Childhood Totally Sucked: 19 Reminders Why Adulthood Isn’t So Bad

11. Getting and Maintaining Braces

When you’re thirteen, getting braces seems like a flat-out punishment, as though your parent thought going through puberty wasn’t bad enough that you needed a medieval torture device strapped to your face, too. They were only ever comfortable for the two hours leading up to a new tightening. They were constantly filled with random gunk you could never get clear, and no one told you that once they got taken off they were immediately replaced with a series of retainers you basically had to wear until you die.