Growing Up, ever wonder....

[minks]

Ok what was it like when you were growing up?

I grew up small family (only one sibling), in a big but safe city (way back then it had a very small town attitude)

I liked the fact my parents encouraged a good relationship with my brother because often it was just us 4 camping in the toolies.

I lived in a nice quaint little house and went to a school 3 blocks away from me.

My best friend had 6 siblings, I always wanted to try out a big family as her's was so loud and busy.

I always wondered what country living was like or even small town, where you don't have the hustle and bustle, but you do have close neighbors, or you have acres of land and a horse.

I have no regrets of my city up bringing. But always wondered what it was like to grow up differently than small family, big city.

What was it like for the rest of you growing up?

[CARLA]

Well Minks I grew up in San Diego California in the 50's and 60's it was a small beach town then that was heaven for us kids. San Diego is unique you can be at the beach and drive 20 minutes and be in farm country and the mountains and snow. So growing up I had it all Surf, Snow, Mountains to camp in, Desert sand to go off roading in paradise growing up. My childhood was great I have only fond memories of being a kid and growing up here in San Diego nothing but fun and adventure. I am the oldest of three girls..!!:-4

[valerie]

It was wonderful. Whenever we would complain about chores, Dad

would say "Some day you kids would give your right arm to have this

place" and boy was he ever right. Acres and acres and horses and horses.

I used to have the best young girl's job in the world, people would pay

me to exercise their horses during the week since they worked and

could only ride weekends. And we used to play cops and robbers on

horses, we'd fill a gunny sack with hay and that was the "loot". I

always wanted to be out with my friends, though, my sisters were about

4 years younger and about 8 years younger than me, and I didn't like

them tagging along. (Little brother didn't arrive until I was 13!!)



Summers were long and hot and we had HUGE gardens, we'd go out

and pick tomatoes and eat them right there. Corn on the cob, yum

I could eat a LOT back then and we'd stuff ourselves. BBQ's with

friends with dad's fisherman friend bringing loads of fresh caught

trout and dad putting on deer or elk steaks.



Finishing the last of Daddy's iced tea, with the sugar in the bottom.



Jumping in the back of the pickup and going somewhere with dad,

feed store or just to drop by and "See a man about a horse"



Horse shows on a lot of those Sundays, winning ribbons. And Pow

Wow days, where the little town came alive with a parade and

carnival and rodeo. An inebriated friend walking his mare right

through the Black Stallion bar... hollering that his mare wanted to

see that black stallion NOW.



Going down to the creek, wading and catching crawdads, bringing

them home and putting water in dad's tube testers from the gas

station, keeping them in there to poke sticks at and watch them

scurry! Going back a couple days later and releasing them again.



Sitting outside in the evenings, when it was so nice and yeah you

slapped at some skeeters but didn't really care.



I soooo miss those days.

[BabyRider]

We moved around a LOT. My dad was not...how shall I put this delicately...real devoted to holding down jobs. We were constantly moving when he got a new job for some other company because the "boss was an idiot" or, he "deserved more money..." there was always some excuse. When I moved into the flat I live in now, my first place REALLY all my own, was the 27th time I'd moved. The only consistency I had in my life growing up was summers at my grandparents farm, with 40+ acres of woods to roam and a big huge farmhouse full of old stuff to rummage around in. The neighbors across the street, (the only ones in sight) raised harness racers, and we got to ride horses around the 1/4 mile track they had built on their 300+ acres. I LIVED for those summer months. I spent dawn to dusk tromping through the woods, playing "ghost in the graveyard" and other games we just made up. I took my grandpa's .22 rifle out and shot the hell out of tree stumps, took his golden retreivers with me everywhere, and you could not drag me into the house while it was still light out, and often times not after that either. I would even eat all my meals outside. There was a huge barn filled with ancient farm equipment and the neighbors boarded some of their horses on our land, and I'd go play tag with them and jump on them bare back and race around the property. In late summer I'd go tromping through the woods and eat blackberries the size of your thumb right off the bushes. Those summers were the very best time of my life. I would give just about anything to be able to live in the country, and Bullet feels the same. So, when money is right, we will be looking for property in some other state where we can build a house in the middle of nowhere. Yup, I'm total country. City living? You can have it.

