This coming Monday we sadly say goodbye to the ‘I Must Confess‘ linkup hosted over on My Home Truths. It has been running for close to five years now. I’ve been confessing all manner of things, most weeks for four years.
I was even lucky enough to host the linkup on a couple of occasions when Kirsty was missing in holiday action…
As you can imagine, I’m super sad to see the linkup go. Those confessional posts are some of my favourites here. Like all good send offs, I would dearly love to see the confessional linky go out with a bang and would love it if you would join me for one last confession on Monday.
Today, as a final farewell, I’m bringing back one of my favourite confessionals (originally published in April 2013)….
I MUST CONFESS… My first childhood memory!
I must confess…… I’m going to need to have a little word with Kirsty from My Home Truths, as we are once again linking up for another Monday blogging confessional where this week we delve deep into the memory banks and recall our first childhood memory. Perhaps a gentle hint for a more fashionable topic for next week might be in order?
For starters, I’m not entirely convinced this is actually my first childhood memory or I’m just remembering the event because it has been recalled so many times over the years by others that it is now tattooed firmly in my memory and has become my first memory by default.
So the memory I have is from when I was roughly 2 years old and there is apparently photographic evidence on slides somewhere that are currently part of an ongoing custody battle with my parents, who oddly enough divorced over 20 years ago, had no issue with child custody at the time but still haven’t settled on slide ownership. Don’t ask!
To set the scene, it was my baby sister’s baptism after party, we were gathered on the front balcony of our home having photos taken with the extended family. Up until my sister’s arrival I had proudly held the position of only child, not only within my little family but also the extended family and like most toddlers, only child or not, I was clearly use to being the centre of attention.
I must confess the arrival of my sister clearly changed the equation and this became ever so obvious and must have been a real figurative slap to the face, with all the aunts, uncles and grandparents in attendance for the first time together where they were no longer doting only on me.
That would be me in a different non sibling universe – happy, happy times!
In my annoyance (or was it just a case of bad parenting and over-tiredness) I helped place my sister back in her pram and then tried to ram said pram with sister still in it off the front balcony. If there was ever a religious occasion to be shouting OMG (was that term even invented then?) this would have been it.
Seriously though and I’m sure I professed my innocence at the time, I’m convinced there were no actual murderous thoughts involved (not from my perspective anyway but I can’t speak for my sister) and this was merely a case of an overzealous toddler trying to help and impress an audience lost to the dark side.
Same again for my fifth birthday when I received my first real big girl bike. The fact we lived on a hill with our street running down to a busy main road really didn’t enter my mind when I allowed the same sister* to jump on and have a turn. The fact the bike was at the top of the hill and pointed towards the main road at the time was purely a coincidence. (*I also had another sister and a brother by this stage that I could have bestowed this privilege on.)
It also never occurred to me to give my sister a demonstration on how to use the brakes on the bike. To be honest the bike with sister hanging on for dear life, was off speeding towards the main road almost immediately, that there really wasn’t much time for lessons let alone final goodbyes. It was just lucky for all involved (except my poor bike and my poor smacked backside) that my sister hit a brick wall at speed before she made it to the main road.
I must confess that this is the same sister that after surviving the brick wall incident went on to marry my first big girl real boyfriend (although the real bit is debatable).
Honestly, contrary to what you might think and hear, there really were no problems as far as I was concerned and once again definitely no murderous thoughts even when the happy couple broke the news to me that I was too short to be a bridesmaid. When they divorced a short time later, I really didn’t have a problem with that either (true story!).
So you see I really do need to have more than a word with Kirsty from My Home Truths because these Monday confessionals are turning into almost therapy sessions and possibly not how I envisaged Monday Madness panning out.
Here’s to getting back to being fashionable next week, although we are tackling frizzy 80s hair, which may or may not be fashionable but seems to have made an unwelcome comeback on my head…. I’ll let you decide!
Mysteriously yours,
Mystery xx
What is your first childhood memory? Surely it can’t be half as bad as mine… can it?
Originally published on: Apr 14, 2013 @ 23:26
Oh my…. How deviant you were. I was the youngest and born 13 years after my siblings so I grew up mostly like an only child. I don’t remember any competition or fearing for my life. How boring!
LOL not sure about deviant probably more of a case of first child syndrome.
It’s funny what we remember, and how we remember it – and then what we totally forget until someone brings it up…
This was obviously a talking point over the years that it’s embedded itself into my memory banks.
Too too funny. My mother has a similar story she tells of me breaking my 9mth old sister’s leg in a swing. I was 2 ½ & don’t remember any of it, but its’ become my memory. It’s also become more dramatic over the years.
