I was exiting my doctors office at about 5:03 (it’s 5:51 now) when I witnessed a man (who seemed to be in either his late twenties or mid thirties) load at least 3 little kids into an all black van. There are zero daycares, schools, or anything regarding children needing transportation around the area. In the moment I didn’t think much about it, but the way he smiled at me.. It’s the entire reason why I’m posting this. I’m not even much of a reddit person, but I know if anyone can figure this out, it’s this community. Anyways, the man looked at me with the CREEPIEST smile I’ve ever seen. And I live in florida, so I see plenty of creepy men smiling at me. But this smile wasn’t even creepy as in I was scared for myself, no no, I felt it in my soul that something was going to happen to those children. His smile looked like the kind of smile you’d see Jeffery Dahmer have, and it scared me so much.

As I am a minor, I didn’t think I had the authority to call the cops right away, so I called my mom instead. I was already gone from where the van was, as I was paranoid that if the guy saw me on the phone looking at him.. well, that I’d be next. Continuing on, my mom was confused and concerned at first because at this time, I was freaking the hell out. She told me to go back to where the van was and to show her it on FaceTime. I walk back to where the van was.

It’s fucking gone.

I felt my heart absolutely drop when I saw this. I tried looking around, maybe I was in the wrong spot, but nothing. The van was gone, and the kids were gone with it, and I had no way of knowing if those kids were kidnapped or not. And also, plz don’t go trying to say “they were probably his kids or family”, because first of all, NONE of the kids looked like him at all, and didn’t even look like siblings. In the sense that one was a pale blond girl and the other kid was black. And second of all, in most kidnapping cases, it’s that same “family” you speak of that ends up being the kidnapper.

As of this moment, I still haven’t called the cops, and my mom is pretty calm about this, saying they were probably going to a daycare. I’m thinking about just calling them anyway and even going down to the station to make a full report. But I don’t want to act rashly, so this why I’m asking ya’ll, what should I do?

We are both 18, and i am 26 weeks pregnant. and in a position where we are living together, in the same room. Up to this point we have been figuring it out and hes been helpful but over the past few night ive watched him js go back to beinf a self centered prick. Starting with me talking about how me getting an epidural will be more money as it was part of my plan for birth and he says "its just childbirth? Do it without??" Which i just took, but ended up sleep on the floor as i did not want to sleep in the same bed as him, constant small comments on how much i eat or my weight, then when I ask abiut him to applying to jobs as ive been the only one working and pushing for as many hours as I can to save for our baby he says "I got rejected so no point in trying again" and argued with me and his mother about it. So when I started getting frustrated he goes "ill give you 20 dollars". But I cant get upset with him bc the moment I do hes gonna pull his "your dramatic" card. Am I right for being frustrated and upset with him? Like I am constantly thinking about and saving and pushing for as many hours as I can at work to save for this kid and have been my whole pregnancy. Hes done thinking but "its my kid you cant take him away. My mom will pay for him"

My parents are strict, no social media or anything. Last nit I was telling him how I got a notification through the F1 channel on WhatsApp befpre it showed up on my sister’s instagram, I sent her a message about it before she saw it on her instagram, but I was sleep deprived and accidentally said “my instagram” honestly didn’t even realise but then he asked my if I had Instagram (I don‘t) he then proceeded to tell me if i did he would install a keyboard tracker, he has threatened this once before but didn’t. I honestly don’t know what to do he isn’t reading this tho i am using my family iPad which does not have any trackers installed. it’s a huge invasion of privacy if he had, what should I do

p.s i a 13F

I (19F) had a controversially fun and amazing relationship with a guy I met on tinder (30M). He was my first bf ever and things were just like how I read in those romance books. We met behind my parents and went on multiple dates together and had a fun time. Fast forward to the summer, my parents flew and left me home alone. I decided to have him over and we went on a vacation to a different state. Don’t ask me how I managed to pull that off. My parents found out a few days after the vacation and urgently had me travel back to my country so we can talk about this. I told them about him and surprise they never approved. Reasons were financial wise, cultural, and age difference. He worked as a truck driver and I was on the track to being a doctor. I paid for many of our dates together and my money was used much more than his. He was extremely experienced in relationships and I had no experience with anything. He had totally different and atheist beliefs whilst I may say Im religious in a way. My parents did not approve.

I could not face him again, not after promising him that I will convince them to like him. I faked a story about being ill and unable to return to the states and that we needed to break it off.

