Do you miss your childhood?

Post Reply New Topic

That's a tough question. My knee jerk response would be to say that yes, I would like to be a child again. I don't feel like an adult most of the time, and I have my share of childlike interests. I particularly enjoy reading children's books. In many ways, I find childhood to be far, far more appealing than adulthood.
However, when I objectively examine my own childhood, I recognize that it was very difficult and unhappy. Unfortunately, adulthood isn't shaping up to be any better for me. As a child, I was treated as a lesser species of human by some people. As an adult, I'm still treated as a lesser species of human. As a child, I felt unprepared to handle the demands being placed on me. As an adult, I still feel unprepared to handle the demands being placed on me. As a child, I was unhappy with the person I was, and deeply uncomfortable in my own skin. As an adult, I'm still unhappy with who I am and deeply uncomfortable in my own skin. As a child, the escape that kept me some version of sane was my books and imagination. As an adult, that continues to be true, as there's nothing on my present reality that brings me any happiness. In other words, adulthood isn't proving to be so different from childhood.
I do find myself prone to the delusion that, "the grass is always greener on the other side." Thus, when I reminsce on my childhood, I find myself dwelling on the rare happy moments, and conveniently avoiding thinking about the rest. I've honestly forgotten a lot from my childhood, leading me to believe I'm most likely blocking out the worst of it. Thus, when the demands of the adult world prove particularly burdensome, I can easily fool myself into thinking that childhood was a simpler and happier time, even knowing intellectually that's not the case.
If I could revisit childhood, knowing what I do now, it might very well prove a better time of life than it was the first time around. If I had to start with a clean slate, unable to take my present skills and knowledge with me, I very much doubt it would be a good experience. This poll really needs a "not sure" option.

Yes, cause when I was younger life was more simplifed as well, I did not feel so lost as a person and actually had someone around when it came to dealing with tyrants(bullies).Still, I guess that is the past and all that remains of it is the memories of a time and place that granted me a feeling of comfort and serenity..

No, I'm happy to be an adult. I hated school and other children. and puberty was horrible
I was very anxious as a child. It wasn't fun at all.

In some ways, yes. There was much less responsibility then & I don't remember feeling overwhelmed all the time like I do now. The only problem was school. School was hell for me, but for most of my childhood, I loved being at home & it was fine.

[quote="pumibel"][quote="xdr5tgb"]
sum(GEC)-Sum(BEC)=ChildExperience
quote]

Thats the first half. I should have elaborated.

Say you could count the good childhood experiences (really good memories might have to be weighted more) and subtract out the bad memories (:( might have to weight these as well) you are left with the net memories of childhood, if more good than bad than you might be inclined to go back, but, the other side of the equation is what the future holds. If the net of good expereinces of the future minus the bad experiences of the future is a positive one then we may be likely to go on as an adult. Now take the total childhood experiences and net out the total of how you expect your future to be and presto, you have a quantifiable value that if positive suggest you take the childhood option.

As we get older and see our doom surround us the probability of having good future memories must decrease exponentially. Then again if you are spiritual, then theres a 100% chance of good memories or for some of you a 100% chance of bad memories. mwa, ha, ha, ha, ha. LOL. I am going to have to ponder a religion constant, cause atheist don't play the odds after the final 'event horizen in the sky'.

Still living it.

never had one

I still have bad dreams about my childhood to this day, so no.

Everything I loved to do as a child, I'm doing now...and even to a further extent.

Oh yeah....I'm also becoming very successful in my fields doing those things, now.

I wouldn't want to be a child again. I was often physically abused by my older brother until he left home, then both mentally and physically abused by other members of the family, mainly my sister who wanted to rule over me. She'd play all sorts of mind games with me, and it drove me insane. She'd abuse my and our parents wouldn't do anything, yet if I fought back, I was wrong.

I spent the first 6 years of my life, prior to attending school, only around my family, since our parents didn't let us play with neighbor kids because there was one really bad one amogst them. I used to want to play, but since my sister was the only playmate I was allowed to have, she made it clear she was in charge and everything was her way on her terms, no compromise, no exceptions.

For a while we went to separate schools, and it wasn't so bad, then my parents wanted both of us in the same school, and she often got others to pick on me. Of course, there were no consequences for her, even when she admitted to what she did. They were trying to get me to be more like her since she read a lot, played an instrument, was in the marching band, how could someone like that be bad?

Then later they became obsessed with the idea of me swimming learning to love it, so they denied me everything and began forcing me into the pool whenever my sister went, declaring in some cases that if I wasn't doing anything, I had to swim, and of course no activity I did was worthy of being considered "doing anything." She could take a day or 2 off from swimming anytime she wanted with no consequences, but of course I wasn't given that option.

They also frequently took away the only things that gave me peace, time by myself to play, radio, music, TV, for some reasons that were often vague, contradictory, and obviously done just to make me miserable and not accomplish anything.

I just wish I had been allowed to be myself and let be. I probably would have grown up into some sort of nerdish, techie type, who would be happy with who he is, not afraid to actually want a direction in life because he knows it won't be sabotaged.

I would never want to be a child, again. I didn't like the way that I was treated by my parents, or my teachers.

I liked my childhood (although in these times I spent more time imagining things than real living my childhood).

Even today, I think that the best friends that I had was my 3 friends from elementary school.

And I miss the days that I spent alone closed in my bedroom, living imaginary adventures and reading books (for some people, this could sound horrible, but I loved it).

Then, at 10 y.o. I went to "junior high school" (or the equivalent in my country) and my life turned in a kind of Hell.

I wish I missed my childhood, but I didn't. It was hell.

the weird thing about my childhood is that every good friend of mine that I had up until Elementary School grew up to be a total douchebag; I don't get that........

I'd like to go back, but to see all the things I love. I admit that I wasn't exactly happy, but there were a few things that made me happy, as well.

I don't miss my childhood, I wasn't happy kid. I have post-school trauma.

And I don't feel adult yet. And there are many things I should, f.e. find boyfriend, be soooo serious, dress like an adult etc.
Being adult requires asskissing and groups. You must be nice to people, because you must work with them. I miss the past when teachers divide us to groups and said what to do. Now most infos are hidden and I have to ask. I hate to ask people and I can't stand their behaviour.

I find it best description of being adult:
http://rohitaggarwal.wordpress.com/2007 ... t-of-view/
I hate that many people who are Above-Ones (teachers, bosses etc.) don't care and for them copy-paste work is the same as better-quality-and-my-own work. Or even better, because copy-paster smiles more nice. Adults prefer support and asskissing than quality. It's really demotivating. I don't want to be an adult. I hate to ask and asskissing.

If I could come back in time, I would change some things.
I'm a person who likes to make corrections where it's possible. It always can be better. I miss my childhood, because I'd like to live my life again and change it all.

I suppose I'd be in the minority when I say YES!! !. I would totally relive my childhood! My childhood years were probably the best years of my life. Growing up in the '90s was the best. I miss everything about my childhood and of the '90s; playing Super Nintendo with my cousin, the old Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, Disney was churning out movies of such high calibre that had been unseen for decades, accompanying my mom to work, I could go on for days.