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Original poster

Something you’ve done or said as an adult that now makes you cringe/embarrassed.

197 replies

Conniebygaslight · 19/07/2024 21:07

Just reading another thread and it made me think about things that I’ve said or done in the past but that I would never do now. I do find myself more forgiving of younger adults though so maybe that’s the way… it goes but I do cringe at my younger behaviour.

I was in my early 20s and a few of us went wedding dress shopping with a colleague. I tried on so many dresses and made the whole trip about me. I wasn’t getting married and the bride was about 10 years older than me and didn’t seem bothered but I’ve often thought about it and how awful it must have been. It makes my toes curl….I’m early 50s now and soooo different.

OP posts:
Somethingsnappy · 20/07/2024 13:43

This is not mine, but my husband's. He bumped into our slightly grumpy neighbour with his lovely young dog. My husband greeted the neighbour and said hello to the dog. The neighbour said, in quite a deadpan voice, 'two today'. Dh said 'oh wow, happy birthday' to the dog, making a big fuss of him. It was only as he walked off that he realised neighbour had been referring to the fact that dh only had two dogs with him that day, as opposed to the four he was usually seen out and about with.

Dh still cringes regularly when something reminds him of it.

Badburyrings · 20/07/2024 13:53

Anonym00se · 19/07/2024 22:19

I was once walking along the street in the city centre. A young man was approaching me, but still a fair distance away. He looked right at me and gave me two thumbs ups. I thought it was quite weird and didn’t know what to do so, being British, I decided the polite course of action was to give him two thumbs up back. He didn’t drop his thumbs, so I felt I should also keep mine up. So there I am walking along, my two thumbs aloft feeling incredibly awkward. As he got much closer I saw that he was actually just holding onto the straps of his backpack, not giving any thumbs up at all. Nothing in my life makes me cringe as hard as the memory of this fairly innocuous event.

Absolutely howling at this one..

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 20/07/2024 14:13

Calliopespa · 20/07/2024 12:03

Tbh it’s never too late to set these things right.

I did something awful when I was about 9 ( it wasn’t funny, more a thoughtless comment which betrayed a secret someone had asked me to keep and I thought they were making a mountain out of a molehill by making it a secret in the first place. ) However she felt really upset when I let it out to some other girls at school and when I saw her face I’ve never stopped feeling bad. Recently I apologised. She was fully over it - but did remember (!) - and was really glad to have the apology. It’s nice to tie up these loose ends.

Show quote history

Lovely that you set it right, but it’s far too late for me - well over 50 years ago now and I wouldn’t have a clue where he is, or even whether he’s still alive.

Eyelinerwonky · 20/07/2024 14:26

I’m loving all of these.

As a new graduate I went for my first job interview with a panel of people.

It was to become a trainer for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and was very early 90s so no internet etc.

I remember sitting there recounting how I love dogs etc and saying a story about how I love big dogs as we’d had a terrier called Starnia of Amber (pedigree name) and how I was embarrassed I was as a child etc.

Then they took me to show me the dogs. All little and lots of terriers. I’d wrongly assumed they used Labradors etc.

The absolute embarrassment at the time, and still now. I’d also acted all high and mighty about my degree too. What an absolute pretentious idiot I was. Still makes me cringe in my 50s now.

Angelbunny · 20/07/2024 14:59

The other day I was walking to pick dd up from school. I brushed past a bush and felt the back of my dress tug but brushed it down with my hand and all felt fine. Carried onto school, stood right at the front of the playground, loads of people behind me. Collected dd and as we had to rush home to get ready for dd dance class we walked really quickly and kept overtaking people. Took dd to dance class, then popped into shops after. All the while my dress felt like it was sitting strange but everytime I felt it it seemed normal. Anyway, once home I go upstairs to get changed, take my dress off and there's a massive whole in the back, everyone would have seen everything, I was wearing a black lacey knickers. Asked dd if she had seen it and she said yes!! I don't know why nobody thought to tell me! I can't even tell dh about it as I'm so embarrassed. Luckily I didn't have to do the school run since and now have the summer to get over my embarrassment.

