Countless Things We Experienced As Children But Never Actually Spoke About During Adulthood

Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.

Shasta

• Published in Nostalgia
• April 28, 2020

I can honestly say that my kids will never experience the kind of childhood I did. And you know, I'm sure our parents said the same kind of thing about the way we were raised.

But 90's babies, had a really special, absolutely one of a kind upbringing. We literally watched technology soar like a lightning strike.

It was gradual at first and then just, BOOM. It struck. And then it stuck.

Krystine Batcho is a licensed psychologist and scholar in nostalgia, at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. She's divulged a lot about how childhood experiences frame our lives for our future selves.

She developed a universal tool to see how our emotions measure up towards the past by using The Nostalgia Inventory Test. The test measures just how deeply and how often people feel nostalgic.

1. I still do this, I'm not even going to lie to you.

2. I'll never forget these pens.

3. Or those candy cigarettes!

4. This is anxiety manifesting I swear. LOL

5. GO. T O G E T H E R.

6. For real. HA

7. Never forget.

8. Truly. <3

“Childhood memories can influence adult lives in a number of ways. They can contribute to our overall sense of happiness in life.”

I'm not at all surprised by the fact that the social experiences that we went through as children directly impacted our adult lives.

“Positive childhood social events, such as family get-togethers during the holidays or parties to celebrate birthdays or achievements, help establish good self-esteem and healthy social skills in adulthood.”

Her life-long research suggests that “positive childhood memories are associated with more adaptive coping skills in adulthood.”

9. Damn popsicles!

10. IT'S ALL FINE!

11. For sure.

12. Yuuup.

13. Give it up!

14. Magma.

15. Yaaaaas!

16. Here's how we learned about shyness. Lol

To be frank, people who have happier memories as children are less likely to have negative ways of coping with stress. Much like substance abuse or escapist behavior. As you age, it becomes very obvious that healthy coping mechanisms are absolutely not something that we are born with, but more something that we learn.

“We learn during childhood by role modeling trusted adults, and memories of how respected adults coped with adversity,” the professor explained.

17. I swore I could see outerspace.

18. Run fast. Super, duper fast.

19. I reaaaally want to get my kids a rug just like this.

20. Something I definitely haven't done as an adult.

21. Ahhh snap!

22. Awkward...

23. Aw man.

24. Legit.

Batch goes on to explain that cherishing memories as children is referred to as, “'rosy retrospection'", which is a tendency to remember the past as better than it really was."

She then went on to say, “a favorable focus on the past helps most people remain healthy and happy despite the practical and emotional challenges of adult life.”

25. They. Were. So. Hot.

26. Cue your best villianous laugh.

27. Sceeeeerch.

28. Ahhh no!

29. HA!

30. Correction, we were always hungry.

31. For real though, why did we do this?

32. Dad's just know!

I'll definitely admit that someone's current mood definitely has a direct impact on how they ultimately retrieve their memories.

“When we are sad or depressed, we are more likely to remember negative events in our past and remember past experiences less favorably.”

So the next time you're in your feelings, it's probably best to let things stay rested so that you don't distort events that occurred throughout your life.

33. Ah, it tastes so good.

34. Hey, look what I can do.

35. Nothin' but a scientist.

36. We play this with our kids before bed. Ha. My daughter actually enjoys being the rotten egg. LOL

37. Whyyyyyy.

38. GOTCHA!

39. Ha. Adult me says very few actually care.

40. BEST!

Definitely let us know in the comments, if any of you experienced some déjà vu from these descriptions!

Some of them hit me like a brick wall. But I definitely remember and related to every, single, one!

Remember parents, your kids only get one childhood, so do your best to make sure that you're giving them a childhood that they don't have to recover from. <3

Shasta