Post one good and one bad childhood memory.

[Locut0s]

Last edited Sun Sep 8, 2013, 11:47 PM - Edit history (1)

GOOD:

Weekend evenings in Malaysia me and my parents would walk out to the neon lit night market across the street to eat at the hawker's stalls. The oppressing heat of the day had lifted and the languid night settled in upon us. I can still remember the sights and sounds, and smells of the market. Stir fried noodles, and soup, steamed buns, cooked fresh while you sat next to some dirty little ditch.

BAD:

While living in Taiwan my parents decided it would be a good learning experience for me to attend preschool. I was a timid and shy child who had never left my parents side for more than a few hours. But despite my protestations they insisted and day after day would leave me crying at the school gates begging them to take me back. This was to be the beginning of my more acute experience with social phobia and the world of dealing with others. A world I have never managed to feel fully comfortable in, despite making some important strides of late.

[NYC_SKP]

1. OK, A good childhood memory was getting to raise PeePee, the orphaned baby chick, in the house.

It was fun for a few months until PeePee got big, when we sent him/her out to be with the other chickens.

The bad memory was about a year later when my grandmother pointed out that our chicken dinner was, well, PeePee.

[Locut0s]

4. My mother has a similar story...

She grew up in Malaysia and while her parents weren't farmers they did come from farming background originally. When they were really young my mother and her siblings got some baby chicks they kept as pets around the house. But of course all chicks grow up into chickens and sooner or later they loose their cute appeal. My mother's sister is the one who slaughtered the chicken, none of the others could bring themselves to do it, and yes they had chicken dinner that night.

[NYC_SKP]

5. It wasn't such a bad thing, really.

I used to help Nonnie butcher the chickens. She'd ring their necks, then dunk them in boiling water, pluck their feathers, and then singe the pin feathers over a wad of burning newspapers, then break them down.

She was quick!

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Let's see....my "bag" memory would be my first Halloween

My good memory was living in the Olympic National Forest as a kid, playing everyday in the woods, catching trout,
having no curfew, It was the "be home before dark" rule.
My bad memory was being in a small field in Port Orchard, Wash, by myself, at age 4, when the historic 7.1 earthquake hit. In my memory, a siren went off just beore that, and for years when sirens went off at night I would be exceedingly nervous.Of course, all those "duck and cover" drills with sirens, in schools, did not help reduce any anxiety.

[Locut0s]

3. We grew up in much the same natural environment...

Although it sounds like your experiences go back to a younger age. I didn't move to Vancouver Canada till I was 6. But from the age of 6 onward, I too can remember many a day spent digging in the forest, building forts and damming up streams, catching salamanders and worms

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. I have to bless the fact that houses were much smaller back in those days

thus encouraging my Mom to let us kids be outside as much as possible.

Vancouver area is gorgeous, marvelous views where ever you look.

[Aristus]

6. Mine:

Good: The last day of school in 3rd Grade; summer of 1977. My beloved teacher Mrs. Jones hugged me, and all of my classmates, goodbye, and I ran, overjoyed, out into the Kentucky summer sunshine. That summer was one for the books: the summer of "Star Wars". Endless days biking with my brother and my best friends. Sloshing through the creeks looking for crawdads. Tranquil Saturday mornings watching "The Krofft Supershow" and the Filmation line-up of live-action children's programming.

Bad: Year after year of terror being hounded and hunted by the school's bullies. And the shame of going home to my disapproving father who, massively built and sporting large biceps and huge pecs, shrugged my fears off by insisting that a single well-timed and well-aimed punch at one of my tormentors would end the harrassement for good.

[steve2470]

7. mine:

Bad first: Kids can be very cruel about things. No need to mention specifics, I'm sure everyone can relate.

Good: Halloween was a lot of fun, with no fears back in the 60's for us. We went everywhere. Bags sagging with candy.

[Locut0s]

8. I can still remember this one epic Halloween...

My and a friend went out and stayed out well past most of the other kids, must have been out till 10pm or later. Some of the houses we came across later in the night just dumped all their leftover candy on us cause we were the last ones out. Came home with a HUGE haul that year.

[steve2470]

10. sounds like fun ! nt

[applegrove]

11. Good: I got home from a summer trip

and arrived at the cottage only to found out family, friends and cousins had been having Olympic games while I was gone. The year was 1976 and I actually had attended the games in Montreal. But I missed out on the funnest ones that were at my cottage. Lucky for me there was on competition left: the 100 meter breast stroke. I was up against 4 amazons who were all older than me. I didn't think I stood a chance. Turns out I won a bronze. My dad had made an olympic podium out of the gravel pile. I was so proud standing there. It was great.

