View Full Version : What parts of you showed up at an early age?
For me:
Somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10, I started an assembly line whenever I had something repetitive to do (making cookies, craft projects...). I don't know where this came from, I'd never seen one either at home or on TV. I'd first do a prototype, then get all the materials and tools within an easy reach.
I later became an industrial engineer. When I was first exposed to ergonomics, I instantly "got" it. When I later got into software development, I brought along those same skills of thinking through the process and making sure everything I needed was accessible (though in software, those things are often more intangibles than things you can touch). In my personal life, I do the same thing like thinking through all the things I might be doing when packing for a vacation, or having little kits of items that I might need when I'm out and about. I think in steps typically when looking at a new project. Its very intuitive to me often to figure out where to start, and what I need to do next. I don't know where this comes from, but it was present in me as a kid.
What about you?
SteveinMN
10-27-12, 10:37am
Oooh. Toughie. I don't remember all that much about my early life. :~)
I know I've always considered language as a tool which should be used well. Even when I was little and could not pronounce the proper word for something, I would make up a word, but I'd use it consistently. When i learn another language (which I guess I can do fairly easily), I like to learn not only the vocabulary and grammar, but the nuances -- localized preferences, slang, etc.
And I have always been of the school of thought that I'd rather have a little of the best than a lot of the cheap and cr@ppy. I was never a fan of buying a cheap something just to say I owned one and could surround myself with lots of things. Not to say that I spent money to spend money, either. But I'd rather own the cheapest BMW than the fanciest Lincoln. I'd rather have a few pieces of good furniture and make do rather than have a lot of junk. I'd rather have one well-built pair of classic shoes than three or four for all occasions. That's always been me.
Hmm. Might have to think about this some more.... Good question, herbgeek!
miradoblackwarrior
10-27-12, 10:38am
Hi, herbgeek--
When I was a kid, I used to play "office." I'd raid the wastebasket for officy-looking paper, torn envelopes, and the like, and I'd write or type on them and pretend I worked in an office. Now I work in a library, writing, typing, and moving little officy-looking paper about. Wish I had the hours of an office worker, though!
Susan
JaneV2.0
10-27-12, 11:53am
I read somewhere long ago that if you wondered what you should be doing with your life, you should think back to what you enjoyed doing as a child.
I loved exploring nature, reading (learning), making art, and dressing dolls (i.e. fashion). And my own company. I still enjoy all those things. As I got older, I developed a taste for writing and solving puzzles. I added foreign language at ten. I've always been a curious generalist.
The entrepreneurial urge. My Dad took me to the bank and co-signed a loan for my first lawn mower at age 8. I paid off the loan in two weeks. I still have that paperwork. Guess staying out of debt was an early on thing as well.
Zoe Girl
10-27-12, 12:09pm
hmm, I liked being organized, and I always had a book with me wherever I was! I wrote in journals as well and created worlds out of nothing but paper. I am not sure I have fulfilled that part of me yet but I look forward to retirement at times.
I recently have noticed how much I tended to be a leader starting at a young age, not always a good thing. I could get people to follow me and do things more than average. As someone always rather introverted in ways (I loved sitting alone in my room and reading) I still rather liked being in the front of the group. Hmm.
catherine
10-27-12, 12:31pm
Well, on the negative side, what showed up early was my LACK of organizational skills. In first grade they had desks where there was a little shelf underneath to store your books, and mine was always crammed with old papers, pencils, whatever.
I was drawn to self-improvement, spirituality and the arts. My grandmother bought me the Lives of the Saints which I devoured. I was inspired by biographies by people like Helen Keller and Benjamin Franklin, and I wrote insufferable little rhymes like "And for those who can't live without one cigarette--Cancer may come if it hasn't come yet." Yuck. What a fun little kid I must have been to have around.
But I did love putting on plays and singing. I'd sing along to all my mother's Broadway albums, and make up cabaret acts in front of my mirror. I also loved to draw, paint, write, and as I got older, I made my own clothes.
Interests that have carried through are my interest in self-growth and spirituality, but my artistic bent has largely found its only voice in my market research reports. I did graduate with a theatre major, but any aspirations I had to sing and act died on the vine after I got a job as a secretary in my 20s.
Float On
10-27-12, 12:37pm
Apparently I developed the gift of finding lost objects at an early age. I was often called out to find a tool or part that had fallen off a tractor or truck on the farm.
iris lily
10-27-12, 1:28pm
hmm, great question.I can't remember when I wasn't me.
I remember from a pretty early age of waiting, waiting. Waiting to get out from under the thumb of adults. Not that the adults in my life were bad (they were not) but I just wanted to do my own thing. Our parents struck a good path between child centric and adult lives.
I don't mind the stricture and structure of work but on my own time I'll do what I like, thank you very much. Marriage is a compromise of that, but fortunately, DH is very independent.
hmm, great question.I can't remember when I wasn't me.
I remember from a pretty early age of waiting, waiting. Waiting to get out from under the thumb of adults. Not that the adults in my life were bad (they were not) but I just wanted to do my own thing. Our parents struck a good path between child centric and adult lives. ... .
