Certain unsettling experiences in our lives linger, leaving a lasting impact on our emotions and outlook. They mold our character and influence our perspective on the world. Despite the difficulty or pain associated with these memories, they contribute to our resilience, fortify our inner strength, and impart enduring lessons that shape our journey indefinitely.
- When I was 5, I had a distinct memory of my mom and I waiting in line at a fast-food restaurant. I remember getting to the front, and then my mom just quickly took me and left. I whined and complained that we didn’t get the food.
Years later, my mom finally told me the disturbing reality. She explained that when we got to the front of the line, the cashier said, «Those men over there are robbing us. Take your child and leave now.» So my mom did exactly that and never told me what happened. © EghYewSeaQue / Reddit
- Maybe around 10 at the time, my sister probably about 8. We were visiting my grandparents in England, just as my granddad’s dementia was starting to become debilitating. Of course, I had no idea what that meant at the time.
One day, we wanted to go to the park, so Granddad offered to walk us there. After walking for maybe 20 minutes, we ended up in the middle of town, nowhere near the park. My granddad’s dementia made him forget where he was going, and my sister and I were lost with him. Luckily, my parents came and found us not long after. © cburke141 / Reddit
- I remember being sleepy in my room one afternoon and just drifting in and out of sleep for a few hours before my brother came in and said, «It smells in here.» He shook me awake, and my parents came in and got me out of the room.
My air conditioner had been leaking a small but steady amount of carbon monoxide into my bedroom. It was just lucky I happened to go in there in the afternoon and my family was awake. If I hadn’t turned it on until nighttime, I probably wouldn’t have woken up.
© flexthrustmore / Reddit
- When I was around 8, I was complaining to my dad about how I missed my mom (as I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years). He got noticeably angry and said, «Well, you can choose, live with me or live with her.» It was upsetting as a kid, but I never understood how messed up it was until I was an adult. © zilyis / Reddit
- When I was seven, I got into the wrong car at our campground. I just sat there and waited for my dad to get to the car, thinking he was still packing up our site. A man who was not my dad sat in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition, about to drive away without noticing I was there.
I asked my «dad» a question, and the man was very startled when he realized there was a seven-year-old strange girl in the car. I screamed when I realized he was a stranger, said sorry, and booked it. © Tealbouquet / Reddit
- When I was 4 years old, I had a friend who used to scare me. He was all black, had bright brown eyes, and was as tall as a man. However, I thought I was the only one who could see him. One day, I was sitting on my bed talking about the future of our friendship when my mom heard me talking and walked into my room. My friend got scared when my mom walked in, and when my mom saw him, she screamed, and he vanished. Nine years later, my mom started talking about this «friend» of mine and said he was a family member who died 15 years ago.
© michelle_cocacola / Reddit
- When I was about 3 or 4 years old, I told my mum that I was going to visit my grandad. I got on my ride-on push car, left home, and just headed down my street, thinking to myself that Grandad lived somewhere after this place (he lived a good 10 minutes away by car!).
Luckily, a neighbor from down the road saw me and told me to go home, to which I exclaimed, «No, I’m going to see Grandad!» while crying, and she took me home. I was lucky that my adventure was interrupted halfway down my street. Anything could have happened to me.
© Unknown author / Reddit
- When I was 4, while on a trip abroad, a man tried to buy me from my parents because I had green eyes and blond hair. The man physically picked me up and tried bartering with my dad, but my dad was a big dude and snatched me back, and we quickly left that area.
© lurkashrae / Reddit
- I was playing in my front yard as a kid, I might have been 9 years old. A guy in a truck stopped in front of our house and asked me if I had seen his dog. I said no. He asked me if I would come to help him find his dog. I told him that I had chores to complete before I could go anywhere. He asked if I was sure because he was really worried about his dog. I told him I was sure and headed back into my house. He drove off. © shardik78677 / Reddit
- One time, I decided to play with a toy dump truck right on top of a cistern with a shoddy ceiling. I remember a dark pit full of murky water, screaming «Help, help!» as one of my Crocs floated past me. Luckily, my grandfather was nearby, and he lifted me out like the master fisherman he was.
© RedRails1917 / Reddit
- I have incredibly vivid memories of a red and yellow snake creature made of socks. It had skinny, bony arms and legs and a mouth like a lamprey. I now believe these to be hallucinations, something I still suffer with, but I will never forget what it looked like.
© Uknown author / Reddit
- When I was a kid, I climbed a tree at my grandparents’ house. A branch broke near the top, and I had some bruises, but I was fine. I couldn’t understand why my grandparents were yelling so much when they were usually so calm and let me get away with a lot more than my parents did. At the time, I thought they were mad about the tree.