What are your favorite childhood memories
Posted By: Oh to be young again on 2008-08-15
In Reply to:
Watching the kids in the neighborhood play takes me back to my childhood days. Lots of people say they would never go through childhood ever again but I would in a heartbeat. I'd like to hear what were the best things for you when you were growing up. Mine were
1. Playing all day and night on weekends and after school. My only concern was getting in the house before dark (or by supper time).
2. Grandma & Grandpa lived up the road so spent lots of time with them (they taught us how to do the polka to Lawrence Welk).
3. Didn't have to do any cooking. Everything was prepared for me. And, no laundry. Always had clean clothes hanging in the closet.
4. School. Learning, learning, learning and being with friends.
5. Being free enough to have imaginary friends and nobody would tell me I was losing my mind (or were they really imaginary????)
6. Girl Scouts (need I say any more).
7. The idea that I could be a ballerina, movie star, singer, or anything I wanted to be when I grew up and my parents entertained that as though it could become a real possibility for me.
8. Mom and dad tucking me into bed and kissing me good night.
9. Thanksgiving with the whole family over.
10. Best Christmas gifts were Lite Bright, Easy Bake Oven, Feely-meely, Incredible Edibles, Frisbee, Slinky, dolls, and anything that was not mechanical or electrical.
11. Ice skating, sledding parties, and slumbar parties.
12. Being innocent enough to not know about all the kooks and problems in the world while I had the protection of mom and dad always.
Well I could think of a ton of things, but those were the best times of my life. What are yours?
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What is your favorite childhood memory?...mine is catching..
lightening bugs in an old mayo jar at an aunt's cottage on the Beaver River in western PA while the adults played cards in the screened in porch late into the night. What I wouldn't give to go back in time just once more!
My favorite memories were living near
my grandparents. Saturday mornings grandpa and I would take a walk to the donut store and have donuts with sprinkles and coffee (hot chocolate). I remember going with grandma to visit her neighbors or helping her in the kitchen and helping grandpa water the garden or go through his train collection he had.
Unfortunately, I think my mom was born without the grandma gene :( She lives 350-400 miles away and we only see her a few times a year. Would love to let the kids go see her over the summer but she spends more time with "don't do that", "don't touch that", "don't go there", etc that it would be a very boring time for the kids.
Mean moms/childhood
I often questioned God why after 14 years of trying to get pregnant, I never did, then my uterus prolapsed and I had to have a hysterectomy.
I look at my childhood and it had a lot of faults. My mom was so devastated by her own bad childhood, that she really didn't know how to be a parent. My dad, who knew how to be a good parent, was often too busy having to take care of her after psychiatrists had her so drugged she often didn't get out of bed for days.
My mom is about to turn 65 and over the last 8 months or so, both my sister and I have gotten hate E-mail from her for no apparent reason other than she needs to pick a fight, so she starts pointing out our character defects. I originally refuted the points and it just escalated. I didn't even respond to her last hate E-mail. I'm wondering if something is going wrong with her brain (other than the mental illness she already has) from years of drinking or all of the prescription meds she's been hooked on (pain meds, amphetamines, sleeping pills, benzos.
Anyway, don't get me wrong, we did some crazy stuff when I was a kid. She even took my sister and me to a motel with a pool and we checked in overnight. I knew she didn't tell my dad where she was going and when she told us it was bedtime, I tried in vain to stay awake so she'd fall asleep and I could call my dad and let him know where we were. I was probably around 8 or 9 at the time. I felt guilt over that for years because I did fall asleep and never called him (and I wonder why I have insomnia now). He was crying when she brought us home late the next day.
Mom wasn't all bad times. When she was spiritually fit, we had a lot of fun. And I can recognize, as an adult, that she has a personality disorder and I just don't feed it. I love her and always will. I just have to hope I catch her on better days.
I guess what I'm saying is I hope that kid doesn't grow up with memories like mine. I hope the mother was just having a really bad day with a kid who had been acting up all day. And I hope she told him she was sorry and hugged him.
Anyway, I've come to realize that I never really had a good, consistent example of a parent. What kind of parent would I have made? My husband was gone a lot early on. He could be gone 6 months, come back for 10 days and then leave again for another 2 months. Many military wives have dealt with this and had children. Looking back (hindsight is always 20/20), I'm not sure I had what it took to be a good parent so it's best that I never did get pregnant. At least thinking about it that way helps take away some of the emptiness.
