Monday Muses Post

My Childhood

        My childhood was complicated, joyful, confusing and so many other things, yet I remember every detail of it. When I was younger my family consisted of my Dads side and my Moms side. I have two siblings Paige and Jake who are both older, that I lived with for quite a while but now we're all separate. I had so many different times, homes and experiences with both sides of my huge confusing family. I've always been close to my Aunts, Uncles and cousins as well as my two grandmas so my family got big and confusing at times. Although it may sound complicated it all tied together and my childhood was all based off of those different family sides and the people within them. Until I was nearly 8 years old I lived in Nottingham, England (which is where my family still is). It's a pretty uneventful place but after a lifetime there, you learn to make your own exciting experiences. 

        My parents are separated so I got the weekdays with my dad and weekends with my mom. I went to school, came home, went to friends houses, the usual uneventful life things. But my family and friends made it a little more lively. I have so many examples of this after 8 years if experiencing it. Even my school life was made exciting, I hardly remember ever learning. My school memories mainly consist of writing a letter to J.K. Rowling (she responded and even though I wasn't a fan of Harry Potter it was an exciting moment for a seven year old who could hardly write), making a sandwich creation with friends for a health providing project, which was surprisingly tasty, singing HELP by The Beatles for Red Nose Day (a charity day in England) and my school having surprisingly good school lunches. That was my school life. It was good because you had 3 recesses so you never felt like you had work. My friends played a big role in making my life a little more exciting. I remember having my friend Ewan's really nice mom look after me after school as she was friends with my grandma (she seemed to know everyone), giving me really good food and being crazy upset when she was diagnosed with cancer. I remember my friends Jasmine, Emilia, Molly and Nicole who were my friends for practically my whole life and I remember leaving them and my school behind when I moved, I remember when I was about to move My whole class (which was practically the whole grade) made me a big card behind my back during lunch and I stupidly wandered into the classroom while they were making it because I was looking for my friends, I still have that card. These are examples of my friends making my life a little more lively. 

        I have a confusing but hilarious family on both sides. I am unlike everyone in the fact that I can actually stay somewhat quiet for more than 30 seconds. My family is animate, clumsy and funny all at the same time (but everyone gets really moody at times). I'll start with my sister, her name is Paige. Paige and I were really close when I was younger and she's one of the people I miss most (she still lives in England with my mom). She's 19 now and even though she's grown up a lot she still acts like a 7 year old. I always have the memory in my head of my moms way too big house and us trying to watch a movie then the electric going out. She went to fix it but she took way too long so I started panicking. I didn't want to get up because I was scared and when I finally got the courage to look...I found her texting on the kitchen. I always remember Paige being so happy and nice to me and then getting mad if I said one thing. She still does that, so you can see how much she didn't mature. Next is my mom (mum). I miss my mom but she did so many things that annoyed me when I was in England that it's hard to forget about them, I can still be a moody teenager towards my mom even if she is 3,000 miles away. When I was 6 years old she promised me that she'd take me to a water park on my birthday. So I was all ready to go, I had my new Nintendo, all 7 of us piled into the 5 person car, we started driving all talking about how excited we were, and then my mom got us lost. I was so frustrated. I had her asking everyone for directions but she got so annoyed after 3 1/2 hours that we ended up turning back and going to our regular pool for 1/2 and hour. I was so angry. Next is my brother, Jake. I have a lot of memories of him even though the time we spent together was limited and when I was younger. I remember him, Paige and my cousin Jade all tying me to an office chair with a scarf and spinning me around until I thought I would throw up. I remember him coming to me on my 5th birthday at my grandmas house and giving me a coloring book and that being the last time for 7 years seeing him. I saw him this summer for the first time since then and it was like nothing even happened. Even though I was tiny when this was happening I always remember him being crazy protective over me when I was a baby because I was the new youngest and he was the "responsible older brother" (even though he was only 4 at the time). That was my moms side and little parts of my family on that side.

        Now my Dad's side. My Dad has always been my closest parent and family member. I have too many memories to even remember because I've been constantly with him and living with for 13 years now. Although I do have one memory, him taking me to High School Musical on ice at 6 years old and letting me stay up until 10:00. It was a pretty big moment for me at that age. I was always close to my grandma (Nana). She passed away when I was 6 but I practically lived with her until then. She tended to every need as I was "the daughter she always wanted after 6 sons". She always wanted the best for me, she bought the special apple juice I loved, took me to places, defended me when my dad got frustrated (even though it was always my fault anyway) and put me first in everything. When she had her 2nd stroke it was in Butlins, a holiday resort that we went to with my Uncle Terry and Cousins Adam and Callum while my dad was in Berlin. We had just arrived and she started forgetting everyone's names, even my uncles who was her own son. I was sobbing and she couldn't understand why yet while she was forgetting everything, she never forgot my name. As for her 3rd and final stroke it was just before picking me up from school, and I'll never forget being panicked when my dad came early picking me up instead because it had tragically killed her. I didn't cry because I was so grateful that I had made he most of my time with her, she was my second mother. Now for my uncle Billy. He and I are and always have been extremely close. He has always looked after me and is there for me. He has 3 kids, George, Ava and Beck who are hilarious and completely out of their minds. George is 4 years younger than me, Ava is 7 years younger and Beck is almost 2. My uncle looked after me a lot when I was younger and always took me swimming. I remember this one time when he took me swimming at nearly 4 years old, before I could swim, and he took off my floaties. He looked at me and said "I'm going for a quick swim stay here and swim around"  (because I could swim with floaties on) so he left me and completely forgot I was without them. He ducked under water to start swimming and when he got up and looked over at me after a few minutes I was half under water gargling and trying to stick my head up as he rushed over, I was absolutely fine but now it's funny to remind him whenever I visit. I miss my uncle and cousins probably most out of everyone in England and I wish they would come and visit New York more. This is my Dad's side of the family. 

       Before I moved to NY with my dad to live with my stepmom, Vik, I only visited once. I loved it as my dad knew I would, and it didn't matter to me about moving after that because I knew I would be much better off. The majority of my memories have been in England because most of my life was there and my life stayed pretty much the same after I moved here (which I'm happy about), except for a new sister, Freja (freya) who is nearly 3, my life has been consistent. I have a lot of the same friends from elementary school, I live in the same neighborhood and I have the same home life that I have had since 3rd grade. My childhood may have been complicated and confusing but it was exciting and it determined my life and the person that I am now.