Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with childhood

Spell my mother's frustration!

houseofdanie — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:27:21 -0800

How do you spell the Italian-Americanisms my Mom used to yell at us when we were kids? For Christmas, I'm compiling a humorous list of things my mother used to yell at my brother and me when we were children. Her father was Italian, so a fair amount of these things are Italian-Americanisms like, "Oh, Madonna!" My question is, how do you spell the word pronounced like "stoonad," as in, "damn idiot?"

If you can think of things your own Italian-American parents used to mutter in frustration, please feel free to share. I'm sure there are many common things my mother used to say that I've forgotten.

Elusive jigsaw puzzle - Mad Magazine related?

routergirl — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:25:42 -0800

Seeking old jigsaw type puzzle from my childhood. Possibly Mad magazine related, or drawn by Al Jaffee... slim details inside. When I was a kid I had this puzzle. It was a small one, perhaps 5x7 inches or so when complete. Each piece was a strange character, and it was accompanied by a poem that gave clues as to how they all fit together. One piece was either Alfred E. Neuman's face or a face very similar to his. Other pieces included a cartoony type white dog with one arm held high, a woman in heels, a desk cluttered with several things, a seemingly drunk man with a party hat (I think he was reclining, with legs sprawled, on the floor at the bottom of the puzzle), a red telephone, and various other people/cartoon-ish animals. I lost it some years back. It's been nagging at me over the last year or so, but my google fu is failing me. I expect my search terms are too broad (mad magazine jigsaw, mad magazine puzzle). I've tried doing some searches on ebay but come up empty. We kept it in a plastic box, but I can't guarantee its the box it was sold in - it was just a non-descript little box that it happened to fit in, and we kept the poem folded inside with the pieces. The pieces were cardboard - not prime jigsaw puzzle material, but not paper, and it didn't seem thin enough to be a bonus Mad Magazine insert.

I was born in '73, but had older siblings/step-siblings and my older brother collected Mad Magazine for some years. From what I remember of the artwork (the pieces I remember, I remember vividly) it was probably put out in the mid to late 70's or early 80's.

I suspect I'm out of luck, but generally I don't give up without trying the hive mind. Also - is there a name for a jigsaw puzzle where each piece consists of a character or item, or are they all just... "Puzzles"?

Where did this chimney sweep waltz?

thivaia — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:06:42 -0800

Please help me identify this scene/sketch. I am haunted by a memory of a scene/sketch from childhood. It was a chimney sweep waltzing with a woman in an elaborate pink satin ballgown in a Victorian-style parlor. This was not Mary Poppins. For years, I thought maybe I'd seen it on "The Electric Company" or some such children's program, but I've never found any reference to it. I'm pretty sure it was not in a movie. I've been trying to find this one my own for years, but I clearly need help. Does anyone else have any memory of this? I would be so appreciative.

Erector Set

jasondigitized — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:44:50 -0800

Google-Fu fail. I had a toy in the mid 70's that I can best describe as a hydraulic-watermill-waterpump-erector-set. It allowed you to connect a series of clear tubes, mills, and various other pieces to create a crazy pump station that ran water up, down and across the tubes, mills. etc. It could grow to several feet high. If I remember correctly, there may have been an electric pump that drove it all. I may be mistaken. The toy may have been a lot older as I used it at my grandparents house. It was basically like one of those electronic kits where you could perform experiments but this used water, and it was awesome. Help me find this toy!

"F" stands for Freeway not Farm

MasonDixon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:26:36 -0800

Is there a set of Urban Alphabet Flashcards? Alternatively, I'd like to create my own for my kid. Time to begin teaching the little one letters and things, and I guess I'd like the flashcards to provide me some entertainment value too. Many are dry and they often have a pastoral bent, which seems unhelpful given the urban landscape we live in. Know of any creative/funny/atypical sets?

If I can't find something, I plan on making them myself. Your helpful suggestions for what "A," etc. should stand for appreciated.