My faith is now in God, that He has some other purpose for me than being a parent to human children. I work with a pug rescue and maybe that's what I was meant to do. I believe He has not revealed his full purpose for me, but gives me a little more each time.
Anyway, sorry for rambling so much. If you've stuck with me this long, thanks. It's been a rough, emotional week. Hope yours is going better. :-)
((((((Hugs)))))) to everyone who needs one.
God bless.
We do owe our children a decent childhood (sm)
I know you say it didn't matter to you - apparently your mom did a good job raising you on her own. Maybe you weren't that close to your dad. But the best decision is always based on weighing out a combination of circumstances - it is not the same for every person. While yours worked out well for you and your mother and brother, it doesn't always go that way for everyone. If it was that easy, no one would complain, we would just make quick selfish decisions and not worry about anyone else. The fact that some of us are on here complaining is a reflection of us caring about other people, not just ourselves. It means we are thinking things through and taking time to decide, hearing viewpoints of those who have experienced it for themselves and those who have not. Sometimes you don't know which is worse, to stay or to go - you may be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, so staying isn't necessarily accepting second best. It's a huge, big, important decision and one not to be taken lightly. Not everyone ends up as fortunate as you have and we all know it.
For sure. Can't wait to see my childhood kitty!
The Rainbow Bridge
There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth.
It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge, there is a land of meadows, hills, and valleys with lush green grass. When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. The old and frail animals are young again. Those who are maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other. There is only one thing missing: They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth. So, each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly looks up! The nose twitches. The ears are up. The eyes are staring. And this one suddenly runs from the group. You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you take him or her into your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet. Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.
-Anonymous
My husband had a childhood no child should ever have to
endure. Both of his parents were alcoholics. He was passed from relative to relative, whoever happened to take pity on him at any given time and provide him with a place to live. When he did live with his parents, he was physically and verbally abused. Believe me, his past is very painful and I'm quite sure it's not a place he likes to revisit. He didn't finish high school. He dropped out of trade school. However, he shared all of that with me because not only am I his wife, I'm his friend. I, on the other hand, was raised in a very loving, very happy, Christian home. My father was a minister and for most of my growing up years my mother was a stay-at-home mom. I can't even begin to imagine a childhood like he had. There a lot of people who don't know all about his past, but I'm glad he trusted in me enough to want to share it with me. Once again, I'm glad my husband loved me and trusted me enough to share details (no matter how ashamed he was of them) of his childhood with me. JMO 
Positive sayings from your childhood
What sayings do you remember your parents telling you?
Do unto others as you would have them do onto you.
While I love all these old classics from my childhood...sm
As an adult, I love the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums. There's just something about them that makes my heart sing. I like the first one the best.
And my husband and I have a new favorite:
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album.
I would recommend it to everyone. We love all the songs on it, and you have to listen carefully to the words, as well as the melody. Well worth the time to enjoy new favorite.
http://www.j-tull.com/news/christmasalbum.cfm
http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=jt-tjtca
please try not to make assumptions about my childhood...
it was not bad, by any means, but certainly not "storybook." I am sorry for not joining into the consensus that everyone else expects. I thought that perhaps she might like to hear something from both sides of the coin, but by all means, if all she wants to hear is that she should cut him off completely, I will stop posting and, in the future, please let me know which opinion is acceptable.
I had a good childhood...just pointing out
that those who are hardest on the younger generation are often those that produced it.
Seems like my childhood/teenage years went with them...
who didn't walk into a young man's bedroom and see Farrah's poster -- wish you could be her, and of course, Thriller playing in the background at my first booze party. Blackberry brandy slushes...we were SO COOL...
Goodness, sometimes this adult stuff seems so trivial.
Joys of childhood (caution: Mushy mom note) (sm)
Sometimes I am reminded why I do this job and it makes me love it all over again! I have to work, we need the income, no doubt about it. But right now I am looking outside at my children playing in the sprinkler (we have a well, so no water restrictions) with the dogs running and kitten running from the water and my kids with not a care in the world for the moment. Remember that feeling?? Now, even when I do venture out and play with them in the back of my mind I still have thoughts of what I "should" be doing - working more, cleaning, paying bills. Right now they get to just be kids. I love it!
Wow, the memories
My parents had one too!
memories
When I was growing up, we raised a pig with a bottle too. . it was so much fun! I hope your little pig does well...
memories of
sitting at grandparents on the back steps (very wide to fit the porch) and eating watermelon, or watching my dad and brothers taking turns cranking the ice cream machine and all making fun of each other for being too weak. It was so quiet you could hear the windmill squeak, very restful.
