What Made the ‘Weird Kid’ Weird? 10 Ex-Classmates Share Stories

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Whether it was grade school or high school, we all remember that one weird kid (or maybe there were a few for various reasons). What exactly made them so weird?

One Reddit user asks this question, and former classmates reflect on a variety of reasons. The stories come with a mix of laughter, irony, and a little bit of sadness. Here are 10 of the top-read stories.

1. Extreme Star Wars Fanatic

“He dressed up as a Jedi everyday from elementary to the last day of high school and he had a lightsaber and would chase people who bullied him around with it.

I’m actually surprised the teachers didn’t take it away. He did have some emotional/personality problems as well.”

2. Must Have Coke

One writer recalls a kid at school that “Carried around a briefcase with two, two litre bottles of coke.” Like, why?

3. Worms for Breakfast

“Whenever it rained there would be dead worms on the cement… he ate them. Not like 1 or 2 he brought bags with him from home to fill up and eat like f***ing gummy worms. Teachers never believed us when we told them so he had to have eaten hundreds over the years in elementary school.” Gross!

4. Missed Medical Diagnosis

Over 70 commenters discussed the kids at their school that were undiagnosed with Autism. As adults, it’s obvious to them, but decades ago, Autism wasn’t a thing labeled as it is today. It seemed many of them agreed that better understanding their diagnosis and needs may have helped the teachers and kids support them, rather than ridicule them or think of them as “weird.” (Although some disagreed too).

5. Strange Habits

“Turned yellow (literally) because he went on a carrot-only diet, shaved his eyebrows off (no idea why) and blew up his garage trying to make his own nuclear bomb. He died in his 20s after taking too much cough syrup and drinking homemade alcohol.”

6. Snake Club

This one might require a second read to believe. “Elementary school: She’d lay down on the bathroom floor and pee into the drain. She’d go “hssssss” while she did it. “What are you doing?”
“Playing snakes.” Others would be encouraged to join Snake Club.”

7. Up to No Good

One Redditor writes about a strange kid at his school always up to weird tricks, like “bringing a dead bird in his beanie and setting a fire in the boys bathroom* trash can at school”

8. Playground Shenanigans

“We had a kid join our fifth grade class halfway through the year. The entire grade was a given a chat about how this kid is different, but we need to be kind.

He spent every recess humping the playground equipment. We were kind to him, but also terrified.”

9. So Flexible

“He was tall & skinny. Would say the name of a girl in class a few times and then throw his eraser at the ceiling; in the middle of class. He did all sorts of weird things. At winter camp, we witnessed him take a large tube down a snow hill, hit a ramp, and while flying into the air, the back of his boot (with leg still attached) hit him on the TOP of his head. Imagine that flexibility? We still discuss this over 40 years later like we witnessed Jesus walk on water.”

10. Potato!

“He made up a thing where if you said potato to him he would do a silly dance. Halfway through high school I guess he decided he didn’t like it anymore. But then people would just come up to him and yell potato at him over and over while he just tried to ignore them. I felt bad for him.”

Ultimately, a lot of stories ended in the realization that these kids often had undiagnosed health issues. Read more stories here.

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