Happy memories from your childhood
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
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Long hot summers in Wellington, cleaning out the swimming pool after it was shut down for winter.
Getting COLOUR television for the first time.
Playing with my neighbour (who now climbs mountains for a living.)
Getting my first computer - Commodore 64!
Getting COLOUR television for the first time.
Playing with my neighbour (who now climbs mountains for a living.)
Getting my first computer - Commodore 64!
I remember when I was about 9 or 10 and my family: mom, dad, brother and I, would go to Baskin Robbins and get ice cream cones and then we would drive around the neighborhood and the surrounding ones just looking at the houses and such.
I also remember my dad playing catch with me and my brother in the front yard. No talking, just playing catch.
I also remember my dad playing catch with me and my brother in the front yard. No talking, just playing catch.
Rii
Rear Admiral
Grandpa had a large tractor with a cabin, air-con, etc. I would accompany him for the day whilst he was harvesting, lying down in the space behind and above the seat. I would read books, we would play word games and listen to the wireless. Sometimes I would nap with the sun shining down from above and the engine rumbling away, other times Grandpa would let me drive the tractor under his supervision. We would stop for a break every hour or two, and I would sit in the shade of the wheel well eating sandwiches.
Grandpa is still alive today, although his short-term memory is totally shot. I still marvel at his intellect, his open and non-judgmental nature and his ability to so clearly articulate his thoughts, if a little slowly these days.
Fond memories.
Grandpa is still alive today, although his short-term memory is totally shot. I still marvel at his intellect, his open and non-judgmental nature and his ability to so clearly articulate his thoughts, if a little slowly these days.
Fond memories.
My older sister was the victim of a violent crime when I was about 5 years old. For several months, my family had to attend the trial, and my parents would leave me in the care of my great grandmother, whom I called GG. Now that I'm fully aware of the circumstances, the memories become bittersweet, but taken on their own they're some of the happiest I have, and some of the most affecting.
My GG was wonderfully bizarre. She was ancient, and a spiritualist in the late 19th century Conan Doyle sense of the word. She held seances and trusted her Ouija Board. She also had a beehive hairdo and wore miniskirts Gogo boots (this would've been the late 80's). She was one of those rare adults who really listen to children, and we used to have long, deep conversations about the futuristic cities I built with old wooden blocks, about what we imagined the future would be like, and about the past. She used to take me on long walks around the city (she lived on Capitol Hill in Seattle, a really fun neighborhood). We would look in at the thrift stores and the gay bars and spy on the punk kids and admire the Jimi Hendrix statue.
She gave me some of the best advice I've ever heard, and I still follow it today: Whenever you are depressed, overwhelmed, or upset, take a walk and walk and walk, until you find something to smile at.
Other great memories I have surround the many power outages we experienced while I was growing up -- sometimes due to Seattle's notoriously sub-par power company, and sometimes do to our occasional inability to pay the bills. When the power was out we had a wonderful time. We cooked our meals over the fireplaces, including popcorn and roasted marshmallows. By day we sat around eating sandwiches and writing exquisite corpses by candlelight, and by night we all camped out in the living room with the fireplace, reading by the firelight -- sometimes by ourselves and sometimes to each other.
That reminds me of another happy memory. I used to read books to my little sister. When I was twelve or so I read The Lord of the Rings to her (she was about 9). She was so funny, every time Frodo would pull out Sting she would sing, "Every breath you take..."
My GG was wonderfully bizarre. She was ancient, and a spiritualist in the late 19th century Conan Doyle sense of the word. She held seances and trusted her Ouija Board. She also had a beehive hairdo and wore miniskirts Gogo boots (this would've been the late 80's). She was one of those rare adults who really listen to children, and we used to have long, deep conversations about the futuristic cities I built with old wooden blocks, about what we imagined the future would be like, and about the past. She used to take me on long walks around the city (she lived on Capitol Hill in Seattle, a really fun neighborhood). We would look in at the thrift stores and the gay bars and spy on the punk kids and admire the Jimi Hendrix statue.
