What Was Your “It Seemed Like A Good Idea at The Time” Story?

1: Skateboarding with a Car.

“Holding onto my friend’s car mirror while skateboarding on a newly paved parking lot.” – meta_uprising, Reddit User.

This would have seemed like a supercool idea. They survived it but it’d have been a ‘near death’ experience. Don’t try this at home.

2: Driving an Automatic Car Is Easy.

“I let my 14-year-old cousin at the time try driving the family car. I was like 18 back then or 20 and I told him it’s easy to drive an automatic car, basically like driving a go-kart. Told him gas was right and brakes were center.

I forgot to mention that changing the gear to D will automatically have the car move. We both panicked and hit a tree in front of us at probably 1mph. Luckily we were in our neighborhood by a dead end.” – windam1992, Reddit User.

Driving an automatic car is easy as long as you remember all the basics. Their cousin felt all the needed parameters had been identified. That must be why he went straight to changing the gear.

3: Snow Water Skiing with Little Brother.

“”Snow Water Skiing”.

Me driving the snowmobile across a snowy field and my little brother skiing behind holding a tow-rope.

Two broken legs.” – CarlSpencer, Reddit User.

Their brother probably fell and hurt himself. Or something terrible happened. We can’t say for sure but his brother’s legs got hurt.

4: Knife Games.

“Me and my friend used to play a game where we threw a swiss army knife up in the air at night time and then ran away from it. With the knife part out.” – UnacceptableUse, Reddit User.

That must have been a very risky throw. One wrong throw. One late run. That’s all and there would have been a hurt child.

5: Riding a Bike Up a Tree.

“When I was a kid, I tried to ride my bike up the trunk of a tree so I could kick off and try to land it and it’d be really cool.

Turns out a tree trunk is rounded and so you’ll just slip off the trunk and hit your head on the tree. My brother still gives me crap about trying to ride my bike up a tree.” – Brotatoman, Reddit User.

They must have seen it in the movies and felt it looked cool. Or their brother told them it was possible and they’d be cool if they pulled it off. Well they only got a ‘hurt’ head.

6: Fireworks Shooting.

“Shooting each other with fireworks on new year.

One landed directly in between my eyes, luckily, it didn’t go off and I wasn’t injured.” – SirEnsignius, Reddit User.

Be careful with fireworks. Thankfully, it didn’t go off when it landed between their eyes. That was a close call though.

7: Choice of Friends.

“Hey you know those degenerates who you stay out drinking with until sunrise every other day? Why don’t you live with them for the last two years of law school? That won’t cause any issues at all.”

Cue two years of abuse to my body and liver and more than a little strain between me and my friends at the time. Overall it was fun, but definitely not a good idea.” – PM__ME__STUFFZ, Reddit User.

Partying with friends who like to party and smoke and all that might be fun. However, they’re the worst when it comes to room mates and your success in school. It’s best to know the right friend for each stage of your life.

8: Running with Eyes Closed.

“I ran across the street with my eyes closed. When I was 14.

I didn’t get hit by a car. However, I ran into a tree headfirst and cut my face and knee open.

For all of you asking what my thought process was, it is as follows:

Who am I kidding I have no idea what I was thinking.” – howiejriii, Reddit User.

We all tried silly things when we were younger. Thankfully, they didn’t get hit. However, the injuries sustained are enough to leave scars.

9: Lighting Arrows on Fire.

“So back in the day my brothers and I were shooting a bow and arrow behind our house.

We had a proper backstop and a nice target on a bale of hay. After about an hour we were getting bored and one of my brothers had a stroke of genius. Let’s lit one on fire.

So, there we are wiring rags to arrows and soaking them in gas and shooting stuff. Didn’t take long and half the yard was on fire. We’d shot pretty much every flammable thing we could burn in the yard.

Since we were running short on stuff to shoot my brother decided to launch one in a 45° arc over the woods behind the house. We all watched soar laughing and giggling.

When it hit the apex was when it dawned on us that this was in fact a really stupid idea.

