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“What Was Your ‘I Can’t Believe I Have To Explain This To An Adult’ Moment?” (34 Replies)
Interview With Expert
Everyone learns and understands things about the world differently. Sometimes, even the most basic things can cause confusion for certain people. This can often lead to amusing situations where folks have to explain the simplest things to perplexed people.
This list is full of such confused adults who can’t seem to grasp really easy concepts. Even though their misunderstandings and bewilderment might be quite funny, they’re lucky to have super-patient people around them to explain everything as many times as needed.
More info: Reddit
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#1
The ungodly amount of times I have had to tell people that no, those are not ticks on your cat/dog's stomach. They are nipples. Also, the number of men who reply, "But he's a BOY?!" Like...my goodest dude, YOU have nipples.
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#2
Not an adult, but still a teenager that should've already known by that age.
a pad fell from my bag at school, he saw it and came to me asking what it was because "he always saw them in his sister room but everyone refused to tell him".
explained him what it was, told him it was for the menstrual cycle. had to explain that too, he had no idea what I was talking about.
and that's why I firmly believe we NEED this kind of education at school.
#3
When I had to explain that tariffs are paid for by consumers.
geezeronthehill 1 week ago
Experience may show those with functioning brains that tariffs have always kicked inflation into high gear. Even the followers of the big rump may realize this. Nah!
With so much information always available at our fingertips, it might seem like everyone is extremely knowledgeable. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, as too many sources of information can actually leave people confused and overwhelmed. This is probably why some folks reach out to others to clarify their doubts, even if it might seem silly.
To understand more about this phenomenon, Bored Panda reached out to Scott. He is a teacher in Melbourne, Australia, who makes videos on topics that inspire in him a sense of curiosity and wonder. Scott said that “people need to search for answers to things they want to know about and people who are in a position to answer need to minimise judgement.”
“We all have unique experiences, which means we may or may not know certain things. Therefore, we should be patient with people. People should make the habit of asking questions to find out more about the world, to clarify, to wonder, and to be curious. Seeking to understand things more deeply is a beautiful thing we should always encourage,” he said.
#4
I once bartended at a brewery and served two customers two pints of beer with different glass shapes. The one paying for the drinks smirked at me and said, "We both ordered a pint." I told him they were both pints, then he laughed and said, "You expect me to believe they're the same? They don't look the same."
It took me grabbing two different, empty pint glasses, filling one with water, then pouring the water into the other glass, for the guy to understand the basic concept of volume.
#5
My mom set up her phone to unlock using her fingerprint, except she scanned her index fingerprint and then tried to unlock it with her thumb. It didn't work and she couldn't understand why.
A few years later I was telling my boyfriend this story and he also didn't understand why it wouldn't unlock.
So I've met two adults that didn't know their fingerprints were different on each finger.
#6
If you put on someone else's glasses, they are not wrong because YOU can't see out of them. They aren't made for you.
You might have noticed in this list how some folks ask questions that might seem silly or stupid. They aren’t worried about the judgment they might face from other people or how they may be perceived by everyone else. It seems like folks like that truly want to learn and aren’t afraid to ask questions to clarify whatever doubts they may have.
We asked Scott whether it’s a good habit to ask stupid questions. He said: “I actually reject the idea of a ‘stupid question.’ If a person asks a question because they genuinely want to know the answer, it cannot be a [silly] question.”
“I understand some people may be embarrassed by not knowing something they think they should know, and so they may preface a question with ‘this might be a stupid question,” but this is something we need to move past,” he explained.
We also reached out to Vanessa Van Edwards, the founder of the ‘Science of People,’ which provides people with science-based communication tips that they can use in all facets of their lives. Vanessa explained that “there’s no such thing as a stupid question. Seriously!”
“Asking questions that might sound basic is actually kind of like raising your hand in a room full of people too shy to admit they’re confused. One brave question like, ‘Wait, are eggs dairy?’ can spark aha moments for everyone. It builds trust, shows you’re real, and let’s be honest, it’s way better than pretending you know it all,” she added.
#7
When my sister and I were watching the live action Lion King, she made a comment wondering how many trainers it took to get all the different animals to stay in their places and perform on cue. I stared at her in shock as I explained to her that the animals are all CGI, and there would never be a way to get all those different animals in one place without absolute disaster. She had to google it before believing me.