She gave me some of the best advice I've ever heard, and I still follow it today: Whenever you are depressed, overwhelmed, or upset, take a walk and walk and walk, until you find something to smile at.
Other great memories I have surround the many power outages we experienced while I was growing up -- sometimes due to Seattle's notoriously sub-par power company, and sometimes do to our occasional inability to pay the bills. When the power was out we had a wonderful time. We cooked our meals over the fireplaces, including popcorn and roasted marshmallows. By day we sat around eating sandwiches and writing exquisite corpses by candlelight, and by night we all camped out in the living room with the fireplace, reading by the firelight -- sometimes by ourselves and sometimes to each other.
That reminds me of another happy memory. I used to read books to my little sister. When I was twelve or so I read The Lord of the Rings to her (she was about 9). She was so funny, every time Frodo would pull out Sting she would sing, "Every breath you take..."
In about first grade I was having dinner at a friend's house and asked his dad "More milk, please." His dad (a great man, goofy looking with a big red beard) without breaking eye contact with me picked up the gallon jug and poured milk all over the table next to my cup, then put it down and asked if that was enough. Nothing could be funnier for a 6-7 year old, I still crack up about it whenever it pops into my head.
used to go scrumping for apples with my mates when i was younger.
the tree was in the garden of a old abandoned house that was rumoured to be haunted ( they all were when your a kid).
house is still there funnily enough though now its been converted to a general store type thing.
also used to let the farmers sheep out of the field too.
he still referrers to us as the shites of the village.
the tree was in the garden of a old abandoned house that was rumoured to be haunted ( they all were when your a kid).
house is still there funnily enough though now its been converted to a general store type thing.
also used to let the farmers sheep out of the field too.
he still referrers to us as the shites of the village.
^For me it was blackberry hunting. In the Pacific Northwest, blackberries are a weed running rampant. They are everywhere. I have a really fond memory of the family waiting in a massive line for what must've been the Kingston ferry (it wasn't one of the downtown Seattle or West Seattle ferries). They must have had a problem because the line was so long that we couldn't even see the water from our position in it. It was a really hot August day and no ac to boot. My parents let all the kids out of the car to run around and pick the blackberries off the bushes on the side of the road.
I also remember being trained to lie on ferry rides: "If they ask, how old are you?" "Eight!" Whilst my brothers and sisters hid under the seats and in any other crevices the car possessed.
I also remember being trained to lie on ferry rides: "If they ask, how old are you?" "Eight!" Whilst my brothers and sisters hid under the seats and in any other crevices the car possessed.
Doing woodwork with my Grandpa on his table saw, while my mom and my grandma went ballistic at the sight of a crippled kid working with heavy machinery. They would chew him out, and he'd just shrug and say, "hey, the kid's gotta learn something". Then later, we'd drive to the dump to toss out the excess wood and glass, and my grandpa would lift me into the back of his pick-up and tell me that this was the one place that I could throw stuff as hard as I wanted to, and be as messy as I wanted. We'd spend at least an hour throwing shit onto the garbage piles, and see how far we could throw it.
Attempting to watch Star Trek with my grandma. She would fall alseep 30 seconds in, and for the next hour I'd hear soft snoring. She would wake up right on cue a minute before the show would end and say very loudly either "Shit!" or "Fuck!". Watching my video tapes never seemed to help, since the same thing would happen. On the other hand, whenever she couldn't sleep, I'd have her get on the couch, then put on one of my Star Trek tapes. If nothing else, she'd get an hours worth of sleep.
Attempting to watch Star Trek with my grandma. She would fall alseep 30 seconds in, and for the next hour I'd hear soft snoring. She would wake up right on cue a minute before the show would end and say very loudly either "Shit!" or "Fuck!". Watching my video tapes never seemed to help, since the same thing would happen. On the other hand, whenever she couldn't sleep, I'd have her get on the couch, then put on one of my Star Trek tapes. If nothing else, she'd get an hours worth of sleep.
