plain jane Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Watching the littles grow up so fast is making me think back to my own childhood and the memories I have. It also leads me to think about what memories my own kids will take with them into adulthood. Life can be so hectic at times as we rush from one activity to another and I'm hoping that despite all this, each child will have treasured moments of their childhood that they can look back on with fondness. Of course, there are no guarantees *what* they will remember- heck, one of my most memorable memories is the one when I ran away from home for a few hours at age 7.:blink: I never did get far, just around the corner, but the emotions I felt that day will stick with me for a lifetime. One of my happiest memories has to be when we took a family vacation to the Oregon coast. We rented a beach front cabin for a week and spent the entire time frolicking in the ocean and playing board games on the deck in the late evening. Some of my other memories, while not unpleasant, are not what I would call "happy" memories. I certainly wish my kids would remember more of the happy times that we share, KWIM? So, just curious, what are some of your most memorable childhood memories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsdash Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 waking up at my grandmothers house in the morning and hearing her in the kitchen making breakfast. Learning to cook with my grandmother. My happiest memories are all surrounded by her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Playing "war" with all the neighbor kids vacations at the beach (I grew up in FL) going to drive-in movies in our pajamas to see movies like "Freaky Friday" and "The Pink Panther" my dad whistling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 So, just curious, what are some of your most memorable childhood memories? One of my favorites... I was probably about four, and my mom had given me a bath and put me in my nightgown. My dad was in the garage, doing something...car-related, probably...and I went in to be with him. He plopped me on a stool, in front of a cabinet covered with nuts, bolts, and screws, and asked me to sort them for him. While I did this, he told me that I was doing a great job...a better one, in fact, than many adults could do. (LOL) That stuck with me for a long time. My parents divorced before I entered Kindergarten, so there weren't many opportunities for memories like that, but I appreciated my dad giving me a job, helping him (he told me years later that it was true, lol, he did know adults who couldn't do something so simple that well)...and most of all, I'm glad my mom didn't throw a fit about a shiny, clean, nightgowned preschooler going into a greasy garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 My favorite memories were the real two week vacations we took as a family. We had a pop-up camper. My very laid back dad would drive 500 miles in one day just so we could see as much of the US as possible in that two week period. We planned the trips as a family. We grew up in the mid-west but always went west. I've been to dozens of national parks, been in four states at one time (still feel that way on some days), stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon, and stood in an ice cold mountain stream in July. I've seen bear claw marks in a tree from the night before, watched bats fly out of caves, and laughed when my mom got bit trying to feed a chipmunk. I remember feeling very bitter when I realized as an adult I would probably not be able to do that for my family or myself. I didn't even get two weeks off and didn't have enough money to travel that far. That is one of the reasons we plan on selling our house and traveling in an RV for a period of time. DS keeps seeing these places on TV and I can say "I've been there" and he says "Why haven't I been there?" This country's beauty can not be fully appreciated via the travel channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5knights3maidens Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Playing with all the kids in the neighborhood and always seeing/being with my mom. (I should have been a homeschool kid;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich with Kids Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Church choir tours. We had about we had a Jr. High Choir and a High School choir. Each would go on a week long tour singing at various churches and staying in the homes of the members and then both choirs would meet up for a week of camp. Usually in the Ozarks. There were 250 of us and it was a blast! In the 6 years I was in choir, I saw every state except Alaska and Hawaii. All in a big ol' tour bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 My best friend (a boy) and me climbing over the fence at nursery when we were about five and playing in the gigantic puddle of water on the other side. Boy were we in trouble afterwards but it was fun while it lasted :D Summers at my grandmothers with all the cousins. Playing in the water glider one of the aunts or uncles bought. Those are probably the two that really stand out but my childhood is this whole long joyfilled memory for me so they all kinda blend together to a sense of happiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 My happiest memory was my 6th birthday when my aunt made me my OWN birthday cake...a real birthday cake...with candles and pink icing and my name on it...and cousins to sing Happy Birthday. It may seem small and simple, but we did not ever have birthdays like that...and I really can't remember ever having another that made me feel so special. I make sure my kiddoes have a cake with candles and their name in icing...and a crown...because they are so special to me. ~~Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 I had a very happy childhood and I have so many wonderful memories. I get these very strong sensory memories at times. A certain fall smell will remind me of being a kid at Halloween. I love the times of traveling with my family, watching sports on TV with my dad, just being with my mom, swimming, going to the lake, spending the night at my grandparents house, playing with friends. I hope my children have such happy memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest janainaz Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 I had a miserable childhood, but have