[Accountable]

Any way of growing up has it's mixed blessings, even foster care. I started and ended as the youngest of five (my natural family), but during my teen years:



Age 13 I was a middle kid of 15 brothers.

Age 16 I was one half of twin boys. No other siblings.

Age 17 I was the eldest brother of 75.



In a way, I was an only child the entire time.

[chonsigirl]

You have lots of family here who love you, AC.:-4

I was one of six, the proverbial BRady bunch. Yes, I was Marsha!:p

We were an anomaly, because my parents were missionaries and we went many places. One brother and sister are Korean, from time spent there. So we had lots of fun growing up, there was always someone around to play with, there were plenty of us!

[sunny104]

I was born and raised in the city of Chicago.

I'm my mother's 3rd and my parents 1st child so I grew up as an only child.

They both worked starting when I was in Kindergarden, so I had to get up, get dressed and walk to and from school alone.

At 7 they divorced and my mother started working 2nd shift so I was alone from the time I got home from school until she came home at 2:30 in the morning and she'd still be asleep in the morning when I'd get up to go to school so I was basically always on my own except school time.

I don't see my childhood as good or bad. It is what it is and it made me who I am so that at least is a good thing!

[jbbarker1947]

We moved to town when I was three years old. The town population was about 15,000. My father had a house built when I was seven. I attended grade school and high school in that small town. The world was different in that moment in time. There was little crime, no drugs. I have a close friendship with some of the people I have known since childhood. Some never left the small town. One moved to another part of the state and became a career law enforcement officer. Another died in prison. My brother went to Viet Nam. By draft age, I had damaged my knee and had a steel pin in my elbow. I had several medical deferments. I took daily medication, which I do to this day from three bouts with cancer. I had four operations at the age of 12, 14, 16, 18. Only one was not malignant. I am a survivor, in so many ways. My parents had not much hope of me seeing 21. To them, the cold war nothing. It was a perfect childhood in small town.

[chocoholic]

I've lived in Hereford all my life and was the middle girl in a family of 3 girls.

My parents made life great fun and we lived in an extended family of loads of cousins as both my Mum and Dad were from large families.

I always felt safe and well loved as a child although I don't think I was a very nice person at times.

Loved school until I went to High School at age 11 and from then on couldn't wait to leave.

Thought working life would offer so much more but found this is not the case!

[minks]

These are great insights gang, keep them coming.

[Bez]

My mum was born in my home town

My Dad travelled from the Midlands to the south of England during the depression to find work and found my Mum as well.

My brother was born in 1937

My sister was born in 1939

My Dad went of to war in 1940

While he was away in 1945, a baby half brother was born who I didn't meet until my mums funeral (1996)

I was born in 1946.

I grew up almost as an ony child due to the age gap between my brother and sister.

The envrironment I grew up in was caring but not loving.

I remember food rationing well into the 1950s.

Like most Mums, mine didn't work until i went to senior school.

My dad didn't drive a car but rode a motorbike.

My Grandad who was church warden of our local church lived with us until he died when I was 12

There was only 2 car owners in our street...everyone rode bikes.

The milk was delivered by a horse drawn milk float and we regularly saw the 'Rag and Bone man' (early recycling)

I went to infant school which still had an air raid siren on the roof....this was kept commissioned for several years...used to scare the life out of me when they tested it.

I remenber freedom to play in the local fields, tuck shops and a sweet shop that sold 'home made' ice lollies that took the skin off your lips !

Most of our garden was kept for growing vegetables and we had several chicken whch supplied eggs daily and the occasional sunday roast. Eggs were hatched in a basket kept over the old fashioned boiler and i was enchanted by the tiny fluffy chicks.

When my brother went off to do his national service I was gutted. He was my big hero brother (still is) and i was his baby sister (that he spoilt)

I don't remember having close friends until I went to Senior school but as we were nearing the 60s then, it was a really fun time....my teenage years in the 60s were the most memorable and happy for me...juke boxes, Ice Cream parlours, Elvis , the beatles and fun fashion.....