Is it okay to lie to your parents to avoid seeing them on the holidays?

bananaskin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:23:46 -0800

How can I handle my feelings for my parents during this holiday season? I am a 40 year old, single woman, without children. I have lived away from my parents for the past 15 years or so, but recently, they have moved to 1 hour away from me (not to be near me, but to be near relatives).

Although my past with them, both as a child and up to the past year, has not been the WORST, it has been extremely difficult. My parents were both very prominent in our church, yet did not do as they "preached" at home.

I try to limit my time with them as much as possible as I have felt, and still do, very anxious, even to the point of heart palpitations, headaches, sweating, stomach aches, when I have plans to be around them and then during the time when I am around them.

At the same time, I fear NOT going to Thanksgiving and Christmas as the fall out from that may be difficult as well (calling me on the phone to chew me out, talking badly about me to the relatives).

I am "past" the point of trying to work this out with them, as I have tried, but they just can not accept me as an adult with valid opinions. They still look at me as a child and treat my concerns as such. So, what should I do?

Usually, I give an excuse, a lie, to get out of seeing them on at least one of the 2 holidays, then spend it alone....which may or may not be too bad. (please do not tell me to go spend the holiday with "friends").

I just do not want to go. What should I do?
Thank you everyone!

What is the name of this game?

zinfandel — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:28:14 -0800

A quickie - what's the name of the game where a bunch of people sit in a circle and the first person whispers a secret into the ear of the person on one side, they whisper it to the next, and it goes around the circle, only to end up being an entirely different secret? For example, someone starts with "I gave my brother a ride to work" and it ends with "I saw my mother ride a stork." I remember playing this as a kid, and I've also been in a volunteer orientation class where this was used as an bad way to communicate.(Google is not my friend this evening.)

Does anyone have any great real-world examples?

Supposes my toeses?

gallusgallus — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:32:45 -0800

Can someone help me figure out the meaning of this toe-based Eastern European nursery rhyme? This was a favorite one with my grandmother; she was Ukrainian/Austrian in lineage, so I'm guessing the language is Ukrainian, but it might also be a borrowing from Polish/Slovak/Russian/etc. neighbors.

It worked a little like the Five Little Piggies rhyme in English. Phonetically, it went:

Hodick (or "hodig"??),
Bubbick,
Chichinitchka,
Kookawitchka,
And staaatty chook, chook, chook!

As she said the first line, she squeezed the big toe, then onwards across the foot, until at the last line she grabbed the pinkie toe and shook it violently back and forth (much squealing ensuing from the child).

I'd love to know what these lines might actually mean, and if anyone else has heard of this rhyme. Oh, and apologies for my horrible, horrible transliteration-- I'll be happy to answer any follow-up questions about specific sounds, if it might help. Thanks!!

I'm going underground...

ghost dance beat — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:48:20 -0800

It's time for another round of 'name that childhood story'! Please help me identify a novel about a society that (literally) lived underground... From what I remember, it was a sort of futuristic/sci-fi story. Humans lived underground and believed that they couldn't go up above the earth's surface or something terrible would happen. Eventually, one boy decided to go and gathered a group that was willing to leave with him. They were warned that they couldn't return once they left, but they still went. It may have ended with them standing in a field? I've been wondering what this book was for years, so I hope this rings a bell for someone!

(Why) Is my 4/5 year old being bullied?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:41:31 -0800