some good memories, unfortunately they just don't include people. -My snow-white cake on my 4th birthday (all the characters on it) -waking up at my grandma's house on Christmas with the snow falling I'm sure there was other good stuff, but I just can't remember any of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 I can't pick a moment. There were some crummy times in my childhood but, overall, I was an extremely fortunate kid. Our family spent every summer from the time I was 3 or 4 until I was 17 camping at a family campground/farm. My grandparents were there, and I had a large group of friends. We had freedoms I'm sad to feel my children will never have. From morning to night, we were able to take off wherever we pleased, through acres and acres of woods. Before cell phones, even before pagers. Our parents trusted that we were safe, and we were. I wish I could recreate that for my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Watching the littles grow up so fast is making me think back to my own childhood and the memories I have. It also leads me to think about what memories my own kids will take with them into adulthood. Life can be so hectic at times as we rush from one activity to another and I'm hoping that despite all this, each child will have treasured moments of their childhood that they can look back on with fondness. Of course, there are no guarantees *what* they will remember- heck, one of my most memorable memories is the one when I ran away from home for a few hours at age 7.:blink: I never did get far, just around the corner, but the emotions I felt that day will stick with me for a lifetime. One of my happiest memories has to be when we took a family vacation to the Oregon coast. We rented a beach front cabin for a week and spent the entire time frolicking in the ocean and playing board games on the deck in the late evening. Some of my other memories, while not unpleasant, are not what I would call "happy" memories. I certainly wish my kids would remember more of the happy times that we share, KWIM? So, just curious, what are some of your most memorable childhood memories? Walking to and from elementary school in grades K through 2 are some of my fondest memories. I had about a ten minute walk, and so much happened in that time each day! I loved seeing all my friends walking to school, and chatting with them on the way. Even if there was sometimes arguing or even a fight, I enjoyed the drama! There was a little corner store on the way that sold tons of different types of penny candy. Most of the kids in my neighborhood stopped there on the way from school and would use their dimes and nickels to get a little treat to eat on the way home. I remember if I was lucky occasionally and had a bit more change, I would get a blue raspberry Slush Puppy. I especially loved walking to school in the fall, because there would be tons of leaves all over the sidewalk that I would kick up into the air as I walked. And there were chestnuts on the ground, and I would use my feet to pry their prickly shells open. Then I'd take the chestnuts home with me and play Little House on the Prairie with them, pretending I was Laura and I had to go out and gather chestnuts for Ma. :) I do wish my kids could experience more of that kind of freedom. Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 But a stand out one would be our yearly camping trips. My grandparents, my mom's brother and family, as well as some other of her family members (another brother and some cousins) and we would go camping every year to the same place in Virginia on the Eastern Shore. It was so fun. My cousins were my age and we spent the week swimming, biking, fishing, crabbing, boating, and rollerskating. It was a blast. (the campground was CherryStone for anyone from that area). But really, I think the "happiest" thing about my childhood was knowing my mom was always there. She was a SAHM. I had a lot of unhappy things in my childhood as well, and her being home was such an important constant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyR Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Very few good memories. My mom was sick (MS) and my dad put her in a far-away nursing home when I was 9 and then left me to be raised by neighbors and various family members. Anyway.... my good memories still surround my dad. The two of us traveling in his RV, sleepovers in his boat then fishing in the ocean, walking miles in the woods with his metal detector looking for a lost village and picking mushrooms along the way, going to the beach most summer weekends with my aunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saille Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Most of my best memories are of time spent outdoors alone, or of my Granny Jean, who unfortunately died of cancer when I was in elementary school. I remember her teaching me to make cloverleaf rolls. I remember picking pansies and mint in her garden. I remember eating a spoonful of still-soft home churned peach ice cream over the sink (my Grandad held me in his arms), after my mom insisted that the ice cream was never going to harden and it was waaaay past my bedtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret in GA Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 I just wanted to say, what a beautiful thread. I really teared up at a couple of these. It makes me want to be a better mama. I have so many great memories, being the youngest of 7 really creative, funny people. Probably I think about playing cards the most. Every holiday we'd sit around at night and play cards ("poker" or "oh hell") and laugh and laugh and laugh. My parents were far from perfect, but made sure we had plenty of spare moments to find spontaneous hilarity. Margaret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Playing hide and seek in the barn Making hay Helping my dad cut firewood Being picked to participate in a Punch and Judy skit at the Barnum and Bailey circus in Florida Eating dinner at my aunts' houses and playing with the cousins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyatHome Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 I have a lot of wonderful childhood memories, but a favorite that always comes to mind first is the five of us kids climbing into bed with my parents and playing games - usually card games like PIG or even poker (no money or chips involved). My siblings and I still love to