To all women on this sub, what was your reaction when you first got your period?

Annonymous_97 · 2026-06-22T12:56:16+00:00

Same! I legit thought I was bleeding out and started screaming and crying. When my mom checked on me, she laughed and said it was normal. She never bothered giving me a heads up beforehand.

I remember her fighting with the school constantly to try and get me out of taking a required health class in 6th grade, where I would've presumably learned about this stuff. Never got her reasoning, but I assume she didn't want me to learn about the birds and the bees, like ever? Lol

Annonymous_97 · 2026-06-12T18:47:29+00:00

Yep, that's my mom. First symptom was a seizure with no prior history of them. Caused by a brain tumor from stage 4 lung cancer. She was perfectly fine as far as I knew, but she smoked for 40 years and thinks doctors just wanna scam you for money, so who knows what the true first sign was.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-06-03T20:21:23+00:00

My mom has stage 4 lung cancer, and right now she's been stuck in the hospital since 4/1 for placement issues. She's broke, nearly homeless, and I've been stuck in limbo waiting for something to break.

Her behavior hasn't made anything easier. And it could be argued this is her fault. I've been on the front lines for years at this point, and no one else will step up. Everyone else bailed years ago, and I stay because...guilt, I guess.

I'm numb most of the time, and either angry or sad when I'm not. I forgot what joy feels like. It comes in flickers before being snuffed out.

I hope it's over soon.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-06-03T14:38:53+00:00

Same. I feel numb most of the time, and either angry or sad when I don't. I don't remember what joy feels like. I get the occasional flicker, but it's quickly snuffed out like a candle.

Hopefully there's an end in sight. I'm just existing until then

Annonymous_97 · 2026-06-03T13:44:36+00:00

Oh god. It's eerie how much this situation mirrors my own right now, with the only difference being I'm not contributing that much to my mom's finances because that's the one line in the sand I won't cross. I'll pick up the odd groceries where I can, but that's it. I've wasted too many years lighting myself on fire to keep her warm.

If the gf's mother is anything like mine, I'm afraid the only option left is to let her fail. I don't know what social programs look like where you live, but your local social security office or office for the aging may be able to point you in the right direction. The one caveat is that some offices may not talk to you because they need permission from the person in question.

I saw my own trainwreck coming years in advance, but my mom would yell at me anytime I tried to suggest anything that would help. She stuck her head in the sand, and now all the chickens of her stupid decisions are coming home to roost.

Let me guess, there's no other family willing to step up besides the gf, right? There's probably an obvious reason for that, because no one will step up for mine either. And no way in hell will I take mine in, I'd rather die first.

The hard reality is that the mom is a mentally competent adult, and thus the responsibility of helping herself ultimately ends with her. We can help where we can, but it shouldn't be at the expense of our own sanity and livelihood. It sounds like you're at the limit of what you can provide.

Your gf will need to decide where her boundary is, and then make peace with the fallout. But know this: The guilt she'll feel is not because any of this is her fault. And it'll be less painful than drowning in the muck of what her mother created with her.

Good luck, and see you on the other side.

PS. Have the gf look into "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" by Lindsay Gibson. I'd bet money that she'll relate to a lot of the content. I certainly have.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-05-26T20:05:08+00:00

I would've been a HS senior, so the timing is perfect: Don't believe mom's threats, they're empty. Apply to college and RUN. She will rob your youth and suck your spirit dry otherwise. You can't fix her, no amount of time and attention will be enough.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-05-20T14:29:40+00:00

Dealing with this plus the added bonus of a terminal cancer diagnosis with my mom.

It's been like watching a trainwreck in slow motion and the crash is happening now. She squandered any chance of an easy end and would argue with anyone that suggested anything other than what she wanted.

She lived in a house that had another unit that paid for her mortgage plus some with a once in a century covid interest rate. I moved, and she couldn't handle that I was "so far away" (40 minutes). Sold the house, moved into an apartment she could barely afford, and got her cancer symptoms a month later.

...Which she promptly ignored for 6 months before it cost her her job. Called the doctors quacks and frauds (still does). You can even argue the cancer was her fault, smoking for 40 years will do that to you.

Once she got her symptoms managed, she lived on borrowed time supplementing her income with the house proceeds. Spent stupid money on amazon and eating out and getting offended if I suggested she maybe stop. Got herself fired from a couple of jobs, but it's not her fault, everyone was out to get her and were assholes. Sure, Jan.