My sister is 47.
Do-nut touch da donut 1 week ago
When that movie came out i was in middle school around that time and i legit thought "live action" was made by editing the faces of real animals who were "acting"... yeah not much logic in ms me
#8
I had to explain to a friend of a friend that wind is not created by tree leaves rustling together vigorously. To do this task without showing the outright judgment on my face was near impossible.
#9
When I worked at a video store, a customer came in to return the copy of Wizard of Oz that they had rented, stating "I wanted the color version -- this one is in black and white." I asked how much of it they had watched. "Just a few minutes.".
Aquarium Fuzz 1 week ago
That was the best part of the movie when it first came out. Audiences literally gasped, even when they knew it was coming.
Nobody wants to feel left out or not be informed about important topics. The truth is that no matter how much people try, they won’t be able to know everything. Rather than feeling ashamed about these information gaps, it’s better to own them and ask questions to learn more.
Scott said, “We all have unique experiences. There are so many reasons why someone may not know something even if we think they ‘should.’ As a teacher, one of my jobs is to address alternate conceptions or misconceptions—someone misunderstands something and tries to fit that incorrect knowledge into their idea of how things work.”
“I think that some ‘silly questions’ are people trying to sort this out themselves, and to grow a deeper and more full understanding of the world. We’d all do well to not judge this person, but to do our best to help them understand.”
“One of the reasons I started my YouTube channel is to ask questions, wonder, and to be curious. It’s my hope that this will inspire people to do the same, for when people seek to understand, we make the world better,” he added.
#10
I had to explain to a person who was responsible for manually calculating the timesheets of dozens of people, in front of her manager, that hours did not have 100 minutes and she'd been undercalculating everyone's hours for... years, probably.
#11
I’m from Australia. I met another Aussie friend in London. She was out of breath as we walked up tower bridge. She then explained it was due to the altitude of london.
No darling, you travelled north, not up.
#12
“You have to boil the potatoes *before* you mash them.”.
When someone asks something that might seem silly or spews incorrect information, the best thing to do is to clarify what’s right. Instead of overcomplicating the matter, it’s best to simply communicate the facts so that they are easy to understand by one and all. This is exactly how more people will be able to learn and retain information.
Schools and other institutions may not always teach things in simple and easy-to-understand ways. This is why some folks still feel confused and leave with incomplete or incorrect information. It’s therefore important to encourage all types of questions, while also explaining the truth in a way even a young child could understand.
Vanessa also explained that the reason people may ask ‘silly’ questions about the world is because “school or our parents didn’t cover it. Other times, we’ve heard a crazy story from a TV show or some other media and we take it for the truth. Or maybe they just never needed to know.”
Vanessa also said: “One thing that I liked when reading those stories was how much courage it takes to ask something ‘silly.’ One Redditor didn’t even know that a computer mouse isn’t a pet. It’s easy to laugh but harder to appreciate that they actually spoke up about it.”
#13
Working at a computer store around 2014. Rich looking lady shows up complaining that she's having issues with her Microsoft Surface Tablet. She explains that she's got no problem with it at home but whenever she leaves she doesn't have internet anymore.
At first I assumed she had the version of the tablet with a sim card and it wasn't set properly, but no, she had the standard version. She expected her home wifi to work everywhere. I tried, for fifteen minutes, to explain to her how wifi worked but she would have none of it. She thought I was treating her like an idiot (not at first but after twenty minutes of her not understanding wifi I for sure was...) and asked to speak to my manager.
Twenty minutes later I saw her still arguing with my manager...
#14
I still have to explain to fully grown and educated adults that no, eggs are not dairy.
#15
I had to explain to a grown man that despite looking to be the same size as the moon at certain times, the sun is, in fact, larger than both the moon and Earth. He couldn't wrap his head around it being larger than Earth, because it looked so small in the sky. The disbelief on his face when I explained that you could fit a million Earth's inside the sun and it only looked small because it was 93 million miles away was amazing.
No matter what age an adult is, they will always have more things to learn about life and the world around them. So, even though it might be amusing to see some of the silly things folks have asked or spoken about, it’s important to remember that everyone is trying their best.
