Our friends and family usually want the best for us. Still, sometimes, for various reasons, their outrageous outbursts, tantrums, tears, and bizarre behavior are enough to make anyone wish the earth would open up and swallow them whole. Strap in for some schadenfreude. These Redditors’ experiences are hilarious, heartbreaking, and so cringe-inducing that your shoulders will get a great workout.
1. The Shocking Discovery Made After Dating a Woman Who Threw a Tantrum Over Chips
I had been dating this woman for two months when we headed to a bar to watch football. She was a Packers fan and I was a Bears fan. She chastised me for wearing my Justin Fields jersey. In her words, “I’m angry you didn’t consider my feelings when choosing that.”. Strange, but okay. Initially, I thought she was joking.
It wasn’t a joke. Then she said, “You’re very selfish for not taking into account how I’d look standing with you like that”. All right, then. My tongue was firmly bitten. However, that wasn’t the worst part. While we were still in the parking lot and hadn’t walked into the bar yet, her mom called. Then she began whining at her mother.
“You forgot to buy me chips and didn’t consider my feelings,” she said to her mother. That’s crazy! What kind of person says that? Then she threw a temper tantrum like a child. Throughout the conversation, she said things like: “You’re selfish for not considering how I’d feel” and “You don’t love your daughter if you can’t even get her chips.”
She had a total meltdown in front of me in the parking lot, and I was shocked. Immediately, I got in my car and drove away as I awkwardly told her that this would not work between us.
It was that day that I learned a) Her parents still grocery shop for her and b) I have a lot of faults, but I would never act in that way.
2. A Road Trip From Hell With Uncle Jack The Terrible
With my mom and I at the wheel of a rented van, we embarked on an epic road trip from Florida to Virginia carrying along grandma, uncle Jack, and our cousins – all refusing to fly to attend my cousin’s wedding. Our seven-hour drive presented us with one speed bump: Uncle Jack & Grandma demanded “real food” which meant McDonald’s! We were appalled but ultimately agreed to keep the peace during the journey. On arriving at our destination Italian restaurant, ready for celebration before said nuptials…I could feel that trouble was brewing; why did they want McDonald’s? Who knows!?
As we entered this “foreign” restaurant, my uncle Jack was losing his mind, raving about how it couldn’t measure up to a good ol’ American eatery. Meanwhile, my cousin had already gotten stoned after the car ride – definitely necessary in our situation! My mom and grandma maintained their silence while my soon-to-be-wed cuz and his bride kept smiling awkwardly; however, I could feel another hilarious tirade coming on when he opened his mouth to order from the waitress. It’s moments like these where you just have to laugh or else you might cry…
When I heard his appalling words, my jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief. Not only was he disrespecting me and the restaurant’s entire menu with a single glance, but this guy had also been FLOSSING HIS TEETH AT THE TABLE!
There were even disgusting bits of floss on his plate – four or five picks worth. And that wasn’t all that disturbed me…I couldn’t believe it when I saw him trying to scavenge for American food like some uncivilized animal who knows nothing about the culture and respect
At that moment, my heart raced as if running out from an unbearable heat wave. The situation felt totally surreal: never before have I encountered such outrageous behavior during dinner time–especially by someone at MY table!! It left quite an impression, one which has steered me from family weddings for the foreseeable future.
3. The Hilarious Moment a Father’s Unique Way of Ordering Food Confused a Waiter at Applebee’s
Dad spoke with a deep growl at barely subsonic volume. His unique way of naming foods also confused people. Instead of biscuits and gravy, he would ask for “slop and rocks.” My mom loved Applebee’s, so we ate there.
The waiter took our drink orders. The following events still haunt me. Dad said something that sounded like “BEEFEATER ROCKS!”.
Our poor waiter looked terrified. He had a hard time understanding what my father was saying, and Dad was only getting angrier as time passed.
Are many Applebee’s customers ordering gin on the rocks like they’re in a 1940s film noir?
Fortunately, someone translated my dad’s order for him, after he shouted “BEEFEATER ROCKS!” for the third time.
4. That Time My Uncle Wanted to “Bump Off” My Mom
My Uncle is like the villain in a bad teen novel–he’s loud, willfully ignorant, and has used temper tantrums and unpleasant behavior to get his way for his entire life. The last straw was when he threatened to bump off my mother after my grandparents passed. He tried to take everything from his siblings and my mom stood up to him. That was enough for him to threaten my mom’s life!
I want to believe there was a mix-up at the hospital where he was born, and we aren’t related.
