in what ways would you have changed your chilhood.. (physically, alcoholism, spouses)

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by LauraC

.. I escaped by reading a lot, working after school and avoiding her as much as possible. ....It did, however, teach me to be self-reliant .... I have a good imagination and a curious mind. ...I do a lot of things by myself today that my friends don't do at all because they are too afraid to do things alone.

I wish I was a better listener now. ...

Oh so similar, and so precious in molding you to your current strengths (and other...) Those who were forced to practice avoidance of mother, AND had to 'grow up with the WOLVES' are probably not well understood. It is also a bit comical to recognize the "apprehension" of the 'coddled' when risk is involved, (doing things on your own or in business). I worked with a LOT of "Momma's Boys", (managers who's moms pampered them through Stanford, Cornell, MIT..).

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

But then you wouldn't be you and if you like yourself and get along well with you, that would be a real loss.

So true, albeit painful.

I have a good imagination and a curious mind.

This is classic and I am SO GLAD for that... and have benefited immensely from it.

Public Radio just might have pulled me through. I would listen to hours of great programming and drama. (from dubbing sarcastic sound tracks of live movies and Soaps, to hours of great music and 'readings'). Winnie-the-Pooh Radio Theatre was pretty tough on my early morning carpool to college(guys on the GI bill).

Imagination keeps me a radio listener (never have fallen victim to TV)
Creativity has helped me get several US Patents and pursue a well compensated 'inventor' career. (As well as kept me fixing & remodeling trashed rural homes)

BUT... I still have to contend with MOM Many thousand miles away, but other siblings WILL NOT do elder care.

[Clark Park]

I had a great childhood because my parents were terrific people who were very much in love with each other and always encouraging and supportive to their three children.

I don't think I would change a thing.

My only regret is that I did not ask my folks, my grandparents and other older relatives more questions about their lives before I was born and family history and genealogy stuff. I am now working on my family tree - and all my relatives have dozens of questions I cannot answer - if I could only speak to some of my dearly departed great-uncles and great-aunts and distant cousins. I wish I could ask my parents to give me more details about growing up in the Great Depression or serving in World War 2 (Dad was in the US Army and landed in Normandy 2 days after D-Day, Mom was an officer in the US Navy). When we were younger we were not interested in hearing about 'the old days' and the reminisces of the old folks would bore us to tears! How differently I feel now!

[Bayarea4]

I wish my mother had married someone better than my father. He was a narcissist who hurt a lot of people.
I wish I'd had an older sister.
I wish that I'd had a stay-at-home mom instead of being a latchkey kid envying my friends whose moms baked cookies and made them hot lunches.
I wish that my father had not used my brother and me as pawns in the divorce suit, manipulating us so we would choose to live with him instead of mom.
I wish that my mother had fought harder for custody instead of letting Dad walk all over her.
I wish that I could have grown up in the same house instead of moving constantly.
I wish that I could have had piano lessons, gone to camp and joined the Girl Scouts.
I wish that my parents had encouraged me to finish my education instead of saying, "We only let you go to college so you could meet a nice boy and get married."

[catsy girl]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I had a great childhood because my parents were terrific people who were very much in love with each other and always encouraging and supportive to their three children.

I don't think I would change a thing.

My only regret is that I did not ask my folks, my grandparents and other older relatives more questions about their lives before I was born and family history and genealogy stuff. I am now working on my family tree - and all my relatives have dozens of questions I cannot answer - if I could only speak to some of my dearly departed great-uncles and great-aunts and distant cousins. I wish I could ask my parents to give me more details about growing up in the Great Depression or serving in World War 2 (Dad was in the US Army and landed in Normandy 2 days after D-Day, Mom was an officer in the US Navy). When we were younger we were not interested in hearing about 'the old days' and the reminisces of the old folks would bore us to tears! How differently I feel now!

i can definitely relate. my parents were in their forties and fifities when i was born. they were dead by the time i became interested in family history. i did some work in geneology about 15 years ago and found out a great deal, but it takes a lot of time,

catsy girl

[kiowa_58d]

1. I would tell my dad at a younger age to stop making me feel guilty that he had to pay child support. Your choices in life are not my fault.

2. How my father treated my mom. My father saved and invested for his retirement all his life. He pretty much left my mom with no retirement when they divorced. Yeah she got the house but it wasn't near what he had saved and hidden (found out all this later in life).

3. I wish my father had taught me about saving and investing. If I had put the $5k i had saved in a mutual fund when I was 18 (back in 1988). Instead I took out a loan for $10k and added it to the $5k and bought a new car and thumping stereo system. I would be MUCH better off financially now at 42 if I had not done that!

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by LibraGirl123

I'm the oldest of six. My parents, but especially my mother, played favorites too, in addition to the "comparison" game. They didn't have to tell us...we were well aware who the favorite(s) were. Funny, my Mom's original "favorite" hasn't talked to her in about 15 years (long story). Interesting how things work out sometimes, eh? But still, this favorites thing...it did a lot of emotional damage, in my opinion.

Because of this, I have bent over backwards not to play favorites with my own two sons. When they were little I would tell them that I love hot fudge sundaes and I love cherry cheesecake...and sometimes it's almost impossible to choose between the two.

When my oldest son was about six he asked me which of the four kids was my "favorite". I thought about it for a minute and told him he was, because I didn't HAVE to be his mom but I loved him since he was barely two and he was my favorite. (I married his dad when he was just two) I told him his brother was my favorite because he was my first baby that I gave birth to. I told him his first sister was my favorite because she was my first girl. I told him his younger sister was my favorite because she was my last one and my 'baby'. He accepted that, still remembers me telling him that and that was that.

My mother has always played favorites with my youngest brother and it's caused a HUGE rift between her and my two older brothers. He has her bamboozled, can do no wrong, but his siblings (us) know better. I was the oldest kid, of six, and I admit I was my dad's favorite for a long time BUT he didn't spoil me and he never treated me any differently. He was just proud of me and let me know it. I never played favorites with any of my kids and still don't.

[Bette]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I had a great childhood because my parents were terrific people who were very much in love with each other and always encouraging and supportive to their three children.

I don't think I would change a thing.

My only regret is that I did not ask my folks, my grandparents and other older relatives more questions about their lives before I was born and family history and genealogy stuff. I am now working on my family tree - and all my relatives have dozens of questions I cannot answer - if I could only speak to some of my dearly departed great-uncles and great-aunts and distant cousins. I wish I could ask my parents to give me more details about growing up in the Great Depression or serving in World War 2 (Dad was in the US Army and landed in Normandy 2 days after D-Day, Mom was an officer in the US Navy). When we were younger we were not interested in hearing about 'the old days' and the reminisces of the old folks would bore us to tears! How differently I feel now!

Clark, I feel the same! My mom passed away in 2010 and I found so much more about her after she was gone! In a box, I found a blanket - handmade -doesn't have a name on it but there's a note - made in 1857!! - all wrapped up beautifully! My mom was pretty good about putting names on pictures but I don't know who some of them are!!

(My children are not interested - it seems - but I'll try to remember feeling like this - they probably will feel like this someday as well).

(My mom was in the Canadian Army!)

[theoldnorthstate]

Not one thing.

My parents were poor. But we had everything we needed. I never felt deprived.

[seeriously]

You can't change your childhood. You can only change the way you perceive it. Besides, I can't remember it. lol

[mlb]

I probably would have wished I'd attended public school. First through 8th grade was at a Catholic elementary school. Math and science were pretty much elementary as well. If I had had halfway decent exposure to math and science my career choices would have been much better.

The public schools in my hometown were stellar.