All 6 of us sprinted off into the woods in the direction it’d been shot. Wasn’t hard to find it’d lit an entire little meadow on fire. So, we ran around stomping out fires for an hour. When we finally got the fire put out, we were sitting by the crick and my oldest brother looks at us all and says, “Dad never hears a word about this.” – littleredhoodlum, Reddit User.

We’re glad they were smart enough to go after the fire and put it out. Their dad would have been mad at them for such a dangerous game. Well, let’s say they learned their lesson and never tried it again.

10: Backflip on Dry Wall.

“In high school, my friend discovered that he was particularly agile at running toward a wall and kicking off of it into a backflip. He would do this all day, every day, before school, at lunch, etc.

One day we were inside a classroom and the teacher had stepped out for a moment. Of course, he took this opportunity to try his little trick. He didn’t, however, take into account the fact that drywall might not support his weight as well as the brick and concrete walls he’d tried before.

His leg ended up busting straight through the wall to the other side, into a classroom full of students taking an exam. So, I wasn’t actually in the class taking the exam, but to this day, I still imagine how strange and hilarious it would be to be sitting in that class then suddenly see a leg burst through the wall. Makes me smile just thinking about it.” – ToughPack88, Reddit User.

He must have thought all walls were ideal for backflips. He was looking to do a quick one to impress everyone. Unfortunately, he ended up creating a scene.

11: Hike in the Jungle with an Unknown Guide.

“I went on a solo trip to Costa Rica when I was 26 – I’m a fairly petite female. I speak no Spanish.

The eco lodge I was staying at helped me arrange a guide for an all-day hike. We were flown by a 4-seater plane into the jungle, a 26 hour walk to the nearest town.

We landed, Jose and I hopped out, and the plane took off again, leaving me, Jose and his machete alone for the day.

Thankfully it went OK, but as soon as that plane took off, I realized I had made a bad choice.” – Omissionsoftheomen, Reddit User.

They were happy it went well but realized that they had out themselves in danger. They couldn’t speak Spanish and was with an arranged guide. Alone in the jungle.

12: Dangerous Swing Game.

“In fifth grade I invented a game, where you get the swing as high and fast as you can, then at the bottom you run off it really fast.

Miss-timed it, landed on my head on asphalt, got a serious concussion.” – suddenly_satire, Reddit User.

It must have been fun while it lasted. The problem with games like this is the missed timings. One mistake and it ends in tears.

13: Moved in with Crush.

“Being roommates with someone I had a huge crush on. It didn’t end well.” – showmeyournachos, Reddit User.

It might have seemed like a great idea at the onset. But the reality is always different. It’s either they found out more about their crush and were shocked. Or they were just incompatible in every sense of the word.

14: Gave a Hitchhiker a Ride.

“On a rainy day, I saw a hitchhiker near the university asking for a ride.

He “looked the part” of a student. Although I never pick up hitchhikers, I felt sorry for him standing in the rain and gave him a lift – it felt like the right thing to do at the time.

He told me where he was headed, so I went out of my way to drive him there. The guy just kept staring at me and said very little. When we arrived at his destination, he wouldn’t get out of my car, no matter what.

Finally, when a police officer came along, I told him to hop out or I’d call the cop over for help. That ended it. (But if the officer hadn’t come by, I have no idea what might have happened.)” – Back2Bach, Reddit User.

They were trying to help because of the rain. But it got creepy as the guy kept staring and was weirdly quiet. They got more scared when he refused to get down but thankfully a cop showed up.

15: One More Swing.

“I had just finished this bike ride with my scout troop and we ended it at the side of a river. So, waiting for our parents to pick us up, the boys all go to a rope swing to mess around in the river. It was absurdly shallow, the furthest swing would still land you in 3-foot water, average lazy swing was 2 feet deep or so.

Mom comes, some dad hollars at me that she’s arrived. I run back until I can see her getting out of the car and yell “one more swing mom I’ll be right back”. She seems in a good mood, says okay, starts chatting with other adults there.

