20 Times People Learned Something Slightly Late In Life, As Shared In this Online Group (New Answers)
It's never too late to learn.
Independently testedUnbiased Demilked scoreFree to implementTools included
Sometimes, you figure out something a little late than the people around you and you think "My whole life was a lie!". Turns out, missing obvious things is not very uncommon and today we have gathered many examples of that.
Image source: willk95, Mike Mozart
"I was probably 21 or 22 when I learned that whole milk is only 3% fat. I always thought it was 100, and when I saw reduced as being 2% I thought 'why wouldn't they do 50% or somewhere in the middle?'"
Image source: corteser, Kelly Sue DeConnick
"Learned this yesterday, actually… apparently you need to RSVP to events even if you will not be attending."
Image source: rebel_croissant, Pixabay
"This is something my little sister did through high school. We're about 8 years apart so we never overlapped in school.
She's always been a straight-A student, and I found out she worked extra hard because she "wanted to catch up to me" in school. So we could be in school at the same time.
I almost cried."
Image source: ashforgold, John Lester
"While watching Game of Thrones, I asked my husband when dragons went extinct. He had to pause the show for that one."
Image source: drittinnlegg, Henry
"Birds have sex. I thought that the mother bird laid the egg and the father fertilised it later. I was 18 and asked my mother what the birds were doing…"
Image source: too_sharp, Susanne Nilsson
"the saying is: "Nip it in the bud" and not in fact *nip it in the butt*"
Image source: vienna_versailles, Madonna
"I thought that ‘prima donna' was 'pre-Madonna' and that it meant everything before the singer Madonna and just assumed she was some kind of universal queen."
Image source: PoopsieDoodles, Karolina Grabowska
"Not me but my mom: waiting for the shower to be warm BEFORE stepping in.
She grew up with a bathtub most of her life, and didn't get a shower until she moved out of my grandparents' place in her 20s.
She was apparently talking to a coworker about the winter weather one morning. While lamenting, she goes, "And don't you just HATE getting into a cold shower on these cold days?! It takes SO LONG for the water to get warm!"
Coworker: "Uh... Cheryl.... You know you can just WAIT until the water gets warm, THEN hop in....""
Image source: ixent, Andreas D.
"That Bonsai are not a species of tree, but a way to grow them. Any tree can be a bonsai."
Image source: YesAccident5991, jeffreyw
"I was like, 22? working at a restaurant making myself a salad, and I asked the chef for bumps and he stared at me for like, 60 solid seconds trying to figure out what I wanted. I explained to him I wanted bumps for my salad. I have all the rest of the toppings but now needed bumps.
Guys … my family told me croutons were called bumps my entire life. I called my dad that night and confirmed that bumps are indeed, actually called croutons."
Image source: Baffhy_Duck, Wendy Wei
"I live near the Hospital for Joint Diseases….when I was a kid I thought it was a special hospital for people who had two different diseases at the same time."
Image source: casper02127, Ben Mack
"My sister was in her 50's when she found out the meaning of: "you have an addictive personality". She thought after all these years of therapy that it meant that people were addicted to her personality. We laugh hysterically when we talk about this (in a very sad way)."
Image source: boldolive, Carolyn Savell
"Until I was in school for environmental studies, I thought “mourning dove” was “morning dove.” I usually heard them calling in the mornings, so “morning” made sense to me."
Image source: ScaryNation, Bill Abbott
"Just this week I found out about the little button on the back of the socket driver that pushes the socket off. I have owned the same socket set for about 30 years, and I have a dedicated screwdriver that I keep with my sockets and use to pry them off when I’m done using them.
I will be 55 years old soon."
Image source: ConsiderationWest587, Tom Coady
"Coca and cocoa are two different plants, not one magical organism lol."
Image source: BronNatsPulisic, Ken Bosma
"I thought that horses had toes until I was 22. I thought the hoof was a “horseshoe” and the toes were tucked inside.
How did I learn how wrong I was, you ask?
I was walking past a cavalry museum and saw a horse statue and loudly remarked “it must hurt so bad when they fold a horse’s toes to put them into the shoe!” Dozens of horse enthusiasts turned and looked at me with wild bewilderment in their eyes."
Image source: whyunoletmepost, Artem Savchenko
"I learned that pork and beans are not called "cowboy beans". I was 18 and asked a grocery store clerk to help me find the "cowboy beans". We were looking everywhere and I was getting frustrated because I know that every store carries these beans. After a while I pick up a pork and beans can with a picture and say "see, it looks just like this!" He says "you mean pork and beans?" Then I realize that my mom called them that so that I would eat them. The look of disappointment from that grocery store clerk haunts me to this day."
Image source: MagicPieBush, Christa Grover
"That you don't have to stand *in* the shower while the water warms up."
Image source: AcuteHazard, Bert Verhoeff
"I thought Mick Jagger’s name was McJagger, and people just never said his first name for some reason."
Image source: MR-LIBERIA, Dave Lonsdale
"That pineapples grow on the ground, and not in a tree."
A Reddit user recently asked people “What’s something you learned “embarrassingly late” in life?" and many interesting stories were shared in the Reddit thread. Scroll below to read some of those answers, and feel free to share your own realizations in the comments below.
