Dysfunctional Families Online Support Group

I was thinking of a childhood memory today. It was a good one. I'll share it later if you tell me yours.

I grew up on a farm and we had to work at a very early age. (5) And I mean work hard in the fields and milking cows, etc. There wasn't much time for play. It was ok because it taught me responsibility and a good work ethic.

My happy memory right now is walking back in an area where we had a lot of fruit trees and bushes. I loved going back there with my dogs and I ate a lot of mulberries. It was obvious what I was doing because I wouldn't stop until my hands and face were purple so my mother always knew where I'd been. I liked to stop and pick some lilacs from the bushes and take them to mom and she'd proudly put them in a vase with water and put them on the table. The smell was so wonderful and those mulberries and plums were so good.

Thanks Angela2, I love the smell of lilacs and I now have a bush.

I was remembering when I was 6. My Grandmother took us one at a time to her house for a sleep over. When my turn came we were going to see a new movie that was just out. A Musical called Sound of Music. During the movie, unfortunately she got sick and we had to go home. She promised me we would come back to see the whole thing when she was better. She did get better and I again got to go. My sisters were saying it wasn't fair, that it was someone else's turn. She stood up for me to go again. She kept her promise, that was BIG for me.

Who's Next? just one good memory from your youth

I dont have many very good memories of my childhood..but I do remember my Mom's Rose Garden..But I didn't like them when I was young. Went to pick one as a young one does, and it bit my hand...LOL..I don't like the thorns , they are very mean...lol

Hugs, Patty

When I moved from MA to TX, then Finally to MO. When I got my first pony, the start of my horse career, as I was in 4-H Horsemanship, and loved it. When it was hot, I'd get up before the sun was up, saddle up my horse, take off for a long ride, and get home around ten in the morning, cool off my pony, feed her, spend some time in the barn with her, then couldn't wait till the worst of the heat of the day was over, go out, get my pony, saddle her up, ride until the sun was down. I miss those days.

I eventually got my first Appaloosa horse, rode her in Rodeo and State fair parades, showed her in a few small local shows, that's when the horse show bug hit me, and I sold her for a better Appaloosa, and really got serious with it, and loved it. I was always an early riser, due to always looking forward to saddling up my horse to head out for a long ride, and if it wasn't for that, working on them for up coming shows. I loved showing my Appaloosas, and had such a good time. I also had my first rabbit as a teen, me and my older brother enjoyed them, but at that time, and we have 4-H rabbitry to thank, we learned from showing a rabbit to raising them for meat, and we raised a lot for that, and yes, I was out there with my Dad helping, and when you have over 40 meat rabbits, it doesn't bother you. That's how we learned in 4-H. My younger brother couldn't handle that part of it, so he lost interest in them, while me and my older brother did it for several years until I was too old for 4-H. I have to say 4-H is fantastic for kids. I miss those days. Me and my younger brother was always in the top numbers in our area 4-H, even had a chance to go to D.C. due to that, but was told no, due to our parents, and my Mom regrets not allowing us to go. We earned it, and it'd of been awesome for us. If my daughter had a chance to go to D.C. as a youth, I'd of let her. I had a wonderful childhood with learning the life on the farm. GBHugs, Donna

The long rides at dawn sound wonderful. as a kid I was an early raiser too. We had cats, my mother knew so much about them.

Another memory was of one of these cats. Max a tabby, was all mine at the age of 8. I loved his soft fur. It helped put me to sleep many nights.

Once my Mom and Dad were out and we had a sitter. It was bedtime and I had told her I was allowed to get my cat. She would not let me. My sister had a plan. The 3 of us worked together many times. So I was lowered out of my bedroom window with help from my sisters. I stayed in the yard and called my kitty. He came and I walked up to the front door with him in my arms. The sitter let me in the house (haha) I went right to bed and to sleep WITH my kitty.

Donna I live so close to DC. it's just a metro (subway) ride in. Come on over

They sure were, I miss that, but it just might happen again, as we're keeping an eye out for a small horse, and I told my husband, I want my last horse to be a deep golden Palomino. We'll keep it here at the house, due to it won't be a big horse. I'm short, so need a small horse anyways, due to it'll be easier for me to get on. We'll have to put a fence up, and all, but I hope I get another one soon, as I dearly miss riding. I'm to the point now, I wear a riding helmet, and not sure how long I'll be able to ride, due to my neck. As much knowledge as I have for horses, I know a horse trader when I see one, and being I trained horses, I'm gutsy enough to get on the horse first to make sure I can handle it. It won't be young, it'll be an older horse, once that is very broke, and bomb proof, as I always put it, meaning a real gentle horse that won't spook at anything, I've ridden my share of them. lol

That's funny, Clap! I bet when the baby sitter opened the door, you had a big grin.

Awesome! I'll have to remember that the next time we go that way. We went through DC in 2003, talk about crazy traffic. lol It was fun though. GBHugs, Donna

Any one else with a warm/good memory as you were growing up?

I also want a cat, but not until the younger son is out of the house. He said he wanted Sheba but now Sheba doesn't want him. He has been unkind to her and she will not let it pass. Now when he calls she runs to me.

Clap..I have been pondering over this question and it really makes me sad. But I just smiled and remembered what my brother did at Halloween Time.

We went trick-or -treating as usual..we made our own costumes back then..LOL..and as we all got up to the doors of the candy we received for saying trick-or-treat, then we said thank-you. My brother had severe emotional problems. So he refused to say either, but he sat in his room that night and wrote thank you notes for the homes we went on the block. He remembered each and every home, and put the thank you notes in their mail boxes..I look back at this, as to the sweet heart he really had...instead of the negative...it does warm my heart

I have been thinking of this too. The thing that I find in common is none of my good memories are of my Mother and Father?? I remember them arguing with each other and with us children. I hope there are times my kids remember that I made a good memory. I tried hard to do that. I'm going to ask them.

Another memory:

I had a dog named Chip, everyday was special because he was there. We had the same color hair Blonde, very blonde. we would play a dodge game with each other. He would go off in a field (never wore a leash) I would call him and he would run to me, and I run toward him. At the last moment we would veer off course. Chip was born in my basement.