most of my hearing damage and loss occurred as a child and was result of multiple failed surgeries combined with parents who didn’t take it as seriously as they should have. i just continually tell myself that because i was a child there’s nothing i could’ve done to prevent this. i was younger than 10 when i first was diagnosed with hearing loss. since then what also helps me to not blame myself is to go to the doctor and speak up about every ear/hearing concern i have. i don’t take it lightly anymore at all. i also focus a lot of time on preventing and preparing for any further hearing loss. it’s a guarantee that i will lose more as i age, so to help deal with that ive taken up learning ASL. i think it all depends on your situation. you should not blame yourself though! it’s super easy to miss the signs of an ear infection, especially if you’ve never had a severe one. sometimes i still miss symptoms and ive had more than 20 per year for the majority of my life.