Hearing stories of when Daddy and his three brothers were young and took turns jumping out of the barn hayloft with a parachute made from one of grandma's good white sheets which ripped. Daddy said he hugged that limp sheet all the way to the ground. Uncle Joe said they let him go first because it was his idea, but they all got a whipping for it.
At my other grandparents, Mother and her sister talked about skating all over Austin jumping the cracks in the sidewalks. I had to be quiet when John Cameron Swazy was on (Timex keeps on ticking) or Billy Graham. Going to the barbershop (Papa was a barber) for haircuts. sitting on the porch snapping beans or peas. Aunt Nell and Uncle Frank lived in the country, feather tick mattresses and bolsters, chamber pots and outhouses, mean chickens. Aunt Nell's hair was let down at night and hung below her hips. She had a built-in ice box (not fridge) and a water pump in the kitchen and thought she was in high cotton. They lived in the house she had been born in. She had sunbonnets by the back door. Never went out of the house without one and at 86 still had beautiful skin you would not believe. Kept their money in a bible. They had a 17 year old hound under the front porch with no teeth who acted like he would tear you up. They called him didhebitecha. She made the best biscuits in the world until canned came out!
Daddy loved woodworking, helping him hold large piece of wood in the shop or handing him tools.
I was anxious to learn to cook (I never said I was smart!), made cookies and such at 12, cooking whole dinners by 16. Being the oldest was not all you would think it could be. I was a miniparent.
I remember my baby brother being droopy drawers, would step out of his diaper and keep going. Love to remind him of that now when he is 52 and 6ƈ". Then came two more sisters, the last when I was 17, Mother had it made for that one!
I remember my border collie, Lady. We got her when I was 9 and she was 2. Had her until I was 21. One of those dogs who knew who could come in the yard and knock on the door and who to run entirely out of the neighborhood. She was my best friend. She had trouble delivering her last litter and my grandmother helped her.
I remember the attic fan, and wish I had one now. My son does and it saves him AC bills about 2 to 3 months of the year.
I remember being around my great-grandparents. In fact, one grandmother was 90 when she died in 2000. I was 54. How many can say that? I also remember seeing a civil war veteran in the 1950's.
This feels like such a time warp as the memories go flashing by. I remember when most moms stayed home. The fuller brush man went door to door. There was a man who traveled around sharpening knives and scissors. Milk was delivered to your door. Remember keeping wet clothes in a bread bag in the fridge? You put a tin sprinkler with a piece of cork around the base on a 10 cent coke bottle to sprinkle while you ironed. Do they still make those? and I remember when keyboards had a cent sign on the number 6 key!
Just for the groan effect, here's one for you - gas was 18 cents a gallon and there was a gas war between competing stations!
Ah, Memories!
My big sister had a poodle skirt that I inherited just before they went out of style in about ཻ. It had a real chain on the poodle's leash. I wore it with a pink fuzzy sweater, and, yes, the petticoat. Incidently, when I was a little younger my sister and I would use those petticoats on our heads for "Brides' veils."
Memories
I remember coming home from Bonnie and Clyde - my mom had a fit I saw that violent movie - she thought I was really shaken up over it. Actually it was the fight with my boyfriend that gave me the blues. Hilary Duff? Hmmm, I really can't think of anybody I would like to see play that part.
Wow. Now THERE are some MEMORIES!
I actually learned to type on a typewriter just about like that, in high school. Got up to 52 words per minute, too.
I remember those chest Coke machines. And the milk bottles with the little paper caps. The ice cube trays. (There are some of those still probably stowed in my mother's attic. Wonder if they're worth anything??) Ah, the drive-in movie, the TV dinners, the goofy lunch boxes with the thermos that broke if you looked at it funny, The Beatles swag, the record players, the non-pop-top cans. Full-service gas stations.
I still had one of those dial phones up until the late 1980s because it was cheaper than a push-button back in the day when we still had to rent our equipment from the phone company....
And, of course, not even a HINT of a seat belt in the family car! Remember riding in the way-back of the station wagon? And oh, the stuff my mother used to score with the S & H Green Stamps (and the Blue Chip stamps too).
