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What are your best childhood memories?

27 replies

StephA · 31/07/2012 13:07

Hello! I have a son aged 19 months, and I am starting to think about what experiences and memories I can give him. I would like him to have a collection of wonderful memories from his childhood.

What were your own most wonderful early memories of childhood? What did your parents do for you or give you that stayed precious? Do you have memories of days at the beach, or a zoo, or going to the best playground ever?
thanks!

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candr · 31/07/2012 21:33

We used to do a lot of arts and crafts with my mum which I love remembering, I used to be a nanny and did loads of it with them and they say it is one of their fave things about my time there.
Playing out late in PJ's with dad when it was getting dark as was a treat.
Spending all day roaming the woods and fields with neighbouring kids without having to come in for lunch (no mobiles then)
The beach with my grandparents and the picnics they packed were yummy.
Days out with family as we did not do many and were often walks and picnics but are special to me.
I hope I can give my DS some lovely childhood family memories too as feel very lucky to have mine.

marriednotdead · 31/07/2012 21:48

Picnics in a tent in my Nan's back garden- 2 old curtains pegged to the washing line and pinned down with bricks. Days at the seaside with just a bucket and spade. Making jam tarts. A seesaw made out of a concrete garden roller with an old ladder- splinters aplenty! All done with Nan as (single) mum worked full time.

Poor but happy.

StephA · 31/07/2012 22:34

Thanks so much for these! It seems to be important to have special times with parents/grandparents' full attention, but also messing about alone and free. And also working on things, to be creative and get the satisfaction of having made something.
I would love to hear more!

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Dancergirl · 31/07/2012 22:56

Being tucked up in bed and feeling warm and safe.
Feeling that no-one else will love you as much as your mum does.

Yama · 31/07/2012 22:59

My little sister being born.

Spending time with my brothers.

We moved around a lot so I guess it is the security of the constant which gave me happiness.

HSMM · 31/07/2012 23:00

Songs from my mum at bedtime.

Helping my dad tune the church organ by pressing the keys and pedals.

Weekends with my gran.

Unconditional love.

Yama · 31/07/2012 23:00

Oh yes, the love thing. I always knew that no matter what I ever did my Mum would be on my side.

GaryTankCommander · 31/07/2012 23:00

This is a bizarre one but we grew up in Germany and used to holiday in Italy. We drove there... But we couldn't afford hotels (we camped) so my parents chucked duvets and pillows in the back seat and I remember us all sleeping in the car in service stations en route. The noise of the cars was comforting. We then camped until our money ran out and then we drove home again.

Brilliant, brilliant holidays, I have amazingly vivid and fond memories.

CogitoErgOlympics · 01/08/2012 09:25

I'm pretty sure that we can't engineer what our kids will remember. They see the world from a completely different angle. I took DS on a trip to Paris a few years ago. We visited all the tourist spots but the two things he remembers are a) trying lasagne in a restaurant and b) Mum being scared to death on a ferris wheel.

DancesWithSockPuppets · 02/08/2012 14:34

Grin Cogito.

Are you festival people? You could take him to Glastonbury; it's got lots for kids and every child I've ever seen at a festival has been having a whale of a time just going feral and rolling around in the mud.

StephA · 16/08/2012 13:15

Thanks again. I was wondering about holidays, as I think they provide vivid memories but can also be boring for little ones. Receiving loving attention seems to be the most important thing, regardless of the situation.

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Dollybird99 · 16/08/2012 13:44

Crabbing at Milford-on-sea with a piece of string with a pigs trotter attached!

Camping with my parents. We never had much money but we always had fun.

Making a tent in my nan's garden out of a clothes horse and blankets!

Making collages out of photographs, or animals out of felt etc.

Snowy27 · 16/08/2012 20:43

'Testing' our new wellies in the bath with my dad!
playing beat the tide (you dig a big wall around yourself, stand in it and try to shore up the wall as the sea comes in!)
Riding down to Cornwall on my dad's motorbike
My parents convincing us they were 'carpet dancing champions' and proving it by attaching dusters to their feet and dancing up and down the hall!
making up very complicated plays which my parents watched with every appearance of enjoyment! (Usually resulted in tears and rows amongst the children!)

exoticfruits · 16/08/2012 21:04

They never actually remember what you think they will remember!
My best childhood memories are my lovely village primary school.
Staying on my uncle and aunt's farm and collecting eggs etc
Caravan holidays in Scotland.

Niceupthedance · 17/08/2012 08:37

Saw this story in the Mail this morning...

matana · 17/08/2012 08:54

Holidays, Christmases (not for the presents, but for everyone being together and playing games), family picnics and barbecues.

Also dad playing 'monsters' and jumping out on me and my sisters in the dark and us having to run away and hide. Sounds nightmarish, but it was great fun.

