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Original poster

What did you not have growing up?

305 replies

littlemisscomper · 21/10/2018 20:20

That 'everybody else in the world!' had? For me it was a tamagotchi. My mum was afraid of it waking me up at night because she heard you couldn't switch them off. I desperately wanted a 101 dalmatians one. I have a lump in my throat thinking about it now! It felt so lonely to be the only one in the playground without one. I even looped a Christmas cracker keyring over my finger and held it in my hand so I could pretend to myself I was like the others. Blush

What about you guys?

OP posts:
BarbaraofSevillle · 22/10/2018 09:46

Have only skimmed the thread so don't know if anyone has already said this, but we had a Mr Frosty. It was shite and took ages to crush a useful amount of ice. The plastic tat that breaks in five minutes of it's day.

Far from 'everyone else' having them, but foreign holidays or anywhere that wasn't Butlins was the thing I wanted most that didn't have.

I was desperate to go to Spain or Malta but DM always said no. I don't know if we could have afforded it, probably so. It's one thing I really prioritise as an adult - we go away 3 or 4 times a year (childfree couple).

Dychmygol · 22/10/2018 09:57

I was born at the beginning of the 80s and never had...
Central heating
Holidays (not even in the UK)
Clothes that weren't hand me downs
Pretty much any popular toy/fad

However I did have...
Two parents who loved me and my siblings and literally went without to make sure we had enough
Freedom of the village I grew up in, which also meant the mountain that started at the bottom of my back garden
Access to an incredible librarian who kept up with my insatiable desire to read, read and read some more

I honestly don't look back on my childhood and remember poverty, although quite clearly with an adult perspective my parents were one of the working poor trying to manage under the yoke of the vile Thatcher. I remember hand knitted clothes that kept you warm, long days that stretched into forever and feeling part of a loving family. I seem to be bending over backwards to offer more for my children but I'm not terribly convinced they'll have better childhood memories than mine if I'm honest.

RunSweatLaughAndLatte · 22/10/2018 09:58

A barbie

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BarbaraofSevillle · 22/10/2018 10:08

^Two parents who loved me and my siblings and literally went without to make sure we had enough
Freedom of the village I grew up in, which also meant the mountain that started at the bottom of my back garden
Access to an incredible librarian who kept up with my insatiable desire to read, read and read some more^

My childhood sounds a lot yours Dych although because my dad was a miner and we got coal, that was free or very cheap, delivered every month so we did have coal fired central heating at a time when a lot of people didn't have it at all.

The library in our village was only open one afternoon a week so DM would take me straight from school and I would get a couple of books - I think you were only allowed 2 - and I would go home and read them and she'd take me back just before it closed to get two more for the rest of the week.

We also went on all sorts of 'adventures' playing on the old railway lines and sliding down the coal heaps as primary DCs out on our own.

IJustLostTheGame · 22/10/2018 10:56

Central heating.
A rainbow brite doll
Any 'plastic tat' such as thundercats, she ra etc. dolls. Still gutted.
We did have some Lego bought for us as a joint Christmas present once but the kit only had one little man and it was confiscated as me and dsis fought over it.

I did have a pony though!

AviatorShades · 22/10/2018 11:01

Nits.
I didn't ever have any nits GrinGrinGrin

keepingbees · 22/10/2018 12:38

A dad who was bothered about me.

I wasn't allowed to go to any clubs or extra curricular activities even though I really wanted to. I used to cut badges and medals out of bits of paper and pretend they were mine.

Very rarely had new clothes.

TSSDNCOP · 22/10/2018 12:47

Nor me Aviator. Every kid in DSis’s class had them at one time and she didn’t.

DS has never had them either.

As a family, we repel 🤣

Clawdy · 22/10/2018 14:23

I always wanted a lovely party dress. And a doll's house. And a brother!

Pebblespony · 22/10/2018 14:29

I steadfastly refuse to believe that Mr Frosty is crap! It can't be!!

Whatdoesitmatteranyway · 22/10/2018 14:33

Mechano
Train set

Mum refused to let my dad buy them for me. When I got old enough I did have a snooker table, dart board and computer.

I hated girls toys and still do!

