Do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
Scientists can tell from the chemical makeup of your bones where exactly on the globe you spent your childhood. Well, if where you were a kid is embedded in your bones, how do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?
I was born and raised in Massachusetts. So, I'm a "blue stater"- i.e. liberal. Yeah, "I pahhk tha cahh". For me, JFK never had an accent. Never voted for a Republican. I came from a small town of almost entirely of French-Canadian Catholics. I really never thought of it, but a lot of what's me came from there.
 

fuzzybuddy said:
Do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?
fuzzybuddy said:
Scientists can tell from the chemical makeup of your bones where exactly on the globe you spent your childhood.
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Of course it does, as you say everything from the chemistry of our bones to our view of the world. Growing up in the South I still find Yankee accents a bit irritating. I know it's irrational, but I can't be otherwise. I do have lots of friends with those irritating accents!

My teeth were pretty good for the first 60 years or so of my life, so were my brothers'. I suspect that was due to the natural fluoride in our water.
 

Do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?​


Absolutely!
And, not only where, but more so.... how

...and I've sought it for my children and my children's children

Basically, runnin' thru the woods, keeping pace with my dog
 

I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Ontario. None of the women were employed, unless they were forced by unfortunate circumstances. I never expected to work outside the home.

By the time I was 20, the world had changed, but somehow I never caught on. I had no career goals, because I believed I'd get married and stay home. Even into my 40s and 50s.

I've met other women my age, who always knew they'd work. I met them on the west coast, so I suppose that's where they were from.
 
Jackie23 said:
Yes, I grew up a 'Southern Baptist', you know the ones that think it's a sin to dance...
I was in my mid 30s before I said...."Wait just a minute here."
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Me too. I was one of those kids who are a pain in the a**. Sunday school would find me asking questions like "If it is a sin to drink why did Jesus turn the water into wine?" According to my Sunday school teacher that was just grape juice.
 
I grew up in the most visually beautiful place I've ever seen. I'm also from a Liberal area with colleges and universities around every block and don't really understand what all the fuss is about with many things I see around me in the world on a broader level. There are lots of gloriously picturesque woods, streams, ponds and hiking areas which add to the beauty of the place. It's the kind of place that is just so pretty you never want to leave. Yes, it influenced me deeply.pond trees me.jpgarbor day trees.jpgwinter trees in snow.jpglake trees.jpgswans feeding.jpg
 
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fuzzybuddy said:
Scientists can tell from the chemical makeup of your bones where exactly on the globe you spent your childhood. Well, if where you were a kid is embedded in your bones, how do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?
I was born and raised in Massachusetts. So, I'm a "blue stater"- i.e. liberal. Yeah, "I pahhk tha cahh".
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I love that Bostonian Accent... I love a lot of American accents.. but that one always fascinates me.. :D
 
chic said:
I grew up in the most visually beautiful place I've ever seen. I'm also from a Liberal area with colleges and universities around every block and don't really understand what all the fuss is about with many things I see around me in the world on a broader level. There are lots of gloriously picturesque woods, streams, ponds and hiking areas which add to the beauty of the place. It the kind of place that is just so pretty you never want to leave. Yes, it influenced me deeply.View attachment 249299View attachment 249300View attachment 249301View attachment 249302View attachment 249303
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very pretty... Looks very much like here where I've lived for the past almost 50 years... altho' I didn't grow up here..
 
I grew up in the city..in a predominately working class area.. but the best neighbourhood in the city, by far.. the most crime free, the prettiest, the cleanest and the most green... with boulevards and parks everywhere...

If I'd grown up in the south or East of the city, where my relatives all grew up and still lived which was down, dirty , rough, slum areas.. and tough men and women who fought for survival with everything it took.. .. I probably would be a very different person today
 
I am another one that can say where and how I was raised. It was a small town at that time. In between two large cities. That is now where everyone wants to live. The small town is gone. The two lane roads, gone, replaced by freeways and 5 or 6 lane streets.

We lived in a neighborhood but were allowed to have big gardens, farm animals, chickens, ponies, even a cow was at the neighbors. Many might say we were poor. I never saw it that way. There were four kids, we each had our own room after stepdad added 2 bedrooms and a bath on to the house. It was cozy and comfortable. Our house was right next to the city park that had a community pool, skating rink, baseball fields and playgrounds. The community center, the library was a short walk away. We walked to elementary school every day, alone, there were no bad people to worry about.

