Why is it so hard for people to act like respectable grown-ups?

Growing up, I went to an elementary school that was… how do I say it nicely… struggling financially. Even though it was a relatively good school (I mean, you can tell by how I turned out, thank you very much), it didn't have a lot of money to invest in things like a working AC in most classrooms, or desks that didn't have 20 years' worth of gum stuck to the bottom.

This meant that in every classroom, we had about 4 chairs that were big enough, comfortable enough, and didn't have some part of them broken. So, every morning, a class of 25 children would fight over these 4 functional chairs. Some respected the concept of dibs, others would use popularity to gain control of a chair, while some of us simply stayed out of trouble and managed with a chair that was either missing a leg or had no backrest. There wasn't much to do about it, and since we were children, the wars over the chairs were honestly kind of fun. The teachers didn't take us seriously, and we eventually made it work as a class.

Why can't the same happen with actual adults working in an office?

Even though most offices are not as poor as my old elementary school, you are likely to find the same issues in them, including a shortage of comfortable chairs. If an office doesn't have to invest money in something, they won't, which means they would let employees sit on broken, faulty chairs until there is absolutely no choice but to replace them.

But even though the employees are not at fault for working in an office with no comfortable chairs, that doesn't mean they can't be civil towards each other when it comes to the distribution of the "good" ones. The story below, revolving around two coworkers fighting over one office chair, proves that some adults can be as childish as an actual kid, creating workplace disputes and resorting to petty revenges in order to get what they want.

Was she trying to shove the wedding album in her face, or did she not notice she wasn't invited?

Some people simply don't notice that someone couldn't care less about their family member's wedding. They only know they want to show the pictures they took, so they do it, and that's about it. Not everyone knows how to have an interesting conversation.

It is rather distasteful, though, to invite someone to your bridal shower and then not invite them to the actual wedding. It's basically organizing an event to openly gift-grab. I know it's rather controversial, but even if you get invited to the actual wedding, isn't it a bit weird to be forced to give a gift?

Bridal showers are something I will never, personally, fully comprehend or accept. I believe gifts should come from people who want to give them, and I'm also aware that not everybody has the same financial position, so I consider the entire event unfair.

I know new couples need things when they're about to embark on their marriage journey; they need stuff for the house and everything, but don't we all? Maybe I should organize an adult shower so my community can help me get the stuff I need for my house.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against giving presents or even expecting them, but we can't get mad if someone doesn't give us one; and if they do, we should at least invite them to the party, right?

Some people do not deserve cats. 

We have said it before, and we will say it again - abandoning a cat is one of the worst things that you can possibly do to them. It should be avoided at all costs. Cats bond with their humans. Just the one or a few humans. It is a rare thing for a cat to be able to bond with everyone. And when they are abandoned by that one or those few people - the only people that they trust - their faith in humans is broken. With Cavity, the cat whose story was shared on Reddit, that was exactly what had happened. 

Cavity's story was not a simple abandonment story. His owner loved him and wanted him. Abandonment was never an option with her. But when this elderly owner was moved to a senior care facility, she was not able to take her cat with her. And so, the cat was left with her family, but her family did not want to keep her. We said abandonment was one of the worst things you can do to a cat. What they did was the other worst thing - instead of trying to find this senior cat a home, they took the cat to a vet to have it euthanized. 

The vet, thankfully, refused. Because the cat was entirely healthy. They kept the kitty at the hospital instead. But the kitty was heartbroken and grew aggressive. The workers there tried to find him a home and couldn't, because he didn't believe in humans anymore. Until, one day, Reddit user notabruinsfan, started working there. And something clicked. Suddenly, Cavity opened up and decided that this human was one worth believing in. 

Maybe you just need to break up with your boyfriend!

When we are in a relationship, it's usual to excuse certain behaviors that you don't like just because you are in love. This happens to everyone, even the best of us, especially when the couple lives together. But that doesn't make it okay. It can be something small, like leaving the toilet seat up, that could be excused, is not that big of a deal. But other times it's actually something bad. In the case of the story below, we encounter a boyfriend who doesn't clean up after himself, yes, like a toddler. He is untidy and disorganized, but also dirty, as he leaves trash out of the bin. It's disgusting, and the girlfriend telling this story wouldn't have put up with this if it were anyone else. But she's blindsided by love.

This woman tried talking to him, but it entered through one ear and got out through the other. It's quite sad that a grown adult man has this kind of childlike behavior. And it is extremely disgusting. This woman, after having no response through talking, decided to block her credit card, which he uses, so he had no form of payment as some kind of punishment –yes, I also think that she is acting like a mother. They forgot about it till one day he used it to pay at a store, and it triggered the registry as a stolen card with almost got him in trouble with the police. After this, he became really mad at her.