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Being fed freshly baked bread with honey and butter by my grandmother. Then falling asleep next to her on her daybed until my mum came home to put me to bed.
The Italian chocolate my mum used to bring home for me whenever she went out to the city in the evenings. I had never before or since tasted anything so wonderful - I think children have hypersensitive tastebuds.
Watching my mother and her best friend chit-chit and laugh while they did each other's hair and and tried on various clothes, she was my mother's lifelong friend, had been in my life since I was born and was like a second mother to me. And she was always so beautiful and fun to be with, a very tender loving woman.
I remember the wildly growing flowers near my grandmother's house in the city I was born - so beautiful when it was in bloom, especially at certain times of the year when there was a certain mist in the air.
I remember eating the fruit that fell in my grandma's backyard from the neighbours' tree. I remember, no matter how many fell, it was never quite enough.
I remember summers so hot. I would take showers in an open air bathroom, with the water being warmed to just the right temperature by the sun alone.
I remember rain so heavy, that I would go outside with just a bar of soap and have one of nature's showers... we had an open air area within the house. No feeling like it.
I remember naps every afternoon after lunch, and then being bathed, moisturised, talcum powdered, and dressed a second time, every afternoon. It was so hot, most people changed at least once during the day. I remember a big plate of diced fruit waiting for me when I came home from school, all finished with learning by 12pm. Usually watermelon, mango, miniature bananas, tropical fruits like that.
I thought it was all quite ordinary at the time, but I now realise I had an exceptionally idyllic childhood.
The Italian chocolate my mum used to bring home for me whenever she went out to the city in the evenings. I had never before or since tasted anything so wonderful - I think children have hypersensitive tastebuds.
Watching my mother and her best friend chit-chit and laugh while they did each other's hair and and tried on various clothes, she was my mother's lifelong friend, had been in my life since I was born and was like a second mother to me. And she was always so beautiful and fun to be with, a very tender loving woman.
I remember the wildly growing flowers near my grandmother's house in the city I was born - so beautiful when it was in bloom, especially at certain times of the year when there was a certain mist in the air.
I remember eating the fruit that fell in my grandma's backyard from the neighbours' tree. I remember, no matter how many fell, it was never quite enough.
I remember summers so hot. I would take showers in an open air bathroom, with the water being warmed to just the right temperature by the sun alone.
I remember rain so heavy, that I would go outside with just a bar of soap and have one of nature's showers... we had an open air area within the house. No feeling like it.
I remember naps every afternoon after lunch, and then being bathed, moisturised, talcum powdered, and dressed a second time, every afternoon. It was so hot, most people changed at least once during the day. I remember a big plate of diced fruit waiting for me when I came home from school, all finished with learning by 12pm. Usually watermelon, mango, miniature bananas, tropical fruits like that.
I thought it was all quite ordinary at the time, but I now realise I had an exceptionally idyllic childhood.
My childhood was great and filled with many happy memories. My family had it's problems -- I recall the cops being called on several occassions...and that's just for starters. But we always stuck together and for some reason people still wanted to be around us for all the holidays and we used to have a lot of parties as well. I really miss my family from my childhood...even the bad stuff!
But I spent a lot of my time at other kids houses (on the block) and they had a "normal" family and showed me what a real relationship between a man and a woman is supposed to look like -- What a family could really be like if only they could just get along!
I would play all day with the boys on the block -- you name a sport and I played it. Another neighbor was a mechanic and he'd let me "paint" his cars with a paintbrush and water. I really loved doing that! My childhood was the happiest time in my life...I'm hoping that these years ahead of it will eclipse that. I'm just afraid that I'm going to start running out of years for all this damn happiness to happen.
But I spent a lot of my time at other kids houses (on the block) and they had a "normal" family and showed me what a real relationship between a man and a woman is supposed to look like -- What a family could really be like if only they could just get along!
