'He thinks his Groot impression will impress her': 20+ Moments of cringe that still haunt people years later

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 5, 2023 5:00 PM EST

Kids and teens can't help but have a few embarrassing moments. Okay, maybe more than a few. 

As a kid, you're able to let loose and say and do pretty much whatever you want. Children usually know not to say bad words or talk back to adults. But there are a lot of nuances they don't understand, and a world of knowledge that they haven't had time to learn from. That's probably why it's so much fun to be around little kids while they're letting off steam, bouncing off the walls and babbling about whatever enters their minds. They're so free and so crazy, as they should be. 

Maybe you have a direct moment in time where your little child brain finally realized, "Oh, I'm actually a little too old of a kid to be doing this or saying that." Perhaps you realize when an aunt or a teacher gives you a weird look, or maybe a group of friends start laughing their heads off at something you said that wasn't supposed to be funny. These moments of self-reflection often feel like mega-cringe moments in our minds, even though the people around you probably have zero memory of it. 

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  • It isn't just kids, either. Adults aren't safe from having a brain malfunction every now and again. These things tend to keep a person up at night. As you toss and turn, your brain just keeps reminding you of the time you accidentally called your soccer coach “Mom." Or the time you got into the wrong car, or the time you said a joke at a party that landed like a lead balloon and stunned everyone into silence. It's a pretty personal thing! The people below have the added bonus of anonymity, so they don't mind sharing a few tales about the times in their life that they still cringe about. 

    Next, this night shift worker was told they weren't calling enough people, so they shrugged their shoulders and called 200 people in the middle of the night---including the company's CEO. 