I have a very strong opinion about this whole feud. She has to break up with him. I'm not normally recommending that to couples at all. I actually think that most issues can be resolved by talking. But in this case, I think that the man shouldn't be in a relationship at all. If he wants to be disgusting and dirty, he may as well live alone. This whole situation is just her trying to save the relationship and make him change, and him being a child. They aren't compatible. The best thing to end this whole issue is to break up. Stop expecting change from someone who has shown you multiple times that he doesn't care what is best for you. Sometimes you need to let go. The best solution can be to break up, and I believe that in this case it is. 

Here comes your Monday morning recap of purrfect cat Tweets! 

Here we are again, starting one more week in this world of chaos. Work is awaiting, responsibilities are here, so many tasks have our name on them, and yet, here we are, lying in bed, ignoring the fact that our alarm clock went off five minutes ago and just waiting for something to give us the motivation to get out of bed. Well, here it is, friends. Here is your sign. Here you have the purrfect thing that will make you smile in no time. Cute and funny cats from the internet. But to enjoy the benefits of that, you may or may not have to stay in bed for a couple more minutes.

We, as writers at ICHC, have made it our job to keep up with cats. All the news, all the cat memes, all the viral cat stuff. We know that we are privileged in that way, that not everyone can say that they follow internet cats for a living. But all of us - all cat people - want to keep up with cats. We just don't all have time for it. Real life is time-consuming, as much as we want it not to be. That is why we are all here, because we - as the writers at ICHC - have decided to help you all by creating our weekly collection of the most viral cat Tweets to hit the web. That's one social media platform down. A couple of minutes, and you will be getting out of bed with a smile. 

HOA and their shady tactics

There is a pretty universal truth behind all this: goodwill and reasonableness often get you nowhere with institutions like the HOA. Apparently, a specific, cited, enforceable threat is the only thing that does.

When you read the story, you will notice this: every time she contacted the HOA with proof, respectful demands, and conclusions she reached with the help of professionals she paid with her own money, she was met with a bit of the old 'guilt-shifting'.

What strikes me most is that institutions use this tactic, thinking it will get them somewhere and make the person fund things they shouldn't. You have to be really confused to think that a root invasion coming from a common area is somehow your responsibility and not theirs.

Either way, when the neighbour threatened with [rightful] legal action, they suddenly started to 'cooperate'.

This is one of those stories where I need to know what happened next, and I'm definitely going to be checking Reddit for updates. Honestly, if the person manages to get all that money in return, it would be something like Divine justice.

This is a case of a volunteer board that doesn't fully understand the infrastructure they're responsible for, and even if that's very humane, it doesn't justify the fact that when they had proof they were wrong, they consciously chose to hide it rather than do the right thing. So legal action was the only way out, really, and they had it coming.

Let's face it, it would've been much cheaper for the institution to simply do what they had to do; now, they will have to pay triple the money. Luckily, organisations like Small Claims Court exist, so individuals who normally have no power against these institutions can take legal action when injustice occurs.

It is no big secret that no one wants to go back to work. The weekend was a whole heap of fun and now the idea of sitting down behind a desk for hours on end sounds less appealing than stepping in and having to clean up your cat's sick at 3am. But here we are.

This life is not always glamorous but that does not mean that we cannot find small ways for ourselves to still enjoy it and all the things it has to offer. Much like this prework moment you find yourself in. Sure, the burden of your boss is looming over you and you know that the moment you set foot in the office they will be all over you. But until such a time you can still enjoy the comfort of these cute cat memes to make the moments prior to that madness, just that little bit sweeter.

So we went ahead and made this sweet collection of feline funnies with the expressed purrpose softening the blow of the work week in the purrecious few minutes you have remaining before you are bundled back into boredom. So take some time for yourself. Kick back with the kooky cats who would rather scream and climb on their mother's head than put in a minute of work. Hang out with the eepy feline who will be getting berated later for sleeping on the salad. And if you are feeling up to it step into the hissing booth and really let out all your frustrations. 
 

How do you split the restaurant bill with your friends?

Some people split everything equally, and some others just prefer to pay only for what they ordered. Both options are fine, as long as everyone agrees. The goal is for everyone to have a good time and for no one to overspend what they can't afford. 

