12 “Fun” Childhood Memories that Turned Out to Be Cover of Tough Reality

Childhood memories shape who we become as adults. The things we loved as kids often leave a lasting mark on our personalities. However, as we grow older, we sometimes realize that what seemed amazing back then wasn’t always right. Yet, our child’s imagination painted those memories in a way that made them feel magical and perfect, even if the reality was different.

• When I was about 6 and my sister was 4, my family took a vacation weekend to a resort. We had adjoining rooms. When my sister and I woke up in the morning, there wasn’t anything in the room to eat. Instead of waking my parents, we both got dressed and I took my sister to the little café in the resort. I ordered the two of us breakfast and signed for it with the room number. I always thought it was amusing how precocious I was. It wasn’t until decades later, in therapy, that I explored how my parents didn’t really take care of me and my sister, and how I learned to cope. © TychaBrahe / Reddit

• My parents would have my brother, my sister, and me hide in various places around the house, making it seem like a game of hide and seek. I didn’t realize until later that they were actually hiding us from the police, so if there was a raid, we wouldn’t be taken into foster custody. © YerlerDermernd / Reddit

• One of my earliest memories is standing in line with my grandpa to buy bread. I loved it because I was his favorite, and he would buy me a stick of gum when they had it and let me carry the bread “vouchers.”
  Once, while in college, I complained to my mom about not having any baby pictures. She laughed and said, “I was trying to keep you alive, not worry about pictures. Sometimes I wouldn’t eat so you could.” © Unknown author / Reddit

• My older sister used to play our Disney read along tapes to my younger brother and I, whilst guiding us through the words in the books; she taught us to read this way. I didn’t realise till years later that she was using the tapes to cover the sound of our parents fighting downstairs. It saddens me that she never got to have a childhood. © Unknown author / Reddit

• When I was a kid, we (mom, sister, and I) used to have “candle nights,” where we’d light candles all over the house and sit under the dining room table to talk and tell stories. My sister and I loved those nights! It wasn’t until I was older that I realized it was because the lights would go out due to my mom not being able to afford the electricity. Despite the financial struggles, she worked so hard and still made our childhood wonderful. © damorgster / Reddit

• My mom was always in different cities for work, taking any job she could find, and would leave me to live with my grandmother. It was perfectly normal for me to see her with a new baby every time we reunited, like, “Oh! A new sibling!” My grandmother passed away without meeting the last two because my mother was too embarrassed to tell her. We are five kids, and my mom never sent my grandmother any money from those jobs. © Unknown author / Reddit

• When I was in 7th grade, I had some extra money and excitedly told my friend that I was going to buy 3 honeybuns. He made it very clear that he thought that was gross. I was flabbergasted and thought, “Uh, they taste great—what are you talking about?”
  It was only later that I realized I had no concept of healthy eating or junk food. No one had ever mentioned it to me before. © NickDoane / Reddit

• When I was about 6, my dad was asleep on the couch, and we tried to pull the prank of putting shaving cream in his hand and tickling his nose. When that didn’t work, we ended up decorating him with the shaving cream instead. We brought over the neighbor kid, and my mom recorded the whole thing — it was a lot of fun. Years later, I found out it was a bit of revenge on my mom’s part because she was fed up with him coming home and passing out on the couch. © britaww / Reddit
  

• My mom would take my brother and me to hotels near our house for vacations. I didn’t realize at the time that it was her way of escaping from my dad because she had been kicked out. © ImNiceGuySmile / Reddit
  

• Comforting my dad before/while my parents were getting divorced. I always thought that I was such a big mature girl for being there for him, and telling him that it was okay if he left mom because I knew they fought. The first time I can clearly remember asking when they were going to divorce was around the age of 5. My dad and I would have lengthy discussions about “everything wrong with my mom” and he would ask me for permission to leave her. I used to think it was because he loved me so much and valued my opinion.
  It was only several years later, in my early teens, that I realized exactly how wrong the entire situation was. He unloaded all of his issues and anger out onto a child, and would ask me for permission so that I would feel responsible and he didn’t have to take the blame. A child should never have to do that. I genuinely believe that it can be linked to the issues that I now deal with socially and with trusting/connecting to certain people. Thanks dad. © DamnDanDan_ / Reddit

• When I was a kid, I thought it was normal to be home alone. My mother worked a lot to support us, so by the time I was 6, I was on my own most of the day. I watched cartoons, did my homework, and made myself a sandwich for dinner almost every night. My mom would come home around 9 to kiss my forehead while I was “asleep,” but she knew I stayed up for her. © CloutNotIncluded / Reddit

• My parents fighting all night followed by my dad packing a bag, getting in his car, my mom standing in front of the car so he couldn’t leave. Then threatening divorce every other day and then being all over each other on their “good” days i had no idea what a healthy relationship was until my husband and I went to marriage counseling and I saw how toxic that all was and how much it stuck. © Unknown author / Reddit

Some experiences from childhood leave a deep mark on us that we carry into adulthood. These moments can be so powerful that some people can’t forget them, even as they grow older. Whether good or bad, these memories shape how we think, feel, and react, staying with us long after we’ve grown up.