18 Things That People Loved As Kids But Now Hate As Adults That Might Just Make You Shed Some Tears

    I'll never look at water parks the same way again.

    Claudia Santos
    by Claudia Santos

    BuzzFeed Staff

    It's undeniable that the things we loved as kids just kind of lose their ~magic~ as we grow up. I don't know about you, but I genuinely can't remember the last time I was excited for real mail in my mailbox rather than coupons for 20% off dry cleaning.

    CBS / Via media.giphy.com

    So when redditor u/Athompson9866 asked the Ask Reddit community "What was fucking awesome as a kid, but sucks as an adult?", people were quick to share the things that just don't bring them that same childlike joy anymore.

    Here are some of the most relatable responses:

    1. The mall

    A scene from "Mean Girls" of Regina George approaching Cady Heron in her car and shouting "Get in, loser, we're going shopping"
    Paramount Pictures / Via media.giphy.com

    "Going to the mall. I used to like browsing stores, but now I just want to get what I need and go."

    —u/JumpyBomber

    "There used to be fun things at the mall. An arcade, stores with stuff in them to look at...now it's empty except for maybe a drug store and a grocery store."

    —u/arvy_p

    "I used to enjoy shopping, especially the perfume counter. One day, when I was in my early 30s, I went to the mall to entertain myself and stood in the middle of Macy's and thought, 'I'm not enjoying this.'"

    —u/VapoursAndSpleen

    2. Water parks

    A clip from the show "The Great North" showing a character struggling in a wave pool while saying "What a wonderful time I'm having!"
    Fox / Via giphy.com

    "Human soup, no thank you."

    —u/TijuaaBnstn

    "Now all I see is piss in the pool and a gaggle of judgemental teens."

    —u/NoMoreMrQuick

    "As a kid, 'Woooo pool day with all these cool rides and none of the hassle of the beach!' As an adult, 'This water is 99% urine and has likely run through so many dead animals caught in the filtration systems.' A veritable petri dish of awful."

    —u/PentagramJ2

    3. Any kind of fair or carnival

    Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec at a fair saying "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a booth over there serving something called 'Fried Sausage Quilts'"
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "I went to the fair a couple of weeks ago. [...] It was 10 dollars for 5 throws of a hoop on game that is pretty much rigged anyway. Extortionate."

    —u/black_cat_

    "My local county fair was one of my favorite things as a kid. As an adult I took my younger sisters to one and quickly realized what a money hole the fair is."

    —u/IGargleGarlic

    4. Summer

    Turk from "Scrubs" screaming "It's so hot!"
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "When you’re a kid, it's three months of freedom from school. When you’re an adult, you still have to go to work, but now it’s sweltering hot and you’re sweating your balls off all day, every day."

    —u/chadthundertalk

    "It's hot as shit, bugs are thriving, my power bill is through the roof, and WHY IS IT STILL LIGHT AT 10PM???"

    —u/katet_of_19

    5. Sick days

    Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" laying in bed saying "I'm dying"
    Paramount Pictures / Via media.giphy.com

    "Staying home on a sick day. As a kid it was a huge victory, got to stay in bed all day, watch TV, and have a parent tend to your every need. Then, as an adult you're just thinking about the work you're gonna have to make up for and how you hope you don't need to go to a doctor."

    —u/-eDgAR-

    "Especially once you have kids of your own. Being sick with a toddler is the actual worst. You don’t get to rest at all, so it takes a lot longer to get well."

    —u/katy_bug


    6. Staying up late

    Chandler from "Friends" falling asleep during a work meeting
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "Staying awake 'til two as a teen/young adult: 'Yea baby!! the possibilities are ENDLESS!!' Staying awake 'til two as a 40-something: 'This is gonna hurt in the morning.'"

    —u/Significant_Map122

    "My circadian rhythm is set so firmly that I know I'm still gonna wake up at 7 am no matter how late I try to stay up so I hate staying up past 1 am."

    —u/JoeyJoJo_Junior

    7. Birthdays

    A scene from "The Office" where they tape a sign on the wall that says "It is your birthday"
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "So true, just had my 26th and nothing could’ve been sadder. The only benefit is I can make birthdays extra special for my son."

    —u/IcyBrilliant7462

    "Birthdays are just nothing? I start getting depressed about them months before they arrive and dread my actual birthday."

    —u/amurmann

    8. Losing a tooth

    A scene from "The Hangover" where Stu smiles with a visibly missing tooth and asks "Hey, Phil, am I missing a tooth?"
    Warner Bros. / Via media.giphy.com

    "Can you imagine running around showing your family: 'Look! I lost a tooth! Doesn't it make me look adorable?' And when you're a kid, a lost tooth makes you money. As an adult, it costs you way more than all the money the tooth fairy ever gave you."

    —u/4ninawells

    "As a kid you are so excited when that tooth gets looser. Knowing the tooth fairy is gonna give you money and knowing you are one step closer to feeling grownup. Now when you lose a tooth you get a dentist appointment, a sore mouth, medication, and a high bill."