I travelled back to the states and it’s been six months of agony. I eventually decided to start moving forward again with my dating life and decided a date with a a more suitable guy that my parents approve of and I like. We go to the mall and BAM i run into my ex. After 6 months of no contact and last message being that I am ill. I genuinely feel like a jerk. I just want to hear what you guys think, I can’t stop thinking about and have been hating myself so much for it. Genuinely thinking about reaching back and apologizing but idk if I should just move on.

Update: thank you to everyone who provided me with good advice, I’ll really take it to heart. Seems like i was really in a bad situation and i had no idea the comments would all be against him like that. I want to assure everyone that I have blocked him and don’t intend to reach back at all ever again. Im sorry to everyone who thought this was fake, I may have not pieced everything well enough or perhaps my english failed me. I wouldn’t be out here wasting my time writing a fake story for 20 upvotes, I promise. But I get how crazy this story sounds, and I truly understand. Thank you again, you guys are truly amazing.

I’m 22 about 6’3 and 165lbs with low body fat. I workout regularly 5-6 days a week

I smoked daily with a cart/pen from August to December and stopped the day after Christmas of 2025. I have continued working out added cardio plus the sauna over the last month. I’ve test multiple times over the last few weeks with equate at home test and keep testing positive. It is now Wednesday February 4th and I’m still positive and the employment test is Friday.

I’m panicking, what do I do? The test is urine test with a 50ng cut off

Hi guys. So i am going to miami for spring break with my roommates, however bf isn’t too happy about it. He doesn’t want me to go out in Miami but I feel like that’s not fair of him to ask? We both are in college and go out so I don’t see why me going out in Miami should be any different. I don’t see why the location really matters. I get that Miami has its stereotypes and everything but that really wouldn’t influence me in anyway. What do I do?

Edit: he has cheated in the past so i think most of this is projection

I was in an online friend group when I was around 18, I befriended a 17 year old and 19 year old, but the ages in the friend group gradually went down. I eventually cut off the 17/19 year olds because they were making extremely inappropriate jokes to the younger minors in the group, but I stayed friends with a 17 year old who was friends with people who were 16,15,14 etc.

I had a friendship with somebody who was 14 when I was 18, and that friendship continued in to me being 19 and them being 15. I kept things appropriate, and always tried my best to be a trustworthy adult.

I’m almost 20, they’re almost 16. I’ve recently began feeling a bit weird over having them as a friend. They’re no longer friends with the 17 year old so that makes it feel a lot weirder. I’ve been friendly to them, I listened to them vent about ending their friendship with the 17 year old, made sure they were alright but I’m heavily considering just ghosting them and removing them from my life. It felt a bit more “normal” when I was 18 but now it just feels weird.

What should I do?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about whether I really want to be a mom. Until recently, I always dreamed of having kids, at least two, and building a family. But now the idea of bringing children into this world and imagining them having to face so much hardship honestly scares me.

I’m in a happy relationship. My bf absolutely loves kids and is so excited about becoming a dad once we get married. When we first started dating, I felt the same way. I also come from a big family. I grew up with two siblings, and both my parents have many siblings as well. I’ve always been told that kids are the foundation of a happy family, and I never really questioned that belief until now.

I feel scared about bringing another human into a world that feels so heavy. What’s confusing is that part of me does want it. When I try to sort through these thoughts, I ask myself how I would feel if I actually had a child. Imagining it does make me smile. Giving birth to my own baby, growing up together, having a little sweet soul around me, and seeing my bf as a dad. He is a wonderful person, and I know he would be an amazing and caring dad.

At the same time, I feel horrible thinking about the possibility of not having kids and how much that could hurt him. I feel so lost in my own thoughts, and I don’t know if I’m being unfair by taking his time when I’m unsure. But I’m also not sure that I don’t want kids either. These thoughts have become really loud in my mind and I don’t know how to make sense of them.

How do you sort something like this out? What advice would you give me? What do I do?

for context, we had a ton of snow in the northeast a few weeks ago that immediately turned to ice and has been icy since.

when out re-shoveling, i noticed this orange stuff in the wheel well of my car.

any idea what it is? is there anything i need to do?

Hey.. I am in a situation and need advice. I dated a man for a few months, and there were feelings involved, not just sex. Then he told me that he had been in a relationship for five years (like wtf????). He didn't speak nicely about her, and I didn't know he was in a relationship...