We never went hungry, we had the garden in the summer, Mom canned for the winter. We had a big chest freezer, Stepdad would go out to nearby farms that sold beef, pork and chickens to get meat.

No, I did not have what some people think is necessary to be happy. I had everything I needed and I still do. I have a nice home, paid off, I have a car, paid off, I got the kid thru college without loans and started off into a good life. No, I don't have the latest and greatest but I don't need that. I have my home, my dogs, plenty of food,good health insurance. I do have money if I decide that there is something I can't live without. Laugh if you will but the only thing I want is someone to clean the house (dog hair)and help me get the dogs to the vet and groomers.
 
You can't help being influenced by where you grew up. I had the coal region accent engrained in me. I lost it when in the service and picked it up when I got back. We're a blank slate when were born only to have life leave many influences, some we're not aware of.
 
Chet said:
You can't help being influenced by where you grew up. I had the coal region accent engrained in me. I lost it when in the service and picked it up when I got back. We're a blank slate when were born only to have life leave many influences, some we're not aware of.
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Coal region like Mahanoy city, St. Claire, Pottsville, Frackville ?
 
My place of birth really depressing then & probably more so now. Only effect was to learn up to & including at the age of 18 yr. I didn't want to live there for the rest of my life.

Joined the U S Navy & life has been an adventure ever since.:)
 
Jackie23 said:
Yes, I grew up a 'Southern Baptist', you know the ones that think it's a sin to dance...
I was in my mid 30s before I said...."Wait just a minute here."
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That sinfulness wasn't confined to Baptists. We had a C of E scripture teacher, a volunteer, who when asked by a student why dancing was sinful, answered because it was "mental adultery". Never mind that we were all virginal 13 year olds and overlooking the fact that most of us at some time had been taken onto a dancefloor riding on the shoes of our fathers.

Back in those days, the 1950s, other practices that were frowned on by the scripture teachers were wearing lipstick and going to the movie theatres. We were having none of it.

Mind you, the darkened theatre on a Saturday afternoon was a place of passionate kisses and other illicit physical contact for teens. I always wore so many layers of clothing that I was in no danger of any serious skin to skin contact.
 
The place where I grew up affected me in both a positive and not-so-positive manner. Positive in that it developed a sense of independence and self-reliance. Not so positive in finding playmates my age close by.

Grew up on the outskirts of Omaha, Nebraska. Not quite out of the city. Not quite in the country. Right next to a railroad. We built our own home one brick and piece of lumber at a time. Provided me a lifetime of useable skills early on. Dad and mom picked a good place to raise an only son. Having a brother or sister would have made it even better. As it was, I was a happy child and always found ways to keep myself busy.

Curious, but in retirement that aloneness has re-emerged. As if life has gone full circle.

Arnold
 
I grew up in a small beach town in SoCal, it was fun, we kids all played outside all the time. I don't know how much it has had in my life, but I know it was a great childhood. Today, there are so many people and ordinary houses go for a million bucks. If I wanted to I couldn't afford to live there.
 
Montana:
Rootin Tootin, last little town of the Wild West was where I grew up.
Every day I could, I was alone, down at the mighty Yellowstone River
climbing hills and crawling in caves. I took dangerous risks and
yes, I think it had an effect on me. I know it affected my artwork.
I could be an adventurer, not ever be afraid and still be feminine.
Watched people with no pretense, no unrealistic hopes and hard work.
 
DebraMae said:
just grape juice
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Mormons believe the same, they drink water for communion.

Doesn't make sense, wine was the way of preserving grape juice and perhaps to sanitize. Neither work for grape juice...
Jackie23 said:
'Southern Baptist', you know the ones that think it's a sin to dance...
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So was playing cards as I recall. I was not Southern Baptist, but my grandmother and probably half of my friends were.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?
Scientists can tell from the chemical makeup of your bones where exactly on the globe you spent your childhood. Well, if where you were a kid is embedded in your bones, how do you think the place where you grew up has affected your life?
Click to expand...
My family was all over, I was born in Cuba, moved to Mexico, moved to U.S. then lived in 7 different places before I joined the Army at age 17.
I would be interested to see what the scientists would say about my makeup, but the word "autopsy" doesn't' sound appealing at this stage in the game... :unsure:
 

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