    —u/sweet_Dutch_lady

    9. Snow days

    A sketch from "Late Night With Seth Meyers" where Jon Snow is at a dinner party and eerily says "Winter is coming"
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "When you’re a kid and it snows, it’s the time of your life. When you’re an adult, life goes on."

    —u/Mjb06

    "I either have to take vacation time or make up those hours, and I'm going to spend the whole morning shoveling my damn driveway."

    —u/duffman13jws

    10. Getting mail

    Noah from "The Notebook" in the pouring rain telling Allie "I wrote you 365 letters"
    New Line Cinema / Via media.giphy.com

    "I remember every day begging my parents if I got mail. (I had pen pals). I got so excited when something came for me. Now I dread going to the mailbox because all that will be there are bills."

    —u/Slowmechanic180

    "It used to feel important any time I got something with my name on it. Now it’s just bills…"

    —u/Soupshake

    11. Grocery shopping

    Eleanor from "The Good Place" haphazardly dumping a bunch of chips into her shopping cart
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "I LOVED grocery shopping as a kid. It meant I got to pick my own snacks and everything. Now I don’t want to leave the house any more than I have to, even for food."

    —u/LikeWinterTrees

    "I used to just lob things into the cart but now I’m looking at prices and not just thinking I can live off Lunchables."

    —u/Jijibaby

    12. Christmas

    Ross from "Friends" in his holiday armadillo suit wishing a Merry Christmas
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "As a kid it's magical, as an adult (and a parent) it's an absolute chore. Spending tons of money on gifts, wrapping, decorating, cooking/ baking."

    —u/anonmymouse

    "Don't get me wrong I still love Christmas, but it went from a chill day playing Xenogears and getting gifts, to prepping food, coordinating events, buying gifts, etc."

    —u/ThaVolt

    "That magic was actually emotional labor."

    —u/LippyWeightLoss

    13. Roller coasters

    Kevin Hart and Jimmy Fallon on a roller coaster screaming "Oh god, no no no!"
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "Used to love them as a kid. And it may be because my body sucks (back problems, had a broken collar bone and a bunch of ribs) but post 30 I just feel like I got mauled by Jesus afterwards."

    —u/Sameohung

    "I tried it as an adult with my kids and felt like I was going to die. The dizziness takes so much longer to go away and you feel terrible the whole time."

    —u/AgeOfJace

    14. Staying over at someone's house

    David from Schitt's Creek looking disgusted and saying "I don't do couches"
    CBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "Hate sleeping at other people's places now. Their pillows are weird and it is too light, too hot or too cold. Just no."

    —u/indoorsy-erin

    "Sleeping over at other people’s houses. I just want to be in my own bed."

    —u/youmeanlike24

    15. Having people stay at YOUR house

    A scene from "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" of a character awkwardly saying "Soo..."
    The CW / Via giphy.com

    "I love my friends so much but holy shit I get so anxious having to keep people entertained for more than a night. On that same note however it is great having those friends that you are close enough with to come hang out and just exist next to each other."

    —u/pluqqinq

    "My husband loves having company and always asks them to stay the night, whereas I would honestly be happiest if nobody ever came over lol. Too much work, cleaning before they come, cleaning after they leave, having to wear pants, etc. I love our friends but let's just meet somewhere else for a little while, or play games online together lol."

    —u/Danamite85

    16. Junk food

    Snooki from "Jersey Shore" cuddled up next to a pizza and saying "I love you"
    MTV / Via media.giphy.com

    "My stomach just doesn’t handle it the same way anymore and most of the time I’d rather just eat a balanced meal."

    —u/meowraaaa

    "When I was a kid I could eat it all day. But when I turned 25, whenever I ate it, I felt like shit."

    —u/dharriadestroyer69

    "I used to dream of eating whatever I wanted as a kid. Now any situation that I have to replace a full meal with junk food or candy while traveling or in a time crunch is nauseating lol."

    —u/sasquatchpapi300

    17. Traveling

    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "When your parents are driving and paying for gas and snacks, traveling is a breeze. When you’re doing all of the above, it’s stressful as hell."

    —u/beandadenergy

    "I loved traveling when I was little because all I had to do was charge my Game Boy and pack my book bag. My flight and hotel were always booked for me as was transportation. I could even do (school)work remotely. Now it’s a nightmare to do all of that."

    —u/Barcoimage

    "I loved the adventurous feeling of going to a big airport where everyone was going places I’d never been, then boarding a plane way up in the sky to go to a new place. Now it's just expensive, crowded, smelly, and tedious, even when I have a great time at the actual destination."

    —u/pi_of_mind

    18. And finally, having literally any amount of money

    Joey from "Friends" shocked by his bills exclaiming "This is how much we pay for electric?"
    NBC / Via media.giphy.com

    "I remember when I was 16 with my first job and my bank account hit $1,000 for the first time. I was so excited because I felt like I hit the jackpot. Now I have $1,000 in my bank account and I know it’s going to be gone in a week because of bills and other expenses lmao. I just love being an adult."

    —u/canidieyet_

    "I would’ve been stoked as a kid for $100 in my bank account. Now it’s the biggest stress inducer ever."

    —u/Fuckjoesanford

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

    What are some things that just hit different for you now that you're an adult? Let us know in the comments below!