How was your childhood?

It sucked, My ma was a middle class dipso and my father an emotionally detached dictator. The 80s was tough finacially and it was idiotic for them to have had 5 children they couldnt support

Had a pretty good time as a kid - we weren't poor, Dad had a lot of vehicles to fiddle around with... be it Jet Skis, Quad and motocross Bikes, a speed boat, cars and jeeps, etc.

A lot of weekends we'd be out using them or out trekking somewhere, going on trips and such.

Schoolwise, we were sent to an International School called "Garden International School" [Private school in Malaysia]... great school.


Moving to Ireland at 12, I later discovered my Dad owed millions in taxes -.-;

He's still around, just don't see him often now - he's back in Malaysia taking care of his 98 year mum, me Gran.

It was grand.

Childhood was just fine. I grew up in a beautiful place by the butt of a huge hill in a valley in East Limerick. Days were filled with freedom, cycling around, climbing trees, leapin' into streams, all that kind of thing. Pop was a building contractor all his life, the Lord be good to him, and there was no shortage of bulldozers, trucks, JCBs, etc. to play around with. Big boys' toys - if you can conceive of a Valhalla for a small boy, that was it.

I wasn't too keen on school, largely because I always felt I had better things to be doing, but I was reasonably good at it.

We always had plenty, cars out the wazoo, and my parents were fairly with-it and chilled out by local standards. They lived in London for a few years in the '50s where Ma managed a caff in Soho while Pop worked on the buildings and raced his 500cc AJS at Brands Hatch at weekends. Rock on. 'Orrrright Paddy!! :cool:

Loved my childhood, and I'm eternally grateful towards my parents for providing it to me despite all they went through.

Was fortunate enough to fall in with a great bunch in primary school, many of whom I'm still very good friends with today, and most of the rest I could easily fall into a conversation with if I met them somewhere.

Forever telling stories about my time in school, both primary and secondary, and looking back it seems I spent much of that time laughing, having fun, and being relatively carefree.

I consider myself extremely fortunate.

Dreadfull , I never knew my Dad as he left when I was 3 , My mother was an abusive/violent alcholic who drank 24/7 and would regularly beat me or throw vodka bottles at me/throw me out on the street at 1am when I 6/7 years old, I was very quite at school, had no brothers or sisters. Ended up living with my grandparents most of the time but my grandmother passed away when I was 8 I then lived with my Grandfather until I was 13 but he also passed away one morning, I was the one that found him it was the single worst moment of my life I'll never forget that feeling of complete panic, sadness and desperation of what I'd do now...

I ended up living with mu aunty after that who was a great woman and did everything she could to support me but it never really felt like 'home' nowhere did as I had to move about so much. I moved out the minute I was 18 and started trying to support myself.

But you know what, I wouldn't change a single part of it because I'm happy with who I am all them thing's in the past shaped me to be me. I often have people say to me 'well done' and 'jesus we didn't expect you to turn out like you did' ie - I'm not a rampaging alcho or drug addict. I had to always look out for myself and stand on my own two feet, it made me stronger.

But when I do talk to people who complain about their perfect upbringing and Daddy not buying them a new car or paying for their holiday I do want to take out my tiny violine and tell them to get ****ing real, you've no idea what hard upbringing is.

I met my Dad was I was 21 as well , lovely man who had his reasons and I also found I've 3 half brothers and sisters who I've a good relationship with now.

Top class. Never really thought we were missing out on anything until secondary school when I noticed others had VCRs and we didn’t but we definitely had more craic growing up than the VCR crowd did.

lufties wrote: »

Other than external things like vcrs etc, how were your parents towards you for example?

Absolutely great – and they had lots of us – not sure I’d be as good if I had as many kids – 2 is hard enough

mrsbyrne wrote: »

If your childhood lasts 18 years then mine can be divided exactly in 2 . The idyllic first half spent in urban East London going to school on a London Bus Saturdays spent going up to London on the Tube to see the sights all the museums Westminster etc picnic in the rain in Trafalgar Sq going to the seaside, Clacton or Southend also on the train, lovely school, happy family etc.
Then we came to live in rural Ireland on my 9th birthday albeit s large market town but Jesus what a culture shock. My EastEnders Sharon
accent got me bullied, nothing to do, my mum hhad another baby , got post Natal depression took to the bed, the little brat never stopped crying then he got sick, then my dad had a massive stroke, total disaster please God let me go home, then my poor dad died. Everything was cool though once I got away to College st 18.

Edited to add the weather had a big impact. Every summers day in London was hot, in my mind. Here it seemed to piss constantly 12 months of the year.

Replace England with US and Market Town with tiny village and my story is nearly identical.