‘Don’t worry, you will find a new Matty you will love.’ People Share Stories About Things They Did When They Were Young That Still Affect Them

We all make mistakes when we’re young.

Things we said or did that make us uncomfortable or sad even after we’re much older.

Yes, that’s part of life, but it can also be pretty disturbing to have those unpleasant memories rattling around inside our heads.

Let’s hear from AskReddit users about things they did when they were young that still affect them.

“When i was 13 or 14, I saw one of my lifelong friends walking down the street, blank stare with her makeup running. I was on my bicycle racing to get home before my 8 pm curfew, so i didnt stop to talk to her.

She commited s**cide that night, and i was the last person to see her alive. I went through intense therapy after that, as I was filled with guilt, and grief.

I still have issues with that guilt today, some 21 years later…”

“After every Thanksgiving dinner as a child my grandpa would put a plate of food together for a man named Mr. Bailey who lived by himself and didn’t have family in town. He’d drive over to his house, drop the food off, talk for 5-10 minutes, and then come back.

I didn’t know this.

One year after our meal my grandpa handed me a plate with a slice of pumpkin pie on it and told me to get in the backseat of his truck. I didn’t ask questions and hopped in with the pie.

We get to our destination and my grandpa opens my door and says, “you have the pie?”

“What do you mean grandpa? I ate it.”

I thought the pie was for me. I ate it in the backseat on the car ride like it was a brownie. Mr. Bailey didn’t get any pumpkin pie that year.

I still can’t look at pumpkin pie without feeling bad about it.”

“I took everything to heart.

All the insults, all the failures, all the minor mishaps, I couldn’t just let it pass me by, it hit me right in the heart, which is why my current mental health leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Giving my knees floor burn for fun.

I don’t have a clue why I thought it was fun.

Now they are in an awful state and completely covered in scars.”

“When I was 12 my mom got dr**k one night and told me to drink with her.

She was pretty aggressive about it and I was too intimidated to say no since I had a habit of agreeing to almost anything. I started drinking and she’d regularly supply me with al**hol so she could have a drinking partner… I struggled with al**holism for over 15 years.

I’ve been sober for over 4 years now, but all of my teen years and most of my 20s were absolutely lost. Wish I had been more brave and not taken that first drink.”

“Not sleeping in my d**ng fathers bed with him. He asked me to because he didn’t want to be alone.

I was 18 at the time and wasn’t not prepared for all this. Until the day I d** I will never forgive myself.”

“Burning my sisters dollhouse down, in her room.

Decapitating her Mrs Beezly doll.

I realize how this may appear, but I swear I am not a serial k**ler.”

“I regret not having thicker skin and sticking up for myself from my b**lies.

There were two individuals who were complete psychos and went out of their way to make several peoples lives hell!

One girl was so crazy she tried running my friend off the road driving home from school; she is now in prison for embezzling from her employer.”

“Giving up my dog.

When I was 11, my parents got me a lab puppy who I adored. I raised her for 2 years, she grew up to be an amazing dog but had high energy and my dad never watched her. Even if we needed him to, he refused and started bi**hing.

So when I needed to go to the hospital for a broken leg, my one request was just watch her. This once. He said yes, then when I came back a couple days later, she developed a UTI and almost starved because he didn’t feed her, give her water, or let her out once. Not once.

Taking care of the UTI was so hard to handle, so my mom gave me a choice. Let her suffer because he wasn’t gonna buy the proper medication..or give her up. So I gave her up.

Then I became a problem because I h**ed my dad for not getting medication for my dog, who’s condition could k**l her, but buying painki**ers for his sh**ty dog who had an abscess on his foot.

When I was 16, I went back to the shelter in hopes of finding her there, healthier than the day I gave her up. She d**d at the shelter because nobody adopted her or helped her. The infection spread to her kidneys, causing them to shut down.

I f**king CRIED. I h**ed my dad as much as humanly possible and I miss her so much.”

“When I was 4 yo, the husband of my aunt d**d.

Very soon after the his death, the whole family was gathered around in the living room, me sitting across her. I wanted to make her feel better and said:

“Don’t worry, you will find a new Matty you will love.”

The hurt and surprised face of her hunts me even today. I understood I did something wrong but not really what at that moment.

We are on good terms and she is living a good live now. She very likely forgot what I told her that day. I’m probably the only one remembering that conversation.”

Remember, you’re more than just your youth.

Always forgive yourself. If you can.