Creative Memories
My mother loved Creative Memories. She passed away last year, so I already have so much stuff, and I can say the items are well worth it. Creative Memories has nice stuff if you like to scrapbook. My Mom started a few books, which I will cherish forever. She was trying to make one for each child and grandchild, but she was cut short by an illness. I am loaded with Creative Memories stuff, but wanted to share that you will have so much fun being a consultant. I had a great time at one of the functions. I also saw a new twist on scrapbooking by using favorite recipes. Not only could you include pictures of family gatherings, but also type up the recipe for the scrapbook page. Fortunately my daughter spent a lot of time with my Mom and she will be able to use the supplies we have inherited through learning the techniques with my Mom and she's only 7. This is not something just for adult, but kids like it too! Good luck and happy scrappin'!!!!! I think you'll have fun meeting new people! 
Fond memories.
When I worked in-house, a co-worker and I used to pass the twitch back and forth. ;-)
Oh my gosh! What memories
this brings back, I feel for you!! It's been a long time ago, but it still gets my heart pumping. My daughter had long blonde, THICK hair almost to her waist in 2nd grade. I actually took her to the doctor because I'd never seen them before and didn't know what was going on. He gave me a prescription shampoo, but I suppose there are other better things out there now, don't know and hope I never need to. It took me weeks of combing and picking those nasty things out, her crying the whole time and so embarrassed, like it was her fault. Come to find out the school knew about lice going through the classes, her teacher told me there were 2 girls in her class at the time, one of whom she sat right next to in class, and they had been sent home multiple times for it and warned. I had to call one of her my daughter's friend's mother and tell her my daughter had lice because the friend had just recently spent the night. I spent a little time in the principal's office for sure and asked what the deal was, that nobody was notified it was going around in the school so parents could take precautions and be aware. He said well there was a privacy issue, well what about MY daughter? and was he aware that there was a school not too far away that had actually been closed down for a lice epidemic?!! No...he wasn't. It wasn't like they have to name names, just send a note home with the kids saying there's an issue you need to be aware of (they certainly had no problems in that class with privacy issues when doing their drug awareness program and asking the children personally what their parents drank or took, including coffee, in terms of drugs and alcohol). Well, guess what, they did and no more piling hats and clothes on the playground at recess, wearing other's coats, hats, etc. From then on, my daughter wore her hair in tight french braids to her head, until she decided she wanted it cut off. Man, what a nightmare, I was frantic, spent hours and hours and dollars fumigating, cleaning everything imaginable, toys, bedding, furniture, carpets, car seats...
I have baseball memories with my Dad
My favorite activity as a child was stick/hose ball. My Dad would cut up old hose and pitch them to us. There were some woods behind the house, so it didn't matter how hard you hit those pieces of hose. What fun!! We used to go crabbing in the summer and built gigantic snowmen in the winter. I was in the middle child with an older and younger brother, so I learned to play a lot of football, baseball, and yes, believe it or not, we used to play guns! Fake ones of course! Times have sure changed!
I too have many wonderful memories of my
grandparents houses, silly little things like the smell of my nana's soap, her chenille bedspread I thought was so cool, my other grandmother owned and operated a store that had everything from fresh meat which she butchered and feed for animals and lots of penny candy in big glass jars. Point is - memories are made at their houses more often than not. It is part of the mystique. You never said if you took the kids to the grandparents or you expected them to come to you - just wondered.
Holiday memories....
My dad saying (when I was age 4 to 6) that there was an elf that would hop on his shoulder every morning when he got in the car to go to work and ask if I had been good the day before. I can remember waiting for him to get home and then excitedly asking him if he talked to the elf...ok, now I'm misty eyed!
Waiting in the longest line to get Cabbage Patch Kids for my daughters when they first came out....lucky enough to get ones with decent enough names and birthdates close to my girls' birthdays.
Making the dreaded yam/sweet potato casserole at Thanksgving and ALWAYS setting the marshmallow bag on the hot oven door, thus melting the plastic, nice touch.
Realizing that I don't care if I have to pay full price, I do not shop the day after Thanksgiving any more!
Remember doing that as a kid..ahh, memories...nm
//
Has anyone ever tried being a Creative Memories consultant ...sm
If so, how did that work out for you? I just signed on to supplement with transcription and was wanting to know if anyone else had tried this before.
Have a great day!!
Brings back memories
In my upper years now but when I was around 11 or 12 had a penpal in France. Still remember getting letters from her. What a wonderful time for all!