Calliopespa · 20/07/2024 15:36

Angelbunny · 20/07/2024 14:59

The other day I was walking to pick dd up from school. I brushed past a bush and felt the back of my dress tug but brushed it down with my hand and all felt fine. Carried onto school, stood right at the front of the playground, loads of people behind me. Collected dd and as we had to rush home to get ready for dd dance class we walked really quickly and kept overtaking people. Took dd to dance class, then popped into shops after. All the while my dress felt like it was sitting strange but everytime I felt it it seemed normal. Anyway, once home I go upstairs to get changed, take my dress off and there's a massive whole in the back, everyone would have seen everything, I was wearing a black lacey knickers. Asked dd if she had seen it and she said yes!! I don't know why nobody thought to tell me! I can't even tell dh about it as I'm so embarrassed. Luckily I didn't have to do the school run since and now have the summer to get over my embarrassment.

Nearly ruptured something internal laughing at this.

Calliopespa · 20/07/2024 15:37

The funniest bit is DD saying “ yes.”! 😅

StainlessSeal · 20/07/2024 16:06

Maureenthemagicunicorn · 20/07/2024 12:03

I was telling my brother and sister in law about some experience I had in a supermarket, can't even remember what, and then decided to clumsily imitate / exaggerate the accent of the Chinese student checkout worker who offered me a bag. I was halfway through this when I remembered my sister in law is Chinese British.

Yeah, that's pretty bad, regardless of SIL's background...

mondaytosunday · 20/07/2024 16:08

No no @Aroastdinnerisnotahumanright more like Miranda!

JohnTheRevelator · 20/07/2024 17:32

pulltheudderone · 20/07/2024 11:37

DH was tired and dragging his arse around the supermarket, so I said 'Look, you just stay there with the trolley and browse the magazines, I'll go and get the milk.'

So off I went, got the milk and, in giddy mood, decided to canter back to him, thrust the milk in his face and moo loudly: MMOOOOIIIIIILKKKK!

Of course, it wasn't my husband...

Brilliant! 😂😂😂

MumofSpud · 20/07/2024 20:40

My first day at a new job (I was late 20s so not even youth as an excuse)
My new colleague told me his wife (who also worked there) was pregnant and I asked 'Is it yours?)
I have no idea why I said that - my mouth just worked by itself!
I am not even a horrible person !

Turned out though that she had been having an affair so my question was quite apt but I wasn't to know that at the time Blush

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 20/07/2024 20:47

I met someone just the other day and complimented her brightly coloured hair and said of course I'm too old for that now. Turns out we are close in age and I'd inadvertently implied she was too old also Blush

Newsenmum · 20/07/2024 20:49

Anonym00se · 19/07/2024 22:19

I was once walking along the street in the city centre. A young man was approaching me, but still a fair distance away. He looked right at me and gave me two thumbs ups. I thought it was quite weird and didn’t know what to do so, being British, I decided the polite course of action was to give him two thumbs up back. He didn’t drop his thumbs, so I felt I should also keep mine up. So there I am walking along, my two thumbs aloft feeling incredibly awkward. As he got much closer I saw that he was actually just holding onto the straps of his backpack, not giving any thumbs up at all. Nothing in my life makes me cringe as hard as the memory of this fairly innocuous event.

Thank you SO much for this!

Ruthietuthie · 20/07/2024 20:53

LONG before I had given birth myself, I tried (very persistently) to persuade a relative who had given birth two days ago to run a family 5 k. "Come on! It will be so much fun!" I just would not let it drop. My own birth, when I didn't do much other than bleed, sweat, nurse and cry for at least a month afterwards, taught me exactly what this was a dreadful thing to do.

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 20/07/2024 20:55

@MaltipooMama oh god I actually cringed reading that.

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 20/07/2024 21:05

On a city break in my early 20s with BF, we were quite drunk and heading back to a hotel on the underground. We were sitting near each other but not together, bf sitting along wall and I was facing at a right angle to his left. We passed the time making really stupid faces at each other and giggling like idiots. At one point we changed trains and DH was in a similar spot and I was now opposite. I saw him turn to an elderly man to his left, with a manic grin, crossed eyes and tongue hanging out. The man just looked at him stony faced. I watched the slow drunken realisation, it still makes me laugh to think of it.