I would play all day with the boys on the block -- you name a sport and I played it. Another neighbor was a mechanic and he'd let me "paint" his cars with a paintbrush and water. I really loved doing that! My childhood was the happiest time in my life...I'm hoping that these years ahead of it will eclipse that. I'm just afraid that I'm going to start running out of years for all this damn happiness to happen.
not like when I had to watch mom come down from dope/heron or when I had to pick dad up off the floor and drag him to the bed so it was an almost normal drunken stupper right? you mean happy like the time ... well we wont go into that one but say like shooting off those model rockets into to the sky say i would spend all month making the rocket then launching it to it's death yep very happy.,
think - thinks hard: not much is happy about child hood except the girlfriends my mom was jealous of and made me get rid of..,
think - thinks hard: not much is happy about child hood except the girlfriends my mom was jealous of and made me get rid of..,
climbing the maple tree in our back yard
climbing the pine tree in our front yard and getting pine sap stuck on my hands
tough to clean off, and maddeningly sticky, but gosh it smelled good
going for bike rides by myself after school
watching nothing but PBS except for the news, and movies we had on tape
playing Mario and using all the warp zones, but never being able to beat 8-1
standing far too close and playing duck hunt
going to Green Lakes and making rivers in the sand . . . watching erosion at work
going sledding on the hill by the high school football field and track near our house . . . we just called it 'the track'
flying kites from the bleachers
climbing the pine tree in our front yard and getting pine sap stuck on my hands
tough to clean off, and maddeningly sticky, but gosh it smelled good
going for bike rides by myself after school
watching nothing but PBS except for the news, and movies we had on tape
playing Mario and using all the warp zones, but never being able to beat 8-1
standing far too close and playing duck hunt
going to Green Lakes and making rivers in the sand . . . watching erosion at work
going sledding on the hill by the high school football field and track near our house . . . we just called it 'the track'
flying kites from the bleachers
For me it was growing up on farms. Hiking barefoot in the sun through acres of corn to deliver lunch and then sitting under the tree with "the men" until they were done and I had to take the lunch boxes back up to the farmhouse. Driving a tractor for the first time at age five. Running from the pigs, feeding the chickens, avoiding being kicked by the cows. Every day was an adventure. And breakfast. My mom used to make us all eggs, bacon or sausage, and usually grits every morning until I turned 13. No wonder I still love breakfast.
My mother wasn't the warmest person but one school project brought us together for awhile and it still makes me happy 40 yrs later. It was in grade school, a phonics exercise. We had to cut out pictures illustrating sounds like a picture of bread for BR. A crow for CR, things like that. We cut them out of magazines (which we always had plenty of) and glued them in a scrapbook. Working on that project with my mother was one of the best times in my childhood.
Nah, there's plenty of years left, Cakes. Never forget that.
Me, I'm in my second childhood ever since I got hooked on baseball! I always wish I'd done that when I really was a kid. I would have loved to see the Bird pitch in Detroit, or Reggie hit a homer at old Yankee Stadium, or the '86 Mets win the Series...
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^I don't follow the baseball myself, and am not all that interested, but I have enjoyed the few games I've been to, which reminds me of another happy childhood memory: I was in Children's Hospital for a few weeks when I was twelve. It was a great hospital and thus I have fond memories of the place. This was in 1996, when the Seattle Mariners actually did some pretty awesome baseballing, and were crazy popular. I remember watching games in the play room with all the other kids hooked to various medical contraptions, dragging IV bags of various colors by their leashes, and suffering various stages of hair loss. We actually had a really awesome time (especially us "big kids," who would sneak out of our rooms to gush over the hot nurses (male and female) and draw faces on blown-up surgical gloves.
One day some of the biggest Mariners stars came to visit us. They brought us hats and baseballs and played Risk with us in the game room.
One day some of the biggest Mariners stars came to visit us. They brought us hats and baseballs and played Risk with us in the game room.
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