I gave away my old childhood books and totally regret it!?

Question

A couple of years ago I was trying to weed out some old stuff. I went through some boxes, and threw away a lot of junk, but I must have gotten carried away. I ended up giving away most of my childhood books, and also some games and puzzles etc. I have never in my life regretted anything so much. It is physically affecting me. I feel sick, I have anxiety, and I think about my UNBELIEVABLY STUPID decision EVERY single day. I can't get away from it.

I should also mention I am becoming an elementary school teacher, so my life has become all about childhood and childrens literature, etc. So this is a constant reminder of what I did. I feel so guilty. I hate myself. I don't think I will ever forgive myself for this. I feel like the little girl from "For Better or Worse" Christmas cartoon - the girl who lost her precious bunny. The only difference is that I didn't lose my books, I chose to give them away!! And they meant so much. I can't believe how stupid I was. Please help.

Answer 1

Remember that you did it for a good reason - you were being generous to others. You had good motives, so you don't need to regret the action itself.
You may regret the loss of the books themselves, but remember that they are just material items, and can be replaced. Thanks to the Internet you can find any book ever printed, so with time and patience you can replace all of those books, and probably even the specific edition you enjoyed as a child.

Remember, you did not give away your CHILDHOOD - you gave away some specific reminders of that childhood. Your childhood lives in you no matter what, and so does the memory of those wonderful tales. Those things are a part of you no matter where you are or what you do or what you own.

So be proud of what is on the inside - fond memories and a generous heart. And if it comforts you, focus on rebuilding that collection and sharing it with others - you can enjoy a second childhood of rediscovering those books.

Answer 2

Hi, although you may miss those childhood books understand what good comes from it. Some other child may now have something to cherish because of YOU.

In our society today, many people don't even bother to donate a few books or toys here but instead throw them away to never be seen.
You may regret it but some child out there is thankful for what you have done.

Answer 3

Wow there is not any way that's a actual situation because of the fact if this individual is easily even pondering leaving there baby for something no longer to show to be an orthopedic shoe style extremely? that's a quickly %. existence form ??this individual is obviously mentally handicapped I refuse to have faith somebody this stupid had a baby for 6 years soo this could a pretend situation mad purchase a individual with too plenty time on there hands

Answer 4

You can still replace them! The memories attached to the books seem to be with the stories, not the paper itself. My books were lost to the bowels of my grandmother's attic years ago, and are presumably still there, but I know I'll never get them back in good condition. So I've been replacing my childhood books (and records!) for about fifteen years now.

If you remember the names of the books, there are lots of places that sell used books, like http://www.abebooks.com , http://www.amazon.com and many others.

If you can't remember the names of the books, but have descriptions of their plots, subjects, and/or illustrations, try posting what you remember on one or more of these websites devoted to helping identify lost books:

http://forums.abebooks.com/abesleuthcom
http://www.loganberrybooks.com/stump.html
http://www.whatsthatbook.com
http://www.librarything.com/groups/namethatbook
http://community.livejournal.com/whatwasthatbook/
http://www.auntbook.com

You can also post descriptions here and lots of times they are answered right away. If I can help you personally please feel free to email me directly.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I just replaced my favorite childhood book.
Make a list of what you want back.
Go on Ebay. What you don't see there this week, may be listed there next week!

All is not lost.

Consider that Your anxiety may actually be about something other than the actual books.

Answer 6

i agree with lookidon... you gave your books away and another child got to appreciate them. i think you will have to look at this in a positive way to get over it. if you remember the titles, you could always search for them on e bay.