Have you ever been in a situation like this where you had to explain something very basic to a person? Do share your experience in the comments below.
#16
I once worked at a hostel in Canada. One day, a guest paid for their room with American cash. I calculated the exchange rate and gave them their change in Canadian dollars. They looked puzzled and finally asked, “Wait… there’s different money here?”
I had to explain that yes, even though we both use dollars and cents, Canada has its own currency. She was young (still an adult) but completely shocked as it hit her that she was in a foreign country. She kind of freaked out.
Petra Peitsch 1 week ago
Imagine this flying to Europe (Italy), and be schocked that people over there are speaking a different language and they can't pay with american dollars. I wish, I was joking.
#17
I’ve had to explain to multiple adults that you don’t get sunburned easier on a mountain because you are closer to sun, it’s because the atmosphere is thinner. One person wouldn’t believe me.
#18
She thought the Statue of Liberty was made of green plastic and she didn't know what oxidation meant.
#19
Yes, Brazil is a real country.
Do-nut touch da donut 1 week ago
Was helping a freshmen with her geography hw once... simple stuff just labeling countries and oceans, i point to canada and ask her what is it and she, i kid u not, had no idea there was a country above the us nor what a canada was... i took a walk after thaf
#20
I had to explain, TWICE, about things being stuck to screens to someone after they called IT and complained twice about "unclearable" error messages on their screens.
First one was a post it note someone had stuck to her screen, the second was the face plate of an exit sign that had fallen on the floor and someone had leaned up against her screen so she'd know to call maintenance to have it put back up.
It was confusing trying to decipher over the phone why "there's a green error and a man running out a door" until I went over to see it for myself.
Dread Pirate Roberts 1 week ago
That last part is hilarious 😂 The whole thing sounds like a Family Guy cutaway, sheesh
#21
That you can clean or wash most things. A coworker of mine freaked out when I had to pile personal belongings to the side in order to access supplies and insisted I not let jackets touch his bag because the body odor could transfer. I calmly said he could move the bag or wash it if he was so worried about it. "You can wash a backpack!?" You can wash a lot of stuff. He very shyly admitted he just learnt that sheets should be washed. I asked him how often he was washing them before. The look of horror and regret with the whispered "never" will haunt me.
Igor914624 1 week ago
I had a friend convinced that towels don't get dirty because you are clean when you used them. He finally realized I was joking when the towel was able to be leaned against the wall and it stayed standing up.
#22
A woman thought that the paint I sold her was defective. When I asked her why she said “ the can it came in was dented “ after reassuring her that the paint should be fine , she wanted to know exactly why it WOULDNT be damaged. I proceeded to explain physics to this 50 something year old lady. These people can vote folks.
#23
I once got chastised for instructions I wrote because I assumed "Go to Website.com" was clear enough. Apparently, they needed instruction to find the URL bar, type in the website's address, and press enter. Apparently, this person has never used a website that wasn't an automatic preset.
#24
That there is no such thing as a “forever oil change.” He declined us topping off his oil and our suggestion that he should really get it changed ever 5k. He left and it sounded like a box of rocks while driving away. He has it towed it a month later saying it just stopped on the freeway. That car was DEAD dead. I was shocked it lasted as long as it did.
The guy was like 40.
Igor914624 1 week ago
Before getting into IT, I fixed cars for a living. I remember a guy being astonished when I opened the hood on his Datsun B-210. He thought they were sealed and you just got rid of the car when it broke.
#25
How a greeting card worked.
Like, how a piece of paper could be folded in half to create an "outside" and "inside".
One of those moments where my brain broke because I couldn't figure out how to explain such a simple concept to a grown-a*s upper manager at my job.
Heather Ball 1 week ago
Theory about this: This person was probably trying to explain how they were designing a card in a program (word, publisher, etc) to print two sided so when it was folded, the front details and inside of the card were properly aligned.
#26
I was taking a new hire through on boarding forms on my computer when she started tapping my monitor. I said it's not a touch screen and to use the mouse and keyboard. She looked at the desk then at me and said "what's the mouse?". She was 19 and this was in 2018. I asked how she didn't know what it is and she explained that every device she has ever used was a touch screen and that she has never had to use one before.