Newsenmum · 20/07/2024 21:32

Ruthietuthie · 20/07/2024 20:53

LONG before I had given birth myself, I tried (very persistently) to persuade a relative who had given birth two days ago to run a family 5 k. "Come on! It will be so much fun!" I just would not let it drop. My own birth, when I didn't do much other than bleed, sweat, nurse and cry for at least a month afterwards, taught me exactly what this was a dreadful thing to do.

Omg poor woman! 🤣

PoopedAndScooped · 20/07/2024 21:34

Partners dad asked me & partner to take a xmas present and cards (with money) in to a friend of his

Parter said he knew the address, got out the car, knocked said ‘hi, how are you, these are from *, person said oh lovely how is he, we spoke for about 10 mins on the health of my partners dad and then got back in the car.

I then turned to partner and said ‘I dont think that was her, i think we got the wrong address’

When we got back my partners dad rang his friend and yep, we hadnt been talking to them!

So ‘someone’ got a health update about a friend they didnt know , with chocolates, tobacco and about £100 cash

Newsenmum · 20/07/2024 21:45

When I was about 18 I occasionally babysat my neighbour’s child. The parents were professionals and well thought of so this may explain why I did some ‘try hard’ things. I burnt the plastic sieve for the pasta as for some reason thought it went in the pan of boiling water (I must’ve been all flustered trying to make a nice meal). Not only did I try to hide it but when the dad found it and asked me why I did it, I blamed his five year old by saying she TOLD ME TO DO IT wtf.

Lelophants · 20/07/2024 21:51

I was really anxious and awkward at school, so when I went to uni I tried to reinvent myself and tried to hang out with some much cooler people. I was overthinking absolutely everything I said all the time. I remember once a girl introduced another girl with this really long, unique name (which I thought was beautiful) but my immediate reaction was to laugh and say “oh my god!” and made a disgusted ‘mean girl’ type face! They all went silent and looked at me and then when I tried to explain I didn’t mean it, it looked like I was lying. So so awful and I don’t know what I was doing as they were all really nice girls tbh.

Lelophants · 20/07/2024 21:52

And the worst thing was it was all fake! I really did like her name but was so used to fighting what I really wanted to say!

superduperconfusedd · 20/07/2024 21:57

First wedding I had been invited to in my Life, good friends of my older boyfriend but i was barely 19 at the time. He was Best Man. I was stressing about an outfit for weeks, I knew everyone was always very glam and wore big dresses (!!!) so I followed suit, bought a lovely long puffy number in bright Orange. Turned up looking like I wanted to be a bridesmaid!!! I had no idea until later in the Evening how much I stood out.
Oh Lord, when the photos come around annually on Facebook that the couple repost them to celebrate their anniversary.. a little bit more of me dies each year ConfusedConfusedConfused

CanelliniBeans · 20/07/2024 22:13

I got in a car with someone I thought was my friend (school mum) collecting me for a mums night out. It wasn't her. It was a young man picking up his friend next door. He was petrified.

deviantfeline · 20/07/2024 22:14

I ran for a bus on London's Bishopsgate (very busy, just after work). I was wearing one of those elasticated material skirts. I didn't notice it creeping down as I ran and as I came to a sudden stop by the bus door it fell to my feet revealing my massive 'suck you in' bloomers to the whole street and bus.
I yanked it up and just styled it out but I cringed for about a year.

ForeverDelayedEpiphany · 20/07/2024 22:40

Ooh another one... my DH thinks it's hilarious to stick the bits of packaging from things like bananas on my back/bum when he's putting the food shopping away, and usually I notice these things but on one occasion, I didn't.

He'd had a delivery of a plastic carpet protector to help protect the carpet under his chair in his office at home, and he decided to stick part of the packaging label on my bum before I did the school run.

When I got to my DS's class, his teacher smiled in am amused way and told me that I was advertising a part of the carpet protector packaging on my jeans... I had obviously walked to school with a "tail" stuck on my bum 😅😳😅