People Explain Which 'Minor' Childhood Loss They're Still Not Quite Over

People Explain Which 'Minor' Childhood Loss They're Still Not Quite Over
Image by lisa runnels from Pixabay

I had a stuffed animal I loved very much. It was a little dog. I took that little dog everywhere I went. I loved that dog dearly. Then one day, being a kid, I placed that dog on a stovetop for "safekeeping." The stovetop was in use. The poor dog was charred significantly and I soon had to toss it away. It was a silly, childlike thing; these things happen. Young children don't know any better. But I still think about that little guy now and again, even though it's been quite a few years since that incident!

After Redditor In_the_end_there_was asked the online community, "What 'minor' childhood loss are you still not over, and why?" people shared their stories.


"A couple weeks after..."

I wanted to have an afro in high school, but my mom was pretty against it but said I'd have to take very good care of my hair as it grew out if I wanted one. I agreed; I was DILIGENT with upkeep and even though it took a ton of work I didn't care. Eventually I grew my hair out and it was great! I'd also moved to a new high school at the time so it gave me something to talk to new people about.

A couple weeks after I'd had the full afro for awhile my mom starts going off about how she hates it and that I need to cut it off. I say I don't want to because I'd done the work and wanted to enjoy my new hairstyle. Eventually, she just tells my dad to shave my head bald and he grabs his razor and just does it. I'm obviously super upset and the worst part is I got grounded for talking back.

I don't think I'll ever be over it. I still have her try to give me hair advice sometimes, too.

IcyColdStare

"I went to the infirmary..."

This was in boarding school. I had a pretty nasty stomach bug, and the same day someone stole over 200€ from the kids' pocket money. The money was stored in an office in the dorms.

I went to the infirmary with a fever, and a few hours later I was joined by my best friend. I thought she was sick too, so we spent our time suffering together and condemning the person who stole that much money from us.

Turns out she was the one who stole it. She ended up confessing to the nurse and left the infirmary. For some reason, I felt so betrayed that it stuck with me all these years.

madekeks​

"We all lived..."

We all lived in a house when I was little. When I was around 10 years old my parents decided that they were done with houses and we moved to an apartment. The apartment did not allow dogs. So my father gave our family dog to a man he worked with at the steel factory. When he got home that night he told us about how his buddy's little crippled daughter just lit up when she saw the dog. She was the happiest girl in the world at that moment and apparently, our dog took to her right away. That story made up for the loss, and I eventually stopped grieving.

I was in my 40s when my sister told me that the story was a lie. My father had actually taken our family dog to the pound where it was immediately killed. Although I got over losing my dog I to this day have never gotten over what my dad did that day.

Saint-of-Stinkers

"We only have one stationary shop..."

I remember having a fountain style pen. I loved it. Till it went missing and the guy sitting across from me had the exact same one. We only have one stationary shop in our small town and I bought it in the city. I knew 100% he stole it from me and I'm still annoyed.

mediastoosocial

"At some point..."

When I was about 6 or 7, would've been early 70s, I had a stuffed Ronald McDonald doll that I loved. I carried that thing with me everywhere and slept with him every night. One morning, my older sister, probably 9, woke up early in the morning and decided to take a bath. She turned on the water, put the plug in the drain, and promptly went back to sleep. When my mom woke up a little later, the whole house was flooded.

At some point in the night, my Ronald doll slipped off my bed and got soaked in the flood. I was so distraught. My mom took him, I thought to dry him out, but later that day I saw him on top of the garbage can in the backyard. I can picture him. Still dripping wet. It broke my heart.

jcpmojo

"There was a lunar eclipse..."

There was a lunar eclipse in the middle of the night of my 12th birthday. My parents were going to wake me up to see it. I woke up the next morning, confused and disappointed. Apparently my mom tried to wake me, and I sat up in bed so they went down and assumed I'd join them to look at the eclipse. My mom went back to check on me a few minutes later and I was back asleep. She thought I had just decided to go back to sleep, but I was never actually awake. I remember being so frustrated and mad that I didn't get to see the eclipse on my birthday.

calcbone

"I took my comfort stuffed animal..."

When I was in about 4th grade, a girl who was kind of mean to me invited me to spend the night. I went, and was excited that she wanted to stop fighting and be friends. I took my comfort stuffed animal from when I was a baby with me. She hid it from me and acted like I had lost it.

CaimansGalore​

"As time went by..."

My toys, especially Clipper. He was a classic 1980s My Little Pony that you had to collect Proofs of Purchase and mail order to get.

As time went by, I stopped playing with My Little Pony. Slowly, my enormous collection was whittled down into the trash or donation bin, but I kept Clipper (and Barnacle, because the pirate pony was awesome). Then one day, he wasn't there. Mom carelessly said she'd thrown it away, again because I don't play with it. I could never even explain why I wanted it, it was babyish, we're cleaning.

I didn't learn the word "nostalgia" for a while after that and I still regret losing that one. Wish I had it still, because he'd definitely join Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and all my daughter's new ponies.

laurakeet1209

"Have never trusted..."

Not a physical loss, but trust. As kids, we all had to do chores - 3 kids in my house. My brother and sister sucked at it and would drag it out forever. I hated working with them. I negotiated to do all yard work by myself and they would do the housework. We all agreed as a family.

The next weekend my mom said company was coming and they needed extra help with the housework. Next week another excuse. Then another. They clearly had no intention of honoring the agreement. Have never trusted any of them since that time. I have a good relationship with them, it's just not based on trust.

haditwithyoupeople

"These days..."

I won a very naturalistic looking stuffed bunny in a jellybean counting game at a church Easter party when I was little. Waiting for my ride home, bigger girls grabbed it from me. The church got me another bunny when they heard about this, but the new one was solid, bright yellow.

These days, I still buy myself stuffed soft animals, especially if they have very natural coloration.

Zhoenish

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