  • 01
    'In 5th grade I went to school on Halloween Costume Day completely dressed up like a pirate... Walked into school only to realize no one else was wearing a costume and that dress up day was tomorrow.'
    via Taylor Foss on Unsplash
  • 02
    What's that one cringe- inducing memory from years ago that you can't get out of your head?
    via u/bbrotman3
  • 03
    skyrizi In 5th grade I went to school on Halloween Costume Day completely dressed up like a pirate. Makeup, costume, hair, everything. Walked into school only to realize no one else was wearing a costume and that dress up day was tomorrow. Had to wait until lunch for my mom to bring me new clothes.
    via u/skyrizi
  • 04
    ilikedthecore Went for an interview and handed the person my coat when they were trying to shake my hand. Update: I did not get the job unfortunately. A few years later I went to another interview during which my stomach would not stop growling, which is one of my worst nightmares made real. Somehow got a job there lol.
    via u/ilikedthecore
  • 05
    frootrollups At the end of a great job interview, shook the guy's wrist instead of his hand and held on like I meant to do it. Didn't get the job...
    via u/frootrollups
  • 06
    ldhkmg0406 I was interested in a guy but didn't know how to start a conversation with him. We were standing next to each other while preparing food for a barbecue and I just thought it was a good idea to start a conversation with "I like the feeling of touching raw meat"
    via u/ldhkmg0406
  • 07
    BionicGio When I was 16 I got set up with a family friend's daughter. We started dating in a long distance relationship. After a month or so it was school holidays and I went up to visit her. I didn't have alot of money but I wanted to buy her a gift. A settled on a beautiful jig saw puzzle.
    via u/BionicGio
  • 08
    She wasn't too happy about the gift. Because she was blind. Yes I bought my blind girlfriend a jigsaw puzzle. In the moment it seemed very appropriate because each piece was unique right? She can feel the pieces rights?? Pure effing cringe. Still haunts me.
    via u/BionicGio
  • 09
    VonClawde I was walking back to my car after a grocery trip and an older gentleman said hello to me as I walked past, my brain completely short circuited and I responded with "G-g-g-g-g- g..." and quietly trailed off averting my gaze and walking faster
    via u/VonClawde
  • 10
    truthinlies Definitely that time my professor asked what I did over the summer, and I wanted to say "hanging around" and "catching up with sleep". All I managed to blurt out was "sleeping around." That wasn't even true!!
    via u/truthinlies
  • 11
    RandomRavenclaw87 The time my internet access was shot over a weekend, so I went to work as usual on Monday, and stayed and worked all day, and only found out I'd been fired the week before when I got home. Small, very high-profile business. Everyone was acting weird all day. I soft-broil myself to sleep in this memory.
    via u/RandomRavenclaw87
  • 12
    EDIT: For all the people mentioning HR and legal technicalities- this was a very small firm. The owner was famous within the field; think of a celebrity with a staff of 7 people. No HR, no manager, just a small group of people glad to work there. I was there as a freelancer.
    via u/RandomRavenclaw87
  • 13
    DontForget ToLookUp When I was 16 I offered to take a girl I liked to the movies. I approached the ticket counter and asked for one movie ticket, immediately realized I was an idiot, but was too embarrassed to rectify my mistake. She purchased her own ticket to the movie. Still haunts me almost 10 years later..
    via u/DontForget ToLookUp
  • 14
    RosebudWhip I was a bit drunk at a friend's wedding and decided to scrawl all over two pages of her wedding book to fill up some space. Later someone was looking at the book and I heard them say "Look at this! What sort of person does that?". I still feel bad when I think about it.
    via u/RosebudWhip
  • 15
    [deleted] Trying to run away from home when I was six only to stop at the start of the driveway because I was always told that it was dangerous to walk on the street without an adult. My parents have this really nice photo of me, with my little backpack, standing there looking really conflicted.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    Kelleymr I fell into a fountain, not once but three different times in three different fountains, on a trip to Europe with a group of kids from school when I was In seventh grade. Of course my crush and his friends went on this trip and they preceded to call me fountain girl till high school graduation.
    via u/Kelleymr
  • 17
    DarthVader1234567 When I told everyone that I was auditioning for the national talent show in my country and got rejected after singing two verses in the producers auditions. That made for an awkward return to school...
    via u/DarthVader1234567
  • 18
    robert_is_cool I was bullshitting my way through a presentation in college on tanks in World War 2 and this kid just got so sick of my shit that he called out from.the back of the class and corrected me infront of the whole class while my professor avoided eye contact with me
    via u/robert_is_cool
  • 19
    marshmomma18 I'm a Canadian and we had this show in the 2000's called Radio Free Roscoe. I was obsessed with this show! I watched it religiously on the Family Channel. My aunt had a friend who was a makeup artist for the show and so she managed to get us on set to meet the cast and visit all the different places. My 11 year old self was ecstatic! It was the most incredible thing to happen to me. My brother and make cousin went with us
    via u/marshmomma18
  • 20
    We get to the set and it's amazing and everything I had hoped it would be. We got to see them film a scene and see all the behind the scenes stuff, it was incredible. We went to do the meet and greet with the cast and I was so nervous but excited. I'm an awkward girl and super oblivious especially when I'm nervous. Kate Todd (the female co-star) was being super sweet with me because I was the only girl in our group. She called me over to sit with her for the photos and used her hand to pat the s
    via u/marshmomma18
  • 21
    oblivious I missed the seat pat and went and sat directly on her lap. I'm 27 years old now and I still remember her saying "Oh! Um, Okay" in a super surprised voice. I was mortified that I just sat on her lap like a baby instead of beside her like she intended. I honestly couldn't look anyone in the eyes again after that. I still cringe to this day thinking about sitting on her lap. She was super sweet about it but I knew I had up.
    via u/marshmomma18
  • 22
    nobody12222 So my mom had won this prize at a big shopping center. She was allowed to take 3 guests for a day of shopping that included gift cards at various stores and a $250 gift card at a restaurant of her choice for us to eat at. Anyways, it was a big deal and they had a film crew come and tape some of it for their website. The reporter lady comes up to me when the food arrives and she's like "that looks fantastic, what'd
    via u/nobody12222
  • 23
    you get?" And I was caught off guard so I look at the camera and go "GIFT CARDS!" Ultimate cringe and it took me about half a second to realize what she meant. When I think about it now at least I can laugh about it.
    via u/nobody12222
  • 24
