Dining halls serve hundreds or thousands of people each day, so keeping things running smoothly is paramount. If you've ever wanted to waste a lazy afternoon, spend some time watching videos of how professional chefs make lunch for the masses. It's fascinating to see the processes behind budgeting for the ingredients, then cooking a massive meal for hundreds of people . Instead of cooking for just one person, lunch chefs have to cook for hundreds, sometimes only with one or two people to help t…

Count your blessings, parents

‘I didn’t cut [my hair]. It fell out':

Parents can get oddly competitive about their kids, and they have some backhanded compliments to dole out to parents they're intimidated by. They say it's not productive to compare your kid to others, but it's hard not to. If all the other babies are walking but your kid is still crawling, you might worry that they're behind. Other babies start talking very early on, while others don't speak in full sentences until they're two or three years old. It's understandable why parents would be concern…

Some people really don't like kids. For instance, this person, who OP calls Zoe. She disliked kids so much that she would avoid them at all costs. That became impossible after OP and her friends (which included Zoe) organized a trip together to meet another friend 2 States away. At first, it seemed like OP wouldn't need to take their toddler with them, but as time went on and a few complicated situations arose, they realized that they didn't have a choice. Look, if you've got a kid, and the tri…

When you're in your late 20's or your early 30's, if you've been in a semi-stable relationship for more than 5 minutes, nosy relatives start coming out of the woodwork. You've heard the phrase ‘it takes a village’, but never thought it meant the village coming after your ever-fruitful loins, chasing you with baby-mongering pitchforks and flaming fertility torches.

A will is a tricky thing, and it is the root cause of conflict in families, especially when one of the older relatives is showing signs of being on their way out. This grandpa shared a story about how frustrated he was with his reckless son, who fully expected that his child should be on the will. That sounds reasonable unless you know the background of the story. See, this kid wasn't one hundred percent part of the family. Or at least, the grandpa suspected he wasn't… His son's wife had cheate…

Kids say the darndest things...

Long gone are the days I went to summer camp, but I always enjoy a good story about camp counselors vs camp attendees. In this case, OP was in an IT course in a Balkan country, and they got an offer to go to a summer sports camp. OP describes the adventure as ‘fun’ even though there were quite a few things that were a bit ‘off’ about the camp itself. Still, when you are young, you know how to ignore red flags and just have fun. One of the bigger issues was the curfew… or rather, the lack of lig…

The account that follows is the story of an extremely entitled mother who finally learned valuable life lessons such as never accepting candy from strangers, setting boundaries, and being cautious around strangers. The story starts when OP invites her kids to the water park. Unfortunately, OP's severe motion sickness prevents her from enjoying the rides with her children. However, because being a mom requires sacrifice, OP arrived on site prepared, clutching a bag full of ginger candies that wo…

You need to be careful when you sell products online because oftentimes, people will say anything to get what they want. They will make up a whole family to get a discount if they have to. One person was selling some Christmas products (prefilled stockings) on Marketplace when she was contacted by a mother who wanted to make a large order for her kids. At first, the lady asked for a discount, which OP felt was reasonable as it was such a big order. They agreed on the price of $250, and made a p…

I feel like there are a few lessons I've learned throughout my lifetime that ought to be addressed. First of all, some individuals exploit their position of authority by using it for personal gain rather than the benefit of those around them. The lesson here is that, although it is something we are all familiar with, it says more about the person in power than it does about us. The second thing I've learned at the ripe old age of twenty-five is that motherhood is a superpower. A mother is stron…

Imagine having a smaller you that doesn't speak coherently, breaks everything you own, and is always sticky. And then imagine how much you love that little guy or girl! Yeah, that's what being a dad is like. You always have to run after your smart and courageous little critters, as they are basically pure balls of energy. Curious, fearless, and always there, for better or for worse. When you have kids, you can FEEL your hair getting grey. You definitely grow older a lot faster, or at least, tha…

Feel free to steal this juicy collection of sass, brass, and epic clap-backs.

Everyone says there is never a perfect time to have children and that you can never be fully prepared for such a monumental life change, and that may very well be true. However, that's not to say that we shouldn't at least be sure we understand the details of what that life shift might look like beforehand. Societal pressure to have kids is real, and there is no denying that having kids can be a beautiful thing. But like most things in life, it's not for everyone. In an online world where so mu…

One of the huge downsides of having 8 billion people on the this Earth is that there are only so many 'unique' names to chose from. With 1 out of 25 Americans named 'John', it makes you wonder how many parents feel forced to think of baby names that are out of the box. Well, with the turn of the century, it seems like a lot of people have gotten extremely creative with baby names– and not in a good way.