i need help

[fredfred9633]

i am 14 years old
all my friends make fun of me because i like washing machines.
even my best friends that i have known since kindergarden make fun of me. what should i do.
i feel so alone

 

[goatfarmer]

Tell them where to get off, for one thing. Everyone is into something, you and a lot of others just happen to like washers, not a thing wrong with that.

kennyGF

 

[fredfred9633]

thanks for your advice

 

[whitekingd]

I agree! I started my love of washing machines at about 2 or 3 years old. My Grandma used to hold me up to watch the machine. When I was old enough, I would climb up on a chair and watch it go. At 43 years old, I still love to watch a good washer work. It's relaxing and enjoyable. Nothing wrong with that!!

 

[jeffg]

Hey Fred, join the club. Read through user profiles on this board, and you'll discover hundreds of other people who went through the exact same thing.

Ignore your so-called friends and follow your bliss. And congrats on being mechanically inclined. Chances are very good, ten years from now you'll be a successful engineer, while most of your "friends" will be flipping hamburgers at McDonald's.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Am I the only only like this?

NO!

WELCOME!

Let them tease all they want. He who cuts others down (and those who gossip and judge) only looks bad himself, in the end.

Of course that that does not mean you have to broadcast your likes and dislikes to everyone either.

I'd say focus on your schoolwork. Get plenty of excercise. Be good to your siblings and your parents, (and other relatives) and think about your future. Plan for it, 'cause it comes ready or not!

"This too shall pass in a blaze of glory". No matter how bad things look today, tomorrow more than likely will be a beautuful sunny day. (Happiness is just a thought away).

NEVER lose hope and faith. It stinks to be teased and bullied, but in the end you will be stronger and better for it. Just think, in the next ten and more years your mind will expand and sharpen. Your experiences will hlep you handle future issues. You can become an amazingly perfect person, you just have to WANT to become that person.

You are among friends who understand you and what you are going through. There are some younger people on this board. Perhaps you may want to contact them by e-mail and become friends.

All the best to you, and I admire you for joining and writing.

 

[thomasortega]

"ten years from now you'll be a successful engineer, while most of your "friends" will be flipping hamburgers at McDonald's."

Fred. Exactly the same happened to me. Jeff accidentally found a way to tell you my life history in 2 lines.
At 14 friends also made fun because I like washing machines.
At 16 I started the industrial design university.
At 17 Electrolux invited me to join their team as a trainee. Not because i was a design student, but because of my knowledge of years and years watching washing machines and making experiments in my laundry room.
In the same year I launched my first top loader in Brazil. (the first version of Top8) We had only 3 months to start an launch the project. (normally a project takes 8 years to be launched) WE DID ID AND IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE SUCCESS!
At 20 I finished my first front loader project in Europe (Electrolux Insight, launched a few years later) and joined other 9 projects around the world, including a small participation in the american projects Gallery and Affinity
At 21 I graduated as an industrial designer in Brazil and started an especialization course in England.
At 27 I decided to quit Electrolux because I want more, more and more.
At 28 I can be luxurious enough to refuse whirlpool, LG, GE and haier's invitations to join their teams because I didn't like the salaries they offered. (Haier offered USD850K/year)
A few weeks ago, I accepted an offer from a new local brand as new products' research and development director. (USD1.2mi/year)

... and my "friends" don't flip hamburgers at Mc Donald's because they're not "qualified" for the job.

 

[toggleswitch2]

ah. that explains the swimming pool in the living room. You must own not only the apt, but the building and the block!

 

[thomasortega]

LOL

no... I'm not so rich as you think...

this is the full salary...
I must consider the taxes, the flights to Curitiba (I live 700 kilometers away from the plant), other expenses and 30% I donate to charity because I'm sure there are much people that need money to survive.

I'm just a normal guy, not a milionaire.

I also work as logistics director for a trade company in Paraguay.

 

[thomasortega]

With all those reductions, I can have only 30K/month...
And this money goes to the bank and I'll use only when I retire.

 

[jakeseacrest]

It's your hobby the same as someone might collect baseball cards or someone who loves electronics. Don't get discouraged!

 

[fonografmaniac]

hey fred, don't worry what your peers think about you. do what you want to do because i bet those people just don't have anything better to do. i used to get clown around too because i like vintage gear. when i was younger, i used to ride my bike around the block and pick up audio gear from the trash whether vintage or not. a group of kid around my age and younger would crowd around me and start with me because i was picking trash. sometimes they would try to snatch what i got and smash on the ground. now that i'm older, no one bothers me no more. i like vintage gear way before i was 14 and also i like vintage washers too as well as old fans and more. if you go on youtube check out my toys. i also have a washer featured in one video. click the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/damusician

 

[appnut]

Chance, welcome. You far from being alone, although no one in real life you can relate to. But here, you definitely have found people of like mind.

