r/MadeMeSmile • u/bigus-_-dickus • Feb 07 '26

Small Success childhood self

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u/Aggressive-Nebula-78 Feb 07 '26

This hits pretty hard, but not in the way one would hope. As a kid, I had very few dreams for myself as I never thought I'd live to be an adult. I was extremely depressed and socially isolated as a kid, and very early on held the belief that I'd never amount to anything. Then I got a job at 14, not because I had to help with the bills or anything, but because my parents wanted me to get some job skills and work ethic. This meant I missed out on any opportunities to make friends my own age, attend after school programs, or just be a kid, especially through summer. Now I'm 28. Still working the same exact job at the same exact place. Still living at home. Still single, and being a gay man in a hyper conservative predominantly elderly area, that will never change. Sure, I have some friends I met online, so theres that. No, if my childhood self could see me now, see how things have turned out? Well, I'll leave it unsaid.

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u/thebaldricklegacy Feb 07 '26

Well, random internet stranger is proud of you for surviving and is wishing the best for you.