No one can deny that Sheldon Cooper was one of the most iconic TV characters of the past decade.
He was quirky, ridiculously smart, and, a loveable pain in the butt most of the time. But there were also a lot of things about him that made us really, really sad.
Keep reading to learn why.
That he doesn’t have a lot of friends
Sheldon’s quirks made it difficult for him to connect with others all his life. Growing up, he had one friend named Tam who also shared his love of science.
But beyond that, he was closest to his grandparents.
That he was bullied as a kid
While we see a lot of this in Young Sheldon , adult Sheldon also talks about his rough childhood.
On several occasions, he mentioned being beaten up, having things stolen from him, and being unpopular.
That he knocks on the door three times
This may seem like a cute, funny quirk about Sheldon, but there is actually a tragic history behind it.
He learned how to do it after walking in on his father cheating on his mother as a kid. “Two and three are for people to get their pants on,” he said.
That he lost his Pop-Pop
Next to his Meemaw, Sheldon was so close to his grandfather. He was the only one in the family who encouraged Sheldon to pursue science.
Remember that grudge against Santa Clause? It began after he failed to bring Sheldon’s Pop-Pop back.
That he struggles to connect with others
We see this all the time, even with the people closest to Sheldon. This includes his twin sister, his brother, and even the gang, including Leonard and Penny.
Thankfully, his friends keep trying.
That he can’t understand sarcasam
It would be incredibly frustrating to never feel “in on the joke.” It even makes him miss a lot of the times that his friends make fun of him.
But thankfully, Sheldon found a way around this by asking if someone is being sarcastic.
That he couldn’t relate with his peers
As a young kid in high school and college, he struggled to find things in common with his peers.
They all had different interests than him. Plus, who wants to hang out with the young, nerdy kid?
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That he lost his father at a young age
In addition to his Pop-Pop, Sheldon lost his father at the age of 14.
While they didn’t have a very close relationship, it’s still tragic for any child to lose a parent.
That he’s chained to his routine
He eats the same takeout, sits in his same spot on the couch, and so on.
Since he receives a lot of comfort and safety from his routine, any changes to it can leave him feeling anxious.
That his biggest discovery was actually wrong
As a man who prides himself on being the smartest, this was a hard truth to swallow.
Amy helped him realize that he had used square meters instead of centimeters with his most famous equation.
That he’s a germaphobe
This is a very real condition that Sheldon can’t control. And since germs are everywhere, he’s had to simply live with the overbearing anxiety.
As a kid, this meant wearing gloves during their dinnertime prayer.
That he has a lot of fears
He may be smarter than everyone else, but that doesn’t make him immune to fear.
This includes being scared of basic things that don’t bother others, such as playing sports, touching germs, or riding a bike.
That his siblings were mean to him
Since Sheldon was so different from his siblings, including his twin Missy, he couldn’t connect with the people closest to him.
Missy and Georgie were also mean to Shelton since he was the “smart” one in the family.
That he has a lot of unresolved conflict with people
Sadly, this has been an emerging pattern in a lot of his relationships. It goes all the way back to his friendship with Tam and his brother.
Sadly, Sheldon doesn’t have the interpersonal skills to fix the conflict.
That he struggled to connect with his father while he was alive
Sheldon and his father couldn’t have been any more different.
Sheldon was into science and learning, while his father liked to sit on the couch, watch sports, and drink beer.
That he never really got to be a kid
Since his intellectual level is far superior to everyone else’s, Sheldon never really got to be a kid.
Instead of playing with Lego, he was interested in solving equations.
That his teachers didn’t like him
The teachers got tired of Sheldon always being the class know-it-all. This led them to literally celebrate whenever he wasn’t in school.
He even got on the last nerve of his Sunday school pastor, Pastor Jeff.
That he’s scared to end up like his parents
In “The Hot Tub Contamination,” episode, Sheldon revealed to Penny why he struggles to be physically and emotionally intimate with Amy.
Basically, he was worried that he would end up in a bad relationship like his parents.
That he’s often a burden to others
Given all the items on this list, it’s easy to see why he comes off as pretty intolerable to his friends and family.
This is incredibly sad since he doesn’t know any other way to be.
Don’t worry, we love you, Sheldon!