R.A. Haley 1 week ago (edited)
That would just make me sad. I'd try to calmly explain without sounding condescending, but it would be hard. It's not their fault.
#27
I had to explain to a 60 year old man that his car remote key fob stopped working because the battery was dead. Somehow he knew to replace the batteries in his TV remote but thought the car key fob locked and unlocked the car without batteries?
I also had to explain to him that his dog's dry food was always going bad really fast and attracting bugs and wild animals into his always-open garage because he needed to actually close the bag and keep it inside a strong container with a lid that kept raccoons out or maybe even keep it in house where you feed your dog. You don't leave your bags of cereal and chips wide open outside your house so why do you do that with the expensive dog food you buy?!
#28
An ex insisted that dairy cows produced milk all the time and they didn’t need to calve first.
#29
The shiny side of a DVD player goes down. Lady bought a DVD player and a DVD. She brought the DVD back because the DVD player wouldn't work. She called *me* stupid for suggesting that the DVD player read the shiny side of the disc instead of reading the label side.
geezeronthehill 1 week ago
Had a boss that called me stupid any time he couldn't understand basic information. Company eventually promoted him sideways to a department where he could do no harm.
#30
Had a friend that was in a tough situation and need a place to stay. Had to explain to her why leaving multiple dirty dishes and half empty/empty food wrappers in her room was a bad thing (ironically enough, she was complaining about the fruit flies hovering around her room)
Edit, for reference, she was almost 32 years old.
Offbeat Quinoa 1 week ago
I had a friend in a tough situation who needed a place to stay. I had to explain to her that she needed to empty the dryer lint trap, that the dishwasher needs soap, that the dishwasher needs a VERY SPECIFIC KIND OF SOAP and please don’t use liquid dish soap, that she needs to use the bathroom fan while taking a bath, that she doesn’t need to cook every single meal on the stovetop on max heat (burning it while leaving the inside raw), that she can’t leave clothes on the baseboard heater, that she can’t leave the window wide open in the winter with the heat cranked…..my hydro bill went from like $40 a month to $120 when she lived with me 😅 love her but she was 30 years old and way too helpless for her level of life experience
#31
That he should not put frozen hamburger patties in a toaster to unstick them.
Not a toaster oven, a toaster .
#32
I had to explain the difference between South and North hemisphere and how seasons differ between them.
#33
When I worked at Walmart years ago, my coworker tried to clean a customers forehead by licking her thumb and rubbing the mark off. She was unsuccessful. After the customer walked away, I explained Ash Wednesday to her.
#34
Boy-girl twins.
"Are they identical?"
Y'all know "identical" means exactly the same, right? You can *look* at them and see they're not carbon copies. Beyond that, even little kids know boys and girls have different parts. The twins, do, too which makes them...not the same and, thus, not identical. .
Heather Ball 1 week ago
I’m the girl in a boy/girl fraternal twinship and I lost count, long ago, the number of times a person would ask me and my brother if we were identical. One time I responded “No silly, he has brown eyes and I have blue” and they nodded and said “of course”
Poll Question
Have you ever had to explain something basic to a grown adult?
Yep and it was - you guessed it - basic math
More people don't understand technology than you'd believe!
It was a pretty basic common sense question, but I guess it isn't that common anymore!
Only very simple instructions that they still couldn't follow
What do you think ?
Lsai Aeon 1 week ago
A fair number of these are due to the US education system sucking so hard for so long. I grew up in an a*****e home where perfection wasn't good enough, though I still strived for it. I spent countless hours in the library, reading books and educating myself. Taught myself things that the school teachers would never teach back then and definitely wouldn't now. Heck, I'm probably a certified genius, not that I give a c**p about that, but for some reason, kids think stupidity is cool. It's baffling.
Lsai Aeon 1 week ago
A fair number of these are due to the US education system sucking so hard for so long. I grew up in an a*****e home where perfection wasn't good enough, though I still strived for it. I spent countless hours in the library, reading books and educating myself. Taught myself things that the school teachers would never teach back then and definitely wouldn't now. Heck, I'm probably a certified genius, not that I give a c**p about that, but for some reason, kids think stupidity is cool. It's baffling.
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