In situations with three or more children, my son appears to come out on the losing end socially when a certain other child is added to the mix. My wife and I are beginning to worry that a pattern is developing that we need to break somehow. My wife and I are having some troubles with this situation. We’ve become pretty close friends with families in our neighborhood all who have children around the same age. We see many of the parents socially with and without our children, particularly Family A. However some troubling events have been unfolding lately (over the past year or so). Family A’s son (Boy A) and my son appear to play well together. However, whenever a third child is introduced Boy A works to turn them against my son. This was first noticed when playing with Boy B, Boy A and Boy B see each other much more often than my son sees either of them. About a year ago Boy A and Boy B would start playing games which pitted them as a team against my son. This dynamic remains fairly consistent whenever the three are together. Then a few months later my son and Boy A had a play date with Boy C (who had never met Boy A before) and Boy A preceded to start turning him against my son in much the same way. While I realize three may not be a great dynamic I see this pattern in larger groups involving Boy A and my son at times.
Now today, Girl A came over for a play date with my son. Girl A lives next door to (and is fairly close to Boy B). At one point during the day she said to my son “I do not know if I should even talk to you, Boy A and Boy B want to kill you.” Pretty strange, and I am not sure how to react or deal with this.
Overall, my son seems to me pretty normal for his age, though he does appear to have a greater attention span than most boys his age. It is not a size issue as he is as bigger than A and B and the same size as C. He will be entering kindergarten next year (Fall 2010) and Boy A will be in the same class (and most likely bus) though Boy B will be in 1st grade by then (he is roughly 9 mos. older). The parents of Boy A are great people and my wife and I value their friendship, they seem aware of the issue but are also probably at a loss about what to do. The father has apologized for his son’s behavior in the past.
Our biggest fear the pattern developing is that our son will always be the victim in these cases. In the past we have worked hard to quell any bully-like behavior in him. Partly because he was often seen by others as the aggressor (in situations where he may not have been) purely because he was taller than most other children his age.
Any advice anecdotes appreciated.

Children's literature in translation

math — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:10:46 -0800

Jules Verne. Hans Christian Anderson. Don Quixote. The Brothers Grimn. Pippi Longstocking. They say that Americans don't read books in translation (only 874 of the 185,000 books published in the US in 2004 were adult literature books translated from other languages, according to this link), but I'm sure that more than 0.4% of my childhood canon was from non-English sources. Help me add to the list! Recently I was chatting with some Swedish tourists, who were shocked that I knew about Pippi Longstocking. "Are you kidding me?" I asked them. "I saw the movie. Heck, I think I even had the lunchbox."

I'm sure that there are lots of other books I read as a kid that were in translation, but right now I'm drawing a blank. Oh, and I was disappointed to learn that my absolute fave, The Scarlet Pimpernel, was written in English and not French. And Zorro, another absolute fave, also originally in English. So disappointing.

Strategizing a Lego offering

kmennie — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:45:59 -0800

I have a substantial Lego collection and a two-year-old. Eventually I will want to introduce the two. How best to do this? I have lots of Lego -- vintage stuff from my Lego-mad early years, and quite a bit collected as an adult. Ownership of a big pile like this would've transformed my childhood, I like to think, so I am now overthinking how to pass it along.

My daughter is just about to turn two, so I have a little more time to strategize optimal Lego spoiling.

I can't figure out if it's just a part of the household and we start playing with the basic blocks soon and work our way through the troughs randomly, or if I should parcel out a few teaser sets and then -- hey! -- Look what Mum has in the closet!, or ?

I am looking to generate maximum Lego interest, of course. I am dimly aware that standards may have changed; the Lego I had as a kid was considered a lot of Lego then but probably wouldn't be now, but I think the current pile is impressive. All in lovely condition, and there are a lot of specialty pieces. The instruction booklets and some of the boxes are still around so it would be possible to repackage some sets as sets...

Short version: if your parent had a boatload of Lego, how would your childhood have been made most awesome with it?

Kid's scifi with nothing but potato salad?

eleanna — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:45:05 -0800

I am looking for a book from my boyfriend's childhood. What he remembers: kids controlling a spaceship who can't get the food replicator to make anything other than potato salad. Other notes that might help:

1) Boyfriend grew up abroad (in Africa), so while English language, this could be English, Australian, Canadian, or American.
2) This was definitely science fiction.
3) He would have been the right age to read this in the early 1980s.

I've tried asking this on abebooks (under BookSleuth) and through children's librarian friends and...no luck. He's having a really hard time of it of late, so I hoped to find this and maybe cheer him up a bit.

Thank you for any ideas.

