Things you miss most about your childhood house/suburb?

[willister]

Actually, does anyone still live in the same house they grew up in?

I no longer live in the house I grew up in, but call me emotional or whatever, but I think the biggest mistake we ever did was sell it. It's also not about the money or financial things either....in fact, we would have been worse off had we hung onto it...

Despite St Albans being a rough suburb and still is to an extent, I don't know...I miss the "ghetto" feel it has, the neighbours I grew up with, the memories (a series of firsts in life...) and just the overall but slow gentrification of the suburb.

 

[The Y-man]

I work in the suburb I grew up in.....

The Y-man

 

[kathryn d]

I have always lived within 30 minutes of where I grew up (age 6-17)
It was a small village, and everyone knew everyone and usually their business too.

We almost bought a house there in the mid 80's, then changed our minds.

Usually the memories are better than the reality.

 

[luce.rocks]

When I was quite young, 3-6 years old, we rented an old weatherboard house on a dairy farm on the North Coast. It had rolling green hills, a mandarin tree in the house yard that had a forked branch perfect for sitting in and eating mandarins, a chook shed (with chooks) for collecting eggs andd jumping off the roof of, and at the top of the nearest hill was an enormous old fig tree with a rope ladder that I occasionally summoned the courage to climb. Perfect pastoral childhood. I miss all that open space, greenness and fecundity.

I don't know if the owners kept it all these years, but if they did they're no doubt sitting on a gold mine

 

[china]

What do I miss about:

The upper North Shore of Sydney - large sprawling mansions, magnificent trees lining the wide streets, the peaceful atmosphere.

The house itself - half acre block, views of bush land from an elevated position, internal access garage, walking distance to shops, the 50m long driveway from street up to the house

Lived here for 28 years before moving and the parents downsized to a unit nearby. Now too poor to buy an upper north shore mansion.

 

[Jacque]

What I really miss....

Neighbours who lived in each others pockets (which, from a kid's perspective, was FUN)

Billy cart races down our cul-de-sac at some god forsaken speed (I have scars to prove it!)

My mum's cooking (though I still get to sample it )

Playing hide and seek in our many many cupboards

We could walk to the shops, park, neighbours house, bush easily as kids WITHOUT OUR PARENTS

Paddle pops and sprinklers in summer

Our 1960's pink and grey bathroom- it had the deepest bath I've ever used and I still have fond memories of Mum bathing at least 3-4 of us at any one time (5th child didn't fit, however...)

When my parents finally sold after 37 yrs and then the house was up for sale a further 7 yrs later, we went along to the open for a look-see. It was a hoot, as we let one of my brothers go in first and then the rest of us (4 siblings and partners as well as parents) simply said to the agent "We're with him"- He did comment on the fact that we were a large family but it was so weird seeing all the changes that had been made to our beloved family home. A little sad really.... the childhood home will always hold special memories.

 

[INVSTOR]

I found a job in the suburb I grew up in, made me feel at home!

 

[danel]

Great post, I live about 100 metres from my childhood unit. i pass it daily, show my kids, ride my bike around same streets as my childhood days, go to the same shops, albeit all different now!!

 

[lizzie]

Grew up on 10acres in NZ.

Lush rolling and green. Bush at the back where we would build forts and dams over the creek and some giant mud holes to play in. Used to trapse thru the bush or across the paddocks to play with friends.

Sheep, chooks, veges, billy carts down the hills, crawling thru the bog rushes playing hide and seek, walk to school barefoot.

The only downfall was that there were only 4 bus services a day - two into town and two out - great as a kid - not much fun as a teen.

 

[Nemo30]

My sister owns our childhood home. She bought it from my mum a few years ago. All the old neighbours are still there.

It feels so small now - no idea how we all lived there.

 

[evan1875]

Childhood home demolished a few years ago due to the continuing urbanisation of a major Asian city.

Whenever I think about that home, it was like in a old black and white movie. Miss the multitude of sound that you will no longer hear (street vendors etc) and, also the smell of woodfire... Must be the link between the olfactory nerve and the temporal lobe of the brain where memory is.

 

[Lil Skater]

Childhood home demolished years ago, and I was only 8 when we left.

I miss the beach though, we lived right around the corner from it. I love the beach, always have, but now I'm no longer tanned, slim or live remotely near one!

I have fond memories of the tiny little study which was my bedroom, our first cat Charlie who was buried out the back under the tree and Dad bringing home Smokey who was only about 2 weeks old.

 

[BayView]

Actually, does anyone still live in the same house they grew up in?

I no longer live in the house I grew up in, but call me emotional or whatever, but I think the biggest mistake we ever did was sell it. It's also not about the money or financial things either....in fact, we would have been worse off had we hung onto it...

Despite St Albans being a rough suburb and still is to an extent, I don't know...I miss the "ghetto" feel it has, the neighbours I grew up with, the memories (a series of firsts in life...) and just the overall but slow gentrification of the suburb.

Between my first conscious moment of where I lived and moving out of home for good I lived in about 12 different places and 7 different schools.

 

[luce.rocks]

Between my first conscious moment of where I lived and moving out of home for good I lived in about 12 different places and 7 different schools.

I only went to 4 different schools but I counted just now and from my first conscious moments I've lived in 25 different places! Not including places that my mum lived while I was in residence at uni, that I would go 'home' to in the holidays, which would add an extra 4 places to the list. Also not including places I can't remember but know that we lived when I was a baby. No wonder I get itchy feet after a few years anywhere!! And no wonder I love houses

 

[lizzie]

Which goes to show that "home" is really "where the heart is" rather than a physical place.

My old home is still standing but the 10 acres have been turned into a subdivision with wall to wall housing ... as have all the small acreages surrounding it ... total area looks nothing like my semi-rural home.

Oh - and riding the bike down to tennis on Saturdays, finding 10c on the path and buying 30 lollies with it, the brilliant two story, full head height cubby house dad built us for Christmas, playing in the mud and getting hosed off at the end of the day ...

 

[units4me]

I remember growing up in Traralgon in the 70s and 80s....

the kids in our street in and out of each others houses and lives.
The backyard (actually driveway) cricket, Tippetty run, over the fence is six and out.
Building cubbyhouses, mushrooming, blackberrying and climbing massive pine trees on old nearby abandoned farms (now long gone for housing estates).
The long bike rides with friends.
Friday nights down "the street" in the days before shopping centres.
The deserted streets after noon Saturday closing of shops.
Doing "blockies" on the P plates, with the doof doof full bore.
And of course "The Astrodome".

Good times.