My family doesn't break out into fist fights....although my brothers had been known to do that in their younger days and my sisters did try to kill each other with stilettos from time to time.....
These days my family just get's verbally going. I've only ever fought with my brother because they are nearest in age to me. My sisters....well.....let's just say that as adults, the women in the family try to hold their tongues with each other.....I think we all know that we're the glue that holds the family together.
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~~I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past~~
My lot were/are well behaved but perhaps that's our British reserve and they really wanted to punch each other's lights out when they'd had a few! Lol. There is one exception though...
One of my cousins and her brother have issues and everytime she and her hubby meet up with her brother and her brothers wife there's a punch up! I think it's a jealousy issue going back years and the four of them just cannot get on! It's a shame because now when there's a family get together my cousin and her hubby always turn up but her brother and his wife always stay away. So...we all miss seeing my cousin and his wife and they miss a good family get together! It's got so bad over the years that even my cousins sons (my female cousin has three sons and one daughter and my male cousin has two sons) even fight! I wouldn't mind...my cousins aren't trailer trash or Jerry Springer fodder!... these people are business professionals....they have expensive houses and cars and they own their own businesses but when they get together they just clash BIG time! Lol.
Oh....I know that very well! I'm just hoping that everyone will be on their best behavior and not start fighting....cuz...um....while we are a family that loves each other to death, we are also a family full of very different personalities, varied political leanings, religious differings......It can be a great time OR it can be a combustible time when we all get together! LOL!
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~~I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past~~
It was great fun and I have really fond memories of both my grandmothers (both my grandfathers died before I was born), mum and dad, aunts, uncles and cousins. But as I say...sadly most of the oldies are long gone and Christmas is a quiet time these days...seems like we swapped Bon...you now get the relations and the chaos! Lol. Cherish every memory girl because those are the most precious times the times you spend with family and loved ones.
Wow! That sounds like a blast! It kinda sounds like my family get-togethers now! Remember, I was one of eight and when all of us including the kids and even the grandkids get together, it is a crowd.
In fact....next weekend I'm having 20 of them up to my in-laws summer house. There will be at least 12 adults and 8 teens living together for an entire weekend.
I forsee plenty of games, drinks, eats, laughter and love! My head is swimming today trying to plan the logistics of this and the menus. Uggh! Think of it! Three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners and lots and lots of snacks and sweets for 20! Can you call me a masochist???
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~~I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past~~
Christmas was brilliant when I was a kid...apart from loads of pressies there was the big family get together! Christmas day was always spent at home just me, mum and dad but on Boxing day (26th) EVERYONE...even a few of dad's relations!...congregated at my grandmothers (mum's mum) and we all had one huge Boxing day tea...I can see it now...two tables...one in the kitchen and one in the living room...packed with aunts, uncles and cousins and heaving under the strain of cold ham, cold turkey and all the trimmings and beer and fizzy drinks!
After tea we'd all...yes all of us!...go down to the local pub called 'The King of Belgium' and take over one bar room where the adults would have a sing song and get drunk and us kids tired ourselves out on cola and crisps! Lol.
Those days are long gone...for one thing most of the oldies are dead and in any case people seem too sophisticated these days to have a booze up and a sing song in a c*ckney boozer!(pub) Lol.
I'm glad you had such a sweet childhood! And, OMG.....your mom was one of 13? Geesh....I can only imagine how huge the family celebrations were! Such fun!
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~~I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past~~
I'm so glad to hear there was no physical or mental abuse but it still must've been hard having parents who drank.
My childhood was a lot different...
I'm an only child, my parents...who sometimes fought and argued like cat and dog!...lived to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and although we weren't rich...we were working class and both my parents worked hard all their lives...we never went without. We had a NICe home and there was always food on the table, the bills were paid, I had new clothes and we had a holiday every year as well as weekends at my aunt's caravan in Southend and another aunt's in Hastings. As I say, my parents weren't rich but they worked hard and spoiled me rotten! Although I was an only child my dad was one of three and my mum was one of thirteen so I had a lot of cousins...19 in all!...all of whom were/are older than me...so I got spoilt! I'm glad to say I didn't turn into a spoilt brat which amazes me! Lol.
I'm sure others had it far worse, ya know? I was lucky in that I didn't suffer any physical or mental abuse, family wise. It's just that my childhood was simply filled with alot of turmoil. I had parents who drank to much, fought like crazy (physically and verbally), got divorced... and my father was out of the picture by the time I was two. I never saw him again until I went to his funeral when I was 24.
My mom had eight kids and raised us on her own. I was the youngest and the older kids were 20 years older than me and constantly in trouble and creating turmoil in the family. I also had two brothers near my age who were brutes and out of control. It wasn't easy for my mom, EVER, and we were dirt poor on top of it all, living on and off of welfare.
But......as you pointed out.....my grown up years have been pretty damn good! So, I'm not complaining. I'm just saying that I don't have alot of childhood memories. I think I blocked them out.
But I sure do love reading about all of your childhoods, especially since they sound very different for a girl who was raised in the city of Chicago!
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~~I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past~~
I guess there are a lot of people out there who didn't have such a great childhood but (and not meaning to sound cheesy or patronising in any way here) you've a good life, a loving hubby, great children and friends.
We love ya Bon!
Hugz xxx
BTW...fancy a candy shrimp?! Hee hee! Oooh...me teeth!
I have very few childhood memories and the ones I do have are all traumatic ones. I don't really remember much from the early years. It seems that my life started at around age 9. Great topic question tho!
-- Edited by LucyB at 17:04, 2007-08-04
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~~I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past~~
I don't know about you Kim but my aunt's caravan wasn't run on electric (a lot of them weren't in those days!) it was run by Calor gas which had a horrible smell...also there were no loo's, baths or showers in a lot of caravans either so all the campers had to trot down to this awful shed type of building which had a corrugated tin roof and the loos and showers were horrible...full of spiders and creepy crawlies...YUK! Lol.
To buy food and supplies there were no shops or supermarkets nearby so we had to buy supplies from an on site shop which was part of the big house that the owner/manager of the site lived in. The house was huge and also had it's own little pub where children were allowed in and I remember many a summer saturday night in the site pub with my mum and dad...dad having a few pints, mum with a Coppola lagers and me with a Coca Cola in one of those glass bottles with a straw and cheese and onion crisps!
I remember sitting at the bottom of the garden alot with all my animals. I had lots of cats, chickens and rabbits!
I also used to go horseriding alot. That was great because it wasn't at a stuffy riding school but on a nearby farm where I could go whenever I liked! No riding hat or saddle - just jump on and go! Perfect freedom!
We also had good day trips to Bournemouth and Weymouth with plenty of candyfloss!!
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'Beautiful people are those who do beautiful things'
I remember holidays in our caravan at Jaywick, Clacton on Sea, camping at southend. Holidays at Great Yarmouth, i can remember them even when i was 2 yrs oldfunny, we now have a caravan on the same holiday Camp, tv programmes: same as you, plus the weird one called Monkey, rainbow, My Grandfather used to look after me from about the age of 5, when my parents was working, so i remember all the days out up London, sitting on the seats and watching the trains in and out at Liverpool Street the bus rides,and the occasional sitting in the backs of pubs..lol, its funny though, certain songs i hear, tends to take me back to my childhood, some of my favourite songs, i can remember where i was at the time it was playing on the radio.Spooky My Long term memory is alot better than my short term memory..lol.
...also there were no loo's, baths or showers in a lot of caravans either so all the campers had to trot down to this awful shed type of building which had a corrugated tin roof and the loos and showers were horrible...full of spiders and creepy crawlies...YUK! Lol.