5. The Devastating Moment a Teen’s Cry for Help Was Laughingly Dismissed
My brother once tried to explain to my family that he might be suffering from OCD and was having anxiety. At the time, he was 16 years old and not an idiot. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew what he was talking about. Since my family isn’t comfortable with mental illness, he was stuttering as he talked about it.
Finally, he was able to get it out. Our grandparents’ and parents’ reactions made my blood boil.
He was laughed at and told he had no idea what he was talking about. He was later diagnosed with both OCD and anxiety. Being the younger sister, I was terrified to tell my parents anything. They made my brother feel stupid and I am so embarrassed that they even think like that.
6. 28 Years of Marriage and the Haunting Words That Still Echo
The way my dad treats restaurant staff makes him one of the most unpleasant people to go out with. Once, as a waitress was describing the specials, my dad turned to my boyfriend and said, “IS SHE MUMBLING?”
I would like to point out that my father is in no way hard of hearing. Almost every week, my boyfriend, who is now my husband, yells that phrase at me. We’ve been married for 28 years.
7. A Study Abroad Tale of Overcoming Homesickness and Attitude Adjustment
While studying abroad in Japan, one British girl lived across the hall from me. She was homesick and had never traveled alone or to Asia. That night, I could hear her sobbing loudly across the hall. During the first week of school, I went to the market with her–but I regret it…
She had a full-on toddler tantrum while we were at the market. The situation was embarrassing.
Because she was so miserable and homesick, all the unfamiliar Japanese foods and the money difference just sent her over the edge. Leaving her meltdown was the only thing I could do to avoid being associated with her.
After that, I avoided her but felt terrible about it. After a while, I talked to her and explained that while I wanted to be friends with her, her attitude made it difficult to be around her. Following that conversation, to her credit, she worked hard to maintain a positive attitude around me rather than whining or throwing a tantrum. That was a happy ending I respected!
8. Nana’s Surprising Reaction After Learning My Sister’s Sexual Orientation at Mother’s Day Dinner
A few years ago, my family and I visited my dementia-ridden Nana for dinner on Mother’s Day.
Despite her short-term memory being almost gone, Nana could still stay home. Sitting around the table, my mom referred to my sister as a lesbian. In her ignorance, Nana thought my mom was randomly calling my sister a lesbian in jest, not realizing she was gay.
Nana scolded my mom for saying such a thing. The situation made my sister cry in her soup because she found it funny.
9. From Snacks to Pasta: The Family Member Who Kept Food in Their Purse
For some reason, I had a family member who stored food in her purse.
We’re not just talking about snacks, either. She would put pasta and frozen meals in there and eat them throughout the day.
In high school, people would come up to me and tell me everything they saw her eat from her purse. It wasn’t enjoyable, to say the least.
10. The Shocking Moment My Husband Finally Met My Explosive Father!
My husband and I have been married for a few years now. Growing up, I told him many stories about my Dad. He was a heavy drinker and often freaked out at the rest of the family for no reason. He did, however, mellow out quite a bit after he retired.
My husband and I live almost a thousand miles away, so we seldom see my family. We were staying at their house while visiting and helping to set everything up for a family party. When I asked my dad if I should move the plants away from the sunroom door so people could enter and exit, I mistakenly asked him for his permission…
His reaction was devastating. In a huff, he began shouting that he didn’t want people using that door. He said he never wanted the door to be there in the first place, but my stepmom insisted. Eventually, after ten minutes of screaming and swearing, I said, “OK, Dad, let’s leave it alone.” I took my husband outside.
As we left the house, my husband turned to me in shock, asking, “What on earth was that?” I laughed and replied, “That was my dad. You finally got to meet him.”
11. Stepmother’s Epic Tantrum at Goodwill Leads to Hilarious Confrontation with Stranger
In the most normal of situations, my stepmother throws extreme temper tantrums.
One time, we were at Goodwill and about to join a line when a woman spoke to us from between two racks, “Ma’am, the line’s over here!” My stepmother was not happy about it even though the woman was kind and calm about it.
She replied, “It should be over here, near the cash register. What an idiot.” Then she poked me in the ribs to emphasize that I needed to agree with her. In response, I nodded ever-so-slightly. A woman replied, “You don’t have to be so rude. Everyone is over here, so they don’t crowd the walkway.”
My stepmother called the woman every name in the book this time. As a result, she eventually had to join the proper lineup because she was “sick and tired of all these wusses.”
I whispered “Sorry” to the woman as we walked out. Whenever my stepmother terrorizes someone, I always try to apologize to them, which means I am constantly apologizing to myself as well.