 

[aquarius1984]

Do I detect another Exploder3211?

I have suspected for weeks but kept shut about it, Someones stories dont add up for certain timescales.

Not to mention forgotten projects

hmmmmmm

R

 

[aquarius1984]

Fredfred

Heres another guy like you - same problems - just hang in there!!!

Your not the one with the problem though it is them.

Looks like someone on this thread has problems worse though so chin up laddo it can only get better.

Rob

 

[fredfred9633]

thank you all so much for your advice

 

[~sudsshane]

Exploder3211?

Hmmm, I wonder how long it will be before Chad rises from the dust again.

That kid had so many stories that a local public library couldn't accommodate them.

My guess is we haven't seen the last of Chad Miller.

 

[xyz]

Fred, Don't feel alone. My Nephew has been working on machines with me since he was 14. He is now fresh out of a youth challenge program at 16 and still loves to work with me. He really likes delivering, since most 16 year olds are looking for a reason, any reason, to get behind the wheel of the truck. By the way, youth challenge is basically boot camp for teens. It teaches many things such as taking responsibility, and work ethics. Keep up your good work and you won't wind up at Burger King cooking.

 

[danemodsandy]

Hi Fred!

It's always hard when you're young and you're not into the same stuff all the other kids are. It happened to me.

I grew up in an area where all the other kids were into bike-riding, softball, go-karts, that kind of thing. I did not fit in, because what I loved to do was to read. Even my parents thought I read too much for a boy my age. It caused a lot of problems; some of my reading had to be done secretly, because I would get teased (or worse) by the kids, or I would get in trouble with my parents.

Well, I have been a professional writer for a long time now, and I am the Senior Editor of a national magazine (Modernism). The kids who gave me so much trouble have regular jobs that are not nearly so much fun as mine is. So you see, these "weird" hobbies and "unusual" interests can result in careers!

You might like to know that fourteen is just before the age when most guys get into cars. When your friends get into cars, you will have a lot of mechanical knowledge that they won't have. I'm willing to bet that things will change a little bit for you within a couple of years, because you and the other guys will all have mechanical interests - just different machines. The fact that you know how to handle tools and solve mechanical problems will get their respect in the long run.

Hang in there. Fourteen is tough - I know, I was there once. It was a long time ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

Welcome to the group!

 

[iheartmaytag]

Just remember, most appliance repair (people) with exception of the Maytag Repairman are guys.

So someone has to have had some interest in them to design, make, ship, sell and repair washers.

I was more of a "sweeper nut" at that age, it is hard to have a group of guys from school come over to see a Kirby demonstration. So I do understand where you are.

The best thing you can do is not be ashamed of who, and what you are. There are other interest you will have with people your age. It's hard to look at it this way now, but time will make this all seem like it doesn't matter.

BTW--Thomasortega just gave a hint to the fact he isn't really 28.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Chad Miller

I don't think so this time. While I could be wrong, certain things do match, including the ip locations. One of the keys to catching Chad is to watch for similar usage of specific slang words.

 

[thomasortega]

Excuse me...

Mr. Robert Seger, could you please explain me what's going on here?

I'm not sure, but I think Mr. Stubbs and Mr. Shane believe I'm not Thomasortega, but an other member they don't like. Am I right?

If so, There's a picture of my passport. Sorry for the poor quality. The only thing I had access at this moment was my cell phone camera- As you can see under my name, I live in "Foz do Iguaçu" - PR (my finger is there to hide my age)

As I could understand, this nickname mentioned above is a lier, right? Well, I have only four things to say:

1) I'm not Exploder3211
2) I hate lies (except when people lie about their age LOL)
3) As I know, I don't need to show "evidences" of what I did in my life or the companies I worked.
4) I don't need to hide myself behind a nickname. My Real name is Thomas A. Ortega, as you can see by the picture.

The only "lie" I told was when I said I worked for Electrolux for 10 years and it was to hide my real age (all of you know I have huge problems to accept my age).

But honestly, if my explanation is not enough I don't care about what you (Mr. Robert S. and Mr. Shane) think.

I'm really angry, but I'll ignore it because I'm sure you're just making a mistake and this bad situation is only a huge misunderstanding.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Fredfred...never mind what anyone else thinks. Learn to think for yourself. You'll find that to be a very useful trait as you get older!!

I have zero regrets about my favorite hobby! It led me to a fantastic career in engineering that I could never regret!! And none of my friends or family from years ago who may have thought I was "odd", even come close to what I've done in my lifetime - all because when I was 12 years old, I decided to take my mom's washing machine apart one day!! Not to mention the ability to do most repairs and understand just about any mechanical system on my own, saving myself a fortune over the years in car repairs, appliance repairs and home renovations.

Nope, there is nothing wrong with it. If it's just a hobby, great...but sometimes hobbies turn into so much more.