Oh no. I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose. LOL
Oh my! You are quite the little devil!
It would seem so.
OMG! LOL. Glad your sister survived you …
Too short to be a bridesmaid?!
You could look at it that way. LOL I believe I did all the surviving in the relationship. AND yes… apparently I was too short to be a bridesmaid. As if I would have gone there anyway. LOL
I was going to ask that. I can’t believe anyone would say that. So you didn’t go to your sisters wedding?
Yes… she really said that and yes I actually went to the wedding briefly. There was just no way I would have put my hand up to be bridesmaid.
That’s deranged. I have a friend who was told she was too fat to be a bridesmaid because she went and got herself pregnant before the wedding (to her husband and they’d been trying for awhile…). Weddings make people so weird.
That’s one word for it. I rather apt word. Weddings do make people weird which is probably why we had a surprise wedding at our beach engagement party.
I’ve been told that I wasn’t too kind to my younger sister when she came along either!
I honestly don’t remember being unkind, more put out that I was no longer the centre of attention, I suppose. The bike incident (when I was 5) really was just a mistake and probably more to do with me not being able to say no to my overbearing younger sister. LOL
This is so funny!
My earliest memory was at 6 months of age, being held up to take my Polio vaccination from a tiny spoon! I can remember it all so vividly and when I tell it to my mum, it totally freaks her out still!
There’s lots more funny stories like this, if only I was game to share them.
That’s weird being able to remember something from that young age.
Loved it! I did this very topic just recently on my blog. My first memory was when I was an only child too. Why, oh why did they want to give us siblings?? I have a saying, I made it up I suppose for all of us “only” who were “first” until we got siblings…”why aren’t we good enough?” pretty telling isn’t it? I’ve sensed the behaviours in first children that give rise to this. Over-Achieving being just one trait I do believe!
I’m still not convinced this is actually my first memory or if it has been engrained on me through stories over the years. I’m not sure at 18 months I would have thought much more than ‘why am I no longer the centre of attention’ rather than anything else. Apart from this ‘story’ I’m told I was a pretty impressive and nurturing big sister. The bike incident was more a case of me not being able to say ‘no’ to my over bearing, needs to do everything I do younger sister. Although she might tell you otherwise. LOL
Loved this post! My daughter will never know the sibling struggle 😀 My earliest memory was being around 2 years old visiting my Grandfather in hospital. My parents didn’t believe me until I described the room and the outside of the building.
My best friends are both only children.
Hehe, thank goodness your sister survived all your attempts to kill her! LOL. I have a shocking memory for some reason and can’t remember anything before about 12 years old? It’s truly bizarre.
Di from Max The Unicorn
Yes and I somehow survived everything she threw at me. LOL
Wow! Sounds like your sister has nine lives. I’m the oldest of seven. I don’t want to think too hard and delve into my memory of what may have happened on a farm with us growing up.
You would have some stories to tell I imagine. LOL
Thanks for the lovely words about the linkup Raych x I’m not sure if I’m going to cope well with the end of the linkup either – it’s been my weekly habit for so long to confess. Who knows, I may bring it back one day (I’ve already brought it back once from oblivion so the precedent is there!) but for now I’m ready to have a break and explore other things. But the odd confession will still be made (I don’t think I’ll be able to stop completely!)
Well we could always do up a roster and put the linkup on rotation until you feel more comfortable. I thoroughly enjoyed hosting it when you headed overseas. They are some of my favourite posts.
I remember when I was about 3 and had the mumps, I reached for a spoon I thought had oatmeal on, popped it in my mouth and it was the oil my mom had heated for my ear, lol Great post for reminiscing.
Have a great week!
Oh no. That would have been horrid.
Ah, going to pass on that one (Mine are worse). Not a lot in my childhood was memorable (let’s just say I like to keep life positive and thinking how I grew up is not a positive) but I learned about relationships between older siblings and younger ones when my own kids were born. My daughter is older by 18 months and she decided to torment her brother from Day One. It has been on for the last 19 years since.
I have three girls (15, 16 & just turned 18), funnily enough they all get on much better than I ever did with my siblings. Hoping that continues.
Ah childhood memories! Thanks for sharing yours. My earliest memory is when I was about a year and a half and I got stung by a bunch of wasps. I remember crying on my mother’s lap while a bunch of kids surrounded her and they were counting my stings. Not fun!
Enjoy the rest of your week.
OMG I have a huge fear of wasps. That would have been so very painful.
Awww what alovely read and photos too!
Thanks Merlinda.