Post things that you remember from your childhood

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yes it is, because my mom divorced early and while i dont quite remember watching tv with my real dad it just sounds so wonderful. what you say, means alot. it really does

I remember when mum didn't treat me like crap.

I remember being bullied by my girl classmates because I played with toys "for boys".

I remember yelling at several of my classmates in kindergarten because they weren't building with the blocks in the 'right' way. The teacher yelled at me, and I walked off to the library and read the adults' encyclopedia in the corner.

I thought it would be nice for us to share some childhood stories, but before I began a new thread, I thought I would look for pre-existing ones. And here is one begun back in 2006 that until now hasn't been posted to since 2007. I think it can be a fun thread. So I will begin with a story from 1974---the year my avatar picture was taken of me.

SUNBURN ADRIFT

It was during the hot summer of 1974 that my family traveled with some friends to Windy Hills, just north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I was soon to be 10 years old. For some reason, 1974 seemed like a magical year to me. It was the beginning of the disco craze, Christmas tree decorations became rather gaudy, clothing fashions were outlandish---though I cared little about it, and I was overly obsessed with roller coasters. And my eccentric way of checking things over and over was becoming more apparent to those around me. If fact, my co-morbid OCD saved my swimming trunks and beach towel, and caused a moment of embarassment.

At the nearby Grand Strand Amusement Park I rode the Swamp Fox roller coaster for the first time. I love that coaster. It is my No. 1 pick of all coasters in the world. I was riding it late one summer evening with my family's friend Skip---a railroader who was my parents' age. At the top of the lift hill we began the 180 degree turn before plunging into an abyss of white washed Douglas Fir. Skip double checked the lap bar that secured us into our seat---and OH NO!! !, it lifted up and was not engaged!! ! We were in the front seat of the front car which delivered plenty of airtime at the crests of the upcoming hills. Skip wedged himself in and held me down with his arms. Thank God we didn't fly out on those wicked hills. To this day, I double, triple, quadruple check the restraints on coaster cars when I am riding them---That was scary!! !

After the coaster incident, dark clouds formed over Myrtle Beach blackening out the starry moonlit sky. Then the lightning began with the earth-shattering claps of thunder. Then, the amusement park and surrounding area went dark. The electric was out. The rain came down in torrents, and the wind picked up. We ran to Skip's car as we made our way to the gift shop down the road where my parents and the rest of our little group was shopping. The electric was out there too. We got back in our cars and drove the trecherous journey back to Windy Hills in the absence of traffic lights. Windy Hills was flooded with nearly a foot of water rushing across the streets and around the motel properties. At our motel, you could see floating away in the waters everyone's swimsuits and beach towels---except mine . I had always made a point to tie my wet swim trunks and beach towel to the balcony railings.

Those swim trunks and I decided to make a journey later that week. One afternoon, while everyone was on their lounge chairs around the pool and down at the beach, I was inflating my canvas raft while Dad was watching television in the room. I told Dad I was going down to the beach where Mom was already in sun-bathing heaven. I put my swim trunks on, and with raft in hand trekked to the surf. I saw Mom on the way, and she saw I was going to float in the waves a little bit. A little bit? Hmm. We would see. I paddled out past where the big waves broke---in the safety zone where the water is about six feet deep. Then, I began my sunburn adrift journey. As the canvas texture always bothered me, I took turns lying on the raft and sitting on the raft. I watched and absorbed into the delight of watching the ocean front hotels and motels slowly drift by, one by one. I never bothered to focus on the fact that the current was slowly carrying me further and further down the beach. All I knew was I was enjoying watching those buildings approach and then slip away. And there was also the pleasure of feeling the warm sun caress my skin as the cool surf bathed my feet. I have no idea how long I drifted. But I can still remember hearing Mom's (Dad was still in the room unaware of the events) and our friends' voices yelling my name at the tops of their lungs. One of their elderly friends spotted me first, I heard him yell to my Mom, "I found him!! !" By this time, I realized what had happened and I paddled to shore where I was met with my pale-faced terror-stricken mother who thought she had lost me to the depths of the sea. She wrapped her arms around me and I can still feel the vibrations in her arms as they shook from an overdose of worry. Her eyes were swollen and red from panic and crying. I was also red---from a sunburn. I got sun-poisoning, and I spent the rest of the week in the motel room trying not to scratch my welty chest, stomach, back, arms, legs, feet, ---GEE!! ! I was a mess. From then on out I paid attention to sunscreen.