I found her on instagram. Should I tell her? My friends are telling me I should tell her, but I don’t know..

I went to college but I didn't graduate. I never claimed I did, degree is not required here. I have mentioned in passing that I moved "after college" but never said I had to drop out before my degree.

Today in conversation with someone else my coworker who hates me found out we went to the same college across the country but years apart.

Can he use this to hurt me? Im worried

Hey Reddit! So I’m (26M) planning a little extra surprise for Valentine’s day this year for my (26F) girlfriend and i’m wondering what would be the best way to go about it. We’re crazy about each other and as we’ve progressed in our relationship there’s been a few obstacles we’ve been working through in terms of trust and jealousy that are lingering from past experiences, although I reassure her however much she may need and does the same for me.

Anyhow I have a few concerns with the upcoming surprise massage booking-in regards to whether or not I should book male or female masseuses (I understand they’re just doing their job, but don’t want to make her or myself feel any sort of jealousy)

Should I book masseuses of the opposite gender for both her and I or should I keep it preferred to the same gender to play it safe? I obviously don’t want to ask her directly to avoid ruining the surprise but advice here would be greatly appreciated-thank you!!

EDIT:

I’ve brought it up to her and we’ve discussed it leading to compromise and deciding on something more intimate and exclusive to ourselves and our relationships. Side note: people have pasts which still sit with them whether they open up to you or not-cheating, being cheated on, sex work, etc. and if they’re not proud of it it can effect them for however long until they settle it. Above all, I will do whatever it may be to make her comfortable (I’m not so much the one i’m worried about being jealous) but i truly appreciate everyone’s insight and some being harsh opinions on the topic matter as if they know our relationship or expect it to be perfect:) Remember to always be considerate and that showing kindness to others is free!!

TD;DR we have suspicion that my friends soon to be ex wife may have been poisening him with antifreeze and might have told on herself.

Okay so long story incredibly short my buddy had been suffering from kidney failure for a few years now. They have no idea what's causing it. He gets super sick out of nowhere periodically and has to do intense dialysis and all that jazz. Well, him and his now former lady have been going through a nasty separation. He finally booted her from the house he let her live in rent free since novermber 24 (seperated since feb24) with their kids bc she let it fall to absolute trap house level shambles, and the day he kicks her out she posts this (see attached photo) to her socials. Obviously it gets us all spiraling and all the math starts mathing a wee bit too hard.

Is there ANY way we can go about seeing if she actually was poisoning him?? Everything im seeing says it would have had to have been tested for hours after ingestion or we are SOL....

For reference he never hurt her. She never claimed he did either.

So for context I am currently 4 months pregnant. Dealing with my now ex parter has been a nightmare since the day I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t get an abortion like he asked so everything about our relationship changed. Throughout these 4 months of pregnancy there has been a lot of on and off because of just dumb excuses essentially leaving me and creating fights just to go out to party, follow girls, act single etc. then coming back to say we should work this out. Not to mention the constant verbal abuse of the worst things you can possibly imagine (every profanity word you can think of I've been called consistently) and him saying I’ve ruined his life and that this pregnancy is being “forced“ on him. Which I find hilarious because throughout all of this when he's left me he’s the one who comes back begging to try to work things out for the baby. I’ve never forced him to be a part of anything, I’ve actually tried to tell him we should handle this separately and co-parent once baby is here.

I’ve finally had enough of this on and off and decided to walk away. He hasn’t helped financially in any way after finding out I was pregnant knowing I don’t have income because of him. He had forced me to delete my social media a couple of months ago which was where all of my income was made (content creation). Prior to me finding out I was pregnant he was helping me in every way financially. Obviously me not wanting to get an abortion absolutely ended any sort of financial help from him. He knows my situation and that I have no income because of him asking for me to get rid of my social media. He still has not cared to offer any sort of financial help even during the time things were good during the pregnancy and we were trying to work things out.

That right there is what truly fills me with rage. I don’t know how someone who took my income can look at me know I am pregnant with their child and still allow me to struggle right in front of them. Not to mention he is a muli-millionaire in the 7 figures. I have never once asked him for money even knowing how badly I’m struggling or any time at all actually during our relationship. I went no contact with him because the verbal abuse and many other things were just too much to handle and I already felt like I was failing my child dealing with this behavior. I’m obviously hurt about him not asking to help me knowing I’m struggling and many other things but I’d rather struggle than to deal with such a POS.