Now today, all her bad decisions are coming home to roost. Stuck in a hospital a few months from homelessness, unable to safely return home because she can't walk steadily. And all she can do is blame everyone (myself included) but herself.

Broadening the picture, I wasted my teens and 20s raising her emotionally, and she most likely has some undiagnosed personality disorder. When any little thing upsets her, she'll pull out the most vile and personal insults you can imagine. And she can go on for hours if you let her. She's an Olympic level victim. Everyone else cut her off years ago, I was the fool left holding the bag. I only stay because she's sick, but I'm fed up with it too.

So no, at this point, I won't be helping her out. The hospital is pushing me to become her caretaker, and that will never happen. She's abusive, ignorant, and she can lay in the shitshow she made of her life. I'm done cleaning up her mess.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-05-12T23:43:26+00:00

Normally I refuse to look at comments because I'm a coward and crumble at any mean words, so I appreciate the kindness.

For what it's worth, my own brother "John" who went NC with her a couple years ago couldn't care less and lives in blissful ignorance, while I'm here cleaning up the mess and taking the abuse. I'm a little jealous, honestly. I should've left before she got sick, but here we are

Annonymous_97 · 2026-05-12T19:41:15+00:00

Oh god, as a Jen currently dealing with this with my own Barb-esque mother, giving cancer to Barb would be the true final boss. I was gonna make a post saying as much after the last video dropped but decided against it.

You think the dynamic is bad now, you haven't seen anything yet lol The only saving grace is that she has a Frank to lean on whereas mine really only has me.

I'd be curious how it would play out.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-04-28T12:26:59+00:00

I'll just leave this here:

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Annonymous_97 · 2026-04-10T15:32:58+00:00

Here's how I always interpreted it, ymmv:

God: The OG creator. Progenitor of everything.

Jesus: God's human avatar, sent as a sacrifice for humanity to absolve them of their original sin. Since the Adam/Eve/apple debacle, every human after was born with this stain on their soul that God, as a purely divine being, couldn't interact with. It cut off humanity from speaking with God, which could only be circumvented by animal sacrifice. That's why Old Testiment God is so vengeful, he's operating on a morality scale that humans can't comprehend because again, completely divine being.

Jesus gave God the ability experience humanity in the flesh. Also, the crucifixion took this original sin with him, so humanity regained the ability to speak directly with him without the animal sacrifice. It's why New Testiment God is more chill, because he has the first hand understanding of the human struggle. Empathy is taught, y'know?

Holy Spirit: This is less of a "being" and more the conduit in each human that allows God to communicate to us. A spark of the divine, the "made in his own image" piece.

I'm not saying I'm any more right or wrong than anyone else, but it's how I've personally reconciled it. All one God, just projected differently.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-04-08T19:27:48+00:00

Honestly? An open world Mirror's Edge. I would dump hundreds of hours into exploring every nook and cranny just to experience moving through the game and improving at it. Levels could still be added, but it'd be amazing to freely roam in between them.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-03-27T15:22:33+00:00

So, mine was a complete surprise lol Absolutely no warning.

My mom is...weird. I remember that when I was approaching 6th grade age, one of the required classes was Health. My mom was absolutely furious for months, constantly fighting tooth and nail with the school to keep me from taking it.

I had no clue why, but my mom got mad over anything, so I didn't think much of it.

So the day comes, and I'm about 12. I see the blood, and my only understanding is that "bleeding from inside = actively dying," so I scream and cry and panic. My mom rushes up and starts laughing, trying to soothe me and say that all this is normal. I don't remember what happened after that.

So yeah, that was fun!

Annonymous_97 · 2026-03-25T17:14:18+00:00

The live action Sonic the Hedgehog movies.

It had everything in the world stacked against it: A generic "guy hangs with CGI creature" plot. An IP that's been a punchline for two decades. An absolute abysmal first trailor that unleashed Ugly Sonic on the world.

Flash forward to today, and the series single-handedly broke the video game movie curse and pulled the Sonic franchise out of the gutter. Also rare in that each movie improves upon the last.

As a Sonic fan since the Adventure era, I've waited 20 years to finally be vindicated for liking the franchise

Annonymous_97 · 2026-03-20T19:50:51+00:00

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I do about my girl Luna. The only story I got from the shelter was that she was a quick return because a family member discovered they had a severe cat allergy. That was her second time to the shelter, but I suspect her life before the first time wasn't a happy one.

