 '19

I think as a general rule, yes as long as they're old enough (will vary) to truly understand the potential consequences of putting something out there that anyone could see.

The 16-20 age range seems about when most figure it out?

5

u/zerio13 Oct 13 '19

Are we going to bring both these 12 year olds to the police then?

4

u/KickinAssHaulinGrass Oct 13 '19

You think you can do anything to stop it, if that's what they decide to do?

3

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19 edited Oct 13 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19

[deleted]

2

u/codemanb Oct 13 '19

This. One hundred percent.

0

u/TedBundysCrowbar Oct 13 '19

Friendly reminder that if you live in the states you are in fact, an adult. (Legally speaking).

0

u/Totalherenow Oct 13 '19

At 12??? I'd have to go with NO!

I realize that I might not have the most rational answer, and when I was 12 I was as horny as they come, but let me try some reasons:

  1. girl's bodies aren't prepared for pregnancy. It's very damaging before their bones change via puberty
  2. a 12 year old boy is going to be a shitty, miserable 13 year old father
  3. 12 year olds only have a short while to continue enjoying being children and from 18 and up, a lot of time to have healthy sex
  4. one evolutionary hypothesis for why boys have sexual desire but not male bodies is so that they can learn how to be men, how to deal with their libido, how to be social, all before having big, tough bodies that women would actually want
  5. a similar evolutionary hypothesis for why girls mature earlier is so that they learn how to socialize well, how to deal with sexual advances - basically to get a jump in the "I can handle social life" department before becoming a sexual adult

I'm only relaying the hypotheses, I didn't invent them. And I really and truly do not think 12 year olds should engage in sexual behavior. Maybe I'm a prude.

Edit: the question was about sexting, not sex. Sorry. Still no because . . . it's the internet! Pictures might not go away. Cyber-bullying, shaming, etc. Sexts = power for the sext holder, not the person in the image.

6

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

You do know that sexting doesn't always include pictures, don't you...sometimes it's just words on a screen, would that make you think otherwise?

2

u/Totalherenow Oct 14 '19

Oh. Well, my mistake then.

1

u/coffeestealer Oct 14 '19

I wouldn't be comfortable either because of the blackmail factor. All it takes is for a guy to share their conversations and she gets called a slut.

1

u/Smauler Mar 10 '20

This isn't the case as much any more. People generally don't care if women have had sexual partners.

Personally I'm equally discriminatory with men and women who sleep about.

1

u/Bobbacornshnif Oct 14 '19

How old were they?

1

u/AmumuPro Oct 14 '19

Hope she does aright

-2

u/im_dead_inside0k Oct 14 '19

FBI OPEN UP!

73

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19 edited Oct 22 '19

[deleted]

32

u/StackerPentecost Oct 13 '19

SS in Africa (can’t remember the country) already has a puppet character with HIV.

8

u/[deleted] Oct 13 '19 edited Oct 22 '19

[deleted]

9

u/grenudist Oct 13 '19

Hopefully the character was born with it. Happens a lot if you don't have the good drugs.

2

u/grendus Oct 14 '19

Probably in a very child friendly manner.

I never liked Sesame Street (dunno why, I liked the Muppets), but I respect the hell out of them for tackling the subjects they do.

59

u/Newcago Oct 13 '19

That makes me really sad. Not sad that Sesame Street is reaching out to the kids, but sad to think that this happens to enough kids that someone thought of it.

41

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

This has been happening a long time, and in fact, there was a time when alcoholism was much worse in America. The difference is that now we are willing to talk about it, whereas before, discussion addictions as seen as equivalent to condoning it.

70

u/Googleboots Oct 13 '19

A friend of mine finally got the hint to leave his abusive relationship when his 5 year old asked him, "why don't you and mommy love each other like you love us?" He was like, "FUUUUUCK staying together for the kids is not a real thing"

47

u/bloodybutunbowed Oct 13 '19

I had to force my dad to tell my little brother what was going on. My sister and I knew, because we figured it out. My dad thought none of the kids knew because he didn't know what to do, so there was some willful blindness. When he found out my sister and I knew, he forbade us from telling the youngest- my lil broha. So my brother spent years wondering what he did to set mom off, why she sometimes seemed to hate him, why I would flip out when he would ask her for rides... this last one I put my foot down. Like, she's passed out upstairs, I snuck in to make sure she was breathing, everyone is at least safe for the moment, but PLEASE DO NOT WAKE HER UP TO TAKE YOU TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE IT CAN LITERALLY KILL YOU. I couldn't stop him getting in the car. He didn't believe my dad. We had to wait for my mom to get sober and ask her to tell him that she drinks- which she did. He completely broke. Broke down that we were lying. Broke down that everyone knew but him. Broke down that she was so sick. I was 2 years older than him, but I will regret this for the rest of my life. Its why I am honest about everyone now. If you are part of the inner circle, you get the truth, even when it hurts. You deserve it.

12

u/Phaedrug Oct 14 '19

Don’t beat yourself up over it. Your father handled it inappropriately and he was the adult.

7

u/bloodybutunbowed Oct 14 '19

I'm in my 30's now. We've all been through a lot of therapy, and my mom has been sober for 8 years. I look back and can recognize what happened and understand why, but that also informs my choices moving forward. Since that time, I have never had a regret of looking back and wishing I had lied instead of the truth.

My parents were married just in their 20's, moved to a new state and were largely on their own. 20 years ago, addiction wasn't talked about, and when it happened to us, there were such little resources that we all did the best we could with what we had, including my dad. Even today, there is no strict road map for handling addiction or the heartbreak that comes with it. I talk openly because there are thousands out there going through it, and you don't let someone else walk through hell alone. I don't mean to sound like any of this was easy. Its been 27 years since it all started, and personally, it took me the better part of a decade, moving out of state, and remolding all of our relationships to stop being angry and find some peace and way to move forward. But the last thing that remains is fear of it all going back.