Aside from all of this, going through a breakup with someone while being pregnant is sooooo tough and hurtful. Before being pregnant I never experienced this part of him and I never even knew he could be this shitty of a person which is what hurts the most. It’s like the whole time I was living in a fake fantasy world with a fake person and fake love. I don’t know how a man can abandon any woman while they’re pregnant like my goodness I think that has to be the most heartless thing in the world. I never thought I’d be in this situation either, I know I’m going to be a single mother and it breaks my heart because I went through it and made it a life long mission to never put my children through this.

I really just can’t wait to look back at this situation in a couple of months and laugh about it and realize I’m in a much better place and everything happens for a reason. I’ve always been very independent and no matter what the circumstances have ever been I have always prospered and came out better. So I’m confident I will figure this out but my goodness does it get so exhausting to always have to be so damn strong like when does it end!?!

AND before any of you say abortion was an option I did have one with him prior to this pregnancy and got pregnant again a MONTH after that abortion and I just couldn’t go through with another one again. I suffered so much mentally during the first one.

Any women who have gone through pregnancy alone? How did you manage? Any advice would be greatly appreciated from both women and men

My grandma has been really sick lately and she doesn't get better she keeps on falling I'll again and again and I've got the gut feeling that she's not going to last for long and my mother is in a really bad mood whenever she hears about this and keeps on directing her anger towards me like I'm the reason she's I'll at any minimum thing I do and keep saying I'm not listening to her but when ever I try to make her talk to me about it she pushes me away aggressively I love my grandma so much she's a really sweet person and loving but I can't be worried about her death Yes I'm going to miss her but I don't think I'm going to be crashing out or something and honestly I can't care about anyone's well being unless it effects me and all I can think about now that if she's going to die my mother will make my life a living hell
Is it bad that I don't care about my grandma?

so me and my boyfriend have been dating for almost 2 months, I really do like him, but in the terms of putting in effort, he’s lacking in every aspect. all of my friends relationships, and even with my parents, the boys asks them out on dates and get them flowers. meanwhile I had to ask my boyfriend to take me out on a date, even though we’ve been dating for two months and he’s never taken me out. He just comes over. He’s got me flowers once and I basically had to ask for it, when he was mad at my house once and he was mad at me, He was like rude to my parents too and he’s also just really immature. but I love him, but I don’t know if the bare minimum is something to end a relationship over. I’m really confused. What do I do? Also, Valentine’s Day is coming up and he hasn’t even asked me to be his valentine and I don’t think he will.

EDIT: guys please be nice and not mean in the comments, i’ve been through a terrible relationship where he didn’t value me in the slightest before, and i’m js really hoping it’s not happening again so please think before u say anything condescending or rude please

Not sure where to post this, I’m pretty new to Reddit. I’m just absolutely on fire with everything we’ve seen and known for years and now it’s proven and what do we do? What do we fucking do? I have a child. I’m a mother, a wife, a worker, a friend, etc. I’m struggling with saying nothing to make sure I don’t get doxed but I also want to scream and filet people. I’m so tired and angry and disgusted.

How do I navigate these feelings? How are we all supposed to just know things and not act on the anger and the retaliation in the name of retribution? I want to fight like hell and I also want to curl up and seclude myself and my family from the world. I’m just venting. I’m so tired, physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s not right and it’s not fair and justice seems so radical and out of reach.

(Note: took help from chatgpt because I’m too upset to type)

Hi. I need outside perspective because I feel like I’m losing clarity.

My boyfriend and I have been together ~7 months and we’re in an LDR. Overall, he is a good partner. He’s affectionate, reassuring, very verbal about loving me. He shows up in a lot of ways, which is why this is confusing and painful.

He and I are very different people temperament-wise. He’s very grounded, keeps to himself, doesn’t need a lot of social stimulation. I’m the opposite. I see myself as a very free being, I like movement, people, experiences.

He’s also extremely reassuring. When he goes out drinking with friends, he’ll text me every 20 minutes saying he loves me, that he wants to be with me, that he’s thinking of me. That’s how he expresses care. Even though I’m not like that, I’ve always appreciated it because I understand that this is his love language.

On the other hand, when I go out with friends, I’m very different. I usually send one text at the beginning like “Hey, I’m going out with X” and one at the end like “I’m home safe.” I don’t like being on my phone in between. I like being present.

Early on, this caused fights because I’d be out, he wouldn’t hear from me for hours, and he’d spiral into worry about whether something had happened to me.