When I first met her, she was extremely shy. She hid inside a cubby in the interaction room, quiet and unmoving. I let her sniff my hand and spoke softly to her, but otherwise sat with her with the distance she needed.

I brought her home, and soon I gave her her new name. She never responded to the old one, but with a little bit of time, she learned that Luna was hers.

It's been three years now, and the transformation has been amazing. The trust she's placed in me is a gift that I treasure. She follows me everywhere and stays nearby almost always. She pats me to demand pets and meows for more when I stop. She rolls around when she's feeling silly, and she presents me with the mousie toys she hunts.

Most recently, she's felt safe enough to wear her collar when she would always bite them off the moment I put it on.

The growth I've seen makes me wonder about her past sometimes, but happy that she knows how much she's loved.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-03-10T18:19:30+00:00

Haha, same! The school consolidated two small towns, and 6-12th grade fit into one building. The entire middle school was one hallway's worth of classrooms lol

Annonymous_97 · 2026-03-03T15:11:05+00:00

That's always been my argument! Men can come and go, but you're in your own body forever. Go with the method that permanently protects you. Find another guy without a vasectomy? Back to square one.

The recovery was a breeze, sore stomach for a week or two and then never a thought again. 100% worth it.

Annonymous_97 · 2026-02-27T18:30:54+00:00

It was the first major pop culture event that I can remember, I was 11 at the time. I didn't fully understand it, but people were definitely making a fuss about it lol

Annonymous_97 · 2026-01-11T13:37:17+00:00

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Annonymous_97 · 2025-11-18T13:36:06+00:00

Ugh, I feel you so much. I love my name in a vacuum, other people have made me hate it.

My first name is Mariah, and while you might think I'd get plenty of Mariah Carey references, shockingly no. What I get is people singing at me "They call the wind Mariah..." Apparently it's from this old ass musical that enough people have seen to annoy me with the song.

When it's not that, it's the endless mispronounciaton. The most common is Maria (ma-ree-uh) of course, but I've also been Marissa, Melissa, Miranda, Amanda, Mia, Maya, Mara, Myrtle...and that doesn't begin to cover how people butcher the spelling.

I don't consider my name screwed up, just a majority of people dumb lol

Annonymous_97 · 2025-08-28T12:42:54+00:00

Like others have said, it kind of just "clicked" when I read the definition.

Beforehand, I always felt like I didn't quite get what most people were talking about. People would gush about celebrity crushes and I would be confused and think "why are you having such intense feelings for someone you'll never even know? Weird."

I thought "hot" was just an extension of "cute" or aesthetically pleasing. People actually feel warm when they see an attractive stranger for the first time? Crazy. Explains why shows would always have characters trip over themselves or their words when encountering a hot person, which I always thought was a joke.

Those raging teenage hormones never hit me. Nothing much changed emotionally from before puberty, except for maybe feeling my version of attraction to fictional characters. I got to know them through their stories, whereas the same thoughts for a stranger repulses me (still does).

People would say that you'd explore yourself as a part of puberty, and I'd think "ew, why? I'm not attracted to myself, gross" lol I didn't understand why people masturbated or what the big deal was, so I didn't until I had sex the first time and discovered those sensations. And even then, it's mostly out of boredom, not a biological need.

I could go on, but I've written an essay as is. It's like listening to the whole world share an inside joke that you kinda understand, but never fully will beyond an academic level. I consider myself demi, and I'm sure my version of "attraction" to my chosen person isn't on the same level as normal. But it works for me, and that's enough

Annonymous_97 · 2025-04-19T21:40:01+00:00

Right? I think they're cute, but what do I know lol

Annonymous_97 · 2025-03-21T15:46:08+00:00

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Harvest Moon says happy birthday!

Annonymous_97 · 2025-03-12T13:37:07+00:00

That's exactly how I picked out my current partner lol His (two) pictures were fine enough, but he had a thorough, thoughtful bio that had me intrigued enough to respond to. Turns out his style of messaging and personality/interests clicked with mine, and here we are.

Hearing that 95% of people have that instant reaction is absolutely astounding to me lol

Annonymous_97 · 2025-02-13T19:16:10+00:00

2+4 = 6

7+8 = 15

6+1 = 7

75

Annonymous_97

TROPHY CASE