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25 Horrifying Stories From People Revealing What Childhood Experiences Made Their Life Unbearable
Probably many of us are aware that bad memories tend to stay with us, sometimes even longer than good ones. At the same time, they're things that made us who we are, no matter how hard or heartbreaking they were.
This list is full of examples of such experiences, or in other words, canon events people experienced in their childhoods that felt like "hell of Earth." Even though they'd surely never want to go through it again, they didn’t shy away from sharing their stories online. So, let's dive in, shall we?
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#1
Other kids. Nobody gave a s**t if you were bullied in the 70s and 80s.
crazydogmama 1 month ago
"sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" bullsquirt. All of them freaking hurt!
RELATED:
#2
When a kid would bully I would tell an adult. Their answer? "oH tHaT jUsT mEaNs tHeY lIkE yOu."
Yeah because that's totally a healthy way to learn how to develope relationships or find your way out of toxic ones.
#3
Church!! I used to dread Sundays. I promised myself that once i turned 18 years old, I would NEVER attend church again. Til this day, I've kept this promise. I absolutely HATE that place.
keyboardtek 1 month ago
I feel the same. But I ended up being a church organ repair tech. Being in the background while working on organs I heard some shockingly idiotic and hateful stuff from church members.
Childhood is an important part of any individual’s life. The way a person is brought up and the things they experience at that time shape what kind of a person they turn out to be socially, physically, emotionally, and so on.
Positive childhood experiences make a kid feel valued, nurtured, and supported, which in the long run builds up their resilience and well-being. Interestingly, these experiences can be split into three categories, based on what benefits they bring to the child: nurturing relationships, a sense of belonging, and developing strengths.
#4
My Narcissistic Mom. Spent my childhood always walking on eggshells and nothing was ever her fault.
#5
Hearing my mother tell my dad it was liver night.
That meant a power struggle with my parents that I would eventually lose.
Dinner was at 6PM.
It was not uncommon for me to sit at the table until my bed time.
I did not care if I went to bed hungry.
F**k Liver.
crazydogmama 1 month ago
I will never understand serving liver. Not even with onions or bacon.
#6
My name rhymes with a few unfortunate words... kids calling you names every minute of the day in the class while the teacher does nothing, for two years straight literally changes a person haha.
The more often children experience these positive interactions, the better their developmental outcomes tend to be. Even when negative experiences happen, positive ones can help outweigh them, forming adaptability, emotional regulation, and healthy relationships.
Speaking of negative (or, as they’re called, adverse) experiences, it’s no surprise that they can be toxic to a developing brain. While a short time of low-level stress is healthy while growing up, chronic stress isn’t.
Children who experience too many adversities or adversities that are too immense usually grow up to have problems with physical and mental health, like depression, substance abuse issues, diabetes, and even heart disease. The more toxic these experiences are, the greater the disadvantages a person faces.
#7
My dad. I never knew how he was going to act, react, show up, or not show up. I was constantly in fear, I was very confused, I wanted to love my dad, but after a while, I hated him with every inch of my soul. I still do sometimes.
crazydogmama 1 month ago
Yup. I have been NC with him the past 10 years and never been happier.
#8
Locked in a closet, almost dying of sepsis was pretty rough. Getting dragged from town to town, anytime the rent came due or mom saw "them".
Sometimes going days without eating- going outside and eating grass or pine needles.
SkippityBoppityBoo 1 month ago
For anyone who doesn't believe that this happens? It does............ Be very grateful that it's never happened to You.
#9
Since I’m still technically a kid, I’ll be talking abt me before the age of 10
Being overwhelmed without knowing why/for “no reason” and no one understanding me and/or calling me dramatic
Being considered a “brat” or a “drama queen”
Luckily, I got an autism diagnosis, so my emotions make a lot more sense now.
Insomniac 1 month ago
Your emotions are your own. Fellow neurodivergent here. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Your brain is wired a different way. And the world just isn't built for us. It's too loud, too scratchy, too much stimulus, no space or recognition of our need to settle. As you grow, you will find your own techniques to cope. I would suggest choosing comfortable clothing with soft fabrics, no tags. That cuts down on the distraction of skin irritation. Carry noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs everywhere. Carry strong sunglasses that will cut out the overbright lights. Keep life at home as tidy, ordered, and routine as possible. Insist on soft, smooth sheets. And you don't owe anyone an apology for taking care of your own needs.
