I shared a story on this platform and received insight that it was within the realms of typical childhood curiosity. I recently brought it up to the other person involved to apologize and ask if they remembered it happening. They said they had no memory of it and did not care. Now I am worried that by bringing it up, I may have reintroduced a memory for them, and I am scared they might remember or even report me. They insist they do not care. I also find myself wondering — if an adult had done this, it would technically be considered a crime, so should I be doing something, like turning myself in? How do I deal with all of this?

Thank you so much for trusting us with this. It makes sense that this conversation stirred up a lot of fear and uncertainty, even though you approached it with genuine care and a desire to take accountability. 

They told you they have no memory of it and that they do not care. That is not a polite way of brushing you off...that is the most honest and complete answer they could have given you. You went to them with sincerity, you gave them a real opening to share anything they needed to share, and they used that opening to tell you they are okay. It is okay to receive that. It does not sound like you reintroduced a memory for them. You offered an apology to someone who is not hurting around this, and their response gave you something clear.

Memory does not work like a seed you can plant with a single conversation. A gentle, non-pressuring check-in from someone who genuinely wanted to make amends is very different from the kind of disclosure that causes harm. The anxiety telling you otherwise is not giving you accurate information. It is doing what anxiety does, which is finding the next thing to worry about once the first worry begins to settle.

Regarding your question about whether you should report yourself...what you described was previously assessed as falling within the range of typical childhood curiosity. The legal system does not prosecute adults for things they did as young children that were never reported, never harmed anyone, and that the other person does not remember or consider harmful. Walking into a police station to report something that the only other person involved says they have no memory of and do not care about would not result in the accountability you might be imagining. There is genuinely no legal process designed for what you are describing. What you are experiencing is the weight of a conscience that has been doing its job.

It is also worth naming that this pattern, where reassurance briefly helps and then worry shifts to the next possible consequence, is something therapists who work with OCD and anxiety recognize. The mind locks onto the fear of having caused harm and keeps moving the goalposts even when answers are clear. If this resonates, bringing it to a therapist with experience in OCD or intrusive thoughts could be genuinely meaningful. The path forward is not more reassurance-seeking, it is learning to sit with uncertainty without letting anxiety make your decisions for you. 

You reached out to them. You received a clear answer. The next step is not turning yourself in...it is turning toward your own healing. You deserve that relief.