Ditto. I had a perfectly good childhood, but I have always been an independent sort. The big downside of reincarnation, for me, would be the recurring growing up part.
HappyHiker
10-27-12, 2:17pm
Funny, the things I loved at eight, I still love--and do today--mostly.
i.e.: walks in the woods, being in nature, birdwatching, riding my two-wheeler, bonding with dogs/cats, reading, libraries...maybe I never grew up?
The one activity I don't do any more is hunting for crawdads in the 'crick." I haven't a crick out back any longer..darn it all!
I give some credit to yoga and meditation for keeping me in touch with my inner child and pursuing a simple life of seeking activities I love rather than pursuing money--which I DID do for a few years and it made me miserable and not true to my core values.
Mighty Frugal
10-27-12, 3:00pm
I was (and am) a voracious reader. Library night (Wednesdays in my home) were the best nights.
I also wrote a lot of stories-at age 12 you would find me in my room banging away on my eldest sister's electric typewriter. Hard nose pieces like: 'Why Kids Are Always Last' and strange confusing poems and nifty short stories.
I also set up my own library in the basement. I had one of those spinning book racks. I made each book a small envelope on the back flap and a card to insert. I had a stamp too (who doesn't LOVE to stamp??)
As an adult I still love to read, make a small income selling pieces to magazines, and when I want to get away from it all you will find me burrowed inside a library:)
I loved psychology from junior high on ... And left it behind for a decade cause my church thought it was evil. Since 2000 I've been working as a psych nurse, loving it more all the time. I'm even enjoying the study I'm doing now for my psych nurse certification exam.
I'm partial to Carl Rogers and his humanistic approach.
Reading and love of learning. I was known as the "why child?" My mother said for years she only taught me to read before I went into kindergarten so I could look up things myself and stop asking her questions!
Sad Eyed Lady
10-27-12, 4:22pm
Reading was a love for me as early as I can remember and still is today. I also wrote things, (poems, stories, made up letters), from an early age and continued throughout my life. Now my writing is mostly limited to journaling and good old fashioned snail mail. However, the urge may strike again at any time to dash off a poem!
Also, as some others here have mentioned, I had a fierce independent streak as a child and still have it. Now instead of family coping with it, DH is the one. He knows me well, after 43 years of marriage, so he is used to it by now!
Oh, kindred spirits, all of you!
I was a bookworm from the time I learned to read. I don't have memories before I could read. I also loved walks in the woods - solitary or with a friend. Always independent, still am - and have a strong need for time alone to regenerate. Always loved photography as well. My aunt gave me an old box camera (126 film) when I was 9, and after that I was never without a camera. When I was older my love of photography expanded into microscopic objects, and I spent many years behind optical and electron microscopes on my way to a master's degree in materials science/engineering.
Another bookish kid here. (although that didn't pass to my offspring, surprisingly). Also like to play teacher, and my 5-years younger baby brother was a captive audience. Was also the most organized of my 5 siblings, and am even to this day.
Have kept all of those traits as an adult.
One of my earliest memories is of getting in trouble for drawing in the flyleaf of my mother's favorite cookbook. So they got me an easel with drawing paper and crayons and I never stopped. Now, some 75 years later, I'm still at it, making art, selling it at art fairs and loving every minute!
Reading/writing were also big for me. Won a couple of writing contests in elementary school. Used to spend HOURS playing by myself in the woods after school making up elaborate stories that went on for weeks, if not months.
I have also always been very process oriented. Last night we had people over for dinner and made pizza, and I set up this little assembly line with all the toppings. One of the things I enjoy about my current job is continually evaluating our processes to see where we can be more efficient/effective. If I weren't so mechanically inept I probably would have made a good industrial engineer or something. My sister does software QA testing and I probably would have been very good at that, too.
lhamo
Everything that is me now was there as a young child. I can't tell the difference.
Used to play school--became a teacher. Used to play Olden Days--became a history teacher.
Reading, drama, singing, writing. I deal with people in the same way I did then. Still really love animals. Still love to be out in nature. Still don't believe in a god. Spend a lot of time alone.
Also, loved to pick at stuff as a kid. Wallpaper/paint off the wall, feathers out of pillows. Still do this--mostly bark off dead trees.
And of course I'm still a slob. Not empty-pizza-boxes, beer-bottles-strewn-everywhere-fraternity-boy filth but pretty filthy, nonetheless. My room was always a pigsty as a child. I'm a terrible housekeeper now--would like it cleaner--but don't care enough to really do anything about it--house usually looks dirty and 2 hours of cleaning make a profound difference.
Always went my own way, fighting verbally and noisily if necessary and still am fiercely independent in thought.
Must research things carefully before action but then when a decision needs to be made - no dilly dallying.
Loved arts and music always.
When I was 10, I wanted my own farm and now have my dream.
Curiosity was my middle name from birth, I think, and has always been. I want to know and learn and explore.
