Childhood Memories

I look at my son and wonder how much he's going to remember.

I feel like I don't remember very much of my childhood. I don't know if this is bad or good. It's just my experience.

Let's do a little exercise.

What do I remember of my childhood?

• The perfume that my junior kinder garden teacher wore.
• The homes that I grew up in (two main ones that were close for me to bike back and forth to).
• The little tooth holder I had for when I lost teeth.
• The first two tapes I received (C&C Music Factor and Tom Cochrane).
• The first bike I purchased with my own money.
• Lots of baseball and basketball games with my dad.
• Collecting baseball cards (which I still have).
• Lots of football and basketball games with my friends at school.
• Lots of trampoline jumping.
• Marbles.
• Pogs.
• The blackberries that grew in the backyard.
• Getting grounded from my bike for a week (worst thing ever when you're a kid!)
• Biking and playing in the forest by my home.
• Camping and canoeing in Algonquin Park.
• Working at mom's business (or just hanging out there).
• Playing football in the basement with my older brother, Chad.
• When the delivery man delivered a super cool red peddle car from my dad who was living in New Brunswick at the time.
• Eating cactus for the first time.
• Collecting rocks.
• When the back tire of my bike exploded from too many skids.
• Watching my brother, Marshall, do wheelies with his enduro motorcycle.
• Lots of family dinners.
• Hitting my first out-of-the-park home run (for which my mom was asleep).

Wow... I guess I do remember a lot. The list goes on. I also know that there's a lot I'm forgetting though.

What's interesting is that the good memories were coming to mind. Was everything sunshine, unicorns and rainbows when I was growing up? No. But those memories do not come naturally to me for some reason. I remember:

• Fighting with my little bother, Riley, who I was not always very nice to.
• Tempers flaring in the home.
• Punching a hole in the wall (or trying I should say).
• Being punched in the face for the first time.
• Getting stitches for the first time.
• Shooting a rock into my own face (testing the catapult effect).
• Having our house robbed.
• Lot's of falls, bumps and scrapes.

As I've grown older I have had many more bad experiences but I don't really classify them as "bad". They are experiences that I do not wish on anybody but I am glad I experienced them because they have made me who I am today. For now though, I'm focusing on my childhood.

So what have I learned in doing this exercise?

Kudos to you, mom and dad. You seem to have cultivated quite the positive mindset and gave me an exceptional childhood. You allowed me the freedom to find myself but also gave me a healthy amount of structure. You pushed my limits but also offered a safe place. Most importantly, you engrained values into me that have guided my life. Honour, Fun and Mastery can be traced back to you.

I hope Natasha and I do the same for Sullivan.

Although I've never had the privilege of seeing my mom and dad together, I do not feel like I have missed out. They have always been respectful to each other and, as a bonus, I've never seen them fight. This shot is from our wedding day :)