There are numerous examples of what these adversities can look like. In fact, today’s list is basically made up of them. All of them were shared by netizens when a year ago someone on r/AskReddit asked, “What was your personal hell on Earth when you were a kid?”
As these answers show, the idea of what “hell of Earth” looks like differs for everyone. For some, it’s seeing their loved ones’ health deteriorating; for others, it’s neglectful or abusive parents, and so on.
#10
Alcoholic parents at home and constant bullying at school.
#11
Watching my dad go from about 275 to around 70 pounds while cancer took him.
#12
Kids and female teachers who refused to listen when I told them not to touch me.
At the same time, quite a few of these answers mentioned bullying. It’s needless for us to say that bullying is bad – we hear it all the time – but still, it continues to haunt many people over the years.
These answers alone show how detrimental to someone’s well-being bullying can be – people didn’t deem it their personal hell on Earth for no reason. Plus, the examples show that it isn’t limited to a specific time or place – it happens everywhere kids are, and actually even in adulthood too.
It’s undoubtedly heartbreaking to read people describing the kinds of hell they survived when they were little. Human brains are wired to remember the bad things, meaning it's an unavoidable part of life and one that shapes us.
#13
After my parents divorced it was spending weekends with my dad. He rarely ever did anything with us. "Just go play" he would tell me and my brother. I wanted so bad to do stuff with him. I gave up asking because he would always say no.
Ripley 1 month ago
It wasn't "hell on earth" but things were similar with me. Dad claimed he didn't want to be the "fun" parent and make being at home with mum a drag. I'm sure he thought that was the case, and I'm also pretty sure it was mostly so that he didn't have to do things that he didn't want to do.
#14
Spent a week falling asleep in one foster home and waking up in another before the courts released me to my grandmother. That was pretty horrible.
Stephanie Did It 1 month ago
I'm sorry you had to endure that. I have siblings who suffered through foster care and adoption, but I was fortunate and was adopted by grandparents right away.
#15
One, I had such horrible not noticed vision. Until my oldest brother brought his gf to dinner. She was an ophthalmology tech & brought it to my parents attention. I didn't speak much because I couldn't see. It was hell but made my other senses so much keener.
Two, my dad got cancer when I was 4. He died when I was 12. My mom didn't want another kid & I always felt it. My dad was who wanted me. After he died I remember thinking to myself all the time; why God left me with the one who didn't want me? It was hell surviving her misdirected anger.
While deleting it all, like in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind might seem like a good idea, it also would delete a part of yourself, as the same movie points out that people are built from both happiness and pain and taking away any of these experiences makes them incomplete.
Again, while it’s undeniably sad to read these personal stories of hardship, it’s also important to recognize that these experiences helped shape who these people are today, becoming an irreplaceable part of them. So, let’s keep that in mind while reading through this list, okay?
#16
Not understanding why nobody seemed to like me. It seemed like every one was always frustrated with me but I couldn't figure it out. ADHD Middle Kid problems, I guess.
Susie Elle 1 month ago
Oh, same! Not sure about the ADHD (I have suspicions, though), but I had the same problem. Kids just seemed to avoid me, I never understood why. I wanted to be liked to badly, I would act out or do weird stuff (pretend I was a cat in the middle of class and stuff like that), which made them avoid me even more in the end. Looking back, I guess I was attention-starved but I also just had very little common interests with the rest of the kids. I played pokemon, they watched youth soap operas, so to say.
#17
I had to sleep outside for days on end as punishment when i was below the age of 7.
#18
Home trying to not get my mother angry, or ignoring her and my dad fighting.
notlikeyou1971 1 month ago
Trying to stay away on purpose. That was my solution. Bullied all day at school, crappy parents who shouldn't have stayed married because they obviously couldn't stand each other. I was the black sheep child ,never good enough and afraid of my dad and knew my mom was going to be with my golden child sister and take her side even if she was wrong
#19
Having to work from a young age and skipping what should have been a normal childhood. In some ways, it helped me, emotionally... not so much.
