Let’s face it, when you think back to your childhood, it probably makes you cringe at least a little. Maybe you were super awkward as a kid, or had your first embarrassing crush, or maybe you said something out loud that you wish you could take back! While some of us don’t like to talk about our pasts, these 1adults were brave enough to share their most cringe-worthy childhood memory with the world! Check out their stories below and see if any of them resonate with you!
1) That time I wet my pants in front of the whole class
I was in first grade and I had to pee really bad. My teacher granted me permission to go to the washroom. I ran as fast as I could, but when I got there the door was locked. My teacher had left me behind, so I started banging on the door like crazy. It didn’t work and then all of a sudden it hit me that there was no toilet paper in that bathroom. As a normal person, I did the following: wet my pants in front of the whole class! That’s embarrassing enough, but to make matters worse, my friends told everyone else at school about it. When I walked into school everyone turned around to look at me and burst out laughing. There is nothing more humiliating than being laughed at by your entire grade. And now every time I see those same kids we laugh together because they’re just as embarrassed about this story today as they were back then.
2) The time I accidentally hit my teacher
I was about 7 or 8 and I had been going to this new school for a few months. The teacher, who was in her late 50’s, told me to go to the board and I kind of just walked up there, not really sure what she wanted me to do. Suddenly she swung at me with a ruler and hit me right on the face! It hurt like hell and now when I think back on it I feel so stupid. Sometimes adults tell us what they want us to do but they’re not always very good at communicating that verbally. The time my dad made my brother shave his head. I was probably about 10 years old.
3) The time I puked all over my friend
I was six years old, and my class had gone to the zoo. I had been sick that day and hadn’t eaten anything, but I wanted to go see the animals. My mom bought me a funnel cake with powdered sugar on it- something that would be considered healthy for an adult today. But it made me feel worse than I already did, and before we even left the zoo grounds, I threw up all over my friend’s shoes. She was mad at first, but then she laughed when she saw how much it grossed her out. I was too embarrassed to show my face in school the next week.
This isn’t just a reason why adults cringe from their childhood memories; this is the worst thing that ever happened!
4) The time I had to wear my sister’s clothes to school
The time I had to wear my sister’s clothes to school was probably my most cringe-worthy childhood memory. I was in the fourth grade and it was winter. My sister, who is two years older than me, had outgrown her clothes and she gave me a bunch of stuff that she’d grown out of. I tried on one of her skirts and realized right away that it was too short for me, but we were running late so I just threw on one of her t-shirts and grabbed some socks from the drawer. The outfit looked fine until we walked outside into the cold–the skirt wasn’t long enough to cover my knees so it kept riding up.
5) The time I got lost in the city
The day I turned 10, my family took me to the city for the first time and I got lost. My mother had let me wander off on my own and I ended up in a different part of town than where we were supposed to be. Everyone was looking for me, including the police, but it was all okay because I went into a store and found a map that showed how to get back home. That map remains one of my most prized possessions to this day. I still remember feeling so excited when I saw all those buildings and people – so many new sights to see! I never wanted to leave. But by not being able to find my way home, I also learned that if you’re having trouble finding your way, don’t panic. If you take some deep breaths and think about what you want – even if it’s just making yourself feel better – then hopefully you’ll figure out what to do next!
6) The time I got my period in the middle of class
I had never gotten my period before, so when I woke up in the morning and felt like something was wrong, I just thought it was my imagination. But then it happened again when I went to the bathroom at school, and I knew something was up. When I got back to class, the girl next to me said, you’re not sitting down, and as soon as she said that I started bleeding all over her desk. It turns out that’s what we were learning about in science class that day! Reasons Why Adults Still Think About their Childhood Memories.
7) The time I sang off-key in the school talent show
I was always a shy kid in school, so I never volunteered to do anything. But one day my teacher found out I could sing and made me perform in the school talent show. I don’t remember what song I sang, but I remember how terrified I was. I’ll never forget how they laughed at me when I started singing off-key! To this day, it still makes me cringe.
The time we accidentally threw away mom’s wedding dress: We were just little kids playing around in the living room when our mom came home from work early and caught us throwing her old wedding dress into the trash bin. She yelled at us for wasting something that had been so expensive. It was years later before she told us she couldn’t afford to get married because she spent all of her money on medical bills for my brother who had cancer
The time I lost my favorite doll: My favorite thing in the world was this doll! All that’s left is an old rag stuffed with hay that smells like urine and rotten eggs.
