I didn’t reflect on all of this until my 20’s. I coach girls from around 8-18 years old, and the standards for interacting with kids nowadays means you have to take a lot of abuse training courses. That coupled with watching the girls I coach try to navigate social media and coming of age made me realise how abnormal my own upbringing was.

Its crazy how protective I feel about these kids that aren’t even my own. But looking back on the dangers lurking in the corners, I know how important it is to keep kids in the loop. Not to scare them, or try to keep them isolated. But safety starts with communicating freely with the safe adults in your life. I think things are trending towards more quality information about sex being readily available. Most (non religious) parents seem to realize they need to raise confident kids that they have an open dialogue about important things with.

My mom peaked in my room and left me with the American Girl book about hygiene and female anatomy. I don’t think it said anything about sex. Just had to navigate that part of life armed with (mis)information from whispered conversations with friends over sleepovers.

I think back on how many experiences I had growing up that could have gone wrong. This was all happening just as AIM chatrooms and chat roullette were popular. And there were so many creeps that my friends and I talked to because we were curious. No normal adult was giving us the information, but plenty of adults online were happy to talk and ask for favors in return. Shivers down my fucking spine.

I am so thankful that I was too nervous to do anything and usually ended conversations quickly. But the risk of genuine harm was right there, and our parents had no idea. We laughed whenever we saw a penis appear on chat roullete and clicked away, but we were not mature enough to know how fucked up it was. It was our parents’ job to guard us from that. Not by putting blinders on us. But by affording us the respect of an important conversation.

I am so passionate about people having this discussion with their kids. Kids are curious. The fact that the subject is taboo makes it even more exciting for kids. It is such a crucial moment in the transition to adulthood. Ignoring the conversation endangers them by making the subject seem exotic and inticing.

Have the conversation with your kids or someone else will. And you will have no control over how and when that happens.

With Milo (miniminuteman) in the thumbnail, I thought the video was going to imsinuate that his content was part of the alt-right stuff. Was confused and terrified. Happily, that was not the case.

At least we’ll have some entertainment as the country burns down around us.

Responding because I am also curious about this.

Well, that’s fair. I was thinking more along the lines of high school kids making out on benches at the mall. And uncomfortably intimate things that just are not that fun.

Also, dear god, that statement made me feel old. Do kids make out at the mall anymore?

I agree making out is better than diving for your partners privates. But have always felt like that step lingers for a little too long. Just personal preference.

Do you mean making out? A quick kiss as a sign of affection makes sense to me. Locking lips and moving your tongues around? Weird. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but if you are doing something that intimate, there are a lot more fun things to be doing.

For me, there was something about the number of A list actors in the cast. It just took me out of it. I was just thinking this is a movie, those are famous people acting.

I felt the same way about Dune 2 this past year. The film was incredible, but when every actor is a huge name known for something else. It just makes me hyper aware that casting exists, and then the suspension of disbeleif is shattered.

Agree completely

So glad we are all unwilling participants in this great experiment. Pedestrians will be blamed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when Tesla cans kill them.

I understand they wanted some characters to be disappointments, it could have been cool to have Jaime get super close to a satisfying arc and, at the last second fail. But the last few scenes with him completely backpedalling his entire motivation make no sense.

GOT had so much going for it. And yet, in a post like this asking about favorite episodes, no one is even mentioning it’s earlier fantastic episodes - the final season ruined all previous good work.

Honorable mention for my favorite moment in a TV show - Brienne of Tarth a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. What a shining, glorious moment of satisfaction for a hardworking and truly good character in a season of utter bullshit.

I will always feel that we were robbed of so many satisfying conclusions because of the show rushing to wrap everything up. Not everything had to be tied in a perfect bow, but what we got certainly did not scratch that perfectly placed itch.

I always find myself returning to a couple of the earlier episodes. S2 E1 - In my Time of Dying because it raises the stakes before Winchesters sacrificing themselves became a cliche, S4 E6 - Yellow Fever because it is hilarious, S5 E10 - Abandon All Hope because I loved Joe.

This and the alternate mobile home episode where Jeremy drives a 3 story tall structure always make me laugh so hard I could cry.

Charlie Work is my favorite, the setups and payoffs are just chef’s kiss in this episode.

Hush was so good! Oh my god, when that first came out I was obsessed.

Watching this for the first time was so magical. I didn’t have anyone who watched the show and never used forums for discussion. So I remember just buzzing with excitement after completing the episode and having no outlet.

I felt the same way after Vincent (S5 E10). Completely aglow with such a meloncholy and powerful episode.

I loved this episode. Such a well told story in a relatively short period of time. Although I am an absolute sucker for bittersweet romantic endings. I don’t care that I saw the ending coming from halfway through the episode, I bawled like a baby when they read the letter.

I used to hate the world, and I was happy when everyone died. But I was wrong, because there was one person worth saving. That’s what I did. I saved him, then I protected him. That’s why men like you and me are here. We have a job to do, and god help any motherfuckers who stand in our way.

Amazing how an episode about a regular human bartender raising money for his local volleyball team can be so hilarious and perfect.

Exactly this! We did not understand how our house operated as a system until we experienced it in both the freezing cold and humid summer. Most modern homes were designed to circulate air efficiently, but with a 250 year old home, things work differently.

For example, the wood burning stove was put in that place for a reason, and although it might complicate the couch/tv placement, the benefits of a properly placed heat source outweigh the feng shui of the room.