What is your childhood memory that you thought was normal but realized it was traumatic later in your life?

Before my parents divorced, my Dad would work long hours so my Mum always watched us. We lived next to a humane society and to reintegrate dogs to families they first tested how they'd do with kids by sticking me in a pen with them. Numerous times I've been knocked down and humped as well as attacked by dogs. I never saw anything wrong or sense dangers as I was reassured and just thought hey puppy!

She also convinced me the other kids at school and my baseball team we're bullying me because they liked me and that's what friends do. So not only did I endure their abuse for years but I went through a shit tyrant phase to other groups of friends completely not understanding.

Another gem my mum put upon my sister and I was our babysitter, Benadryl. Anytime she wanted to sleep around town while my dad was working she'd drug us up and put us to bed. Other times during the day she'd leave us with our other babysitter, a half german sheppard - half wolf. This dog was amazing though and wouldn't let anyone near my sister and I treating us like her own puppies. She was supposed to be euthanized along with her puppies after she gave birth because of state laws but my mum snuck her out and filled the paperwork. So whenever I acted unsophisticated in later years and people say "where you raised by wolves?" I always answered "nah only one."

It took me until my mid/late teens to fully process and understand what had been happening after years of counseling. My mum herself went to a psych ward and got help and is much better herself.

/r/AskReddit Thread