On the final day of our stay, I can remember everyone being in our room as we finished packing. Our friends had a daughter who was about thirteen or fourteen. She was sitting next to my mom, and I was scurrying around the room checking drawers and under beds for items that might be left behind. Mom and Dad always relied on me to do the checking---since I was obsessed with it anyway. In the bathroom I found something in the drawer next to the sink---what it was I had no idea. I had never seen anything like it before. But, I knew Mom must have left it behind I so proudly ran back into the bedroom to present it to my Mom. As I waved it in the air the girl's face turned as red as my sunburned skin, and Mom took it from me quickly. It was a Kotex pad/tampon .

wait a tic...this is my thread? oh, yeah spot! or should i say red x? *changes picter*

Hi Tinky...yes, I found your thread on stories of childhood. I thought yours was neat because you have been on the WP since 2006, and this thread was begun in 2006, yet it was last posted to in 2007. I thought it should be a post that could even be a sticky---it's a great place to tell about our childhood memories. There are other threads similar to this one, but I chose this one. I plan on posting other stories from my childhood here---it's a great way to document childhood events.

Parents and Grandparents telling me stories about their families.

"After your Gran reversed the car over the letterbox for the 3rd time, Dad (meaning my Poppa) replaced it with one made of solid stone. Your Gran still reversed the car into it, but at least it stayed up!"

"I lost count of how many times Dad (meaning Poppa) had to jump out of the way when Mum (meaning Gran) drove the car inside the Garage."

"Do you remember great uncle whatsisname? During the war he was in North Africa, once he got separated from his unit and was walking through a hazy storm when a German soldier emerged in front of him. He stopped, the german stopped, they stared at one another, and then in unison they walked around one another and carried on to their respective units, not looking back..."

"I remember Germany in the 20's and 30's. Once someone from the family went to buy bread. They arrived at a long bread line, and when they reached the front after a long wait, they couldn't afford the bread. Inflation drove the price up while they were waiting..."

i thought the raindrops as races, too. XD

i also remember pretending to be a dinosaur..ALL the time. XD

my friend and i would pretend to "hibernate" during break. we liked to just snuggle into our jackets, sit down next to each other...and not move...for the whole break XD.

i remember this one time i was little, and we had this dumb cat. it was sweet, but dumb. once my dad kicked it into the air, and told me to do the same. so i did, and we laughed.....then later that day i felt awful after realizing what i did and started sobbing. now i have an extra soft spot for cats. seeing them dead breaks my heart, i could never hurt one...or any other animal in that way. and im so mad at my dad for wanting me to do that.

the price of bread went up during the wait in line? that's awesome! and not too cool.

i think we should start a raindrop racing club. we could meet up when ever it's raining and have epic races. i wonder if espn could get in on this.

i remember selling lemonade, cookies, and toys outside my house. one time my friend and i went door to door without telling my parents. they weren't too happy about that.

Being terrified of my teachers.

(Something positive maybe...)

The way I used to sicken my cousins and extended relatives by doing everything on my own. I suppose that's what they never liked me.

(No that's not very positive... hmmmm... think mr. blue...)

My grandfather buying me my favourite coconut ice cream on a Sunday. (That's better)

I remember quite a lot of things from my childhood but two really beautiful things stand out vividly until this day:

Walking on a summer's night, holding my father's hand. ... on the way to the Hibernian Christmas party ( no idea at the time what that was and when we got there felt lost and couldn't figure it out ).......but on the WAY that was really great... I was about 3 and 3 months and I saw the NIGHT SKY for the FIRST TIME. I can still remember the Magic.... looking upward to the stars all the way.


The other really beautiful memory was of a certain sort of Spring day... the sort where there is a balmy breeze and a special soft aroma in the air... the sky is clear blue...the sun soft and warm,


it was a multisensory experience that only on rare occasions manifests again.

Mom and I (I was 5 or 6 ) were driving along down the road to k-mart to get a toy(some dinosaurs) and I sat there just thinking and meditating and thinking about my existence for the first time.
I then pulled back my focus onto myself and viewed my self from an outside perspective , as me looking at me from above myself/outside myself-'detached'.

I was awestruck at becoming self-aware like this , and couldn't fathom who this person was in this body looking at the world through these eyes, and pondered the question : who am I?

I turned to my mom and asked: Mom , who am I?
She turned and said "why dear your a human being that god created".
I thought about that concept/definition and when we got home I went into the backyard walking about and catching lightning bugs and saying to myself : 'I'm a human being' , that's who I am over an over an over again.
I seemed to need an identity as I felt ethereal on this introspection.
It's been pyschedelic from this point forward for me.