Raising a family in New Zealand. How much has where you grew up determined your personality?

scazza — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:02:13 -0800

How much has where you grew up determined your personality? How important is location? Those who grew up in New Zealand, how much has its culture and limitations shaped you? Children of expats, how did having expat parents influence you? Any Americans in NZ want to tell me why they are raising their children there? And I'm not asking this since I just saw "Away We Go." It just occurred to me the similarity of this question. I often think about where would be the best place to raise a child. Yes circumstance usually dictates, but let's forget that for the moment. I am American but also a New Zealand citizen where my large family on my father's side lives in Auckland. I have always heard that NZ is an amazing place to raise your child, however I have some concerns that maybe you all can help me with.

My experience has mostly been of Auckland and my own family. My family network there is very large and insular with very little room for individuality. I don't think anyone in my generation there has gone to college and they all work for the family business. They all talk of leaving but never do. They are an amazing family, but culturally ignorant and occasionally offensive (for example re gays). I am an artist, my partner a lexicographer, we adore the outdoors, but also like intelligent conversation and debate about everything, anything (University of Chicago life of the mind anyone?). We have considered raising our future children in NZ but basically I don't want them to grow up to be like the rest of my family there, isolated in terms of cultural and intellectual knowledge and respect, open-mindedness and curiosity. Individuality, achievement is a very American value, one that can sometimes be taken too far, but I don't want to rob my children of it if they grow in a more insular culture. My cousin tells me it gets more insular as you move south in NZ from Auckland but I don't know whether to believe her, and I wouldn't want to live in Auckland.

How much does or has location determined your personality? I think it's determined by your parents more than anything (contradicting conventional thought that it's your friends who are the most influential, but I've just never encountered that in anyone I know) but what about extended family?
I've heard Wellington is the culture capital of NZ, is this true? Are there other places? Is it true that cultural exposure declines as you head south?
Those who have grown up in NZ, have you felt a full cultural and intellectual exposure and life?
Any Americans in NZ want to tell me their stories? Why and where do you live in NZ? (Though it would be Saturday for you now, so are you even checking MF?)
Friends I've known who left NZ to see the world have all moved back. What's up with that?

Explaining death and funerals to toddlers

Lleyam — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:55:26 -0800

Should my 18-month old niece attend my grandmother's funeral? So, it looks like my grandmother is going to die quite soon. This isn't a surprise as she has been in a nursing home and rather unwell for some time.

Of course, this is a challenging emotional time for me and my family, but particularly for my sister who has to decide whether her 18-month old daughter should attend the funeral.

My perspective on it is that I remember being excluded from my grandfather's burial and resenting it. But I was significantly older, 8 years old I'd guess.

So my view is that it would be great if my niece could attend the funeral and learn to see death as something natural, integrate it into her consciousness as a sad thing but one that is inevitable in the continuum of life.

My questions are:

1. How might my sister best explain death to her daughter? At 18 months she has limited vocabulary and comprehension so we're worried that using phrases like "nanny has gone away" might upset her because daddy often has to "go away" on business.

2. Once the death is explained, should my niece attend the funeral or will it be too upsetting.

Other things you might need to know: my sister is not religious and is not bringing up her daughter in a religion, although there is some Buddhist influence; my niece is being raised according to the principles of the Continuum Concept (I'm not really familiar with this myself but thought I should put it out there); both my sister and I were raised in a Christian household but don't want to pass on that kind of framing/mentality around death/afterlife to the little one.

Sorry this question isn't more articulate; I'm tired and not thinking straight. But in any case, I hope it is clear that I'm just trying to find some different perspectives on how best to deal with this situation for the best outcome for my niece.

Modern career like Starfleet officer?

joewandy — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:42:17 -0800

Which modern careers rooted in real life is most similar in nature to that of a Starfleet officer abroad the Enterprise? I just watched the new Star Trek movie, and am currently revisiting some of the older TNG episodes that I'd missed out. The constant self-exposure to all things Trekkie is making me remember my childhood dreams as inspired by the series: 'to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.'

When I was 10 years old, I told myself that once I'd grown up, I would be leading a life full of exciting adventures. Going on missions of research, diplomacy and explorations! Alas, in reality, I am 28 now and have grown up to be a mere boring computer programmer.

