WTF things you used to do and wonder how you're still alive....

[Bedheadretention]

I've just been reading the thread about people not being able to do simple jobs around the home e.g, changing a bulb/plug, and it got me thinking about when I was around 7-8 years old, not only being fully competent and able to rewire an electrical plug, but also jamming into the electric sockets wires from the video player in my bedroom that didn't have a plug (blue wire into left bottom wall socket hole, brown wire into right bottom wall socket hole) and the tv plug kind of wedging them in over the top after seeing my DF doing the same thing with other small electricals.

WTF did I do this? I thought at the time it was probably ok as DF did the same when a plug was missing, but part of me knew deep down it was wrong! TBF DF did go full on gobshite tell me off when he noticed, and unplugged them, muttering he would 'get me a plug', but then forgot, so I never received said plug, so just jammed the wires in again. I would go barmy if my dc did this, and am cringing now at nearly frying myself and thinking I could have caused a house fire too, (to be fair, this was early 80s, so slack on health and safety).

Please tell me I'm not the only knob to have done something so stupid, I've only just thought of this for the first time in decades and feel so daft. How did I not see what I could have done?

Oh goodness! Just remembered aged 8, going on a school trip and the teacher let us wander around the village shop alone and buy whatever we wanted. (70's) We bought Shandy, and got completely pissed. Threw up on the coach all the way home. I would go ballistic if any of my children did this, and can not imagine it happening now.

I've found my people
My DD is no 27 and my wild teenage years including leaving home at 15 ( early 80's)to go live in a squat in London with my boyfriend (never went home just got on with life), meant I was well prepared for what could and occasionally did happen

I did stupid things and survived....the stupidest thing I did I saved for my late 30's when I met and married a man who used to beat the shit out of me.....divorced now and a whole lot wiser...missing a few teeth mind you.

As a children my sister and I liked to flick water on a hot bedside light because we liked the sizzle and the smell.

Put a metal knife in an electrical socket and I was scared when orange sparks came out. Got the requisite telling off from my Mum.

Backpacked round America on my own aged 21. Wasn't expecting trouble and didn't get any. Although I wonder if sharing a room (but not a bed I might add) for 2 nights with two Swedish guys I'd just met who were also travelling was such a clever idea looking back.

One night stands with Randoms in my home district but I insisted on condom use. I thought that could start a relationship - the Friends With Benefits/Fuck Buddy concept wasn't around then.

Sex in the back of my then boyfriend's car after dark whilst parked in a busy street.

Travelling alone to see my French pen friend in Dijon on trains and ferry aged 15 - parents thought I was going on an organised school exchange trip.

Playing on building sites
Falling out of trees
Setting fires and chucking petrol on them for a laugh
Swimming in rivers, no adult supervision
Getting pissed up and staggering home in early hours
Riding in cars with drunk lads driving recklessly with no seat belts
Passing out at parties in random houses

I used to slip out of the house late at night after rows with mother, walk 2 miles down country lanes in pitch dark and 'sleep' in a bus shelter until it got light and then walk back home and get ready for school. Age 14
Took speed from 15 - 16 ( including whilst sitting my exams )
Drove cars/vans with no license under age of 17.
Went to raves ( clubs and outdoor) from 15, with some very dodgy fuckers who were fucked on all manner of drugs ( never did E myself ).
Fired off an illegal handgun ( outside in a pitch black field ).
Spent my exchange trip with school, age 13 buying booze and fags and hanging out in the rough suburbs of Paris with gangs of boys 18+ whilst I should've been in exchange school..

I lived in Russia for a few months when I was a student and we quite often used to flag down passing cars to get lifts. We could quite easily have been raped or murdered. My only defence is that it was more culturally acceptable over there to get lifts from strangers!

One idyllic school summer holiday in the 70s 'our gang' spent days making bombs and setting them off. Our Dms were intrigued as to why so much sugar and so many tupperware boxes went missing from our homes.

GUMBO did you do AirPic?

Smoked too much, drank even more and took huge amounts of drugs in a variety of fields between the ages of 14 and 18. At 18, carried on all of this in a variety of pubs, scummy flats, nightclubs, people’s parents houses when they were on holiday etc. I had lots and lots of sex with random fellas, not always with a condom. I could sniff a party out from 3 streets away and my friends used to joke about sending me into the streets because I could always find something happening. I have more than a few times wandered about the streets at daft o clock until I heard music and then knocked on the door. By myself. Just knocked on a strangers door and gone in to party.

I lied to my poor mother in such elaborate ways she never had a clue. I must admit though, I’ve come out unscathed. I only drink wine now and I never go out. Please can some of you come to playgroup with me though anytime I even hint about being a bit squiffy one night I get a load of cats bum mouths

Played on building sites regularly and climbed very high trees as a child. Walked back home from nights out on my own. Got into strangers cars for “taxi” rides back home as a teenager. Meh. I’m alive.

