Did you have a happy childhood?

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Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
Yea and no. My mother was obsessed with keeping the house clean so much that it affected our childhood. If we came in with "muck" on our clothes we'd get our legs. smacked This was an accepted punishment in those days. We(me and my brother) feared getting dirty, while other children seemed to be able to do as they pleased. I remember one incident when i got tar on my shorts after playing with the tar they used to put down in between cobbles(yes we had cobbled streets up till the 70's). I had to ask my friend's dad to get it off with turpentine. It didn't work. My mum saw the remaining stain, then slap!! I suppose i had a lucky escape with my name though. My mum wanted a girl,so when i popped out she decided to call me Lindsay,after my auntie's name Lynn.:ohmy: Luckily i escaped that punishment after she was talked out of it!
 
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swee'pea99

Squire
I barely remember my childhood, which I'm taking to mean pre-puberty. There were definite high-spots - mostly holidays, catching crabs off Blakeney jetty from morning till dusk - and low ones - getting bullied - but in truth very little of 'the norm' stays with me. I don't recall being miserable for any length of time, or particularly happy either. I certainly wasn't mistreated by my parents or any other adults, nor was money tight - we were largely dressed from jumble sales, but that's 'cos my mum was a child of the blitz: 'waste not want not' was pretty much her religion, and I don't remember resenting it. We had enough to eat, the house was mostly water tight and warm enough. Life was pretty humdrum and uneventful. Best I can recall I, and we, just got on with it.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
I invented the 46'er MTB in the early eighties, when I fitted the rear wheel from a Raleigh Chopper to a Raleigh Wayfarer, a chunky touring tyre to the 26" front, and cow horn handlebars. I even got the gears working, but never went as far as sorting the rear brake. Off road awesomeness, long before other manufacturers came up with 46'ers, 69'ers, or 67'ers. That stroke of genius was a high spot of my early teens
 

craigwend

Grimpeur des terrains plats
We used to make (invented) 'bomb-bikes' in the 70's - any frame salvageable, some version of a 'single' speed, -cow horns, whatever front wheel available, 'moby' (moped) back or Chopper back wheel, brakes optional ... surprised we're still alive - it was different back then :smile:
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Nope.

I keep hoping to be allowed to join The Happy People but it hasn't happened yet. Still, there *are* some happyish moments out on my bike.

I am only 61 so perhaps I will squeeze in a few happy weeks here and there before the Grim Reaper wins round 3.

One good thing though - at least I was careful not to produce my own unhappy little people!
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Nope. Not my parents fault as such, they knew no better. When the lifestyle choices of my much older siblings impacted my parents, and then, in my early teens, directly on me, it went rapidly downhill.
 

TheDoctor

Noble and true, with a heart of steel
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
Not especially.
Life improved dramatically once I left home, and even more so when my mother and her new husband moved a few hundred miles away.
You choose your friends (and I have some fine ones) but you're kinda stuck with family.
 

Sixmile

Guru
Location
N Ireland
Na, not really. Ma walked out when I was 7, Da loved beating the tripe outta us. Me and the brother fought till we could fight no more. I think only being brought to a very good and supportive Church and our other mutual love, Linfield FC, kept us sane. I was bullied in secondary school for both these 'clubs' though.
 
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