So not 2 minutes later I walk up to her with a broken arm. I had gone back for that one more swing, screwed up and planted my wrist into the shallow water, broke my arm, and got out of the water saying bye without telling the kids what I’d done. Just sort of walked up to my mom, “hey I just broke my arm… sorry.”

She was not pleased. like, seriously Flic_my_bic… you HAADDDD to go for one more swing… c’mon let’s go get a cast you idiot.” – Flic_my_bic, Reddit User.

They probably fell on their arm or hit it hard. It’s either their mom didn’t know when she agreed to let him go or she was distracted. They really didn’t leave their mum happy.

16: Swing without Holding On.

“When I was younger, I tried to show my sister that I could swing without holding on to the swing so I did and I fell.” – gameboy6567, Reddit User.

We always want our siblings to see us as ‘heroes’. They were probably trying to show that they could do something their sibling couldn’t. Unfortunately, their sibling must have gotten to laugh at them.

17: Attempt to Steal a Vending Machine.

“When I was a teenager. My brother, cousin, and a couple of friends decided to try to steal a coke vending machine by tipping it over into the back of a Ford Ranger pick up and take off. We were like crap we’ll just put it in our garage and have plenty of soda and will refill it. (We had one of those keys for them)

It was 2 in the morning and were all wasted. This was mid 90s mind you and way out in the country. There was a little store with the machine. We backed up and my brother and I got it rocking back and forth and finally BLAM into the back of the truck. It lifted the front end of the truck off the ground and as soon as it landed in the bed my buddy started hauling with me trying to jump into the bed with the vending machine and my brother hopped on the back of the vending machine riding it like a majestic horse.

But we forgot to unplug it and for some reason it was just enough that it pulled the machine out the truck with my brother on it and crashed to the ground. We were young, dumb, and bored as hell. But it made perfect sense to me then.” – Thatdewd57, Reddit User.

They were teenagers and wanted to have a soda machine to themselves. They must have thought that it was a good idea to have a never-ending supply of drinks. They were brave [they thought so] but for the wrong thing.

18: Riding Bike Like a Motorcycle.

“I was riding my bike and tried to be faster by leaning while turning, like a motorcycle. I obviously ended up falling and the skin on my knees and elbows got ripped off.” – 0rdinaryBear, Reddit User.

They were just trying to be cooler, faster and try out new things. They forgot a bike isn’t a motorcycle. The fall created a lot of injuries for them.

19: Dating a Weird Crush.

“Dating a girl that had a crush on me. Didn’t know her all that well beforehand other than that she was relatively quiet and an outsider at school. Relationship eventually ended because I wouldn’t let her tie me up and put a knife to my throat during sex (zero issues with the tying me up part, but the knife was a deal breaker).

She did a presentation that compared some hentai shit to the bible in our religious instruction class a few weeks after we broke up. The teacher actually let her show a few minutes of a hentai movie before… intervening.” – Aibeit, Reddit User.

They dodged a bullet. She probably paid a lot of attention watching hentai or she was obsessed living her life based off it. That must have been where she got the ‘knife’ idea from.

20: Golf in the Bedroom.

“I “practiced” my golf swing while standing on my bed. It was raining outside. I managed to take out 2 lights with the first swing – the bedside lamp and the overhead light (that one crashed down on my head). Broken glass everywhere.” – BroodingBryanAdams, Reddit User.

They felt playing golf in the bedroom had no consequences. The first swing left them with the answer. A broken bedside lamp and overhead lamp that left him injured.

21: Putting Water in the Game Slot.

“My 3ds had trouble reading the cartridges, so I put water in the game slot.

I no longer have a 3ds.” – General_Pickett, Reddit User.

They thought…well we don’t quite understand the thought process here. They probably thought the water would help. Or whatever they thought.

22: Kicking Off Shoes from Swings.

“When I was in 1st grade my two friends and I invented a game where we kicked our shoes off of the swings to see who could kick theirs the farthest. Somehow mine ended up on the roof and the janitor had to get it.

And I only cried for like 20 minutes!” – CautionWetFloor, Reddit User.