Wow, I knew my life had been very tame, but compared with you lot I was (and still am) a positive angel. Hoick up my judgey pants.

When I was about 3 or 4 I went out shooting at tin cans with my older db and the adult (drunk all the time) neighbour who owned the air rifle we'd used. I remember dm being angry with us and forbidding us to ever do it again. I really wanted to though so we went out again but don't know what happened with neighbour after that as he never asked us again. If any of my boys did that I wouldn't be happy, but that would be because I didn't know beforehand and would want to be there to supervise and have a go myself.

Sometimes family friends would give us lifts. There not being enough seats I, as the smallest and youngest, would have to sit on mum's knee or in the footwell! I remember going to a fireworks display one November and at least 3 of us got out of the boot!

Used to play 'kipper' with my older db. A 'game' where you took turns throwing a knife into the grass as close to the other persons foot that was furthest away from you as you could manage, then you moved your foot where the knife was and the other person did the same towards you. Not a good idea at 7/8/9 years old, could have sliced through a foot or, as often happened, you'd fall over and the knife would fly perilously close to your head.

As a 15 yr old teen I had a boyfriend who was 24. He used to give me a lift to my sister's house (who I lived with at the time) on the back of his moped. I had the only helmet, and I don't think either of us had had any lessons, insurance or idea how to drive the thing.

Now the most dangerous thing I do is get too close to a ghost on Pacman and sneeze when needing a pee.

Oh, I just remembered, my uncle was a labourer and we (my cousins and I) used to ride in the back of his van, so no seats, let alone seatbelts, in amongst a load of tools, including saws/axes. (probably more negligent on his part than dangerous on ours, this was in the late 80s!). My parents must have been fine with it, as they often saw us getting in and out of the van!

Got into random man’s truck as a child and drove off from home (he took me back again). Gave mum a heart attack!

Realised I did loads of stuff I pray my lo never does.

Do I tell her so she decides not to as Mum won’t be shocked, or not tell her as I may be a bad influence?

Not sure how smoking twenty a day was crazy for pp above. Didn’t that used to be normal?

I had a bedroom full of cannabis plants. Lamps, fans, the lot. When I sold my house I didn't remove the plants I simply told the estate agents and potential buyers that that particular bedroom was out of bounds for viewing. WTF?! The house stank of weed!

Also playing on building sites, climbing scaffolding, swimming right out to sea while drunk in the middle of the night, getting into cars of male teenage drivers who I didn't really know, getting drunk with no means of getting home etc etc.

I think back and shudder at the sheer stupidity of it all. Fucking hell.

As a child used to play dare on the railway lines

At the beach I 'd go out in the sea as far as I could while just touching the bottom with my tiptoes. Then swim back. I thought it was so cool how far out I could get. Until one time I couldn't get back. I was swimming and swimming but getting nowhere. I was really shitting myself. Then just as I thought I was going die I started to make headway and managed to get back to the beach.

Now I watch my kids like a hawk and won't let them go deeper than waist deep. My parents never even noticed what I was up to.

I used to drive on country roads at night and turn out the headlights for as long as I dared.

I was a pretty boring teenager who never went out but as a child I smashed my head into a brick wall riding my bmx with no helmet putting myself in hospital for a week. I was 8 and didn't even own a helmet.

I used to go walk on my own through the woods when I was told not too.

Played war with the neighbours by hiding behind sandbags and throwing bricks at each other. Luckily neighbours parents stopped that one sharpish.

Took Valium, drank vodka and fell through a. Glass table. I was very very lucky not to even have a cut let alone not go through a major artery.

Took 6 ecstasy pills in one go. God I was one stupid fucker.

A boy in my circle of friends passed his test quickly at 17 and had the use of his mum's car. It was a 2 door Morris marina. About 8 of us used to squeeze into it, no seatbelts, and race around country lanes, hairpin bends, blind corners, we also used to drive over fields and through puddles, doing handbrake turns. In fields the rest of us would have a go driving too. I actually can't believe I did this!

Done a significant proportion of these but I also used to stagger out of clubs in central London and just hop into anyone's car who would take me home for a fiver. There was no licensing in those days and these were very much unlicensed minicabs.

Having said that, much like posters before - I was always fine, the majority of the time everyone did want to make sure I got home safely and actually on one occasion DH was stopped by a couple of men as I basically fell out of a black cab (shitfaced) outside our house because he said, completely understandably, "oh for fuck's sake" and they wanted to check that I was ok. In my experience, people are mostly nice.

Sitting shrieking with laughter in the back of a car packed with other teenagers, no seatbelts, singing and giggling as two drunken lads sat in the front, one driving erratically down a narrow country road. Luckily we all got home safely, but I look back and can't believe our stupidity.

I had a sheltered upbringing and rebelled big time when I discovered sex and the pill, I shagged 3 boys in one evening when I was 16. I'm kinda ashamed but at the time it was fucking brilliant!

Perhaps we were in the same car @Clawdy!