Remembering Childhood // Sophie’s Nursery

It’s that time of week when another blogger is going to be sharing their childhood memories. This week’s Remembering Childhood comes from Lauren from Sophie’s Nursery.

Which decade were you born in?

1980s

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

My earliest memory is going on holiday to Wales with my mum, dad, nan, grandad and  great gran!

I was about 4 years old and what I can remember is there were guinea fowl running around the grounds who woke us up every morning with their strange calls. The funniest moment was my great gran screaming one night convinced that a bat had flown into her room and was going to get caught in her hair net! My mum and nan didn’t find it so funny as they hardly got any sleep persuading her that, although there were bats outside, none had got into her room!

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At 5 years old I had a favourite doll called Heather who went everywhere with me. At 10 I was really into Lego. With mum, I built a town out of Lego with houses, a restaurant, a petrol station and a castle. I spent hours moving the people around, designing new buildings and writing stories about the characters.

Lauren from Sophie's Nursery with her cat Emily

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

My doll Heather and lots of teddies/soft toys are in my loft. A big box of Lego is in mum’s attic ready for Sophie to discover when she’s a little bit older, plus a lot of my books.

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

Embarrassed to say as a ‘tweenager’ it was the Spice Girls and in my more ‘sophisticated’ later teens (hmmm!) it was Gorillaz and the Dandy Warhols!

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

As a toddler, I loved Postman Pat on TV, in books, on cassettes and video. I had an obsession as a primary aged child with ‘Neighbours’ (or ‘Snaybors’ as I apparently pronounced it when I was little). Dad and I used to have a sneaky watch at 5.30 p.m. when it was on the BBC just before mum came home.

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

I think it was Toy Story – I really liked Buzz Lightyear & wanted to fly like him. Also had a soft spot for Rex the dinosaur.

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

When I was about 4 mum got the hairdresser to give me a ‘page-boy’ haircut to tame my locks! Unfortunately, the hairdresser got rather carried away and I ended up looking more like a monk (without the bald patch!) rather than a page-boy! Mum tried to persuade me it was fine, but I hated it, and apparently so did mum, but she only admitted that when I was much older! Sophie will not face the same fate!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Think I probably always wanted to be a teacher. I used to get my dad to be the pupil bossing him about and when I started school he would have a repeat of my favourite lessons.

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

I would probably like to be about 5 or 6 as I loved Infant school and had a lovely time outside of school with family and my cat Emily. Mum and dad used to take me out lots – I was obsessed with castles and always asked to go to Kenilworth where I almost knew each stone personally. I used to love going to my great gran’s and playing in the garden. It was really big and I had a lovely time playing in all the trees and shrubs, and running around the grass paths just as my mum had when she was little. I especially loved staying at my nan’s who spoiled me rotten, and let me have Coca Cola which was banned at home! We would often go over for Sunday dinner and my grandad and I would mess about the whole time driving everybody else mad. Sadly, my great gran and nan are no longer alive and even as a 30+ adult I really miss them and regret that they never got to see Sophie. However, my grandad and dad dote on her and my mum spoils us both!

 

Thanks for sharing your memories Lauren – I think I had a very similar haircut when I was about four or five!

If you enjoyed this post then please do come back next week when another blogger will be remembering their childhood. You can also read all the other posts in the series here.

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