More info: Reddit
#1
Image source: willk95, Mike Mozart
"I was probably 21 or 22 when I learned that whole milk is only 3% fat. I always thought it was 100, and when I saw reduced as being 2% I thought 'why wouldn't they do 50% or somewhere in the middle?'"
#2
Image source: corteser, Kelly Sue DeConnick
"Learned this yesterday, actually… apparently you need to RSVP to events even if you will not be attending."
#3
Image source: rebel_croissant, Pixabay
"This is something my little sister did through high school. We're about 8 years apart so we never overlapped in school.
She's always been a straight-A student, and I found out she worked extra hard because she "wanted to catch up to me" in school. So we could be in school at the same time.
I almost cried."
#4
Image source: ashforgold, John Lester
"While watching Game of Thrones, I asked my husband when dragons went extinct. He had to pause the show for that one."
#5
Image source: drittinnlegg, Henry
"Birds have sex. I thought that the mother bird laid the egg and the father fertilised it later. I was 18 and asked my mother what the birds were doing…"
#6
Image source: too_sharp, Susanne Nilsson
"the saying is: "Nip it in the bud" and not in fact *nip it in the butt*"
#7
Image source: vienna_versailles, Madonna
"I thought that ‘prima donna' was 'pre-Madonna' and that it meant everything before the singer Madonna and just assumed she was some kind of universal queen."
#8
Image source: PoopsieDoodles, Karolina Grabowska
"Not me but my mom: waiting for the shower to be warm BEFORE stepping in.
She grew up with a bathtub most of her life, and didn't get a shower until she moved out of my grandparents' place in her 20s.
She was apparently talking to a coworker about the winter weather one morning. While lamenting, she goes, "And don't you just HATE getting into a cold shower on these cold days?! It takes SO LONG for the water to get warm!"
Coworker: "Uh... Cheryl.... You know you can just WAIT until the water gets warm, THEN hop in....""
#9
Image source: ixent, Andreas D.
"That Bonsai are not a species of tree, but a way to grow them. Any tree can be a bonsai."
#10
Image source: YesAccident5991, jeffreyw
"I was like, 22? working at a restaurant making myself a salad, and I asked the chef for bumps and he stared at me for like, 60 solid seconds trying to figure out what I wanted. I explained to him I wanted bumps for my salad. I have all the rest of the toppings but now needed bumps.
Guys … my family told me croutons were called bumps my entire life. I called my dad that night and confirmed that bumps are indeed, actually called croutons."
#11
Image source: Baffhy_Duck, Wendy Wei
"I live near the Hospital for Joint Diseases….when I was a kid I thought it was a special hospital for people who had two different diseases at the same time."
#12
Image source: casper02127, Ben Mack
"My sister was in her 50's when she found out the meaning of: "you have an addictive personality". She thought after all these years of therapy that it meant that people were addicted to her personality. We laugh hysterically when we talk about this (in a very sad way)."
#13
Image source: boldolive, Carolyn Savell
"Until I was in school for environmental studies, I thought “mourning dove” was “morning dove.” I usually heard them calling in the mornings, so “morning” made sense to me."
#14
Image source: ScaryNation, Bill Abbott
"Just this week I found out about the little button on the back of the socket driver that pushes the socket off. I have owned the same socket set for about 30 years, and I have a dedicated screwdriver that I keep with my sockets and use to pry them off when I’m done using them.
I will be 55 years old soon."
#15
Image source: ConsiderationWest587, Tom Coady
"Coca and cocoa are two different plants, not one magical organism lol."
#16
Image source: BronNatsPulisic, Ken Bosma
"I thought that horses had toes until I was 22. I thought the hoof was a “horseshoe” and the toes were tucked inside.
How did I learn how wrong I was, you ask?
I was walking past a cavalry museum and saw a horse statue and loudly remarked “it must hurt so bad when they fold a horse’s toes to put them into the shoe!” Dozens of horse enthusiasts turned and looked at me with wild bewilderment in their eyes."
#17
Image source: whyunoletmepost, Artem Savchenko
"I learned that pork and beans are not called "cowboy beans". I was 18 and asked a grocery store clerk to help me find the "cowboy beans". We were looking everywhere and I was getting frustrated because I know that every store carries these beans. After a while I pick up a pork and beans can with a picture and say "see, it looks just like this!" He says "you mean pork and beans?" Then I realize that my mom called them that so that I would eat them. The look of disappointment from that grocery store clerk haunts me to this day."
#18
Image source: MagicPieBush, Christa Grover
"That you don't have to stand *in* the shower while the water warms up."
#19
Image source: AcuteHazard, Bert Verhoeff
"I thought Mick Jagger’s name was McJagger, and people just never said his first name for some reason."
#20
Image source: MR-LIBERIA, Dave Lonsdale
"That pineapples grow on the ground, and not in a tree."DE
Written by
Demilked Editorial
SaaS Review Specialist · Demilked
With 5+ years in the creator, entertainment, and publishing spaces, Demilked shortlists, reviews, and ranks leading tools that actually make your life easier.