    chieflikeanindian Doing a "prom-posal" for a girl who broke up with me two days after or... 3rd Grade Spelling Bee... I misspelled field and lost it on stage.
    via u/chieflikeanindian
  • 25
    ScientistAs Hero So when I was 8 or so, some of my parents' friends came over, and they brought their son, who was a few years older than me. I used to really idolize that kid for some reason...he just seemed cool and was always friendly toward me. So this particular day I happened to be lounging around in my pajamas watching television and I hadn't expected company. I don't know why, because wearing pajamas (especially as an 8-year-old boy) is not that
    via u/ScientistAs Hero
  • 26
    big of a thing, but I was absolutely mortified when the kid came into the room to say hi. So I ended up running to the closet nearby and shutting the door. This was right in front of the kid. My parents couldn't get me out. The kid came up and through the door was like, "that's totally fine, bud, there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about, come out and play. If you want you can go change first."
    via u/ScientistAs Hero
  • 27
    But I wasn't having any of it. I was by this point more embarrassed about my reaction than being "caught" in pajamas, so I couldn't bring myself to come out until the kid and his parents left like two hours later.
    via u/ScientistAs Hero
  • 28
    ejiciam This guy in one of my classes in 8th grade I was friendly with bc he didn't seem to be good friends with anyone else in the class. He was a nice kid just maybe a little awkward but we had good conversations about LotR so hey. Then one day at the end of the period we were both packing up our stuff and he says "Hey, do you want to go out with me next Wednesday?"
    via u/ejiciam
  • 29
    Wasn't interested in him that way, and I was so off guard that I froze like a deer in the headlights until I finally stammered "Uh, I think my mom has planssorrybye." And basically ran out of the room. I still feel bad about it, every time I saw him in middle school and high school after that I felt terrible. Sorry Colin.
    via u/ejiciam
  • 30
    smallbankbigmouth ran face first into a bench when I was 16 and cried haha. Only one person saw, and of course it was my crush at the time. Oof.
    via u/smallbankbigmouth
  • 31
    bravehamster 5th grade, sobbing in front of the whole school when I lost the geography bee (to my best friend). I beat him next year though, then went on to get my kicked at regionals.
    via u/bravehamster
  • 32
    heretobenosey My sons and their friend kicked their ball into the middle of a little pond at our local park. I let them use my walking stick to try get it out but they couldn't quite reach. A man passing by with his son offered to help. He got the ball but dropped my stick. As he was reaching for the stick he fell in! He laughed, we laughed and he went off home to dry up. He returned
    via u/heretobenosey
  • 33
    10 mins later because once he got home he realised his phone was missing. His phone that contained baby pics of his son and newborn at home. We tried so hard to find that phone. I still feel awful.
    via u/heretobenosey
  • 34
    010 CheeseKimbap_ So I was having a psychological evaluation for a military school, the psychologist gave me two pieces of paper to draw a male and a female and name them. The male one was easy, I just have to draw myself and use my own name. I was having difficulty drawing a female and couldn't think fast so my stupid drew the psychologist because she was cute.
    via u/CheeseKimbap_
  • 35
    Then came the part where she started asking about the drawing, the male part went smoothly, when she asked about the name of the female I said "Actually it was you" (plus a smirk) then she straight up wrote the name of the drawing "Actually it was you". I still cringe about it up to now.
    via u/CheeseKimbap_
  • 36
    Bells87 In 9th grade, I wrote a radio DJ a really nasty email because he didn't like Limp Bizkit.
    via u/Bells87
  • 37
    barpad When I was eleven I was singing a video game rap at the top of my lungs. I thought I was alone. Then My dad yelled from upstairs for me to be quiet
    via u/barpad
  • 38
    HoyMinyoy Posted this in another thread, but this should work here too: One time I was working with a buddy (we were 19-20) who wasn't exactly smooth with girls. He saw our boss' daughter walk by (who he liked) and wanted to impress her. He turns to me and tells me how he has a really good Groot impression. I sit there wondering what brought that on, and then see her walk by and it clicks that he thinks his Groot impression will impress her.
    via u/HoyMinyoy
  • 39
    He then asks me rather loudly if I wanted to hear his impression. I look at him and say "Please don't." Almost as if he didn't even hear me, he shouts at the top of his lungs "I AM GROOT!" I stood there doing a mild facepalm while she stops what she's doing and looks at him with mild confusion, she then walks away immediately. I don't know how he didn't get embarrassed by that. Btw, his impression was a 4/10. Entertaining for an 8 year old, not so much for a 19- 20 year old girl.
    via u/HoyMinyoy
  • 40
    chibibabymoon The anonymous Valentine's Day card that I sent to a crush 2nd year of uni in which I wrote the cringiest poem because I didn't know what else to write.
    via u/chibibabymoon
  • 41
    tkbuddha classmate: do you like Linkin Park? me: idk, i've never been there
    via u/tkbuddha
  • 42
    lankyphantom Yelling at the top of my lungs "we are looking for love!" At a homeschooler cookout when I was 13 to a group of girls... Raised my soda and everything.
    via u/lankyphantom
  • 43
    RattleThem-Bones When I was too chicken kiss this girl I was obsessed with after our date. I'd to hesitated for so long that she decided to SHAKE MY HAND INSTEAD. my life. I hate that memory.
    via u/RattleThem-Bones
  • 44
    baby_yaga Sixth grade science fair. Yknow those cardboard tri- fold boards? we all had our science fair experiments made up on those. Our teachers had told us that if we were having trouble standing them up to bend the two arms backwards. The kid before me was having trouble getting his to stand up, so I was like, Ah, I know what to do! And I offered to bend his for him. And it broke, because it was made of plastic and not cardboard like the rest of the class' for some
    via u/baby_yaga
  • 45
    reason. And then our teachers made me stand up there and hold it up for him while he did his presentation in front of the whole class. And then I also had to go do mine. It was mortifying. I'm 22 now and still cringe when i think about it.
    via u/baby_yaga
  • 46
    [deleted] I couldn't stop saying boom shak-a-la-ka in forth grade. Like I COULDN'T stop it was like I was addicted Edit: I just realized it wasn't just boom shak-a-la-ka it was boom shak-a-la-ka boom boom. I'm an f-ing idiot Edit 2: Holy cow this blew-up can't believe that I'm happy I was that cringe
    via u/[deleted]
  • 47
    [deleted] I used to live in a relatively small town (which I will not name) where I had a relatively large friend group. A couple of years back I returned to, town, and I recognized one of them I had been particularly close with. I walked up to them, said hey. You know where this is going, they didn't have a clue who I was..........
    via u/[deleted]

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