play games together and my children love family games as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Watching the littles grow up so fast is making me think back to my own childhood and the memories I have. It also leads me to think about what memories my own kids will take with them into adulthood. Life can be so hectic at times as we rush from one activity to another and I'm hoping that despite all this, each child will have treasured moments of their childhood that they can look back on with fondness. Of course, there are no guarantees *what* they will remember- heck, one of my most memorable memories is the one when I ran away from home for a few hours at age 7.:blink: I never did get far, just around the corner, but the emotions I felt that day will stick with me for a lifetime. One of my happiest memories has to be when we took a family vacation to the Oregon coast. We rented a beach front cabin for a week and spent the entire time frolicking in the ocean and playing board games on the deck in the late evening. Some of my other memories, while not unpleasant, are not what I would call "happy" memories. I certainly wish my kids would remember more of the happy times that we share, KWIM? So, just curious, what are some of your most memorable childhood memories? My quintessential memory of childhood happiness is of sitting with my brother on a big stool at the kitchen counter while our mother cut up apples for us to eat and gave them to us in little bowls with the bunnies on the bottom and us laughing to see the little bunnies when we were done. That was just... so mom... and so happy. But that was before my dad came back from the war. That was the end of apples and bunny bowls. Nobody laughed much after that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom to Aly Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Going to Rockefeller Center every year for the lighting of the Christmas tree, then ice skating there afterwards. Playing outside in the sprinkler in my grandmother's backyard in Texas. Sun showers there, and the smell after it rained. Cooking for my dad--one of the few times he would be really pleased with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumbledeb Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Living on my grandparents' croft with my uncle and aunt and cousins, my parents and grandparents. (not all in the same house!) Having freedom to ramble about outside for hours. Crawling under a thicket of brambles to feast on the biggest, juiciest, tastiest blackberries. Having loads of relatives, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. coming to visit regularly. Playing with animals - cats, dogs, ponies. My mum has the worst singing voice imaginable. Really. But one of my favourite memories is of her singing to us as she baked. At the time I thought it was wonderfully musical. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherofjoy Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 The memories that come to mind first are the times when my older siblings paid some special attention to me, instead of telling me to get lost. Of course there were family vacations, special holiday traditions, and grandparents too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Being with my granny at her house, eating her homemade tortillas and chorizo. She used to make a slip-in-side out of vinyl tablecloths and dawn soap. She was the best ever. She took wonderful care of me when I was sick, and used to rub my legs and feet when they ached. There's just too many memories that are wonderful with granny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Not the "highlight" of my childhood, but this memory jumped to my mind. When I was really young we lived in the "hot" summered part of the San Fernando Valley here in Los Angeles, and in those days didn't have air-conditioning. After days and days of 100+ weather it could get pretty miserable. But I can remember a few times when my mom flooded the flower-beds, and basically turned them into a big mud-bath my brother and I could wallow in like pigs. Cool wonderful mud. My idea of happiness :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 My mother's witticisms, and our hour long, sit-down dinner on linen and china, with her good food 7 days a week. Daddy singing Swanee River to me in the dark, cuddled up in bed, singing me to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akmommy Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 (edited) Christmas eve at my Grandparents. Just about any holiday no matter how insignificant was a good excuse for them to have a house or backyard full of family and friends. "Uncle" Bob (he rented one of my Grandparents apartments) bringing us Orange Crushes. Spending nights at my Grandparents, and using grandpas t shirts as jammies. Laying in bed with grandpa and listening to him tell or read me stories. Playing "Where's Sammy" with grandpa. Sammy was their dog and we'd throw the blankets over him saying "Where's Sammy" till he would emerge from the blankets tail wagging to lick our faces. Then we'd just bust up laughing. Walking with grandma, skipping and singing silly rhymes. Getting up early to have breakfast with Grandpa before he left for work. Going to Woolworth's soda fountain with grandma and my Great Aunt Wanda. There are so many wonderfull memories of my grandparents, I could go on and on. I miss them terribly. Going for rides on my dad's motorcycle, just him and me. After my parents divorced he remarried a lady with 2 kids so any time I had him all to myself was good. Edited October 18, 2008 by akmommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilesonly Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I come from a broken family,with lots of chaos and drug abuse. So.... Coming home one day from school in the Spring,windows open with a warm breeze coming in,and my Mom had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies warm on a plate. Waiting for me. This stands out for me, as my Mom has never been the nurturing/making memories type of Mom.Everychild should experience that. During that time period,my best childhood friend and I went trick or treating as M&M candies!:D:D Her Mom was a very crafty Mom,she helped us make the costumes-they looked great! (I was plain,my friend was peanut!):D:D Smiles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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