Childhood is the state where growth and development takes place. Although this period is never the same for every individual, the concept of it building us into the people we are now is commonly shared.
“[Childhood] is very important because we tend to develop our personality — like our sense of self and who we turn out to be. Our experiences from our childhood definitely impact who we eventually become,” Curtis Allen, social studies teacher, said.
Even though teenagers continue to mature and progress, their childhood can shape who they are currently.
“[My childhood] has shaped me into the person I am today. The way that I was raised was to be respectful, always be nice, to be a good person, and that’s always carried with me,” Addison Lightcap, 11, said.
A big part of Maura Fuqua’s, 11, childhood included moving. Whether it was from house to house or state to state, Fuqua expressed that it is a pivotal factor to who they are today.
“If I didn’t move around so much, I’d be completely different. I got to meet so many new people and all different types of people,” Fuqua said. “Living in different houses and places and even the different weather in certain places, just changed everything. I feel like I wouldn’t be as open minded without moving.”
Growing up, children from the same generation tend to have some similarities.
“I always reminisce about childhood with the people that I shared it with,” Lightcap said. “I think [my childhood was] similar to others with shows that we watched, favorite animals, or favorite colors. I remember us girls who bonded over sharing our love of unicorns.
As our individual interests shift from those we had once upon a time, some may not realize the connection their current interests have with their childhood. As Fuqua’s love for music has grown alongside them, remembering specific moments from their past often comes with music.
“My dad’s [music taste is from the] ‘80s, my mom’s old country, my sister’s more rap, and then my other sister’s more like indie pop… so now I like every single type of music. I associate my memories with music because I’ve always been surrounded by it,” Fuqua said. “I remember going to Starbucks with my mom, and we became best friends with [people] who worked there, and I remember listening to old country.”
Everything from passions to characteristics can stem from childhood. Although it’s not always directly seen on a day-to-day basis, an individual’s experiences during youth may lead to what their future entails.
“My childhood was really affected by a lot of the movies and things that I really enjoyed, and so I’ve kind of used that experience to create and hone in my skills of teaching some of my film classes,” Allen said. “That’s one of the reasons why I became a movie fan is because of my childhood; I grew up watching a lot of movies and the humor or comedy kind of shaped my sense of humor.”
Despite how different some of our pasts may be, childhood memories can be categorized into many umbrella topics. Within the next few stories of this series, I will explore the childhood of others within categories such as shows/cartoons, snacks, and songs.