So Hive Mind, .. give me something to mull/dream over and suggest some modern careers (rooted in real life) which most resembles that of a Starfleet crew member abroad a spaceship. The inherent nature of that career must also include all of these aspects: diplomacy, science, defence and exploration. I'm not really a Kirk person, so the ideal role model in my mind would be someone Picard-like. If Picard is too much, then well, at least a Geordi or Scotty will do.

Runnin' around

Anonymous — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:57:21 -0800

I am curious about a childhood habit I had of daydreaming, or fantasizing, I suppose, while... running (for lack of a better term). Has anyone heard of this phenomenon? I don't mean, I would go out for a run, and then daydreamed while I was running. I mean, it was a bit like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, i.e. I was daydreaming about myself in adventures, exciting scenarios, in T.V. shows I liked etc. Except, in order to have really intense daydreams I'd literally run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, in my bedroom. Probably I could do it for anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour. To me, the daydreams would be extremely "real" this way: I'd tune out the world around me and really see (and hear) my daydream world around me. I mean actually I would not see the room around me and would see what I was imagining.

I never had a problem with mixing up daydreams vs. reality though - there was the real world and then there were these stories I'd tell myself. On the other hand, I could, in a way, measure things very clearly, and when I was somewhat older, very consciously, about myself by what happened in the daydreams (what I aspired to, what I feared, etc.).

My question is: has anyone else experienced something like this? Is it documented at all? Or something similar?

I suppose the niggling question I have is that, since my daydream world was so intense and satisfying, in a way, is it possible that the imaginative "adventures" and risks I took might have replaced real-world "risks and adventures" that would have been of a similar emotional character (though obviously not realistically the same)?

(If there are questions by any chance they can be directed to fo11ow0p@gmail.com.)

1 big scar - 1 testicle = ?

potatopeople — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:02:59 -0800

What are some medical reasons that would warrant an operation removing one testicle from a 5 or 6 year old boy? My partner only has one testicle (which is absolutely a non-issue to me), but he wasn't born that way and he doesn't know why it was surgically removed when he was very young. He has a scar slightly below his left hip bone that is almost five inches long, running horizontally across his pelvic area. The only memories he has of this are vague, very early childhood memories of being examined by a doctor and then being anesthetized on an operating table. His parents never talked to him about it when he hit puberty, and he has never asked them about it and says he never would because it would be way too awkward.

I'm curious about what kind of medical reasons there would be for an operation to remove a testicle from a 5 or 6 year old. Has this happened to anyone out there or anyone who knows some reasons for this to have happened? Just wondering about what are some probable or possible causes for this type of operation.

Mortons

chicago2penn — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:48:49 -0800

When I was in elementary school, we called front-wedgies (where you pull up someone's underwear in the front, rather than in the back) 'mortons'... am I the only one to have done this, or is it something common? also, if anyone actually did call it a 'morton,' where does the name come from?

At what age do your memories begin?

Billegible — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:25:40 -0800

At what age do your memories begin? I've always been curious about this - how old are people, generally, when they start remembering things?
My first memories are from age 6; I know from family history that we moved that year, and the memory is of walking into the new house and seeing a familiar toy in an unfamiliar room. So maybe our first memory is always of an important, striking event that was big enough to write itself deep in our brain cells; or is there just an age when the brain starts to work that way?

A friend with unrealistic dreams, what to do?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:34:53 -0800

How do you tell a friend that their dreams aren't realistic? I know it's not GROOVY to be a PARTY POOPER and tell someone not to pursue their dreams. I usually tell people to do so and to work hard at it and I really mean it. But in THIS CASE, for a certain friend, I just can't get myself to do it!

I have a good ol 'mate who (after getting laid off recently from their job) is considering pursuing a childhood dream -- a field of study/work that is VERY difficult. I love this person as a good friend, but trying to be objective as possible, I just can't see that person succeeding in that field. It's a very difficult and competitive field that requires a lot of hard work, with TONS of thinking, planning, creativeness, conceptualizing, mathematics skills, etc. Problem is I'm always finding that person lacking in these very things VERY VERY MUCH and VERY VERY OFTEN!!!