However, if someone doesn't want to split everything equally and pay for something they didn't order, they have the right to say so and pay only for what they are eating. That was what a woman thought about the matter, especially since she was on a budget. She and her friend group went out for a birthday dinner, and she let them know beforehand that she would eat light because the money was tight for her. She ordered a $14 salad and water. The rest started ordering steak, expensive drinks, desserts, and whatnot. The bill ended up being $340, and they wanted to split it evenly, so everyone would pay $57. She refused, since that was three times what she had spent, and she was going to end up paying for things she hadn't even tried. She said she would pay for her meal, a decent tip, and her share for the birthday girl, but nothing more. The rest started accusing her of being cheap, making a fuss about it, and accusing her of ruining the celebration. 

The thing is, those friends who accused her of being cheap are the ones who are actually being cheap. Otherwise, how do you call it to order expensive things and then expect someone else to pay for it? Besides, she had already told them that money was short and she was on a budget. The friends not only seem to be cheap but also quite inconsiderate. Not everyone makes as much money as everyone else, and asking them to pay for something they can't afford shows a tremendous lack of empathy for others. 

What would you have done? Would you have paid what they were asking, or just your share, as she did?

Neighbors will find a way to start a dispute over practically anything. And since shared access points fall under the category "practically anything. This neighbor turned from a normal person into property baron overnight and started a dispute.

That sliver of land between two houses becomes the Alamo, and suddenly you are defending your right to walk past someone's front door like it is a constitutional crisis.

Sadly, the use of boxes to dump kittens on roads is not unique to this story, but a common tactic used all over the world. What is unique to this story though is how well informed our rescuer was and just how far away from society these kittens were abandoned.

Tuxedo cats are not the first kind of feline you might expect to be dumped, a thought that must have crossed our cycling rescuer u/angelofsquirrels mind when laying his eyes upon the felines for the first time. But then again, it is not all too ordinary to dump kittens in a box on one of the quietest roads you can find. At very least as a dumper of cats you might consider leaving them in a well populated area so that someone finds them. But it seems that the very nature of where they were placed is also what got them saved and landed in the purrfect furever home.

Once they were found, our rescuer got straight to work, not hesitating for a moment. He knew already that shelters were not an option as these poor babies would be put to sleep due to overcrowding. So it was up to him to either leave the kittens behind and hope for the best or take them with him and hope he does not foster fail and end up keeping them. But let's be frank here. No cat loving pawson who rides a bike for miles with cats in a box on his back is going to be able to pass such cute creatures onto someone else. By the time they got home they had bonded and the rest is history. 
 

What do all cats have in common? They love boxes.

It will always be a mystery for us, mere hoomans, why cats have such an obsession with boxes. The second you place a cardboard box on the floor, they jump inside and declare it their new favourite place to sit, sleep, and play. Doesn't matter that we just got them a new comfy bed for them to use: they will go to the box.

That's a recurring thing with our cats: no matter how much money we spend on buying them toys and accessories, they always seem to choose to play with trash. Boxes, sticks, bottle caps, you name it! If it's useless and lying around the house, they will claim it as their toy. We might as well just stop spending half of our salaries on buying them stuff; they will ignore their actual toys anyway.

The box thing must have an explanation, though. Our best guess is that it must have to do with the heat. In the middle of summer, they also feel hot, just like us. Their comfy beds might be a little too warm to sleep on, so they go to the boxes that are probably a bit fresher. That's our take for the summer season, but we're still completely clueless about why they do it during the rest of the year. Someone must have the definitive answer. Some people say it's because boxes make them feel safe. We would think that their own beds should make them feel safe as well, but oh well. There must be some superior cat logic playing there that us simpletons will never understand.

The beauty of it is that we don't really need to understand. All we want is our furry babies to feel happy, comfortable, and to have fun with whatever they want. That, as long as they don't make a mess of our furniture. If that means they're going to jump into a box every time we bring one from the store or get it in the mail, so be it. They get to play and feel safe, while we get entertained watching them jump, scratch, and be themselves. In the meantime, here we have a collection of cat photos with that same passion: getting inside boxes.

Be fair to all or to none. This double standard is unfair.

Double standards have become so common in the workplace that it has gone to a point that it should never have been. A boss shouldn't be making distinctions between employees who work in the same position. Is important, as a person in power, to be careful with the treatment you give, as it can be seen as if you are making differences between your employees, which is not only unfair, but it can also represent an imbalance in the workspace and making every one unconfortable.

'Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you'

Look, I don't know how worried you have to be to post something like this on r/careerguidance, but I assume you have to be pretty paranoid.

Judging by what this employee said, I don't see any reason why he thinks he is being monitored, but I see reasons to think he is overreacting. Frequent or recurring 1-on-1s are totally normal, and might be a part of 'office culture '.

Maybe management is looking to improve overall internal communication and team dialogue to make things flow more smoothly, or trying to make the employees more comfortable by listening to their complaints, wants, and needs through a peer rather than a manager.

