Learning as a Child

The things we remember from childhood fuels how we grow into adults. If you were raised in a stable home, then you remember love and affection and hopefully not too many bad things. If you were raised in a dysfunctional home, you may also remember love and affection, but also remember the arguments and disappointments. No matter what family you are raised in, childhood is meant to be a fun time. I was once a child, and I remember what it was like to not have to care about anything. The biggest decision I had to make was what I was going to wear to school that day. As I grow up, the decisions are getting harder and more complicated. How does my childhood affect the rest of my life?

I grew up in a dysfunctional home, but my saving grace was my grandma and aunt. My dad and mom divorced when I was six years old. So, Christmas was pretty cool. I got to have two holidays and twice the presents. As a child, I loved it. Who wouldn't want twice the toys, and not need any of them? The down side to this is that I learned to value myself by the things that I had, not what I had on the inside. My dad worked all the time, so my grandma took care of me while he was working. She would fix us breakfast, get me on the school bus, get me off the school bus, make sure I did my homework, and fix supper for us. This taught me the value of working for your family and that hard work does pay off. My aunt, who lived next door, was the best woman ever. Her and my uncle ran a farm. They had wheat, corn, tobacco, and soybeans. Anytime they needed help on the farm, I was there. I'm not sure if what I was doing was helping or hindering them, but it made me feel good. This taught me to work hard and how to be self sufficient. My life was simple back then and I felt safe.

Hopefully, as children, we learned to play nice, share our things, give to those that need it most, respect everyone especially those older than or not as smart as we are, and to eat all of our vegetables. These traits make a wonderful adult, but now that we don't have to answer to our parents, we forget all about those things. So try and remember what you learned as a child, and not let your adulthood be so hectic and complicated. We need to get back to the simple things in life. It really is okay to play in the mud and to sing in the rain.