In life, there are moments that profoundly shape our emotions and worldview, especially those experienced in childhood. The stories we share below have had a lasting impact on these individuals, remaining with them well beyond the events themselves.
Story
My aunt fell asleep on her couch one night while my uncle was asleep upstairs. She woke up around 12 a.m. to a random man staring at her while she slept. He said, “The guy upstairs was sound asleep.” Meaning he came in, saw my aunt on the couch, looked around, saw my uncle asleep upstairs, and then sat there and watched. She told him to leave, and somehow, by the will of God, he left. He had slid in through the back door. © Unknown author / Reddit
Story 1
When I was about 5, I walked past a gaming arcade and asked my mum, “Can I please go inside and play a game?” Mum replied, “Yes, when you turn 18.” When I turned 18, I told mum, “So, can you take me to the arcade now that I’m 18?” She laughed because she didn’t think I would remember. I’m 26 now and still remember it to this day. © Cairnsian / Reddit
Story 2
I was hanging out with some friends at the local coffee shop and asked my father to pick me up. When I saw him pull into the parking lot, I said goodbye to my friends and walked out to the car. I opened the back door and slid into the seat, only to see a man who wasn’t my dad.
He looked at me and said, “I’ll give you whatever you want, just don’t harm me or steal my car.” Realizing my mistake, I apologized, jumped out of the car, and ran back into the coffee shop. © Unknown author / Reddit
Story 3
One Easter when I was younger, my Dad bought my sister and me 12 Crème Eggs to share. We had one on Easter and planned to enjoy it more the next day. To our dismay, they were all gone. Dad had eaten 10 in one night and claimed they were about to go off, so he had no choice. We were disappointed. © segfaultless / Reddit
Story 4
When I was little, my mom made me a gorgeous birthday cake. It was pink with matching icing, and she even put money inside. Our neighbor came over with her five-year-old son. He was looking at my cake on the table, slipped, and his arm went right through it. I cried. I know it was an accident, but still… © Gleesa / Reddit
Story 5
My dad passed away when my daughter was 4 months old. When she started talking, she constantly said that there was a man in the corner of her room. We never paid much attention. A couple of years later, I put up a photo of my mom and dad when they were young, and my daughter looked at it and said that it was the man in her room. She never saw him after that. © Paula De Matos / Facebook
Story 6
When I was about 3 years old, my dad encouraged me to remove the training wheels from my bike. I was a bit scared, but eventually, I agreed. He pushed me, and on my first try, I rode for about 100 meters. Every time I remember this, I cry because I recall looking back and seeing my dad’s tears of happiness. © SnowPrimate / Reddit
Story 7
I worked at a small photo studio. A woman came in and asked for passport photos. After I took them, she started yelling at me for them not being in black and white, even though she had agreed to color. After fifteen minutes, I started crying. Then, an older gentleman in the line walked up to her, handed her a refund from his own pocket, and told her to get out. About fifteen minutes after he left the store, he returned with ice cream for me just to cheer me up. That guy was the best customer ever. © Unknown author / Reddit
Story 8
My mom passed away at the end of my eighth-grade year. My high school has a mother/son mass and breakfast every year that I couldn’t go to because of obvious reasons. My friend’s mom asked if she could take me this year with her son. She treated me like her son, and then, after breakfast, she took me to where my mom was buried and gave me flowers to place on the grave. It made my entire junior year to know that someone could be so kind. © likemike2233 / Reddit
Story 9
In kindergarten, when the teacher was doing roll call, she said my name, but I ignored her. She called my name again. Once again, I ignored her. She looked at me and asked why I wasn’t answering. I told her, “From now on, I want everyone to call me Michael Jackson. My name is now Michael Jackson.” The look on her face was as if she were saying, “Oh, you poor thing.” © pajaromuygrande / Reddit
Story 10
A few years ago, I was helping a man who seemed like he needed help with a mundane task. I ended up doing the majority of the task, and when we were done, we engaged in small talk. Towards the end of the conversation, he said something to the effect of, “You are the type of person that people can take advantage of.” Since then, I’ve had reservations about helping people every time the opportunity presents itself. © Unknown author / Reddit
Story 11
Walking past a group of people, I noticed they were all laughing. I looked at them and gave a friendly smile. One of them said, “We aren’t laughing with you, we are laughing at you.” Ten years later, that moment is still burnt into my memory. © Unknown author / Reddit
Story 12
In second grade, after coming back to the classroom from recess, I noticed I had a hangnail. I stopped in front of my teacher and asked her for a nail clipper. She laughed hysterically and said she needed to “write that one down in her book.” I never did get that nail clipper. © mikeydervish / Reddit
Story 13
When I was about eight, my mom brought home a dozen donuts. We didn’t touch them that day, despite how much they called to me. In the middle of the night, I gave in: I snuck into the kitchen and nibbled on one. The succulent freshness of that donut made my blatant treason worth it. I turned the donut over to hide my teeth marks. In the morning, my mom’s spider sense kicked in, and she somehow knew that something was amiss. She found my donut and asked me and my sister if we had eaten them. Ashamed, I denied it. My mom suddenly freaked out, “Then what ate the donuts?! Oh my god, we have mice!” She then proceeded to take the entire box of donuts and throw them away. The entire box. I still don’t know to this day if she did that to make me pay for my lies, or if she really thought there were mice. Either way, it hurt to see them tossed. I will never forgive myself for that. © Smeeee / Reddit