I understand that would be the ideal situation, and it might be far from the truth; there is a chance he is being monitored, after all, but if he can't come up with any reason as to why, wouldn't it be healthier to assume that's not what's happening and keep doing his best at his job?

As I always say, most of these kinds of dramas are solved by openly discussing them with the people involved. He could totally use the 1-on-1s to ask whether there's something the company thinks he should do to improve his performance, or even to ask whether he is being monitored and why (so he can make it better).

In my opinion, there is always a positive way to communicate your worries; I mean, the goal is to show you are proactive in fixing your issues and in getting better at your job, right?

There are several appropriate responses to an employee quitting their job; this ain't one of them.

As a boss, we can imagine that it's not pleasant to receive a resignation letter from an employee. A resignation letter usually tells the boss that the employee was unhappy at work or believed they could do better, and most of the responsibility for that falls on the boss. In fact, many employees will admit that the reason they decided to quit their jobs is directly because of their boss, and not the actual job, a fact that we assume many bosses are well aware of.

So, getting a resignation letter from an employee is a statement that hints at the boss's flaws and faults in management skills, which can't be fun to have to deal with, and may lead some bosses to react not-so-professionally to the news that their employee wants to leave.

We can somewhat understand a cold shoulder, or a backhanded comment about the quitting employee during their notice period, but we cannot excuse hostility like the one below. As soon as this employee sent their boss a resignation letter and a month's long notice, they were completely blocked from any workplace-related channel, including the boss's direct number. Even though they technically still had another month on the job, the employee was blocked from Telegram and kicked out of the WhatsApp group, which made them feel like coming to work was basically pointless.

So, they didn't. The boss's reaction to the resignation letter made the employee feel like they were unwanted at work, so they decided not to show up even during their notice period. But others are warning the soon-to-be ex-employee that failing to show up might affect their unemployment and give the boss a valid reason to fire them for absence. Now the employee is unsure how to proceed and is scared to have to face this awful boss, even knowing it won't be for much longer.

Why settle for one adorable cat when the universe can hit copy and paste?

Cat twins have clearly taken the whole "copycat" thing a little too literally. Matching fur, matching faces, matching poses, and sometimes even matching expressions make these feline duos look like somebody duplicated the same cat. Put them side by side and suddenly you're questioning whether you're looking at two kitties or experiencing some sort of feline glitch in the matrix.

Living with matching cats must come with its own set of challenges. Imagine calling one name and having two identical faces turn around. Someone knocks a glass off the counter? Good luck identifying the culprit when both suspects come equipped with the same whiskers and equally convincing innocent expressions. Unless one of them cracks under questioning, that case is going cold.

The synchronized behavior only makes things better. Two cats curled into the same sleeping position can look like they rehearsed it beforehand. Matching loaves become a feline bakery two-for-one special, while coordinated judgment means getting twice the side-eye for whatever offense their hooman has committed.

Even when they aren't actually related, cats with matching coats have a way of looking like they came straight off the same assembly line. There's something especially cute about seeing two little faces with the same markings staring back at you, particularly when their personalities turn out to be completely different.

For everyone else, though, these copycats have us doing a double take. There's also something pretty sweet about having a built-in feline bestie around at all times. There's always someone nearby for a cuddle, a wrestling match, or an important 3 AM meeting in the hallway. Whether they're partners in crime or competing for the best spot on the couch, life with two cats means there's rarely a dull moment.

Apparently, asking how much someone makes is the worst thing you can ask

Honestly, I've never heard anything like this, and I was really surprised to see the comments under the post siding with the offended party.  I would never in a million years think that asking someone how much money they make is an impolite question. To me, it's just a number, and it doesn't say anything bad about the person, regardless of whether the number is big or small.

If the number is big, it would be a thing to celebrate and congratulate the person, and if the number is too small, it might even be an opportunity to help the person so they can reach a better financial status.

Of course, I'm not an alien; I've lived on Earth long enough to realize that some people behave around money like it was this big, dark secret that nobody should bring up; but I'm confused as to what they think they're protecting.

The people around me who are liberated around the topic have helped me plenty of times, because to resolve an issue or to find strategies around money, one has to first be able to speak about it without a related taboo.

So if I were the one answering this guy who posted his story on r/AmIOverreacting, I would say: Definitely, you are; plus, it might suit you to work through your issues with money so you and the community can benefit from transparent discussions that impact all of us.

I don't know; I'm honestly very curious and would like to know why so many people consider this topic so intimate. Isn't it a bit strange considering it's a very fruitful topic of conversation?

