When I was about five, my parents split up, and my mom’s new boyfriend got her a dog. The dog tried to bite me if I left my bedroom after I went to bed. My mom and the boyfriend never stopped him and thought it was funny.

I was too scared of being attacked to leave my room to use the bathroom at night, so when I couldn’t hold it anymore, I peed on the carpet under my bed. This happened way more than once.

I went back to using the bathroom normally once I grew big enough to fight off the dog, but I’m still ashamed of this.