playing tag in the street,water gun fights, the Mister softee truck,block parties,we were poor as fuck but we had fun.

I had some good childhood experiences, but a lot of bad in that mix. I can't remember all of it to this day.....thankfully.

Wow, sometimes I miss my

All that hair! I had a and everything!

I have been truly blessed with a wonderful childhood and having loving, kind, open-minded and progressive parents for their time.

My adulthood has been a different story, however I carry with me strength and love I have been shown by my supportive family throughout my entire life.

My beautiful Mom is still alive, however I lost my Dad a few years ago.

We went on adventurous vacations, we took music and dance lessons, we learned to create, to dream, and to believe in ourselves.

We flew kites on the beach, we played Cowboys and Indians in our backyard for hours on end, we watched black and white TV, we had coloring books and dress up clothes, we had 'pretend' picnics in the living room when the weather was inclement, during the fierce Florida hurricanes my parents made it a game when the lights went out to keep us from being scared.....wow, can I go back to those times?

...and we had a cross burned in our neighborhood because my parents and our neighbors stood up for what was right. Even though ~ at only 5 years old ~ I was scared, I count that as an important part of my childhood, too. And I consider it a 'good' memory because it represents to me the integrity of my parents and the values they instilled in my brother and I very early on.

I'm really a lucky person!

Imago said:

Saipan..?!?!? We were almost neighbors. I spent a few years on Guam.

I feel it's natural to remember the innocent days of childhood, because as time goes on, we forget the bad stuff. Like forgetting to study for a test, or losing a fight to a bully, or getting sick in class, or stuff like that.

i remember chasing my best friend home down 7 mile road when the street lights came on ...screaming that she better run and run fast or the banshees would eat her



damn how horrid i was to her


she would cry and i would laugh

okay... so that was weird...i was a bitch to her





i'm so sorry jackie ...

purplerein said:

I have a few things like that I have forgotten, however the memories that have molded me as a person I will never forget.....like the cross burning incident I wrote about earlier, or our neighbor across the street molesting me that I purposefully did not mention before.....

Bad? Most definitely. But those experiences made/make me who and what I am today. So I face it head on and deal with it.

cubic61052 said:

you're cool in my book

Mach said:

Mach, you are a good person with a good heart, im sure she has forgiven you

susannah said:

Thanx ... and yes she has we are still friends after 38 yrs ... we laugh about all the crazy stuff we did all those years growing up together

manki said:

Yes, almost everyday of growing up... it seems. We learned to swim in this water... usually the water is a bit lighter in color, not the cleanest... bt not always this muddy looking either. It all depends on the time of year... winters the water is low... the summers it is high. When it rains... it's chocolate milk.

Below, the same river area... a year and a half ago... and the other... just a year later...

This truly was a great place to grow up and have daily adventures... the mountains were our playgrounds for sure.

Teacher said:

Jen

SHANNA said:

Humor me and tell me in private.

Roosters!... did your aunt make you hold them down as she axed their heads off!? My aunt did.

MickG said:

cubic61052 said:

This is incredile insight cubic60512, thank you so much for sharing... I am interested to know more about the burning cross.

Really, thank you so much for these words.

purplerein said:

I remember both. Surprisingly enough, I have learned how to balance the two. Many years in the making... and ultimately forgiveness (no matter how much it seems impossible), is key.



Ps~ I won a few good fights back in the day.

Mach said:

You made me laugh Mach. I had a with my very best friend... we were suspended for two days.

It took about a week or more to start talking again... and yes, she is my lifelong friend still. Really, she brings great meaning into my life... 25 year and more...

~Poor Jackie... mean... Machy.

Mach said:

Im glad to hear it!

Freespirit said:

Seems like such a great place to grow up!!!
Well,maybe I'd think twice before dipping my head into the brown water
,but still..amazingly beautiful!
/peace Manki
[Edited 7/7/06 13:46pm]

When I was in elementary school two of my class mates Albert, and Cranston would chase me home every night.. Yelling, Yoli we love you!

How funny, Cranston has began his other journey, but I still see Albert every now and again.

Funny you should mention it. I have recently been reminiscing about my childhood days. I still live in the same area that I grew up in so it's hard not to remember. I always drive by my elementary school. Those were really the best days ever.

I have really been thinking about all of my elementary school friends. I lost touch with all of them. I'm thinking of starting a thread with their names just to see if anyone knows them. I know it's a long shot but oh well.


M

I feel for some of you. My childhood wasn't like "My Three Sons", but it was fun! Following my older brothers around, which one of them use to beat me up because I was younger, so my older sister had to walk me to school the entire year I was in first grade, which was also the year I broke my left ankle. I eventually became his lackey and had to carry his bicycle wheels and walk to the railroad tracks with him to watch the trains go by. We were 8 and 6 years old (kids can't do that today or they will get snatched by some perv).

Of course, I use to make my younger brothers cook for me because I believed I was of royal blood and they were my servants. Image a five-year-old standing on a chair flipping pancakes over a gas stove. My parents were out grocery shopping and the best bribery was candy so they wouldn't tell. Candy was forbidden in our house, so we would get it from our neighbors.

Of course, when I was eight, I thought I was grown and called my sister in high school a bitch. She did what all sisters from the South side of Chicago would do, she beat me from the living room into the dining room, into the kitchen, on to the back porch, down eight wooden stairs and locked me out of the house. It was in February and the snow was piled three feet and I only had on house shoes. I had to walk three houses down the street to my godparents and wait until my sister cooled off to let me back in the house. She called my godparents an hour before my parents were do to arrive home for me to get back to the house. I told her I wasn't coming because I wanted her to get a whoopin' for kicking me out the house. She told me I would get a whoopin' for calling her a bad word. I made it home in less than 45 seconds.

I loved my neighborhood. It was filled with kids. We played games like 'It,' 'War,' and 'Football.' I was the only girl to play football, so all the other girls would have me hook them up with the boys they liked on the block. 'War' was the most dangerous game because you played to intention draw blood from people you didn't like. I never played this game, but use to bandage up my godbrothers who were always bloody.

And winter (my favorite season), was the ultimate. Too bad Chicago doesn't get the snow it use to. We use to do all our chores by 9a.m. on Saturday morning and go outside and strategically build snow forts by packing snow in shoe boxes and placing them against each other to build a four foot high snow wall. Then we through snow balls at each other for hours.

To bad childhood ends once you turn 14. Those were the days.