They were young and wanted to try anything that seemed ‘fun’. His shoes landing on the roof got him crying probably because only his did or his parents would be mad. The janitor came to the rescue.

23: Wax Waterfall.

“I once poured wax down the sink because I was trying to make a wax waterfall, thinking that the wax would harden as it dropped down.” – ThicqueRicc, Reddit User.

They thought that wax hardens as it drops down. Failed wax waterfall attempt. Plus, their drainage would suffer for it.

24: Rolling in Barrels.

“Summer camp one year, everyone was getting in barrels to roll down this giant hill. It seemed like tons of fun so I hopped in one and down I went. Well, the whole time it felt like I was being beaten up by the ground, and I was bruised pretty much from head to toe with a few cuts and scrapes too.

Being a young teen, I of course had to act tough and like it was awesome, but it really was not awesome. I thought I was maybe just a wimp or did it wrong, but looking back it definitely seems it was a dare type thing everyone wanted to prove they were tough enough for. I’m guessing many more than just me had the thought of “well, that wasn’t fun”. – DaughterEarth, Reddit User.

Either they weren’t interested in doing it from the onset and got involved to prove a point. Or they were eager to be like everyone else. The bruises and hurt had to be hidden under the guise of ‘toughness’.

25: Jumping Headfirst into Snow pile.

“Came out of a party at the university and my friend told me to jump into a snow pile headfirst. Thought it would be really funny until the snow pile turned out to have a layer of solid ice on the top. Blacked out for a couple seconds and cut my head pretty badly.” – divalz, Reddit User.

Ouch! Thankfully they lived through it. It’d have been fun and funny if there was no solid ice in it. The fun event quickly turned sour.

26: Reminiscing Gone Wrong.

“There was a diner that I ate at in college 3 or 4 times a week. It closed down (due to university expansion) and my buddies thought, let’s go reminisce one last time. That ended with cops with guns drawn in our face and a weekend in jail…” – beauhabsbeau, Reddit User.

It was a good idea at the time to reminisce. They didn’t think about if they were intruding on private property. The cops gave them a ‘wake-up’ call.

27: Crush Reveal.

“I don’t know if this counted but… I introduced myself to the boy I had a huge crush on via text message (I didn’t remember how I got his number) and insisted that I can be his best friend.

“Hi, I’m … from class A. I know you like a girl in my class, you actually can share your feelings to me”

“Hmm no I don’t like her”

“Well, if you want to share any story at all, you can text me”

I thought I was the most genius person ever, since I made my first move to a boy I like, I just wanted him to know that I’m exist! But now I cringe every time I think about how stupid it was, even after 10 years!!!” – cold_dispenser, Reddit User.

They must have thought it was a good idea to try to be best friends with their crush. Their crush already showed lack of interest but they hoped it’d change. Looking back, it was a foolish idea.

28: Sticking Things Up Nose.

“I stuck a googly eye up my nose when I was three. It got stuck. My mom had to pull it out with tweezers. When asked why I did it, “I wanted to see if it fit” was my response.

I still get the compulsive urge to put things in my nose to this day. Usually earbuds. No idea why.” – squawk_kwauqs, Reddit User.

They must have grown with the habit. Despite their childhood experience, the curiosity still lurks. Our advice? Don’t do it Squawk.

29: High During Yoga.

“Decided to get high and go to a yoga class because I thought I would get a better mind muscle connection. Turns out the class I decided to go to was being taught by an eastern European yoga psychopath and had me bending my body in ways I have never done before. Never again.” – roryinnes, Reddit User.

Quite funny. They had thought the yoga would have helped. Maybe it did and they had no idea because they were high.

30: Firecrackers Fun Fail.

“Throwing firecrackers out of the car while pulling into my friends’ driveway. It was all good and fun till one went off in my lap.” – Johndongleatwork, Reddit User.

They were enjoying the thrill and were probably announcing their arrival. They must have gotten distracted and miscalculated. We’re quite sure it wasn’t so much of a thrill anymore. Firecrackers and cars don’t gel well.