Because of our untouched emotions, everything appears dreamlike, innocent, and pure to us as children. However, when we become older and revisit childhood memories, we may find features and hints that indicate far deeper facts about our parents and families. The stories we’re telling today underscore these realizations. People who have been through them think that comprehending our history gives us the strength to build a better future.
Story 1:
When I was seven, Mom said she had won a lifetime supply of “dance show” tickets. She had stacks and always made me present them to a large bald man at the entryway, claiming it was excellent practice. The setting was dark, with crimson sofas, but I have no recollection of the shows. I’d pass out in the start and then wake up in the morning.
Twenty years later, I had a startling flashback and realized those weren’t tickets; Mom was a stage dancer. She didn’t have somebody to babysit me, so she took me to work every night. She made up a lovely narrative to divert me because it was well beyond my bedtime. My admiration for her has only increased since this discovery. Now that I’m a mother, I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to raise me alone, without assistance or a solid salary.
Story 2:
When I spent the weekend with my father, I was dropped off at people’s houses. I like it since everything was so different, and I got to meet new people. As I grew older, I knew it was neglect—he was simply passing me off while he went somewhere. © Daibz/Reddit
Story 3:
One of my earliest recollections is standing in line with my grandfather to purchase bread. I enjoyed it since I was his favorite, and he would purchase me a stick of gum when it was available and let me carry the bread “vouchers.”
While in college, I grumbled to my mother about not having any baby photos. She chuckled and continued, “I was more concerned with keeping you alive than with taking photos. I’d sometimes skip meals so you could eat.” © Unknown author/Reddit
Story 4:
My parents would have my brother, sister, and me hide in various locations throughout the home, making it appear like a game of hide and seek. I didn’t know until later that they were concealing us from the police so that if there was a raid, we wouldn’t be placed into foster care. © YerlerDermernd/Reddit
Story 5:
When I was a youngster, my mom, sister, and I would have “candle nights,” when we’d light candles around the house and sit beneath the dining room table to speak and tell tales. My sister and I enjoyed those nights! It wasn’t until I was older that I discovered why the lights would go out because my mother couldn’t pay the energy. Despite financial difficulties, Mother worked tirelessly to ensure that our upbringing was enjoyable. © damorgster, Reddit
Story 6:
My mother was always in different locations for work, taking any job she could find, and would leave me to live with my grandma. It was quite typical for me to see her with a new baby every time we got together, like, “Oh! A new sibling!” My grandma passed away without meeting the final two because my mother was too ashamed to inform her. We have five children, and my mother never transferred money to my grandma from those jobs. © Unknown author/Reddit
Story 7:
When I was in seventh school, I had some extra money and eagerly informed a buddy that I was going to buy three honeybuns. He made it quite apparent that he felt that was nasty. I was taken aback and thought, “Uh, they taste great—what are you talking about?”
It wasn’t until later that I discovered I knew nothing about healthy eating or junk food. Nobody has ever suggested it to me before. © NickDoane | Reddit
Story 8:
My mother would take my brother and me to motels near our house for holidays. I didn’t know at the time that it was her method of getting away from my father when she was booted out. © ImNiceGuySmile | Reddit
Story 9:
As a youngster, I could eat whatever I wanted for supper until approximately fourth grade, when my mother and I moved in with her boyfriend. It wasn’t until my second year of college that I discovered it was because my mother had a strong dislike for eating. She didn’t care what was for supper because she wouldn’t eat it. © Emzy996 / Reddit.
Story 10:
When I was a youngster, I felt it was usual to be home alone. My mother worked a lot to support us, so by the age of six, I was spending the most of my time alone. Almost every night, I would watch cartoons, do my homework, and make myself a sandwich for dinner. My mother would come home about 9 p.m. and kiss my forehead while I was “asleep,” but she knew I stayed awake for her. © Clout Not Included / Reddit
Story 11:
When I was around six, my father was sleeping on the couch, and we attempted to do the trick of putting shaving cream in his hand and tickling his nose. When it didn’t work, we decided to decorate him with shaving cream instead. We invited the neighbor’s child over, and my mother captured the entire event on video; it was a great time. Years later, I discovered that it was a kind of retribution on my mother’s side, as she was tired of him coming home and passing out on the couch. © Britaww / Reddit.
Story 12:
I have many fond recollections of assisting my mother with my younger sisters when I was between the ages of six and twelve. It turns out I didn’t have a traditional childhood and that becoming a second parent to your siblings is not normal. I assumed it was typical to get home from school, cook supper, and watch my sisters for an hour or two.
Later on, I learned that most people did not have the obligation until they were teenagers. Needless to say, it was a difficult transition when my mother remarried and my stepfather took over as second parent. © PolkadotPrincess2317 / Reddit