Pebblespony · 22/10/2018 14:45

A pony. Really, really wanted one. Parents wouldn't pay for riding lessons either, I presume they thought it would feed the mania. I went on to work with horses for years and now have some of my own so I got there in the end.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 22/10/2018 14:49

A.Speak N.Spell. My neighbour had one and I was so jealous of the missed opportunity to spell out indecipherable American sounds

heatherblue · 22/10/2018 14:52

Another one for central heating, god I still remember those winter mornings. On the other hand my friend up the road, who had central heating, was madly envious of our cosy coal fires.

I wanted a pony so badly I started saving up for one out of my pocket money. After a couple of years I'd amassed about £5.00. Gave up.

BreconBeBuggered · 22/10/2018 15:18

Central heating, phone, car, washing machine, shower. I didn't really long for any specific advertised toys, which was just as well. I only truly envied my best friend's complete set of Enid Blytons, which were kept in neat rows in a cupboard off her very own bedroom. I never felt I had quite enough to read, and there wasn't much in the way of shelf space in the tiny room I shared with my sister.

MyNameIsFartacus · 22/10/2018 15:23

My own pony, and a dog. Was just never ever allowed as my mum thought I'd lose interest, it would have been the absolute highlight of my childhood! I now have two dogs AND my own horse, the interest has never waned. I was so deprived.

Never had more than 1 game for the Sega master system...

MargaretDribble · 22/10/2018 15:46

A room of my own.
I was desperate. A family down the road divided their front bedroom into two because their children 'didn't get on'. I wasn't mad on my sibling either but my mother's retort was 'My sister and I shared a bed!'

Elflocks · 22/10/2018 21:28

Barbies. My uncle offered to get me a Barbie house as well, but my mum said no.

Oliversmumsarmy · 23/10/2018 01:48

I really wanted a Barbie.

My mother got me Sindy. I think she did it on purpose.
I hated that doll. I think it represented all that was wrong with my mother's attitude towards me.

She would spend money on me to show everyone what a great mother she was and what an ungrateful brat I was. But never ever even though she would ask me every year what I wanted would she buy me what I asked for.

If I wanted a black jumper she would get me a white one.

If I asked for a pair of roller skates she would get me ice skates. Even though there wasn't an ice rink anywhere nearby.

My presents used to sit on a shelf till some random workman or friend would come round and she would give them away.

brizzledrizzle · 23/10/2018 01:54

Anything that was considered 'working class' - my mother was Hyacinth Bouquet.
Hugs, I can't remember either of my parents hugging me.

Dontfeellikeaskeleton · 23/10/2018 02:03

Standard issue here - no Mr frosty

kafeundkuchen · 23/10/2018 02:33

I did not have:

Common sense
Humility
Maths skills
Co-ordination
a pony (actually that is not something everyone else had, so probably doesn't count)
a swimming pool in my back garden (as above)
a home free of verbal and emotional abuse
a sense of self worth
a father who listened to me without yelling, belittling, ignoring or laughing at me
a sense of safety and knowing i wouldn't be thretatened screamed at or worse if i broke something

i DID have:

a nice house
lovely guinea pigs
parents who although at times could be abusive did love me and meant well - they were strict with me because they loved me and knew i could be a handful
lots of freedom to play outside with few rules as long as I told them where I was going
a bike
a SAHM who baked cookies
piano and singing lessons, classical voice training in my teens and beyond
a best friend (wasn't popular at school and was bullied but I did have a best friend)
some decent teachers
my own room
loads of books

kafeundkuchen · 23/10/2018 02:36

margaretdribble Your mum's comment about sharing the bed reminds me of my dad saying how he had to walk to school even in the snow. (Ok, dad, we get it, your life was hard)

ComtessedeLancret · 23/10/2018 02:44

A sister - looking back on it I feel bad for asking/pestering because mum would’ve killed for another girl but I was a traumatic birth and she had an emergency hysterectomy after I was born.

Otherwise a pony. It’s a running joke now whenever mum calls and says “bought you a pressie” and she usually catches me before I say “is it a pony?!” - god help me one day the woman will lose it and buy me one, I really need to stop asking.

Shriekingbanshee · 23/10/2018 02:47

!Hi *Kaf!
Didnt have heating (although had ch system!? Still bloody froze)
Hugs
Outside school activities always desperately wanted to do ballet and gymnastics
Soda stream
The right shoes! Huge fights over having shoes that no-one else would wear and cried lots about it