How was your childhood?

I peaked too soon.

My childhood took a turn for the worse the day I got infected by lice.

Of all of the vermin in God's great green kingdom, lice are the ones I detest the most. My first day of school, I had lice, and no one would play with me. For 15 years, they called me freak and four eyes and sci-fi nerd and girl puncher. All because I had lice when I was 7.

My parents tried their best, gave me, my brother and sister everything we needed and most of what we wanted within reason.
But we (brother and I) never felt loved... My parents weren't 'natural' parental people. But i know now they did love us in their way and would do anything I asked of them nowadays.
Problems with the troubles in the north also had a large effect on our childhood which I wont get into now.
Overall, I'd say it was a fairly difficult upbringing but by no means a bad one.

Childhood was ****ing horrible, for the most part.

Most probably my mother had Borderline personality disorder. Emotionally abusive. Oversharing things with me that a child should not hear. Unstable emotionally. Explosive rages and fits of tears. A lot of shouting. In my mid teens she became more physically violent and what would be described as an alcoholic. A bottle of wine or two every night is not normal, considering she would go nuts shouting and trying to start an argument with me if I left my room or was going in or out of the house. That or just pass out on the sofa. Could not keep close friends and also did not get along with any of her family. No contact with most of her family, aside from one of her sisters who lived in england who I would see every couple of years. I never had much or any relationship with any of her family.

Father was a sociopathic peadophile. Also great friends with a well known peadophile priest chapter 19 of murphy report. Abused his girlfriends very young daughter and possibly other children that I only have a vague recollection of. Still stalks and harasses myself and this ex girlfriend even though we have both gotten away from him over a decade ago. Various arguments with his family that would not talk to him for years on end. I never had much of a relationship with any of his family, bar playing with cousins at various stages. I would like some sort of relationship with cousins, but not really an option at this point. I do occasionally talk to one of my uncles. He is a sound guy, but I dont want to bother him or bring up this stuff too much.

Brother had various bouts of serious illness growing up. He was always spoiled and got his own way. He was older and bigger and would pick on me a lot. He pretty much used me as a punching bag, probably more so than any normal sibling would. I think as he was sick a lot, he doesnt remember much of what went on with parents. At least that is what I try to tell myself. He denies everything that happened, calls me a liar, confused etc. Its all just so typical in cases like this. We have not had a relationship in over a decade.

Frequent dislocations of knees and gradual worsening of joint pain and swelling since age 6/7. Mostly untreated untill my early 20's. Formal diagnosis in mid 20's. Prednisolone is actually amazing.

School was almost always a safe place for me. Had some amazing teachers. They seemed to really put thought into how their lessons and interactions with us would shape us for the future. I also hope they were paid overtime for all the extra time waiting to see when my mother would collect me. Some minor bullying in 6th class, but not very serious. I grew up with some of the most sound kids ever. Moved away down the country in my mid teens for 5th/6th year. Not such a good experience. There was a huge difference between teachers/peers from where I grew up and down in the country. They were very rough and uncaring. Lost contact with majority of people I grew up with due to distance and mother not allowing friends to visit.

This sort of childhood has obviously effected me hugely. A lot of depression and all that goes with it. I think the only reason I have turned out alright is because of the support and nurturing from my school and teachers. Things havent gone exactly how I would like, with jobs, health, etc but I keep trying to do better instead of shooting up heroin like some people would. Im extremely independent, not willing to setting in bad relationship, whereas others may cling to bad relationship or seek others to take care of them. I have more time for other peoples problems than most people I think.

We were poor growing up, like many other families in the 1980s we ofton depended on the parcel of clothes that came over from relations abroad.

But it was a happy childhood.

lufties wrote: »

what is middle class exactly? parents earning over 60k a year?, sorry but I'm not suprised you had a dull childhood with a 'class' outlook.

Oh you know, much like '60s Paris only sans the whimsy. Father was a banker - he was typical of his vintage, cold, distant, a disciplinarian, but with a constant terror of his daughters ending up in a thatched cottage in Chipping Sodbury aged fifty or so with no husband and too many cats. Mother won the Derby during better times, but now whiles away the days with embroidery and endless High Tea, occasionally braining the cook with a Monet or Caravaggio in a heavy old oak frame. Winters were usually spent in Burma or the West Indies, riding elephants and enjoying regular games of Roque and Maim-The-Staff on the lawn. At home, one generally repaired to the drawing-room for letter-writing and sighing wistfully out the window in the standard Jane Austen manner. All the while there was a sensation in the background of fading grandeur, of a world changing in ways that would take a long time to comprehend. When the time finally came to get on the early train for London, she knew things would never be the same.

Within the space of a year, when I was 6/7, 2 of my brothers died which changed the dynamic of the family. My maternal grandmother died the year before that. For the next few years I knew my mam was sad and I knew it was because of the boys and I felt that it was up to me to make things easier for her. I made sure that I was around to look after my sister and I did my best to protect my brother from other people being mean to him. When I was being bullied in school I kept that from my mam so that she wouldn't have to worry about me as well.

My dad would come home at the same time everyday and we knew not to ask him for anything until he'd eaten his dinner. After that he'd usually just watch tv. I think that was his way of coping with the deaths. But at the weekend we would go for walks in the woods or by the beach and when the weather was nice we'd play football on the green.

We had our difficulties but we managed and we all cared a lot for each other which helped us through the difficult times.