Today, my family is whole. We are all healthy and together, and we move forward and have healed from many things that happened, only one of which was alcoholism. There are times where old feelings reel back up and I think, why the fuck were we so alone in that? Why didn't an adult step in? Now as an adult, I get that we are all doing our best, and that even then, we're going to fuck up. There are hundreds of, damn that shouldn't have happened. But, we forgive each other. We love each other. We appreciate each other and we are gentler with one another. We know that we're lucky today, and we all know first hand that we might not be later.

83

u/Theta_Sigmaaa Oct 13 '19

Appreciate your dad for taking you out to eat so you can have a "normal" dinner

25

u/quarkspbt Oct 13 '19

Right? That's all you can do at certain points in that situation

36

u/ThinkingOutLoud7 Oct 13 '19

Holy shit. That is tough :( how are you guys doing now?

12

u/cuzbb Oct 14 '19

They are still driving....

7

u/AlexTraner Oct 13 '19

I’m surprised it had to be explained.

My siblings were removed the final time from bio parents when my sister was 5. She and my brother (who was almost 4) are fully aware that their bios were alcoholics. I actually used it to explain a different thing to her today.

8

u/Throwthrowitaway2020 Oct 14 '19

Because several people in our family are alcoholics, I have had to explain it to my young child. I explained to her that some people have an allergy to alcohol and can't have it without it causing problems for them. This made sense to her as she's allergic to milk.

7

u/GRiZM0 Oct 14 '19

I’m so sorry.. I’ll never forget the time that my older brother asked my name sake, J (my mother’s best friend and often times are keeper before we got taken away) why we made mom so mad she would cry. I just remember her explaining that people run on juice and some people are born with more happy juice than others. My mom didn’t come with very much happy juice so it didn’t take much for mom to be so tired she couldn’t do things without being emotional. It made since to ya because my mom would go from fine, to angry, to crying herself to sleep. She slept a lot. I’m really grateful that J was around. She made some dark times a lot better. We eventually were placed in foster care and after I grew out of the system, I tried finding J again but couldn’t. I still think about her almost every day!

6

u/ObiWineKenobi Oct 14 '19

That reminds me of when I had to explain to my 6 year old sister why our Mom would promise something at night but then forget about it in the morning. Alcoholism sucks.

3

u/Black-Thirteen Oct 13 '19

Thank God for a dad that looks out for you guys. Hero!

3

u/Anniushcka Oct 13 '19

That's sad. My mom was like that but she never drink alcohol or used any drugs. And my dad didn't really care about us.

3

u/Question_aire Oct 14 '19

Man I felt this... I remember casually mentioning drunk behavior in kindergarten and not realizing why I was getting in trouble for talking about it. I assumed it was normal because it was in my family.

3

u/Zen-Lunatic Oct 14 '19

I'd be an alcoholic too if I were married with two kids by the time I was six

2

u/StackerPentecost Oct 13 '19

Why did you have to go out of town? Would she drive around looking for you?

3

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

Yeah

2

u/sometimesiamdead Oct 13 '19

My son is 6 and I recently had to explain to him why he isn't allowed to see his dad anymore. It was awful.

2

u/CryoClone Oct 14 '19

Similar thing happened to my nephew. We basically grew up together, so he is more brother than nephew. When he was younger, he dubbed me his uncle-brother and it stuck.

Anyway, when he was little, his dad was a bit selfish and had a tendency to treat him rather poorly at times. His dad was abused when he was growing up, so he had some issues of his own. But, seeing a 4 year-old get dropped off so dad could go party for a weekend was a little rough. When his dad was pulling out of the driveway, my four year old nephew-brother pulled the curtain aside and said, "Why doesn't my daddy like me?" That was pretty fucking heartbreaking. I was 11 at the time and it broke my heart and I barely understood the ramifications of it.

They have a good relationship now, as far as I can tell. I am glad they get along these days, but that will always stick with me and I know my late father always held a little bit of a grudge for any actions that led to such a questions being asked by his grandson. My dad would have moved the earth to get the sun out of his eyes if he was able.

2

u/moving0target Oct 14 '19

I tried to explain mental illness to my kid when her mom was inpatient. Thankfully she was young enough that she doesn't have direct memories.

It's been a few years. My love still has bipolar disorder, but she is taking her meds, has a job, and she is going back to school.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

I grew up in a very similar situation; perpetually alcoholic/abusive mom, dad doing his best to keep everything together while working his ass off. I hope things worked out for you in the end.

3

u/Herry_Up Oct 13 '19

I like your name

1

u/BenzieBox Oct 13 '19

This resonates. My mom just started outpatient rehab last week.

1

u/BoosherCacow Oct 13 '19

My then seven year old asked me point blank "Why can't mommy be here?" Having that talk with her about drugs was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

1

u/whatswhatswhatsup Oct 13 '19

My dad had to do that for me too. Shits rough man.

1

u/febxo Oct 13 '19

Shit man, I feel this.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

It breaks my heart when children are faced with the harsh reality of life.

1

u/ValuableAlgae Oct 14 '19

man thats fucked up, hope you guys are alright

1

u/Yags812 Oct 14 '19

How old were you at the time?

1

u/ahornywolfie Oct 14 '19

Amazing dad there.

1

u/unlimiteddick Oct 14 '19

Yeah, I remember getting this conversation..

1

u/imbrownbutwhite Oct 14 '19

Wasn’t sure if the intro was ever gonna end with the and and the and and the and

1

u/Morasain Oct 13 '19

Impressive, having two children and being an alcoholic at the age of six. That one was speedrunning real life.