The first day of school is always a hopeful one. You head out of your front door on a beautiful summer’s day, dressed in your new clothes knowing that anything is possible. As you walk down the sidewalk you tell yourself, “This is the year I’m going to get it right. Perfect attendance, straight A’s new friends — it’s going to be the best year yet!” Then life happens. You’re stuck sitting next to a kid you don’t like, the teacher never noticed when you raised your hand, and some jerk spilled milk on your new shirt.
This week, a Redditor started a thread asking parents to share before-and-after photos of their kids on the first day of school. The story’s always the same: They send ‘em off clean, bright-eyed, and hopeful, and they return exhausted and disheveled. Welcome to the real world, kiddo!
He started so full of hope.
She’ll never be the same.
On the first day of school, he had a soul. On the second day, he was just another cog in the machine.
First day of school versus second day.
Existential crisis on the preschool rug.

















A young lion playing with an older animal
A colorful bird appears to be yelling at it a friend
An otter appears like it's holding its face in shock
Two young foxes playing in the wild
Two otters appear to be laughing together in the water
A fish looks like it's afraid of the shark behind it
A bird appears to be ignoring their partner
A squirrel looks like it's trapped in a tree
A bear holds hand over face, making it appear like it's exhausted
A penguin looks like its trying to appear inconspicuous
A young squirrel smells a flower
An insect appears to be smiling and waving at the camera
An otter lies on its side apparently cracking up laughing
Two monkeys caught procreating
A young chimp relaxes with its hands behind its head
A snowy owl appears to be smiling
A monkey holds finger to face as if it's lost in thought
A turtle crossing the road under a 'slow' sign
A polar bear lies on its back like it's trying to hide
A rodent strikes human-like pose
An excerpt of the faxCanva

Robert Redford advocating against the demolition of Santa Monica Pier while filming "The Sting" 1973


Image artifacts (diffraction spikes and vertical streaks) appearing in a CCD image of a major solar flare due to the excess incident radiation