I recently turned the big, or rather ‘grown-up’ 18. Might sound clichéd but I can’t help reminiscing about my childhood. I was quite spoilt as a child, probably most amongst all my cousins or my ‘generation’ of kids, and I have my parents’ amiable nature and the Indian obsession with nerdy kids to thank for it. Honestly I’m a bit freaked out about becoming an adult. It’s like I am Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire, not Andrew G) sitting in a car with my uncle saying “With great power comes great responsibility.” As of 25th August this year I cannot get away with being just a kid. I cannot act childish without being called immature. I cannot just sit around filling my face up with food. I actually stand a chance to get in trouble if I follow my true destiny of becoming a serial killer/mob gangster. Flying away with Peter Pan is no longer an option. Bloody hell I am too old to ever get accepted at Hogwarts!
So in order to honour my yesteryears, I want to write about my most random childhood moments, my favourite kid movies and (since I’m a born cinephile, one film-related post isn’t enough) all the movies that have shaped my personality, my dreams, my choices and my life so far.
Random Kid Moments-
• My First Sports Day- Now I actually remember this like it was yesterday. I had four slices of jam bread for extra energy. I was in nursery and five years old. I was in a race and the teacher said, “Ready Steady Go!” and I started running…and then I realized I was the only one running because apparently we had to wait for her to blow the whistle. My mum says that I made a very embarrassed face and went back. Then there was a relay and I was the last person in my team. I was coming second but I stopped right at the finishing line, let another girl through and then ran and came in third. Why? Because the second prize was a stupid little dilapidated football and the third prize was a kitchen set. It was also the first and last sports prize I have ever won.
• The Piñata Tale- So in kid parties, there is often that enchanting glittering piñata which is full of little toffees, chocolates, gifts and thermacol balls. Now whenever the birthday girl (I was in a girl’s school as a kid) hit the piñata and broke it open, all the other children started to collect as many sweets and gifts as possible…except me. I used to run after those lighter-than-air thermacol balls and collect twenty-thirty of those and those alone.
• Eating out- Whenever I was invited to any parties by my friends or my parents’ friends, I never ate anything. Numerous people have tried and failed but the kid Me was adamant about eating nothing. Rather, I came home and ate normal food. Also whenever my family went to eat at restaurants, I didn’t used to eat anything at first and when all the food was getting over and we were going to leave, I would start eating then as if a bolt of lightning has suddenly hit me.
• Pink Obsession- Oh I was the worst type of girlie-girl as a kid. I loved pink so much I bet I wanted to marry it. I wore pink rubber bands and clips and clothes and shoes. My worst pink memory is when I entered an art competition my uncles used to hold for the kids in my area and drew a landscape with pink mountains, pink sun, pink trees, pink buildings, pink cars and pink people…needless to say I didn’t win the prize and had the worst crying fit ever.
• Barbie Girl- Oh this might be a spin-off of the pink fiasco but I loved my Barbies. I bought new clothes for them when I bought new clothes. I gave them hircuts thinking their hair would grow back. Every time my best friend Alisha or I bought a new Barbie we would create a whole love story with a vamp and everything and marry her off to Alisha’s super-hunky Ken. I even bought the monthly Barbie magazines, without fail.
I’m having a bout of mid-teen amnesia and so I cannot remember more random stuff, but be sure that I was a weird kid.
PS. Feel free to not read any of this.
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