This person is DEFINITELY a nice person and the last thing I want for that person is to put down a lot of resources into pursuing this dream only to fail. (Also! It's not the first time something like this has happened but in regards to other things unrelated to this and often much smaller scale. As in, having unrealistic goals, hopes, or expectations.). But really, I don't think this person has what it takes to do what they want!

I don't know how to approach this situation! I want to voice my opinion but don't want to sound like a complete assmeister because this is a childhood dream for the person and they seem to be seriously considering pursuing that dream (even though it seems they lack the qualities required to be moderately competent in that field).

AHH! WHAT TO DO!??? ERRR.... AHHH.... SHAZBOT!

I still feel like the sad kid no one will ever like.

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:41:14 -0800

Why am I suddenly unable to stop obsessing about the childhood bullying that happened to me? I am an adult woman who experienced serious bullying from my earliest memories all the way until I graduated high school. That one kid everyone felt free to make fun of because they were so weird/had no friends to defend them/just didn't fit? That was always me.

I thought I was over it. I even convinced myself it was an advantage. I always seek out the most ill at ease person in any social situation, am friendly but not overbearing and I empathize with a lot of different perspectives. Those are all good things.

Yet lately very specific memories are catching me off guard and even though I do my best not to dwell they tumble around my head anyway. It's like it was yesterday. There's no particular reason I can see why it's cropping up again but it's frequent and each time makes me feel like I've been punched in my gut. It didn't matter what school or what group, I was always at the bottom (with all the teasing, cruel pranks and occasional physical violence that suggests) and I keep wondering why. A deep part of me feels as if those kids were rejecting me from the herd for a good reason. Aside from my partner I don't have any close friends. I basically don't have a social life. It gets harder and harder for me just to talk to people. I feel marked somehow. I know this is irrational but that doesn't stop me from thinking it.

I am on antidepressants and have done therapy but I don't think the answers are there. I don't know where they are. If you've had the same feelings and recovered from them please tell me how. If you would rather not write here you can send something to anonmeta@gmail.com. I don't want to feel like this anymore.

How can my 13-year-old stepson get to sleep?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:35:46 -0800

How can my 13-year-old stepson get to sleep? My stepson has been having terrible trouble getting to sleep. He's often up till 4 in the morning, even though he can't play video games or read on his computer after lights out.

He's been suffering a lot of stress. He spent a harrowing spring break at his dad's, where his dad's girlfriend threw things, smashed thing, and made wild threats against his dad and herself. (Why is she still around? You tell me.)

But even before that, he was having a lousy life. He doesn't like school. His best friend turned on him. His girlfriend is being, well, a 13-year-old girl. He's been suspended three times in a month, for shouting at his teachers and slamming doors.

Obviously the stress is not helping. But the not sleeping is not helping the stress, either. He won't touch melatonin. He doesn't drink coffee, so that's not it. We've suggested he write in his diary if he's up nights, but I doubt he'll do that. Mostly he paces a lot, and frets.

What can I tell him that might help?

when to promote sport.

wilful — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:30:55 -0800

When should one attempt to promote team sports to a boy? Of course, every child is different, and you are not my son’s parent, and only I (and the missus) can really tell, but, disclaimers aside, what’s your experience been with starting team sports for your son, or daughter? What are the development milestones I should look for that means he’ll more likely enjoy it? Did you try too early, and have to give it another go later? Any anecdotes welcome (or hey, links to research good too).

What were these cartoons called?

flod logic — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:13:48 -0800

What were these traceable cartoon characters with mix-and-match features called that I remember getting handouts of in elementary school? In several grades during elementary school, I remember the class getting handouts copied from some books. They were traceable characters that you'd mix and match the features of. Each sheet would have one kind of body part on it - eyes, outlines of faces, hair, bodies, etc. in a cartoony big-head-smaller-body style. There were no recognizable characters like Mickey Mouse or anything, just cartoon people. I'm thinking this was a series or something and that they had a specific name but I can't remember what it was. Anyone know what this is?