Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Saddest Thing About Growing Up

People Share The Saddest Thing About Growing Up
Photo by Kat J on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

Life hurts. And the truth.

So it's a double whammy when learning the truths about life.

When you're young they try to shield you from the worst of it.

But you're going to catch on eventually.

Lesson one... Santa isn't real.

It's all downhill from there.

Redditor Apeeeu_ wanted to hear about all the things that made people frown in the past. They asked:

"What’s the saddest thing about growing up?"

Life isn't forever. That is my least favorite lesson. I hate death. Who agrees?

It's Me.

For Me What GIF by Lil DickyGiphy

"That it happens so slowly you don't even notice it. One day you'll just find yourself in a crisis thinking 'Oh crap, I need an adult!' and realize, in horror, that you are the adult."

i-love-reddit-so-muc

Vanished

"Everybody you know vanishes. Either they move away, they lose interest, they disappear off the face of the earth, whatever. It leaves you empty inside, like watching your best friend, your brother, fade away as is a candle in a dark room, to nothing but a stranger wearing a familiar face."

HighFlyerJ

Sucky people...

"Coming to the understanding that some humans turn out to be absolute liars, manipulators, egocentrists and delusionals - even some of the ones you once loved most dearly. The only positivity that came from such was the ability to know what I will and will not tolerate. It is never too late to cut chronically toxic people from communications."

blind-moon-spirit

Out of Time

"The older you get the faster time is perceived so you are faced with the inevitability of death and how short life really is."

greenhedgehog9

"What helps with this is keeping a daily journal. Even jotting down a few of your thoughts and feelings, a few little things you did that day, anything helps you to remember the time more and seems to slow things down. Then when you go back and read entries years later, all it takes is a sentence to bring back many memories of a day that seemed insignificant at the time."

killabeesplease

Old

disney love GIFGiphy

"Your parents grow old."

find-me-in-bub

Adulting isn't fun. Wish I had had a warning about that.

Yuck

Grumpy Cat Annoyed Face GIFGiphy

"Growing awfully aware of how sh*tty the world can be."

Foxman3777

The Pick Up

"It's an old one but it is sad: at some point your mother or father will pick you up, and it will be the last time ever. My daughter, aged 32, told me this and I offered to pick her up to reset the clock, but she politely declined."

jwelshuk

"This one hit me hard when I first heard it. Or when you'd fall asleep on the couch and just wake up in your bed. Literally starting to tear up just thinking about it."

ThePhabtom4567

Life Hurts

"Losing friends. I’ve lost friends due to slipping out of touch, fights, etc. but the worst is when a good friend dies. I’m of the generation that was in high school for 9/11, I joined the military and a lot of friends did too. I’ve lost a lot to war, but even more to drug use and suicide."

jharrisimages

Narrow truths...

"It is really easy to feel that as you get older that your world becomes more narrow. You realize you can’t do everything and you won’t achieve all your dreams. You try less new things because you don’t want to fail or don’t feel it is worth it. You don’t feel the need to challenge yourself anymore. It can make you feel unremarkable and alone."

"I think that feeling is one of the reasons that just about every generation since the first Star Wars kids will not let their childhoods die and take those things so seriously. Those interests are linked to times when you were younger, happier and optimistic and preserving that feeling can get harder and harder as you age."

AppealToReason16

Smile

Sad Rabbit GIF by Muffin & NutsGiphy

"Realizing how sad everyone is."

somecanadianslut

Life is gonna life. So be prepared. Bookmark this thread. And maybe some videos of cute puppies.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Randy Quaid; Anne Hathaway
Bobby Bank/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Disney

Randy Quaid Dragged After Raging About Anne Hathaway Being Too 'Woke' For 'Days Of Thunder' Sequel

In 1990, Paramount Pictures released the NASCAR centered film Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise and a relatively unknown actor, Nicole Kidman. The movie set became the place the pair began a relationship that resulted in a 10-year marriage.

Their divorce was finalized in 2001.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Tried To Rip Obama And Biden While Speaking To NASA Scientists—And Their Reaction Is Everything

President Donald Trump was met with silence from a group of NASA scientist who had gathered to hear him speak at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center only for Trump to launch into grievances about former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Trump was at the facility to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, the crew members of Artemis II who formed the first mission to bring astronauts toward the Moon in over half a century.

Keep ReadingShow less
James Clyburn; Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Stefani Reynolds/Pool/Getty Images

Dem Rep. Sparks Debate After Asserting That Impeaching Trump Shouldn't Be 'Priority' If Dems Take Back House

South Carolina Democratic Representative Jim Clyburn has left people torn after recommending that Democrats should not make impeaching President Donald Trump a "priority" if they take back the House of Representatives in November's midterm elections.

Trump is the only president to be impeached twice. The Senate acquitted him after he was accused of soliciting political favors from Ukraine. Trump would later be acquitted on charges that he incited an insurrection against the government after his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol building in 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Dolly Parton
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; Theo Wargo/WireImage

Trump Just Shared An AI Photo Of Himself With Dolly Parton—And Fans Are Having None Of It

President Donald Trump sparked backlash from fans of legendary performer Dolly Parton after he shared an AI-generated photo of himself with Parton on social media.

There do not exist any photos of Trump with Parton, who died last week after a brief battle with cancer. Parton's family buried the singer, actress, and philanthropist next to her late husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hailey, Justin, and Jack Bieber
@haileybieber/Instagram

Video Of Justin Bieber's 2-Year-Old Son Playing Golf Has Fans Convinced That He's A Child Prodigy

Most parents will agree that a child's first few years of birthdays are monumental. Not only is their child growing up, but with each birthday, their child develops new skills and becomes more and more their own person.

But most parents cannot say that one of their child's skills is a prodigy-level understanding of a sport.

Keep ReadingShow less