15 Opinions People Changed As They Became Adults

"As a 13-year-old the fact that my parents would sit down to watch TV on weeknights after dinner made me think they were mindless drones.

Turns out they were just tired from work, cooking dinner, dealing with my [expletive], etc and just wanted to rest for a few hours before repeating the cycle," said Reddit user foxbones.

Reddit user Alm8360NoScoPro pointed out that one thing they realized as an adult is that not everything in life is "black and white." There isn't always a "right" and a "wrong" in certain situations you may find yourself in. And, because of that, life can get very hard and very messy, very, very quickly.

Reddit user Iplaymeinreallife said that they learned that life is just not simple, at all. And, that as a child, we all believe that it will be as we grow up. But, the older we get, the more we realize that people truly want easy, simple, clear-cut answers that truthfully, no one can really give any of us.

MephistoTheHater said that one thing they are not ashamed to admit is that as a child, they did not understand the value of money at all. In fact, they said that they truly didn't get why their parents would say no to things often. And, they also got frustrated about it. But, as an adult, there were times when they had no money in their savings and realized that their parents were really trying the best that they can.

didnsignup4dis chimed in to add that they used to really care what other people thought of them. Sometimes, they would lose sleep over the opinions of others. As they got older, they realized that they can't really and truly control what everyone else thinks. Sometimes, they still do, but mostly, they realized that other people's opinions are just not it.

"People have a reason for doing what they do. It might not be a good reason, a nice reason, or even a logical reason, but they do have a reason.

So if someone is doing something you consider to be overwhelmingly stupid, there is probably a reason for it and you should probably find out what that reason is before you try and [expletive] at them about it. It might be stupid, or you might learn something," said Averant.

tittychittybangbang jumped in to say that one thing they realized is that they're not "special." Unique, yes. But, special? No. We're just one of a billion people wandering the world thinking we know it all. As a kid, we're told that we are special so often that sometimes, we think we are.

Reddit user undergrounddirt said that before "talent" and before "natural gifts" or anything else, the one thing that matters in a person is how kind they are. No situation is so bad that a person can't make it worse, so practicing kindness can get you much further in life than anything else possibly could.

EnvironmentalSite351 said that as a child, they thought having kids and raising them was "easy" because literally everyone they know did it and was doing it. But, growing up, they saw how many people either failed their kids or raised them in the "wrong ways." They slowly saw that parenting is one of the toughest jobs a person can have.

justputonsomemusic said that one thing they had stapled into their brain was that if they aren't married and a mother by 35, they will end up single, alone, and childless—which, meant that their life was a total failure. But, turning 35 soon without a husband or a child, they said that they have had a wonderfully fulfilling life with travel, lessons, and fun.

Idontdanceforfun said one big thing that they noticed as they got older is the way you present yourself matters. As a teen, they were a "rebellious" kind of kid who dressed more eccentric and "punk." And, as they got older, they started to care more about how they dressed and presented themselves. It "completely changed" the way people interacted with them, and for the better.

stevebobeeve shared that as a kid, they thought being bored was the worst possible thing. And, today, parents know their kids hate being bored. But, as an adult, they said that they saw being bored is actually okay. In fact, it's more than okay. When things are boring it means things are okay and they are going fine. Chaos is when we have to worry.

"I grew up in a family where if something bad happened to you, then it was kind of thought that it was your own fault. In hindsight, that wasn't true even then, but that was the thinking.

That kind of thinking leads to a victim-blamey kind of mentality regarding other people, and it demands perfection from yourself at all times. Neither of those things are healthy," shared Aperture_T.

GNDM03 shared that they thought the only way you could possibly feel fulfilled in life is if you have kids and make a family for yourself, as so many people had told them that. Turns out, you can live a truly fulfilling life without having any kids at all. You can travel, create bonds and memories, and see things you may not have been able to, had you had kids.

Subject_Witness4414 said that the one thing they started to see is important when they are an adult is that they need to stop and understand people more. Everyone goes through hardship and everyone goes through stressful times, before we judge them, we can stop and get to know who they are and what they are about before we make a snap judgment on their life.

h/t Reddit.