Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Best and Worst Ages From Childhood

It recently came up in some blog conversation with Dana at The Daily Dose that we both like the number five a lot.  I just like the number; she likes it because she remembers five as being a really good age from childhood.  That made me think about the best and worst ages of childhood, so here they are:

Worst childhood age:  (Yes, I’m doing worst first.  I really like to end with the positive.)  For me it was definitely six.  My grandparents (my mom’s dad and step-mom) were killed in a car accident that year.  They were hit head-on and died pretty much instantly.  They were the grandparents we saw the most, so I really felt the loss.  My mom also kind of went off the deep end in the months following the accident, and that was a little scary to watch.  Today I think she’d have been encouraged to seek counseling, apparently not so much in the late 80s.

I remember what scared me the most, though, was that was the year I learned that there were things in the world my dad couldn’t fix; any time before that any problem or crises seemed to be resolved when my dad came home from work.  He was the fixer.  I remember waiting in the kitchen for him to come home after my mom got the call and called him at work, and being shocked and scared that we didn’t just magically stop crying when he walked in the door.  In retrospect, I think I was really lucky to have spent the first six years of my life believing there was nothing my dad couldn’t fix.  I know now that not all children have that kind of security at any point in their lives.  (And I still think he can fix almost anything.)

Best childhood age:  For me it was definitely four.  We lived in Texas that year.  As an adult I realize it was probably one of the years that my parents would consider the worst.  We moved from South Carolina to Texas for them to go to work for my grandmother and step-grandfather, and things didn’t go well for them.  I thought it was wonderful at the time though.

They owned an RV park and we ended up living on site, in several different RVs over the course of the year.  I can’t imagine doing that now, and definitely not with a two and four year old and a cat and a dog, but at the time it seemed like a grand adventure.  I had great fun checking out the different features of the different RVs.   And I had free run of the park for biking, swimming, and being fed obscene amounts of candy by retirees who didn’t get to see their own grandchildren as much as they wanted.  It was a great time and place to be four years old. 

So what about you?  What age do you remember as being the worst from your childhood?  What age was the best?  Do you like that number now?

18 comments:

  1. 12 was terrible....grandad passed away and we left the only home I had ever known and moved miles away. I had to start a new school. It was hideous. My parents adopted an aboriginal girl and that was hell. Yikes...I think I must have buried that year where I couldn't find it..now I'm thinking about it. #@%%&

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    1. What a lot to happen to a 12 year old! That's kind of a hard age, anyway. Sorry it was such a bad year for you.

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  2. oh what a touching post this is---such a horrible tragedy for anyone to go through--especially a 6 year old----and i can see why you thought the time at the rv camp was the best---i would have loved it too----i don't really remember a year or maybe what age i was--but probably my younger ones 6 and under were the worst--i worried about everything---and maybe 10 to 12 being the best--i had a lot of confidence then and was a very good girl then :)

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    1. Thank you. That's kind of sad and sweet that you worried so much when you were so young. Glad you found some confidence later on.

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  3. Beautiful post, Danielle.

    As you know, five was my best age. I felt like I was becoming independent--starting school, taking the bus by myself... I liked that feeling. :)

    I don't know if I have a worst age. Maybe my early twenties, just because I made some choices then that I regret now.

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    1. Thank you.

      I didn't think about it, but five would be an age of idependence for a lot of kids, especially if they're excited about school, talking the bus, etc.

      I wonder if anyone remembers their early twenties fondly???

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  4. Being five was the best year. The school allowed me to start first grade early because I was already reading. I loved school.

    The worst year was when I was 13. My father quit smoking and life was misery for two years.

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    1. Starting school seems to be a good time. That's awesome that they didn't you hold you back based on age.

      13 could definitely be a bad age to have to deal with a parent dealing with the stress of overcoming an addiction. Yikes!

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  5. Worst age: 8, when I had to go to a new school and nobody liked me (for all the wrong reasons)
    Best age: 12, when I finally realized why they didn't like me and I no longer cared

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    1. That's pretty awesome that you came to that realization at 12. I think it takes most people a lot longer not to care if people dislike them for the wrong reasons.

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  6. Wonderful post, Danielle. Thank you for sharing such an emotional part of your childhood with us.

    Worst age: 10, when I realized that my parents would be better off without each other.

    Best age: 4, when we came to the States and instantly, I had an extended family. :)

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    1. Thank you.

      I can't imagine coming to that realization about my parents, especially at 10.

      I think it's neat that we have the same best age. :-)

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  7. Oh Danielle, so sorry to read of the loss of your grandparents. I'm sure that has affected who you are today. I'm so sorry for your mom. I hated junior year of high school, b/c we moved the summer before. My high school years were interrupted, and it was a bad year for me. My best childhood years are from the ages 5-10 when we lived in a small town. I could walk everywhere, had great friends, we had a lot of pets, which I loved. It was just a great stretch of time.

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    1. Thank you.

      That could be very rough to move in high school.

      Lots of pets is definitely a good thing. :-)

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  8. Oh wow, I can see why your mom would have been a little off the deep end after that tragic accident! I can also see why that age was your worst; I did like reading about your best though because that does sound like a fun adventure for a little kid! I'm thinking your parents had to somewhat enjoy it all to consider doing what they did in helping out your grandparents.

    My worst age was probably seven only in that we moved from Pennsylvania that year to Southern California and I broke my ankle a week before we moved, and we were traveling by train. That was a hard trip on my mom I think, managing my broken ankle, I was on crutches, but still trying to get me moved around on the train, etc.

    Best age was probably 10; we had moved into a 2-bedroom house after living in a 1-bedroom house for a few years and we had more space and a big back yard to play in.

    interesting thing to look back on indeed!

    betty

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    1. I think my mom was definitely justified. I do hope my parents remember at least some of the time in Texas as good times. I think they do, they did make some really good friends out there, some of whom they're still in touch with.

      That would be a horribly long train trip with a broken ankle! Poor you! And your poor mom.

      It is fun to have a big backyard when you're a little kid.

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  9. I'm not sure about the worst age. I do know that the ages 10 to 12 was the most fun! I had a lot of friends and just felt really good about myself. :) Funny, twelve is my favorite number and maybe it's because it was a such a happy time in my life.:) Great post!

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    1. That neat that 12 is your favorite number and it was a good age. I was wondering how many people they would be the same for. Thanks!

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