What was your childhood like?

My childhood was okay until I turned 10 until age 16 school work was difficult for me, was put back twice in 4th grade& 9th grade I went to 2 boarding schools, 1st co-ed school in Deerfield,Mass, 500 miles away from parents& siblings, 2nd girls school in Toronto 90 miles away. I purposely got in with wrong crowd to get my parent's attention, it worked. I got expelled,lived with aunt& uncle in Baltimore, MD last 2 yrs. I don;t know what it was like for my siblings,they got to stay home.It took me years to forgive my parents,but I survived
 

My dad was a career Army man, so we moved a few times, but making new friends came easy for me and my sister.
Just before dad retired, he asked us kids where we would like to live. I told him near grandma and grandpa, but dad didn’t like that idea. He moved us to Pennsylvania because he wanted to be close to the War College, which I never knew anything about. I thought he was kidding. A war college?
 

hollydolly said:
That's so true... I have taken things on the chin as an adult.. that most people feel have destroyed their lives.... and I really do think that it's because my body learned to grow an armadillo shield.. due to my abusive childhood.. and thereofre I can take a lot more without crumbing than most people.......the only issue is.. that pople think they can throw everything at me.. ''you're strong' is the oft repeated phrase..... yes well maybe, but it was a learned behavior ...... but I still feel emotional pain if something is terrible
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I got whipped as a child myself. I really didn't dwell on it and never whipped my kids. I just thought it was old fashioned.
 
When you think about it, babies don't come with instructions, so, I guess most people muddle along the best way they know how.

This is not to say that there are parents who use their children for whipping boys or girls. There is no excuse for that and should never be condoned. I am talking about real physical abuse perpetrated upon children by adults, which I sadly witnessed by a neighbor and was totally unnecessary. When I told my parents about it, my father, who hated violence of any sort, had a long chat with the boy's father. Since my dad was a lawyer, I would hope the guy listened carefully to what he told him.
 
Lewkat said:
When you think about it, babies don't come with instructions, so, I guess most people muddle along the best way they know how.

This is not to say that there are parents who use their children for whipping boys or girls. There is no excuse for that and should never be condoned. I am talking about real physical abuse perpetrated upon children by adults, which I sadly witnessed by a neighbor and was totally unnecessary. When I told my parents about it, my father, who hated violence of any sort, had a long chat with the boy's father. Since my dad was a lawyer, I would hope the guy listened carefully to what he told him.
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I wish we had your dad living next door to us...
 
Conflicted.

My mother and father stayed together. I was always fed. I always had a roof over my head (until I didn't).

My father brought me up in the values he knew. That translated to being judgemental, cold, sometimes mean, and with a lack of love.

I have spent a lot of my life unlearning these things. So what on the surface looked good, was ultimately destructive. My sibling has never risen above it. I rose above it too late.
 
hollydolly said:
That's so true... I have taken things on the chin as an adult.. that most people feel have destroyed their lives.... and I really do think that it's because my body learned to grow an armadillo shield.. due to my abusive childhood.. and thereofre I can take a lot more without crumbing than most people.......the only issue is.. that pople think they can throw everything at me.. ''you're strong' is the oft repeated phrase..... yes well maybe, but it was a learned behavior ...... but I still feel emotional pain if something is terrible
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I'm very sorry about how stressful your childhood was. What's important is what you think not what others think. Hang in there. You're one of the reasons I like this site so much❤️
 
My 2 brothers were older and distant. All cousins were much older. My sister was only three years older and we got along. She was much more practical and I was flighty. Left brained and right brained some might say. I spent a lot of time outside the house, coming home to eat and sleep. It could have been worse.
 
I was a boy in 1940. My father took us along on a business trip to Canada. Canada had entered WW2, but the US had not. In Canada there were soldiers everywhere. What astounded this boy from Long Island was that many of them were wearing KILTS as part of their army uniforms. I had never seen kilts before.
 
Manatee said:
I was a boy in 1940. My father took us along on a business trip to Canada. Canada had entered WW2, but the US had not. In Canada there were soldiers everywhere. What astounded this boy from Long Island was that many of them were wearing KILTS as part of their army uniforms. I had never seen kilts before.
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Canadian soldiers in World War II wore kilts only on ceremonial occasions and in specific, non-combat roles, as they were rapidly deemed impractical for modern warfare. The kilts were a symbol of the rich Scottish heritage of the Canadian Highland regiments, which were a part of the military for over 200 years, and remained an important part of their identity for parades and other formal events.
 
Manatee said:
I was a boy in 1940. My father took us along on a business trip to Canada. Canada had entered WW2, but the US had not. In Canada there were soldiers everywhere. What astounded this boy from Long Island was that many of them were wearing KILTS as part of their army uniforms. I had never seen kilts before.
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I was a Long Islander myself. Suffolk County. Born 1937.
 
Capt Lightning said:
I used to think that I was the only one who had a 'bad' childhood, but having read other people's experiences, I realised that I was not alone.
It's sad that so many of us had a bad childhood and I wonder how much of this goes on today.
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I think a lot less of it goes on today than it did when we were growing up.. because the children are now very much more aware that it's wrong for parents to hit them... and know of resources where they can report it... childline..teachers.. etc

In our day..at least in mine we were warned that what goes on behind closed doors is not to be spoken about outside of the house...
 
Capt Lightning said:
I used to think that I was the only one who had a 'bad' childhood, but having read other people's experiences, I realised that I was not alone.
It's sad that so many of us had a bad childhood and I wonder how much of this goes on today.
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Same here... I have to admit, many had it worse than I did and watching the news - many still do.

Group hugssssss
 
My parents lived by the rule that children should be seen and not heard. My childhood was rocky at times and pleasant at times. The worst part is I had a lot of step, half and whole siblings and a biological father and step father. It was definitely a confusing childhood. That had a lot to do as to why I chose never to have children and married late in life. I didn't want to repeat their mistakes. I hate to use the word "mistakes" because I believe they did the best they could with the knowledge they had.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I wasn't a great parent, nor were my parents, nor were theirs. Maybe we all did the best we could, considering our backgrounds. Regardless, I can't blame anyone but myself for whatever mistakes I've made as an adult.
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I'd be hypocritical if I said I don't blame myself for mistakes I've made in the past. There are things from the past that I still can't forgive myself for. I try not to think about them because it hurts my heart thinking about it. It's easier for me to forgive someone else as to forgive myself for things said and done in the past.
 

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