Most precious memories from childhood?

[Theextraordinaryisintheordinary]

None of mine involve toys or things I was given but rather the time that was given to me:

• My grandad reading comics with me until I felll asleep
• Playing hide and seek with my grandad
• My stepdad waking us up at sunrise to go out walking in the Dales.
• My Grandma telling me she loved me over and over and over until I believe it more than anything else.

That feeling of overwhelming excitement and happiness, even about mundane things. My childhood was perfect and I was so lucky. I have a memory of being in Manchester at Christmas and they used to have a huge Santa scaling one of the buildings. I still remember driving past and seeing it and it was so magical. A lot of my memories are little snippets like this.

The problem is, I have spent the rest of my life failing to feel even half as happy as I did back then. It’s a side to a happy childhood that nobody ever talks about and it makes adulthood a real disappointment.

my most vivid memories are the holidays abroad we used to take with my parents and grandparents.
All those adventures, grandparents teaching me how to swim, playing on the beach and pool. Eating out all the time, playing with other kids etc. I had a great childhood and always felt loved
and I hope I’m replicating it for my kids now.
my parents did a lot with me and my brother but I do even more with my kids.

Christmas. Always Christmas. And not for the copious amount of gifts we’d receive. Just the whole feeling it gave. I strive so hard to recreate it for my children.

That's lovely op, and 100% true. I wish there was a way to help kids understand that! I dreamed about my grandparents and their old house last night. What I miss is their love and their good company, not what they gave me.

I was born in the 1960s to teenage parents

Watching my dad fix the pipes under the kitchen sink - I was sat in my high chair. When I remember it I feel so safe even after nearly 60 years

Sitting on a stool in my grandads garage banging nails into bits of wood

Going to pick up my baby brother ( and mum) from hospital- I was two and i can still feel my dads hand as we walked down the corridor

Going to my dads university degree show - I would be two

Sitting in the back of my mum and dads car with my brother - we are all singing

Lying in a tent in between my mummy and daddy waiting for sleep - thinking nothing could be better

So much .... so many memories

Mum now has dementia, dad had cancer.

Having a little cry now

I have a memory which is pure joy.

It's winter 1977 I'm 3.5 years old. It is dark and dad and me are driving to the local town to get fish and chips - I'm thrilled about the whole thing - the drive in the dark and the fish and chips! Looking back I suspect mum decided she wasn't cooking so sent dad out to the chippy!

Daddy is driving and I am in the back but - because no seatbelts in those days - I am leaning forward into the space between the two front seats on my two elbows.

"Mull of Kintyre" is playing and we are both singing full volume - I have no idea what a mull of kin-tiiirrree is but I sing my heart out all the same!

I'm just so thrilled to be out at night with Daddy on my way to get fish and chips!
🤣

I love these.

These are lovely.

I remember travelling home from visiting my aunt on the farm and pretending to be asleep so that my dad would carry me up to bed and tuck me in.

I also remember the pure joy I got from reading as a child. Getting my first famous five from the library and walking home reading it as I went and the magical feeling of being carried away by the story. Also trips to the library in the evening and the streetlights coming on outside and the excitement of choosing three books, some of which I read over and over.