WTF moments from childhood

[Lyannaa]

I vividly remember sitting in a circle at primary school and playing a game (facilitated by teachers). It was a variation on ‘spin the bottle’ and this boy named the girl he wanted to kiss. The feeling was not mutual from her end and she began running around and around the circle, trying to evade both the boy and the disgraceful teachers trying to hold her down. Vile. How was this a thing? All I remember was sitting there thinking ‘thank goodness this isn’t me’.

This was 1989…

Primary school in the 80's

I was bullied badly by my classmates-not only did the teachers turn a blind eye,they joined in-the head took great pleasure in it-you could see it in his eyes

Being called thick,ugly,dumb (I'm actually dyslexic but wasn't diagnosed as nobody believed it existed)name calling,bitchy comments and smacked,thumped and punched almost daily-by other children and the teachers

(I got so many nasty comments over the fact my parents owned their house-i didn't pay the mortgage and its not my fault that everyone else lived in a council house,in fact i was growing up in a council house down the road with my grandad but that was ignored-i was 'above myself' and a 'snob'-ive never thought i was better than anyone else)

If that wasn't bad enough,for the whole 5 Christmases,I wasn't given a part in the school play-not a spare angel,star,animal,non speaking part-nothing

Nobody else-just me

I had to sit in the corner at rehearsal and during the plays themselves

My narc mother thought it was all amusing and did nothing-she did however make friends with the bully's parents and would invite them over so I never really got away from them,they'd destroy my toys and bedroom but I'd be the one in trouble for it

I remember walking out of the gates for the last time and feeling such peace that I never had to go back

I was on a similar trip when I was six, not with Brownies, but a similar group for boys and girls: several nights in a residential centre. My dad came too as a helper, and we left after only one night. He explained to me some years later that some of the teenagers looking after us were having sex in the children's dormitories in the daytime, and that some of the children knew this.

My dad also slept in one of the boys' dormitories - this was considered normal then, but I can't imagine it happening now.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

What I was musing on was not the exact same people but the sorts of people that were drawn to teaching and then behaved atrociously at worst, carelessly at best.

If you wouldn’t eat your apple because you had a wobbly tooth , a certain dinner lady was summoned. Can still remember her name. She would then proceed to yank the wobbly tooth out over the sink.

Yes! I can remember the tune. After our disco dancing class they used to bring the dads in for about 20 minutes of pair dancing with the girls.

I guess they are still at their places, hiding, then.

I had the most awful primary school head master. I have vivid memories of him standing up at the front in assembly with his hands on his hips - looking around with disgust in his face and saying “I hate kids” - Wtaf?! All of the children were absolutely terrified of the man. He got away with it too - not one of the other teachers said anything, nor am I aware of parents complaining- his behaviour was just accepted. It just wouldn’t happen now.

Actually, although I was not the victim in the OP, my very own parents did something similar to me when I was about 14 on holiday in Greece. We were eating at an outdoor restaurant on top of a hill and this waiter who must have been in his mid 20s asked me to dance with him. I said no. And my parents practically forced me to do it. I felt absolutely horrible - I didn't want to be anywhere near him.

It angers me to this day that my parents thought his feelings were more important than mine

I had so many experiences like this in Greece as a young teenager, including sexual assaults by waiters on my way to/from the toilets. My mum would always say what a compliment it was that the men thought I was ‘pretty’! It definitely affected me as a person. It’s crazy to think so many problematic things on this thread were so normalised.

@Plastictrees yes I completely agree. I have teenage and young adult girls myself, now and I would be fierce in the face of any man bothering them today. It's like those threads on Facebook where women in their 50s and 60s (or younger) say that they 'loved' getting a wolf whistle and all the men say that we should like it and that complaining about it is 'misandry'. My 20 year old dd definitely does not take it as a compliment - it pisses her off.

Not school but university. The medics proper hated the engineers and had a song about how the engineers were all born illegitimate and were bastards. One of the lyrics was something like ‘the girls we like the best are the ones that say they won’t but look as if they might!’
I can’t imagine they’d get away with singing that today.

We had a hyper-religious form teacher in junior school. She used to bully (no other word for it) her whole class into joining Crusaders and buying the associated daily religious tracts. My parents were not religiously inclined and tried to talk me out of it. I was so terrified of her that I begged them, and they gave in. She was actually a good teacher apart from that, and encouraged my creative writing. But she really instilled fear...

My guess would be that "Charlie" was simply whichever crocodile they'd chosen to sedate that day... 🤔

Oooh..it does make sense..

Infant school: PE in vest and knickers

Junior school: Teachers getting us to do their washing up

Secondary school: Getting blind drunk in either yr 10 or 11 on GCSE History trip to Normandy and having to be put in the recovery position! Teacher just asked how I was feeling the next day 🤣

Our town held a summer carnival every year back in the 80's and each school had a float that they decorated in a theme and we would be dressed up by the school teachers and dance on the float as it paraded down the street.

Couple of years ago for a milestone birthday my adult dc were searching out some old pics of me in school online and found me aged 13 dressed as a can can girl flashing my frilly pants and garter. They were gobsmacked!. How our school decided it was acceptable is unbelievable now.

Year 5 teacher ripping up my drawing in front of me because she had said "tidy up" still stays eith me. I don't blame her, times have changed in 40 years but it's a good reminder to me of the fragility of childrens emotions. What a therapeutic thread! Love it.

Yes you are very rude.

I also stroked Charlie, mid 80’s I think. I have a photo somewhere. 🐊

I've apologized already, but I think even you can see there is an enormous use of the word "knickers" on this thread. Which I assume means underpants, and you were made to do PE in this, and then walk naked through a shower? And you don't understand that the rest of the world finds this , well, at least a little bit odd?
My entire school journey from kindy to year 12 I never had to get undressed in front of anyone. Ever. I would have just refused. So you see it is odd to people from other countries that you are all good with kids naked a lot in front of their peers and their teachers!!!!

I apologize again, but have tried to explain my position.

Times the pond is big,this is such a thread. Knickers = underwear. I know you’ll think maybe pants is trousers, so on this occasion pants is female underwear,briefs
youre right jimmy saville was always a creep ole git in plain sight
Doing PE in knickers, unfortunately I’m not surprised
Power imbalance as a child you have no agency you don’t say no. No isn’t in your lexicon. Anyway no one would believe you or see the problem. That’s the actual problem. Disempowered kids and hierarchical systems

@marmamia those things don't happen now. Tbh if anything, the pendulum has swung fast in the other direction, which, of course is a good thing. Teachers would be sacked or reported to the police for such behaviour now.

I mean, we can all look at other cultures and find things strange. I find it odd that in some countries there is a culture of letting smal children stay up late, becoming ever more wild when in the UK we put kids to bed by 7 when they're little.

If you're not American, I apologise, but your spelling and language suggest so.

You've just elected a self-confessed rapist and convicted criminal as president. Dont talk to us about odd.

In fairness Boris Johnson was the uk PM, with all his predilections f flaws
Michelle Mone hasn’t explained whereabouts of the missing millions
Uk in no position to lecture or berate anyone about politics & morality