Bringing back memories. NM
x
Ah, you just brought back memories...sm
I am mid-40s. My dad also taught me home and car repair--usually against my will, but grateful for it now. Whenever I bought a car, he made me change a tire and the oil in front of him. Loved shop class in school. Mmm, power tools! I still do a lot of maintaince and repairs, but I actually enjoy doing that stuff now! As for sewing, I was born into a family of handicrafters, and since I was a kid have enjoyed sewing non-clothing things and especially yarn projects, and can do most sewing repairs. Just not very good at sewing my own clothes from patterns because I poke myself with the pins too much. Such a klutz.
Wow does that bring back memories
Homemade chicken soup, sourdough bread, wine, and some German pastry thing for dessert (we lived in Germany).
So I can remember 27 years ago, but darn if I can't remember what we had last week. :-)
That brings back great memories! :) (nm)
-
That brings back memories! My sister's
boyfriend made that for dessert once years ago. They have since broken up, which I have regretted because I miss the DESSERT! LOL! Don't tell her I said that!
So funny! It brought back memories... (sm)
Many years ago when I worked in an entirely different environment, there was a version of this making the rounds that had several followup messages between the wife and tech support. I wish I could find it in my stash of old paperwork because it's hilarious!
Ahhh the memories, my mother used to bowl
on Thursday nights (30yrs ago) and she always made a crockpot of pinto beans since my dad didn't like to eat out. BTW, am having homemade chicken nuggets with a couple of very simple homemade dipping sauces.
memories, light the corners of my mind.
x
So did mine! That brings back memories. nm
xx
That brings back unpleasant memories. Glad that's over with. nm
nm
the term *eliminated* brings horrible memories
*eliminate, exterminate* when it comes to talking about humans (even if the perp here in your article acted inhumane)...
horrible memories, i.e., The Final Solution from 1939-1945....
please find another word....thank you. 
They do multiply don't they?! Brought back memories when my oldest brother
bought 2 white mice at the pet shop and the guy told him they were both males...about 2-3 weeks later we had a full liter of white mice. Mom made him take the whole cage with mice back to the pet shop (I wonder why? LOL).
Oh what memories you just brought back - Cortland, Syracuse. I attended college sm
at Syracuse years ago...met a man from the south, got married, and have lived down here ever since. I grew up in Rome, NY, if you are familiar...Am planning a trip up there with the entire family who, ironically, has never been up there before. We are going to probably stay in Syracuse and then drive to VT where I have family also. I can't wait for my husband and kids to see the Adirondacks in person and show them the house I grew up in.
I think we are going to wait until spring because of all the snow up there..stay safe, stay warm and cuddly, and know that I envy you. I haven't seen snow in over 10 years!!
cute! reminds me of OTIS from "milo and otis" ...fun memories! nm
nm
Favorite sm
Melinda - humble, honest, what the world needs now - she is true, you can tell, nothing phony about her, need some good, old fashioned modesty, perhaps she will set a trend, I hope so!!! She is phenomenal - makes me cry, she is so not affected!!!
That was my favorite.
nm
That is my son's favorite
But if you are into Sci-Fi, we bond over Dr. Who.
My favorite new man! sm
Russell Crowe was recently interviewed. Here's what he had to say...
As for the future lessons he'll teach his boys about the opposite sex, Crowe says, "Look, when it comes to women, you are talking about mysteries that haven't been unraveled by the wisest scholars of all time. I'm not going to be able to do that. But I can teach my sons to respect them."
If all men could be this smart!
Here's my very favorite
Rugelach
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup apricot preserves, pureed in a food processor
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash.
Cream the cheese and butter until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.
When I was a kid, my favorite was
Interjection, but now I really like Unpack Your Adjectives. They are all so clever.
My favorite
For some reason these cookies are the best ever anywhere! Probably because I was a girl scout for 10 years and sold cookies every year with my sister. They too were 50 cents when I sold them and yes I feel like a dinasaur when they look at me like I'm the oldest thing they've ever seen. My favorites are the samoas and lemon cookies. Yum! I'm so excited...now if I can just find where to buy them around here. Hopefully some girlscout will come to my door like I used to go door to door when I was a girl scout.
They are my favorite, too....nm
that WAS my favorite
dark chocolate is a health food. I totally bought into that and after one year, I had to spend all summer on the eliptical just to get rid of my big booty!
my favorite
lazy peach pie - canned peaches with allspice and crushed vanilla wafers
lazy cheese cake - cream cheese on graham crackers with jelly on top
anybody else have favorite snack ideas?
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