Corporate loyalty is a one-way mirror where you can see them, but they cannot see you. 

You show up every day, you deliver wins, you collect accolades like Pokémon cards, and then someone's friend shows up to take your job because they went to college with the COO. This happens everywhere. Tech, finance, healthcare it does not matter. The person who knows what they are doing gets replaced by the person who knows the right people.

The Cat Distribution System has officially confirmed that nowhere is outside its delivery zone.

Moving somewhere with barely any neighbors might make you think you're safely outside the Cat Distribution System's delivery zone. Apparently, there is no such thing.

One couple moved into their new home in January, settling into a rural area where feline visitors weren't exactly expected. Then they woke up one morning and found a tiny face peering through the back door from their deck.

That is one way to introduce yourself.

The little guy didn't stick around for a formal hello. He darted into the flower beds, sending his surprised new hoomans searching for him. Luckily, they managed to find the tiny runaway and bring him inside, which is when the CDS delivery really started to feel official.

He was understandably scared at first, but it didn't take long for him to start warming up to all the attention. Now he's inside, safe, and surrounded by two people who seem more than happy to accept their unexpected delivery. A vet appointment is already at the top of the agenda, and this tiny guy seems to have landed on exactly the right back deck.

We have to admire the CDS commitment here. No busy neighborhood full of stray cats? No problem. No nearby houses to serve as potential feline distribution centers? Still not an issue. This kitten apparently received the coordinates, showed up on the correct deck, and even peeked through the door to make sure somebody noticed the package waiting outside.

There was no adoption search, shelter visit, or plan to bring home a cat. Just one tiny feline appearing at the back door and two hoomans willing to open it.

Never underestimate the Cat Distribution System. Rural delivery is clearly included.

Younger siblings get away with so much. It's so unfair to the oldest.

As an older sibling, you have more responsibilities than the rest. You have to be a nanny, a cook, a cleaning person, and even a parent. No matter how big the difference is, it is very likely that, if you are an older sibling, your parent will sometimes ask you to take care of your younger sibling. Whether it is to help them with homework, give them a ride somewhere, or even attend the school meeting they are unable to go to. It seems unfair that so many responsibilities are in the hands of someone who's just a little older than the other sibling and deserves to be a kid as well.

Nowadays, we are seeing some changes in this dynamic with parents being more conscious of how much responsibility they are delegating to their older children. They have become more mindful and responsible of all their children's well-being equally without putting that much responsibility on one child. But we still get some stories like the one below where the oldest has to accept things just because the younger sibling is younger. In this case, we have an entitled brat that know no boundaries and does as she pleases, and an older sister who has to put up with it.

I often think when reading this kind of story, that if roles were reversed, the outcome would be completely different. Here, the older sister feels uncomfortable confronting the youngest, as she feels that even though her attitude is not the correct one, she does feel that she should be more patient with her. If the oldest was the one who had eaten the cake, I can assure you that even her parents would have gotten involved and some kind of punishment, or at least forgiveness, would take place. So, why do we let the youngest behave like this? Why do parents reduce their limits with the second child? Is the world really changing in this aspect? I don't have an answer for this, but let's hope that with every new generation we get less of this differentiation and more equity between siblings from their parents. 

With twins, a senior dog, four cats, and two geckos, this California couple's house was full. But you know who doesn't care about any of that? The Cat Distribution System.

It's always the meowment when you say "no more" of something that the universe sends you that exact same thing to challenge your defiance. It's just a small reminder that as much as we try to control every aspect of our lives, there are some things that are more important than control. Like helping someone (or something) that can't help themselves, especially when they didn't deserve to deal with the cards that life dealt them. Stray cats are the purrfect example of this - some were born strays, some became strays because their pawrents left them behind, or some were forced to live outside because they weren't wanted anymore. No cat deserves to be scrounging for food outside, and yet, the stray cat population worldwide is larger than ever.

But thankfully, there are people out there who are always willing to help, no matter how full their plate already is. After promptly saying "no more cats", an NICU nurse's husband found a 1-week-old kitten baking on a sidewalk in the California sun on a 110-degree summer day. He brought the tiny kitten home, and he and his nurse wife named him 'Bubbles'. The nurse, also known as peachtheturtle on r/Cats, woke up every two hours to feed this motherless kitten, in between waking up to feed her own twins and take care of their other pets. 

She may have sacrificed a lot of sleep, but it seems that it was all worth it. Bubbles has already doubled in weight, and soon, he will open his eyes and finally see his new family for the first time. He may have been given a rough start, but thanks to the open hearts of this kind family, he'll hopefully never know pain or sadness ever again.