Some skills like socialization and communication, one can learn but spirituality and zest for life seem to be inborn.
We show up here fully equipped as per specifications, as far as I can tell.
pinkytoe
10-28-12, 11:06am
The post title had me thinking this was about which body parts showed up first:) And that I must say, taking words literally, has been one of my "issues" since I started talking.
As far as other things, I was the one sitting in the corner drawing everything I could. I could spend hours drawing and painting, ie creating images. I once got a scolding at age 7 because I "carved" an image with my teeth on the wood back of a Victorian settee. I also loved playing store, gathering objects to sell, lining up and pricing. The only other very strong compulsion I recall was pretending and imagining. After watching westerns, I would dress up like a Ntive American and pretend the propane tank out back was a horse complete. Ah, fun to remember this stuff.
Singing, reading, writing, and telling and laughing at stupid jokes!
Gardenarian
10-29-12, 3:29pm
I started reading when I was three or so - back then it wasn't considered a great thing! I was disparaged for always having my nose in a book. And I still do, and I'm a librarian.
I also have a bad temper - I don't lose it frequently, but when I do, look out!
I've always been very organized, and get a bit anxious when things get messy. It makes me feel like my brain is confused.
Really, I've changed very little from the time I was a toddler.
I love the OP's question and I have been thinking about my response. I have always wanted to be in charge and do things I wanted to do - I had confidence in my own abilities. I was very independent which is often the case with first-born children. Those traits lost some of their "steam" as I became a young adult, but they re-emerged as I got older. FREEDOM is what I cherish most - to be who I am and decide my life. Part of this is because I was so controlled by my mother growing up and then went right into a controlled marriage. Go figure. I have been divorced since 1979 and probably will never marry again. I do not even date now because I love my life just as it is. I have my family and friends. I still have complete confidence in my ability to take care of myself financially and emotionally.
Great post, herbgeek! And fascinating responses!
For me, some aspects that were there from a young age -
Reading
Desire to be organized
Teaching (Used to round up the neighborhood kids the first weeks of summer and create a little 'school' for everyone. Course they were tired of it way before I was!)
A perceptive intuition about people, the origin of which I've never been able to determine. In my adult life, more than any other 'skill,' intuition has served me well in my work.
Deep thoughts about the world and life.
Not wanting to accumulate - keeping things clutter-free, minimalist and simple !
Tussiemussies
10-29-12, 10:45pm
Ever since I was a teen I was just like Catherine, spirituality, psychology/self-help, the arts, reading and homemaking.
I have gotten to do all of them! And continue with them...
Well according to my Mom, who has many photos to prove it, I was a wild tree climbing, dirt digging, tear everything apart to see how it works kind of child even at around age 2. Most of the photos are of me in a lovely, fluffly, lacy dress (my Mom liked to dress me up) covered in dirt, in the top of some tree, refusing to let anyone help me find a way down. Usually my Dad had to come rescue me but I whined and cried that they didn't let me do it by myself.
Gardenarian
10-31-12, 3:46pm
Spartana, I'm getting a great visual of you as a kid! The more things change...
Well according to my Mom, who has many photos to prove it, I was a wild tree climbing, dirt digging, tear everything apart to see how it works kind of child even at around age 2. Most of the photos are of me in a lovely, fluffly, lacy dress (my Mom liked to dress me up) covered in dirt, in the top of some tree, refusing to let anyone help me find a way down. Usually my Dad had to come rescue me but I whined and cried that they didn't let me do it by myself.
There weren't a lot of suitable trees where I spent my early years--a couple of blocks from the ocean--or I would have probably tried climbing one. But I was famous for my "I can do it myself" attitude. At this point, I'd happily let someone else do it. All of it.
At this point, I'd happily let someone else do it. All of it.
I hear ya loud and clear! I'd rather let someone do it all for me nowadays so I can be out climbing trees instead - much funner :-)!
I was always miles ahead of my counterparts (maturity), and so loved sitting-in with adults (women) and listening to them chat (and chatting with them). I was also (naturally) a nurturer, so loved being around babies and young children, helping out with them whenever I could.
I was also born with the "neat-as-a pin" trait. Oh my, how I've carried that trait with me through life... Oh, and cleanliness. I'm a clean-freak, although practicing such isn't easy with a large family, but as a kid I didn't dare get dirty. Always loved to dress-up in my finest, and to this day love all things old-fashioned, just as I did as a kid.
I loved to read and write! I also loved my company the best and could not understand how all the girls spent so much time giggling and playing with dolls! I always wanted to do everything myself and did not need any help. I also waited to get away from my parents and all their silliness....I always knew they were holding me back. I refused to believe that the only path in life was to study, get a job, have some kids, and sacrifice everything for them! I always questioned everything people said, not to be annoying but to understand why and how they came up with that belief. I also knew from a young age that everything is connected, that if I talk to the Universe, I will get an answer. I also remember that when I would get hurt, I would work out the pain or put my hand over the cut to help with the healing process.
I digressed for a while in my rebellion against my parents and it's funny how I found my younger self all over again :)
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