--- title: Old guilt: secrets that grow and how to let them go — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Old guilt: secrets that grow and how to let them go», a lesson of the reflection course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Two years ago, in a temper, Chloe pushed her little brother off the trampoline and he chipped his tooth; she told M --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Reflection](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/) / Old guilt: secrets that grow and how t… # Old guilt: secrets that grow and how to let them go Lesson 17 of the reflection course of Mova's primary school: 18 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/). - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/1/) — Two years ago, in a temper, Chloe pushed her little brother off the trampoline and he chipped his tooth; she told Mum he fell, and he was too small to remember; now every time he smiles she sees the chip: "He's got that forever. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/2/) — Because of me. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/3/) — And he doesn't even know." - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/4/) — A secret like that grows quietly because it has nowhere to go; the mind keeps bringing it back because it is unfinished business, and Chloe forgets that she was seven, and seven-year-olds in a temper do things they bitterly regret. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/5/) — When she finally told Mum, Mum said: "You were seven. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/7/) — Lies work the same way: they snowball, because each one needs another to cover it; the earlier the truth comes out, the smaller the mess. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/8/) — Old guilt is guilt about something long ago that was never told; it often returns at random moments for months or years. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/9/) — A secret can grow heavier over time because it has nowhere to go; telling a trusted adult usually makes it much smaller within weeks. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/10/) — Young children in a temper sometimes do things they regret; what you did at seven is judged as something a seven-year-old did. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/11/) — Saying something unkind in a moment does not define a whole relationship, but it is good to say sorry while you can. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/12/) — Hiding bad news, like a poor school report, usually makes it worse; most parents would rather know early than find out at parents' evening. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/13/) — Parents' evening is a meeting between parents and teachers about how a child is doing at school. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/14/) — A win by cheating rarely feels like a real win; giving back what you did not earn often brings relief. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/15/) — Saying "it was an accident" when it was on purpose is a lie; owning up to hurting someone is braver than pretending. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/17/) — If something scary on a phone keeps giving you bad dreams, telling a grown-up is the right thing; the friend who showed it usually does not get into big trouble. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/18/) — Sneaking out at night is dangerous because nobody knows where you are if something goes wrong. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/19/) — Blaming someone who cannot speak up, like a two-year-old, is unfair; owning up and helping fix it ends the guilt. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/17-old-guilt-secrets-that-grow-and-how-to-let-them-go/20/) — Breaking a friend's secret to look good yourself is called being two-faced; a proper sorry can slowly rebuild trust. - ← previous: [Things I'm ashamed of: crowds, cruelty and coming clean](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/16-things-im-ashamed-of-crowds-cruelty-and-coming-clean/) - next →: [The fight I lost and the bullying I can't escape](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/18-the-fight-i-lost-and-the-bullying-i-cant-escape/) - ↑ back to [Reflection](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/)