What makes you remember back to your childhood?

[wylie]

Apart from the numerous memories from my childhood I would rather not "remember", I am sometimes amazed at how quickly I can be dumped back to being ten years old.

This morning, I got a rush of blood, took down the shower curtains, sprayed bleach over the whole of the loo and surrounding tiles and with so much light coming in, I just went straight back to my childhood memories of "spring cleaning". Not just the usual sweep, vacuum, mop, but a really good clean.

Same happens when I strip the bed but don't remake it straight away, throw open all the windows and do a "deep clean". This is most powerful for me after a winter of being closed up or, like now, after weeks and weeks of rain and feeling locked inside.

I was thinking it probably is a lot to do with the extra light and fresh air when curtains were taken down and washed (or after winter, or after rain). When I clean week to week, I don't get the "flashbacks" but when blinds and curtains come down and windows thrown open I do. The light floods in, and I think that is what transports me back to my childhood.

I HATED it when I was actually doing the cleaning when I was a kid, because I wanted to be out playing, but I enjoy the memories now.

Actually, I am now remembering having to polish the timber boards. No permanent coatings back then but a regular buff with stuff like shoe polish, and then buffed off with a different set of pads on the big electric floor polisher. I really HATED those days .

I wonder if anybody else is ever "dumped" back into their childhood by something like this?

 

[kathryn d]

Well it isn't doing spring cleaning as a child. I was spoiled, and my mother never made me do it. Not sure if she ever did spring cleaning. She always did housework when i wasn't around.
Going to museums and seeing things on display that I remember seeing at our house or my grandparents home, takes me back in time.

Before our housesitter (owners) left, their 2 1/2 yr old daughter made a tent using blankets and chairs, secured at a set of drawers.
It made me remember the endless hours I used to do that too. Great fun.

 

[ok180]

^^^ 80's child.


Whenever I hear "walk of life" by Dire Straits.

 

[tarah]

Whenever I swim at the beach it reminds me of bodyboarding the waves when I was a kid! Hearing one of my brother's laugh takes me back to when we would tease each other and if I pushed him he would exaggerate and throw himself into the wall to get me into trouble!

 

[jaycee]

^^^ 80's child.


Whenever I hear "walk of life" by Dire Straits.

Music definitely....

"Summer of 69" is one I'm always mhappy to hear, but too many to mention really...

Driving past my childhood homeand driving down the back lane, even though it has now been asphalted and modernised, brought back so many memories that I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up remembering all sorts of things, and the feelings that I felt at the time

 

[Macca]

This got me thinking !

I would say the thing that takes me back the most is when I buy fruit and veges. My parents used to have a general store and I used to go to the fruit markets with Dad from about 12 years old.

As we sold everything we got asked for or could fit in the place, I was doing the F & G section before and after school until I left school to start work.

Today, I am very fussy about what F&G I will buy, pick it all over before buying, drives my wife nuts. She just grabs the top one and keeps going, now she leaves me to choose and I catch with her later

EDIT : Whoops Fruit and Veg, sorry

 

[andrew_de_a]

Bit slow here but what's F & G?

 

[vbplease]

This is really interesting! For some people it might be from something they see, for others it maybe something they hear - a song. For me it's a smell.. a few years ago I found a really old suncream tube in a box, and when I smelt it the flashbacks of a particular holiday came back.. really clear flashbacks too.

Smelling some cheap perfumes and tequila bring back flasbacks I'd rather forget

 

[weg]

When it's not too hot and I open the living room windows to let in a nice breeze it's reminiscent of my childhood and lying in my room feeling the breeze coming in (had no aircon). It can take me right back to a particular day when I was about 13yo.

Hearing 'Live it up' by Mental As Anything takes me back to living in Darwin when I was 22yo (ok not childhood but a looong time ago) and having one of many 'best times'. Saw them play in concert there on a perfect evening during the dry season.

 

[BayView]

Music is the main thing that takes me back to my childhood.

Certain songs trigger memories of that particular time in my life when the song was a hit.

 

[Macca]

Bit slow here but what's F & G?

Whoops, Fruit and Veg that should be

 

[Casserole Dish]

Oooh me! me! I love this stuff, I sometimes think I do live in the past too much.

I have just padded out more of my 80's toys collection from ebay ie. the one barbie I owned, the ONE Little Pony, my Splashy doll, Strawberry shortcake etc. I unwrap the parcel and I'm back there on my eighth birthday (or whichever) and so happy!

What else? The smell of Perkins Paste is just divine to me. The smell of youth I tell ya.

Someone mentioned their brothers laugh and I must say that when I get together with my sister we can get the giggles and chuckles and be there with tears running down our face with a private joke from our childhood that only we find amusing! We are now 34 and 36. My mum and her sister still do it too at 50+ so it obviously never stops.

Thanks for this thread by the by, love it.