It can be tricky to figure out what’s real, especially as kids when we view the world through our own lens. When we grow up, those childhood memories resurface, shedding light on truths we couldn’t grasp before. These revelations can be sh0cking or even unsettling, much like the real events you’re about to read now.

Story 1

When I was 7, I used to walk grandpa to his house. Once inside, he would hold my hands, gently touch my face, and then give me the same grape juice every time.

Years later, I was horrified to realize that he had been blind since he was 42 after a work accident. Touching my face was his way of showing affection and imagining how I looked, since he had never actually seen me. He was a gentle soul who always sang to me. He passed away not long after, and I wish I’d been old enough to know about his blindness, so I could have taken better care of him.

Story 2

Growing up, I always insisted I liked the mashed potatoes at my grandma’s house better than the ones my mom made at home. My grandma once told me it was because she used a special recipe.
I found out last year that my mom hand mashes her potatoes. My grandma just uses the instant boxed stuff. Her “special recipe” I was supposed to inherit is instant mashed potatoes. © mapleleafness09 / Reddit

Story 3

When I was in 3rd grade, I had a friend named “Maria,” and we always hung out together. One day at the book fair, I asked my mom for money and bought an invisible pen. (You know, the ones where you write invisible until you shine a light on it.) One day, Maria asked if she could borrow it for the night, and I said sure. I gave it to her, and the next day I asked for it back, but she said she lost it.
Two months later, I asked if she still had it, and she reminded me she “lost” it. I thought it was weird but just said “okay” and left it at that. Fast-forward to when I was around 12 or 13, I thought about it again and realized she had stolen it from me. © BrandoWhiskers / Reddit

Story 4

One day, my friend was over at my house playing video games. My mom called us to her room to help flip the mattress over, so we did. We then went to another friend’s house.

My mom called that friend and said, “There were two 20-dollar bills on top of the dresser. Did you take them?” I said no and asked my friend, and he said no. About five minutes later, my friend asked if we wanted to go to the toy store because he had 40 dollars in two 20-dollar bills. I said yes, and we went, and he bought me a yo-yo or something.
It took me YEARS to finally realize that my friend stole the money. © HurricaneHugo / Reddit

Story 5

When I was six, I had a small pet turtle. One day, I went to feed it and found a rock instead. My mom told me that turtles turn into rocks so they can live forever and be with their owners.
I kept that rock for five years until one day, while looking at it, I suddenly realized why the turtle had turned into a rock. It died, and my mom replaced it. © feeddahippo / Reddit

Story 6

My dad and sister used to play pranks on his secretary. When we grew up, he admitted that he had been having an affair with her. It makes my skin crawl thinking that he used my oblivious little sister to flirt with this woman behind our mother’s back. © Unknown author / Reddit

Story 7

I realized that my dad wasn’t my real dad. He came into the picture when I was a few months old and raised me. Once I started school and realized my last name wasn’t the same as his, they convinced 5-year-old me that my last name had been switched with another student’s.
I didn’t think about it again until I was in middle school and demanded the truth. Slightly traumatizing, but I took it well. © OnTheCouchBored / Reddit

Story 8

When I was a kid, we lived in some awful, crappy apartments. I remember several times dreaming that I was being tickled in the middle of the night.
Several years later, I put 2 and 2 together and realized it wasn’t a dream. I actually was being tickled—by the roaches that infested the apartment, as they walked all over me. © FlexasState / Reddit

Story 9

A friend of mine got a bunch of letters and pictures from a wealthy overseas royal. It was only as an adult that I realized her parents were letting her write letters to a scammer. © zanovar / Reddit

Story 10

When I was 10, my godfather gave me $20 as a gift. By the end of dinner, the money had disappeared. For years, my parents blamed me for being irresponsible with my money.

Years later, I was horrified to find out that my cousin’s fiancée at the time was a kleptomaniac after she was caught stealing from my aunt’s house. Turns out, she was the one who stole the money. © CiscoDniz / Reddit