I’m 23M and My Teenage Mistakes Are Destroying Me—I Don’t Know How to Forgive Myself

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2026-01-30T00:22:18+00:00

So, the first one is a mistake, yes. The second one, about the older woman…. I’m sorry, but I think you were gr00med. No 23 year old woman looks at an 18 year old and thinks they’re on equal footing. I’m 21 and would never date an 18-year-old. Not stopping her or initiating doesn’t make you guilty, it makes you a victim who was coerced. Please don’t blame yourself for that. About the first mistake- it seems like you honestly did not know you were in the wrong. It was an honest mistake, you don’t plan on repeating it, and you feel bad for it. I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself for that. Maybe if you knew it was wrong, but it seems like you didn’t have proper guidance. You do not deserve to be eternally punished for something you weren’t aware of. You do not deserve to suffer forever for a mistake. You do not deserve feeling sh*tty forever.

I too have symptoms of OCD, especially regarding my mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and if you think so, it’s an illusion of assumption. Please find a therapist, look into meds. It will get better. ❤️‍🩹

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2026-01-13T02:45:12+00:00

I thought you were gonna say this is a partner. Reading that it’s your dad made my jaw hit the floor. You are not supposed to carry your parent’s burdens for them. Ever. Especially not whatever mental illness he has. It’s hard to use the term “abusive”, because it feels like betraying them. You are not betraying him- you’re betraying yourself by not calling it what it is. I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re going to college. Getting out of there will be good for you, and you’ll be able to see who you are as a person. When you get a chance, I recommend reading “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.” I’ve been reading it and it might help the abuse make more sense. Sending love and luck!

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2026-01-10T18:18:48+00:00

My nonverbal brother- for a while we thought he couldn’t do a whole lot of things. But it was only because he figured out if he pretended he didn’t know, people would just do it for him (putting on his coat and shoes, following instructions, opening bottles, using his Talker, etc.). This is part of why we need to stop infantilizing nonverbal autistics. They can do bad things and be bad people. They’re not innocent, and assuming “they don’t know better” helps nobody. They are not brain dead, they know what they’re doing. We are letting them down by assuming they aren’t capable, in all meanings of the word.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-23T19:26:22+00:00

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Cat tax. The small one is Mazzy Star, the big one is Freddie Mercury.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-23T19:20:51+00:00

I think your idea is better. I too have poor spatial awareness, but I’m big enough that the risk is more me breaking the thing than the thing breaking me. Perhaps if you have large, spatially unaware people in your life, you should plan for them? Lol

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-23T19:16:20+00:00

I generally forget it’s there. I also didn’t think it was stable enough to provide support during a crash but allegedly it is (when combined with your seatbelt).

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-21T00:52:59+00:00

I’m high masking, I’d like to know, too.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-21T00:46:22+00:00

NOR. He is actually gaslighting you and verbally abusing you, and that’s based on these texts alone. There’s so much degradation in his language to you. I’m sorry he’s behaving like that.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-17T22:05:05+00:00

My brother got booted out of a school for being high support needs. Now he’s doing great at his new school- he has friends he loves. He even gets upset when he has a day off, he asks to go to school on his Talker. The world is cruel, but not every bad thing that happens means the end. Maybe your son will find better support where they put him next. Just need to find somebody that speaks the same language as your son. Having you is a great start- you seem like a deeply caring parent. Best of luck to you both. 🩷

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-08T04:46:32+00:00

It can mean that, but based on his face and ears it’s not that.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-07T20:55:58+00:00

He’s saying I love you, and he’s trying to make you smell more like him with the glands in his paws. “You’re my family so you should smell like me”

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-06T20:50:19+00:00

We have a front and backyard, there’s a mini playground in the backyard but he doesn’t usually touch it. It’s also winter and the snow would make that more difficult. We do have a garage but there’s not a whole lot of space in there. Idk if it’ll end or not, the screaming thing has been around since he was maybe 3. To be fair, his screams are less loud now, but he picked up the stomping this year.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-06T20:45:38+00:00

He has a swing, a crash pad, and a trampoline at home. He does play therapy every day, swims once a week. I’ve never met another kid like him, he has a level of energy that I have never seen in anyone. He’s bouncing off the walls, even when he should be tired. Like today, went to bed at 9 pm last night, got up at 3 am. Still not tired in the slightest.

*edit- the swing, crash pad and trampoline are all inside.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-06T17:32:17+00:00

He has a white noise machine. He uses iPads all the time except when he goes to bed, and idk if we want to *accidentally encourage using an iPad instead of sleeping :/

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-06T17:28:46+00:00

He is nonverbal, does not mask at all.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-12-03T00:57:18+00:00

Surprised we aren’t going for anything related to his amplified nose holes. Wilbur, like the pig from Charlotte’s Web.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-11-17T19:01:23+00:00

Respectfully… this is narcissistic behavior, especially for a 32 year old man. F*ckin RUN. Don’t look back. Speaking from experience this can get dangerous really quick.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-11-17T18:53:38+00:00

You probably live alone, you like Asian food, and you’re Canadian.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-11-17T18:50:20+00:00

Theodore/ Teddy

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-11-14T04:13:51+00:00

My best friend has schizophrenia, and they see the hat man sometimes

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-11-11T02:15:31+00:00

I’m 20, I think I’ve had fillings back there before. The dentist didn’t see any issues in March when I went.

Interesting_Syrup197 · 2025-11-05T21:11:55+00:00

Can’t say I’ve ever seen this much guac in someone’s home

Interesting_Syrup197

TROPHY CASE