12 Shocking Mysteries That People Realized Only Years Later

Figuring out what’s real can be hard, especially when we’re kids and see things in our own way. As we grow up, old memories can come back, helping us see things more clearly. These surprises can be scary or deeply unsettling, like the stories we’re sharing with you today.

• When I was around 6 years old, I used to walk my grandma up the stairs to her room every time we visited. She said she liked holding my hand. When I went to her room, she’d always compliment my shirts and say, «What’s this on your shirt called?» etc.
  And I’d respond, «Oh, that’s Winnie the Pooh,» or whatever character I was wearing. And she’d go on to tell me stories about the character or talk a bit about it.
  Years later, I realized that she had been blind. She’d ask me to hold her hand up the stairs so that I could help guide her to her room. She’d ask what was on my shirt because she could feel a pattern on it.
  That made me feel both sad and very loved. Like she couldn’t see anymore, but she never wanted to let me worry about it and still managed to compliment what I was wearing all the time. © ADi***Casual / Reddit

• When I was younger, I’d often visit my grandparents’ house, where my brother lived. Once in a while, my brother would tell me to go out and grab the mail because he had ordered something for our grandpa, and he wanted it to be a surprise.
  It turns out he was using Papa’s credit card without his knowledge, and he was using me to hide the bills. © Ringmaster187 / Reddit

• When I was in second grade, my older sister came into the bathroom while I was taking a bath to play with my toys with me. I didn’t find out until later that it was because my father was having a stroke, and she was making sure I didn’t finish taking a bath before the paramedics arrived. © Kant4x / Reddit

• I had this thing where I would intermittently lose my sight. It started so gradually, I wasn’t really aware of it; I would just see a whole lot of stars for a little while every now and then. It eventually got worse, and it wasn’t until it was happening around every 5 minutes and lasting around half a minute that I realized I was going blind for those moments.
  Turns out I had a brain tumor that went undiagnosed for 16 years. I often think about what might have happened if I had realized the signs in my life as what they were instead of just thinking it was all normal. © deasphodel / Reddit

• I had to go see a counselor a lot as a kid, but I had no clue why at the time. I didn’t make the connection until I was older, but I was receiving counseling because I was suffering from PTSD caused by a deadly car crash I was involved in when I was around 4–5 years old. © Venome456 / Reddit

• My dad used to make me hide in the back seat of his car whenever he’d take my half-brother to meet up with his real father. It was always at this one shady gas station late at night, and he’d just duck my head down because he didn’t want me to know what was going on. Apparently, my brother’s real dad was in and out of prison a lot too, so I believe he was protecting me. © ballin_balas / Reddit

• When I was 6, my mom told me to stop calling her «mom,» so I started calling her by her name. She didn’t react when I accidentally called her «mom.» One day, all of a sudden, she asked me, «Who’s (Her Name)?» and I was confused, but I said, «you.» Then she started crying and pulled my hair.
  My mom used to be in a mental hospital. She’s a better mom to me now. © v***t01 / Reddit

• My dad has seven siblings, and every Christmas they would rotate who did stockings for everybody. I had a blast making them a couple of times with my dad and thought it was a fun family idea. Turns out, the poorest sibling gets to do them because it’s the cheapest gift, and they still get to contribute. My dad doesn’t have the flashiest life, but he never led us to believe he was ever struggling. © Alaskimo / Reddit

• Mom would tell me to play with my brother because she had to talk to the neighbor. The neighbor would come over and go straight to the bedroom. My mom would close the door.
  As a child, I didn’t think anything of it. This kept happening for a while until my dad came home early. I remember lots of screaming and the guy jumping out of the window. © minerva3930 / Reddit

• My parents told me that I had a learning disorder, and that’s why I was failing in school: I was too «stupid» to do better. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I figured out it was nonsense; there was no learning disorder, just low self-esteem due to their poor parenting. © WinterF19 / Reddit

• I was in grade 5, and it was the first time I had dinner at a friend’s house. At the table were me, my friend, her sister, her mum, and her dad.
  Later, I asked my friend, incredulous, «Your mum eats dinner with you??» To which my friend replied, «Your mum DOESN’T???» That was the first clue for me in understanding that my mum had an eating disorder. © Rosa-Asterwolf / Reddit

• I was getting pulled out of 1st and 2nd-grade class every few weeks to eat snacks and talk with the counselor. I thought I was just some lucky kid, but really the school was just checking in on me because my dad died on Christmas when I was in kindergarten. © Nazathan / Reddit

Recalling memories, especially tales of past lives, can be puzzling. It’s intriguing when children share such recollections, adding a mysterious element. Though we can’t verify the truth of these memories, hearing them from our kids can be truly astonishing, as evidenced by the spine-chilling stories in this article.