Lost Panda 1 month ago (edited)
Yeah, I would even sometimes skip school to work or from being to tired to get up. Never really went out and did anything. Always, school when I would go, work almost everyday, and go home. Looking back, I doubt I would change anything, but you sometimes feel "Should've been a kid more".
#20
My "friend" Jacqueline's house.I didn't actually like her. I just felt like I had to go on playdates with her because that's what you do. Her parents were horrible people, her brothers and cousins were a******s, and the b***h stole my Polly Pocket and 1 of my barbies and told me she donated them to poor kids in Russia.
I saw my Polly Pocket on the top of a bookcase in her house a month later and that's when I was DONE with Jacqueline.
#21
Growing up in a rural area with no siblings.
#22
My mom was one of those people that everyone on earth would tell their life story too. I lived in fear of my mom getting in a conversation with anyone because it would always be (or feel like...I was young) hours before we could leave. I still get super antsy if someone keeps talking when I'm giving "gotta go" vibes.
Stephanie Did It 1 month ago
@Comment Deleted should take their moniker more seriously and be Comment Avoided
What do you think ?
Donald 1 month ago
I am a ginger, its the ultimate low hanging fruit to make fun of how pale I am and to make fun of the color of my hair. Jokes on them, 90% of them are bald now and I still have thick golden locks and nice skin because I am obliged to bathe in sunblock. No UV damage for me.
Stephanie Did It 1 month ago
I've never understood why ginger people get targeted in the first place. Some of the most beautiful people on Earth.
Load More Replies...
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
I'm adopted, and I was told from a very early age by my mother that I was adopted "only" to be a sibling to my older sister, who is my adoptive parents' bio child. My mom didn't want her to be an only child. My dad was wonderful and treated me like what I was - his daughter - but my mother was horrifically abusive. I learned to hide in cupboards when I was small in order to avoid getting beaten or thrown into the walls. One of the worst days was when I was 6, she pressed a gun to my throat and said she would unalive me if my dad left on his business trip with IBM (I don't know what made the trip MY fault in her head.) Worst part? My dad is dead now (had a catastrophic accident when I was 18 and was brain-damaged/disabled for 21 years; he died in 2021) and my mom is still alive and hale and still just as abusive at 80. I guess evil lives on.
BookFanatic 1 month ago
Not "suffered through," exactly. But I still remember one experience that left a lasting mark because it opened my eyes to the fact that not every kid has a good home life. Had a friend who always came over to my house to play. Never wanted me to come to her house. Finally convinced her. Came home and told my mom there was something weird. Friend showered with a garden hose out in the yard and the whole family used a bucket as toilet. There was a lot of yelling and even the cat seemed sad. My mom and I had a long talk and that's when I learned about something called Child Protective Services.
Donald 1 month ago
I am a ginger, its the ultimate low hanging fruit to make fun of how pale I am and to make fun of the color of my hair. Jokes on them, 90% of them are bald now and I still have thick golden locks and nice skin because I am obliged to bathe in sunblock. No UV damage for me.
Stephanie Did It 1 month ago
I've never understood why ginger people get targeted in the first place. Some of the most beautiful people on Earth.
Load More Replies... LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago
I'm adopted, and I was told from a very early age by my mother that I was adopted "only" to be a sibling to my older sister, who is my adoptive parents' bio child. My mom didn't want her to be an only child. My dad was wonderful and treated me like what I was - his daughter - but my mother was horrifically abusive. I learned to hide in cupboards when I was small in order to avoid getting beaten or thrown into the walls. One of the worst days was when I was 6, she pressed a gun to my throat and said she would unalive me if my dad left on his business trip with IBM (I don't know what made the trip MY fault in her head.) Worst part? My dad is dead now (had a catastrophic accident when I was 18 and was brain-damaged/disabled for 21 years; he died in 2021) and my mom is still alive and hale and still just as abusive at 80. I guess evil lives on.
BookFanatic 1 month ago
Not "suffered through," exactly. But I still remember one experience that left a lasting mark because it opened my eyes to the fact that not every kid has a good home life. Had a friend who always came over to my house to play. Never wanted me to come to her house. Finally convinced her. Came home and told my mom there was something weird. Friend showered with a garden hose out in the yard and the whole family used a bucket as toilet. There was a lot of yelling and even the cat seemed sad. My mom and I had a long talk and that's when I learned about something called Child Protective Services.
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