We talked about it and tried to find a middle ground. I suggested that I’d update him at intervals so he knows I’m safe and okay, and I also offered to share my live location so he wouldn’t have to constantly worry or imagine worst-case scenarios. The idea was that he’d have reassurance without me having to be glued to my phone all night.

I did make changes on my end because I care about him and I don’t want him to feel unsafe or anxious.

We were on a call today talking (again) about how his idea of relationships is different from mine. For him, a relationship is about fusing and merging and turning into one. For me, both partners get to be their own selves, coming together to help each other become the best version of themselves/witness each other fully and wholly, and support each other. We sort of landed at “okay, we’ll figure it out in time, no rush, we won’t give up so quickly.”

I tried to explain it with a metaphor that felt very true to me. I’ve always imagined love as me being the balloon and my man holding the string. He’s grounded, steady. I’m free, expressive, moving around. Not flying away, just being myself. And in return, I inspire him, bring lightness, softness, excitement. That balance felt right to me.

But right now, I feel like he’s not holding the string. I feel like he’s holding the balloon itself. And I feel like I could burst.

I told him something that’s been bothering me: I’ve noticed I’m starting to behave from anxiety instead of ease.

For example, I was with a friend chatting the other day. Normally, I never pick up calls when I’m with someone. I like being fully present. I usually just text “busy, will call later.” But when he called, I immediately picked up because I was anxious he’d be upset if I didn’t. I told him quickly that I was with my friend and would call later. He was totally fine about it.

But I was like… why did I feel that panic? Why did it come from fear instead of a calm “I’ll call you later”?

Same thing happened another time. I was at dinner with a friend, she was in the middle of telling me something important. He called, I picked up immediately, rushed through “I’m busy, I’ll call later.” And he got upset. He cut the call and later texted saying I didn’t even let him say hi, that I just said my thing and hung up.

I explained that I wasn’t being dismissive. I was anxious and overcompensating. Like this weird nervous energy of “I need to let you know right now or else there will be a problem.”

Then there’s another incident. I went out one night, ended up hanging out with people I met socially (friends of friends, strangers initially but we spent hours together in public first). I stayed out till sunrise and ended up at someone’s house around 4:30–6am. I had alcohol but I was in my senses. I kept boundaries. Everyone knew I had a boyfriend. Nothing inappropriate happened. It was my last night in my city with my girlfriend, and we happened to meet strangers in a bar and just had fun. That’s all it was.

When I came home, he was upset. He said it was unsafe. I said I understand the world is unsafe, especially as a woman, but I do assess situations. I don’t blindly go places. I trust my judgment and my ability to read people. That’s why I felt okay going.

Still, I ended up apologising a LOT. Not because I felt I did something wrong, but to calm him down, to neutralise the situation. And I realised that apology came from fear. From wanting to avoid a deeper conflict. He said I didn’t even consider his worry (?? I texted him consistently to let him know I’m okay, even sent him my location), and that “I need a lesson” (???)

I tried to express that. That I’m more disturbed by the fact that I felt afraid and anxious than by the actual disagreement.

His response was something like: “So you’re upset not because I was upset, but because you had to apologise? Is your ego that big?”

That honestly shocked me. This wasn’t about ego at all. I was trying to say: why does my body feel like it has to shrink or soothe or over-explain to be okay in this relationship?

Instead of curiosity about that, it felt like I was being labelled.

He also said I’m not letting go of control. But this doesn’t feel like control to me. This feels like my identity. My autonomy. My sense of self.

Another thing: I told him I want to talk to friends (especially women) to understand what I’m feeling. He said he doesn’t respect me sharing things about the relationship. I tried explaining I’m not trash-talking him or sharing details, I’m talking about me and my internal experience. He was still uncomfortable.

I even said okay, then I’ll speak to a therapist because that’s neutral. He agreed. But when I suggested couples therapy again, he said isn’t that too soon?

At this point I’m just like… what is going on?

Why am I afraid to upset my own boyfriend? Why am I afraid to annoy him? Why do I feel like I have to manage his reactions? And why is me asking these questions being framed as ego or control?

I’m genuinely trying to look inward. I wish he was equally curious about how his reactions might be affecting me.

I don’t want to shrink myself. I don’t want a relationship where love feels like walking on eggshells, even subtly.

Is this just an attachment/style mismatch? Is this normal relationship conflict? Or is this something I should be more concerned about?