And quietly sitting doing Mr Men jigsaws, listening to Richard Clayderman on LP with my mum as she ironed! There is neither rhyme nor reason to childhood memories - i think it's just special 'time together' that probably counts.

matana · 17/08/2012 08:55

Oh and weekends at my nan's playing football in her garden, eating corned beef and lemon mayonnaise sandwiches. I loved my weekends with nan and never wanted to go home!

TheGashlycrumbTinies · 17/08/2012 09:05

Sitting in the back of our Capri, with my brother, our duvets and pillows, heading down to the South of France on holiday. Gerry Rafferty and the Eagles on the tape for us to sing along to.

Spending lots of time with my little Nan, making shortbread.

takingthestairs · 17/08/2012 09:10

Sitting in the airer one like this that was laid flat on the floor and pretending I was driving a train (all the gaps were the extra carriages behind me Blush )

Playing on the swing set in the back garden and Dad coming out and playing on the seesaw with me and my siblings. I thought it was the most ridiculous and fun thing ever that a grown up was on the see saw.

Playing for hours with my lego.

Art Classes. I loved them.

takingthestairs · 17/08/2012 09:11

snowy27 'Testing' our new wellies in the bath with my dad!

I love that!!

notnowImreading · 17/08/2012 09:25

So many - I had an almost abnormally happy childhood. Thinking about it, though, most of these will sound hopelessly geeky:
Family dinner - every night. After dinner my dad would make us do really long sums to see if we could keep up (5+6+23-16 and so on for ages) but always ended with x0, which would make me so mad! He also used to bounce me on his knee and sing songs he made up until I was laughing so much I pissed myself on his leg couldn't breathe.

Singing in the car on long journeys with my mum and brother. We used to do whole musicals from beginning to end. I still know all the words to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and West Side Story.

Playing scientists with my brother and best friends - we used to take the middle spongy bit out of felt tip pens and run them under the tap to create different colours of water which were of course secret potions. The game then turned into spies where we would try to assassinate each other to get the potions.

Playing on our old swing frame when we go too old for the swing. We had three planks, two massive blankets, a basket of pegs and quite a lot of rope, so we used to put the planks over the crossbar of the swing, peg the blankets over it and make the tiny city garden version of a treehouse, then use the ropes to create a pulley system so that mum could put food in the basket from the kitchen window and we could pull it into the den.

Mum let us play with what she was cooking, so when she bought whole mackerel and cut off the heads we put the heads on the kitchen taps so water came out of their mouths, and when she was trying to cook pigs feet and pea soup for my dad (disgusting treat from his childhood, wasn't nice) we were allowed to pull the tendons in the trotters with pliers to make the feet move.

Making Christmas cake during October half term, with a tiny glass of sherry and Meatloaf on the record player.

Oh God, have written loads, and looking back, no wonder I am was such a spod.

brokenmummy · 17/08/2012 09:49

What a lovely thread.

My favourite afternoons with my mum were either crafty or even better, a teddy bears picnic on a rug in te lounge with all my teddies and a tea set, and warm jam tarts we'd made together.

I also used to hide from my dad when he came I from work, same 2 places every night but they'd all pretend I'd vanishe and he took ages to find me, sending me into hysterics every time.

Playing submarines under the duvet in be with my dad and older bro on long Sunday mornings while mum cooked a roast downstairs. Would always culminate in a race to get dressed and at the lunch table the quickest (I always won).

StephA · 06/09/2012 12:19

Thanks again; these are great.

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Imlostwithoutahope · 07/09/2012 23:23

Notnowimreading the vision of you with the fish and totters made me giggle, what fun and odd!

Most of mine are with my nan and grandfather. Using his empty greenhouse as my own den complete with deck chairs and sheets hung up. Playing in the stream, my nan letting me eat raw sausages and oxo cubes! Sliding down our stairs in sleeping bags with my brother, Terence Trent Darby tapes on the way to holiday. playing out with my friends, carefree and using our imagination to while away the days. Oh and sitting in the boot of my grandfathers car, rolling from side to side when it turned a corner and waving to anyone driving behind us.

BiggerAndBadder · 08/09/2012 00:01

having competitions with my mum to see who could get their chop bone the cleaner after a meal.
helping my aunt in the kitchen and getting to pull the wish bone
being allowed to have the cat sleep on my bed
going out early to play with friends and only coming home when it was tea time.
making a den in the wood with friends, no adults, and putting food in there all summer, in case a tramp wanted to use it
watching my dad work on the car and taking him cups of tea
lying outside on a blanket in the sun reading with a packet of biscuits
being sent home from school coz of snow and making an igloo in the street all day with the big kids

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