When we are kids, everything seems dreamy, innocent, and pure because of our untainted hearts. However, as we grow older and revisit our memories, we might begin to notice details and clues that reveal much more serious truths about our parents and families. The narratives we’re sharing today highlight these realizations. The people who experienced them believe that understanding our past helps us find the strength to create a brighter future.
Kids are innocent but also mischievous. Sometimes, the things they say can lead to incredibly embarrassing moments for their parents, just like you’re about to discover here.
- When I was 7, Mom said she won a lifetime supply of “dance show” tickets. She had stacks and always made me hand them to a big bald man at the entrance, saying it was good practice. The place was dark with red couches, but oddly, I have no memories of the shows. I’d pass out at the start and wake up in the morning.
20 years later, I had a sudden flashback and realized those weren’t tickets—Mom was a theater dancer. She had no one to watch me, so she brought me to work every night. She made up a cute story to distract me since it was way past my bedtime. My respect for her has only grown since this realization. Now that I’m a mom, I can only imagine how hard it was for her to raise me alone without help or decent income.
- When it was my weekend with my dad, I would be dropped off at people’s houses. I thought it was fun because everything was so different, and I got to meet new people. As I got older, I realized it was neglect—he was just palming me off while he went elsewhere.
- 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.”
- 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.
- As a kid, I always got to eat whatever I wanted for dinner until about fourth grade, when my mom and I moved in with her boyfriend. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I realized it was because my mother had a severe aversion to food. It didn’t matter what was for dinner to her because she wasn’t going to eat it.
