14 People Share Moments They Want to Erase from Their Memory

Certain experiences have a lasting impact on us, shaping our outlook on life and who we are as individuals. These moments, even if difficult or painful, contribute to our resilience and growth. They teach us important lessons that become part of who we are, guiding us as we navigate through life’s challenges.

• Something felt off with my daughter-in-law. She was acting all fidgety, avoiding eye contact, and leaving the room whenever I entered. It got me thinking. What could she be hiding? So, I decided to snoop around in her room. Behind a locked cabinet, I found a hidden compartment filled with old letters. My heart raced as I read one addressed to her, revealing her past as a runaway bride, leaving her groom at the altar.

• When I was 6, my mother used to secretly take me to this dark and creepy house. They had big red velvet sofas. I remember waking up multiple times in the arms of a big, bearded man.
  Years later, my world shattered when I realized that she was taking me to my grandparents’ house. This man was my grandfather, who passed away shortly after. My dad had banned my mom from seeing her parents, so she would do it in secret. I wish my grandpa were here now so that I could hug him back.

• When I was about 10 or 11, I was over at my best friend’s house with a bunch of other friends. Some guy showed up at my BFF’s house who was apparently her uncle. We were all excited about his motorcycle and begged him to give us a ride.
  More than 10 years later, I brought it up to my BFF, but she had no idea who I was talking about. She said she didn’t have an uncle or know anyone who rode a motorcycle. Kinda scares me to this day... some random man gave us rides on his motorcycle. © kshee87 / Reddit

• When I was 7, I got into the wrong car at our campground. A man who was not my dad sat in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition. I asked my “dad” a question, and the man was very startled when he noticed there was a strange girl in his car. I screamed when I realized he was a stranger, said sorry, and ran away. © Tealbouquet / Reddit

• I used to have dreams or memories about a bookcase falling on me, yet no one talked about it or brought it up. It turns out that when I was young, it actually happened, as confirmed by my uncle. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if I got confirmation from my uncle. © Acidsparx / Reddit

• I was snorkeling with my dad in a lake when a fish that must have been 10 feet long swam right underneath us. I specifically remember its eye, which was easily as big as my head. I freaked out and brought my head above water. When I went back down, it was gone. I’m still positive I saw it, but my dad denies it ever happened. © EmergencyTaco / Reddit

• I remember when I was 7, a classmate was called to the headmaster’s office and then came back crying, having to pack her things and leave. We didn’t see her after that. Years later, we found out that on that day her dad had died in a car accident, and she moved out with her mom to another city.

• When I was about 4, I got the chickenpox. All I remember was being in a darkened room at a relative’s house long ago, while the relative and my mom inspected my pox-riddled body.
  Years later, when I was 11, and it was time to get my vaccinations, the doctor asked me if I had chickenpox, and my mom said no. I reminded her that I did, but she didn’t remember. © queen_oops / Reddit

• I was in second grade at my private school, waiting for my mom to come pick me up. I was waiting outside the secretary’s office when a couple came in and told me, “Let’s go.” I thought, who are these people? They just kept on trying to get me to go with them, but I wouldn’t.
  When I thought they finally got too close, I ran inside the secretary’s office and sat down. When I looked back into the hallway from the office window, they were gone. I told my mom, but she never believed me. © streetsk8er158 / Reddit

• When I was 5, I had a distinct memory of my mom and I waiting in line at a fast-food restaurant. I remember getting to the front, and then my mom just quickly took me and left. I whined and complained that we didn’t get the food.
  Years later, my mom finally told me the disturbing reality. She explained that when we got to the front of the line, the cashier said, “Those men over there are robbing us. Take your child and leave now.” So my mom did exactly that and never told me what happened. © EghYewSeaQue / Reddit

• When I was younger (6-10 years old), I remember hearing heavy footsteps upstairs. We had just moved into the house. Each time I was sitting on the couch with my parents, watching a movie, I heard footsteps upstairs, moving from room to room. We had a cat at the time, but I knew he wouldn’t make steps like that. My parents don’t seem to recall this, even though I also remember telling them about it when it happened. © svinepelz / Reddit

• I was helping my sister and her family move into a new home. As I was stacking boxes in the garage, an old rotary phone rang. Many of the appliances in the house seemed ancient. I answered it and was greeted by an old lady asking for her daughter Angela. I told her that there was no one here named Angela and that there were new residents in the house.
  I told my sister about the call, but she refused to believe me; the phone was old and disconnected. I picked up the phone again, but there was no dial tone. © Cringebot / Reddit

• When I was a child, I remember always insisting to my parents that there was a ghost living in my grandma’s attic. I even had given him a name and used to speak to him regularly. Years later, I discovered that the 8-year-old boy of the previous owners had tragically died in that attic, at the same spot where I used to see the ghost.

• One night, I was awakened by an extremely loud noise around midnight. It sounded like a huge, robust hammer hitting a steel pole. The noise made the furniture in my room vibrate slightly with each consecutive blow. What creeped me out the most is that the noise followed a clear pattern, but suddenly turned completely mute mid-blow.
  I ran to my parents’ room, but they heard absolutely nothing, as if everything was in my head. I was perplexed; the noise was so ridiculously loud that I expected everyone, even the neighbors, to be gathered trying to find the source of it. To this day, I don’t understand it. © Unknown author / Reddit

Life can sometimes throw us into incredibly difficult situations that feel like they’re testing our limits. Take, for instance, a woman who faced an unimaginable dilemma when her childhood friend used the name she had chosen for her stillborn baby for her own newborn — and to make matters worse, it was the same name as her husband’s.