# Was your childhood as idyllic as mine?



## hypochondriac (Jun 29, 2019)

I was suited to being a kid.  liked looking up to my older siblings like gods. I liked daydreaming on the summer holidays. I loved cricket and then rugby. I loved being in a big working class family. I loved the love. Created by loving parents. And pwe had a huge house with 3 boarders as well! Amazing we shared jusy one toilet which was locate in the bathroom. 13 people sharing one tiny toilet!
We listened to the radio. We had open hearth fires. 
Pre Internet days were happier in my experience.


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## Keesha (Jun 29, 2019)

Hell no, but glad yours was.


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## C'est Moi (Jun 29, 2019)

Yes, I had a wonderful childhood and the best parents ever.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Jun 29, 2019)

I had a great childhood. Wonderful parents and Grandparents that live right next door.


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## Shalimar (Jun 29, 2019)

Keesha said:


> Hell no, but glad yours was.


Qft


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## Sassycakes (Jun 29, 2019)

I was Blessed to have a truly wonderful childhood. I had the best Parents ,Older Brother and older sister  with many Aunts, Uncles and cousins living close to us. They were wonderful days.


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## Ruthanne (Jun 29, 2019)

When I was a young child my parents and family were great.  We went on cool vacations, I enjoyed our family meals, my mom was a great mom.  All that changed though.  'Nuff said.  Glad your childhood was idyllic!


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## hypochondriac (Jun 29, 2019)

The big shock for me was adulthood. Starting my first job. Discovering that the world didnt treat you as gently as your parents. 
My parents were too nice. ive never met better people. And many people say they loved my parents.


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## win231 (Jun 30, 2019)

I envy anyone who had good parents (and good marriages).  I had neither, but I'm OK....I guess.


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 30, 2019)

Portions of my childhood were very chaotic and portions of it were warm and wonderful.

At the time I really had no way of knowing what childhood was supposed to be like so I just muddled alone like everyone else I knew and everything turned out fine.


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## hypochondriac (Jun 30, 2019)

My wifes childhood was sad. sometimes she got locked in a cupboard as punishment. She said 
adult life has been much happier. i like family life as an adult but the workplace is often a nightmare for me.


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## hollydolly (Jun 30, 2019)

NO,  I had rotten childhood. Shunted from home to foster homes on a regular basis  , and back again, very violent father and a mother who suffered serious depression because of his actions and ultimately took her own life... 

Serious issues in my childhood  which would fill a very depressing book!


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## mike4lorie (Jun 30, 2019)

My childhood in the early days prior to being 13 was fantastic... From 13 - 16 wasn't all that hot, 16 I was asked to leave by my father... Mom was very upset about that, but I never returned to the nest... So real life began when I was 16... But have no regrets... The family died when my Mom died. To my younger brother I am dead, and younger sister, she has no use for me.  We were all adopted and were told that since the day I can remember, But as far as I am concerned my MOM was my real MOM...(RIP)


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## hollydolly (Jun 30, 2019)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> I had a great childhood. Wonderful parents and Grandparents that live right next door.


 Idyllic


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## rgp (Jun 30, 2019)

No!


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## toffee (Jun 30, 2019)

cant say a happy child hood. .but well looked after .


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## Leann (Jun 30, 2019)

When I was outside of my house, my childhood was great. I lived in a perfect neighborhood, had plenty of other kids to play with and went to a wonderful school. Inside my house, it was unpredictable but usually full of hostility between my parents, lots of arguments, and always walking on eggshells.


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## Judycat (Jun 30, 2019)

My parents yelled a lot, at us, at each other. I made my own idyllic childhood. Enjoyed the outdoors and being on my own. We had an out house, no telephone, and often went without a TV, but radio was always on. Heated our house with coal stoves, and had a big yard and garden. Lots of woods to explore and hills to climb. I miss that. Just me and my brother as sibs. Brother loved to throw me around, literally. Brought about half the yelling that went on. The other half was my mom and dad trying to do something together. Those two were oil and water. Shouldn't have had children. Oh well. So is true for much of the world. I always found a way out, therefore have many happy childhood memories.  No one need feel sorry for me. It made me resilient and patient.


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## hypochondriac (Jun 30, 2019)

As much as I moan now about my current circumstances, I cant deny I had an idyllic childhood. And reading these posts it seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Funny thing is, as a kid you are in a hurry to grow up and do "adult" things like go to the pub or drive a car. When you become an adult, those things aren't such a big deal and you have responsibilities which can be a much bigger burden than you expected.


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## jujube (Jun 30, 2019)

I had a loving childhood. Couldn't have asked for better......well, maybe a bit more money.....  I had good parents and grandparents and a lot of love.


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## Trade (Jul 7, 2019)

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"


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## charry (Jul 7, 2019)

i had a good childhood , as i was the youngest of 5,.....A  spoilt brat as my elder brothers said, but mum and dad did us good.......7 of us, and we had a holiday every year, we were well clothed, dad had a car,.... food on the table , and mum kept the house spotless....!! so i was happy with my childhood .....


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## Capt Lightning (Jul 7, 2019)

toffee said:


> cant say a happy child hood. .but well looked after .


Well said.   I had a mixed childhood..  some was good, but spoiled by the bad.   My biggest gripe is that my parents could not (or would not) explain things or construct a reasoned argument.  Their word was law and that was that.  Not the right approach for a very inquisitive and rebellious child like me.


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## Olivia (Jul 7, 2019)

I don't know. Would moving around the planet every two years since birth until age 18, leaving behind friends and homes, be considered idyllic?  Since I didn't have it the other way of growing up in one place, I don't know, military brat that I was. Educational for sure, anyway. On the other hand, there are a lot of unhappy people that grew up in one place.


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## moviequeen1 (Jul 7, 2019)

My childhood was ok until age 10,I was sent to a co-ed boarding school in Deerfield,Mass,stayed 2 yrs.
Then I went to a girls boarding school in Toronto for 2yrs,then went to live with my aunt&uncle outside of Baltimore,MD for 2 yrs.I was gone for 6yrs while my older sister and younger brother got to stay home,I was jealous.Schoolwork was always difficult for me,being put back twice didn't help my self esteem
It took me yrs to forgive my parents,to have relationships with my siblings
I survived,made a life for myself


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## Repondering (Jul 9, 2019)

Home life wasn't too good:  Mom was basically bi-polar mood disordered and I was her caregiver in depression and her handler in the manic phases.  Dad tolerated me so long as I demonstrated enough subservience to him.
School and neighborhood was a different story.  The British colony of Hong Kong in the 1960's was a super place to be a boy.


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## grannyjo (Jul 10, 2019)

Didn't have the best childhood.  I really didn't have much of one.

My mother left my father before I was born.  Couldn't really blame her - she had one child after the other until there were 17 of us.

I really wasn't aware of who my mother was until I was about 5 - my older sisters cared for me,  and I would call them all Mummy.

By the time I was 10,  I was waking my brothers in the morning after my mother left for work,  and cooking the evening meals before my mother came home from work.

Weekends were taken up with shopping for groceries and cleaning the house.

We lived in a very small house.  Females slept in one bedroom,  the males in the only other bedroom.

The toilet was a pan out the back that was emptied once a week.

We were allowed to bathe once a week,  because the copper had to be boiled to provide hot water.

Left school at 14 years and 10 months old and was sent to work.  That was despite being sent to a very selective high school,  where if I had been able to continue I would have been able to get a good paying job.  Had to hand over my pay packet to my mother.

Oh well,  I've turned out mostly OK.  Not always the happiest of people,  but I'm doing alright.


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