Bad: I was at my cousins. My aunt lent me my older cousin's barbie doll to play with. I was 4. The barbie had short hair and what was the point of that! The cousin I was to play with was three and not that great at playing dolls. But I did not want to hurt anybodies feelings so I pretended to play. Then my oldest cousin, who was 6, started wailing "I don't want that girl to play with my doll". My aunt and uncle started to get really angry with her. She cried harder. I kept trying to play at a place I really didn't want to be at. I felt horrible for my older cousin who was soon being punished. All in all I very much wanted to be home. That was I think my first playdate. I remained mildly afraid of them all till I was 30.

[HipChick]

12. Bad: I pooed my pants

I was about 5yrs old..very shy, and was having this bad stomach ache. I was too shy to ask the teacher if I could go to the bathroom, and before I could stop it, poof right their in my pants. It wasn't long before the kids started saying something stank, and I joined in pointing to the 'stinky' girl that sat next to me, knowing full well I had a load in my pants. She burst into tears, and all the kids called her 'stinky poo' stinky pants , I was glad that my mum was picking me up in the next 20mins, and I told her how I had an accident, and no one was ever the wiser..

Good: I won a major national literary prize for poetry, and I seriously believed that I was a re-incarnated famous writer, except I have not written a thing since

[Locut0s]

14. I think something like that happened to me too...

Embarrassing as hell when it happened but I don't remember too well. Like you I don't think anyone truly found out I was the one.

Congrats on the poetry win. You should keep up your writing!

[davidpdx]

13. I'll post a good one, but I'm not comfortable sharing a bad one

Good: On my 16th birthday I had a party with all of my friends over and we played loud music and ate pizza. My friend brought her sister, who brought her friend who I ended up dating. The entire thing was video taped so someday I have to try to find a way to transfer it digitally on to a disk or a file. Last year I happened to find the ex-girlfriend on Facebook after losing contact with her for over 20 years.

[Locut0s]

15. Was she your first GF?...

Everyone tend to have fond memories of their first SO. Or so I hear.

[davidpdx]

17. Second, technically

I had had a gf briefly, but I think it may have only lasted a few days. This one was gf number 2 and she only lasted a few days because I dumped her after I met another girl who went to school with me (gf #2 was much younger maybe 14 when I was 16 so we didn't go to school together).

Girlfriend #3 was a cheerleader of sorts and probably way out of my league. Of the three, she is probably the one I have the most memories of (all 4 1/2 months). She had a very unusual first name. Her family use to go frogging out on the lake and invited me once. We were out in a canoe with spears trying to get frogs at night. Not sure if I caught one or not, but I sure as hell didn't eat one. Her mom was really nice to me, but her step-dad was a jerk. There is another subplot behind that one I won't get in to.

Needless to say that year I went through several girlfriends that year. After that though I didn't date much the last two years of high school and focused more on my classes.

[B Calm]

16. BAD: While learning how to smoke cigarettes, a friend and I accidentally burned down

a neighbor's garage/barn.

GOOD: Family vacation to California and seeing Yosemite Valley for the first time in my life.

[Art_from_Ark]

18. Best memory:

Sundays at my grandparents' house

Worst: Corporal punishment

[panader0]

19. Way too many of both to chose just one.

[a la izquierda]

20. Childhood seems long ago...and not.

Depends on the day.
Good memory: watching Golden Girls with my grandma (she lived with us) and brushing her hair, annoying the crap out of her by saying, "Grandma, are you sleeping?" "No, M, I'm just resting my eyes." This was a daily occurrence for years.

Bad: my parents divorce.

[pink-o]

21. I assume when you say "childhood" memories you mean prepubescent...

Cuz I had a pretty fun childhood, I was a positive, happy little girl--not understanding that it would all come to a crashing end when I reached adolescence!

Good: I'm old, so I can't really remember anything specific, but I know that childhood freedom of exploring and sating my curiosity, the idea that there were no limits on my universe is probably the best feeling I can conjur up.

Bad: There was a dark side: I had some core anxiety that I internalized, a feeling I still don't know the source of. But it gave me hideous nightmares, culimating by the time I was 11 and I had them every night. My parents didn't get it, they told me to suck it up and go back to sleep. I finally did just that one night, told myself I couldn't let some vague fear rule my life. I finally jettisoned it all by aged 17 and left home to set out on Life's Big Adventure a year later.

So even the worst could not outweigh the good and the joy. I'm a very happy 58 yr old, and I STILL believe there are no limits!