I've finally got around to replying to this thread!
I had a friend in the same year as me when I was in Year 1 and I have friends in my year now, in Year 11. But in between all my friends have been younger than me. In primary school – Years 4 to 6 - I had about ten friends in the year below me and we used to play either imaginary games or running games like Cops and Robbers. Sometimes we played “I Am the Greatest” but I had to judge because I couldn’t do a handstand. I must have played with them an awful lot because I can still remember faces. One of the friends I made then is still my best friend now.
I’m still not sure whether I was really that immature then because during “Bulldog” I had a cunning plan. While everyone else ran across to the other side and back I discovered that I could walk calmly across and never get caught! I was a much bigger reader than I am now. I also remember sneaking into cloakrooms to get paper during lunchtimes.
As for sharing things, it depends what it is. I am quite happy to lend out school supplies because I don’t care that much if they don’t come back. Even now, I go into school at the beginning of the week with five pens and leave with one. I don’t like lending games to my sister because she is careless with them and it’s not unusual to find her own games on the floor. I usually don’t like lending things out because they don’t come back, usually because I forget about them. Once in Year 1 I took a board game to someone’s house to play with and I still haven’t got it back yet!
This week I’ve been working at a nursery. I’m loving it, but I tend to get a bit carried away. Once I nearly used up all the play dough while making a monster and today I helped a small group of boys make a big…er…thing out of colourful disc-shaped construction pieces. I pay more attention during story time than half of them! I’m happy to join in the imaginary games and things. I’ve been drawing my own pictures, getting down playing with the little toy sets, building with Lego and if I thought I could get away with it I’d be painting too.
My own interests can also be quite childish. I am still attached to some children’s’ books (e.g. Elmer), one nursery rhyme (Aiken Drum), some soft toys (Eeyore) and some songs from children’s programmes (Lazy Town, The Wiggles.) I am obsessed with Pokemon, but I think that’s more of a cult thing. I am also quite fond of Digimon but I lost interest after the D-3 series. I quite like to blow bubbles, when I get the chance to and enjoy reading fairy tales. Some of my most desperate desires are to have a children’s party, to get a remote-controlled car and to fit into Adventure Kingdom.
I am not interested in make-up, shopping or any of that stuff. I mainly play video games. I was into baby dolls until I was about 13. My interests in clothes and jewellery are very limited – unless I’m looking for them specifically or just happen to see them I don’t usually think about them at all.
Perhaps it is childish that manners don’t come naturally to me. I have to force myself to say things like “please” and “thank you” which can be very embarrassing.
I am also very happy playing with my sister’s friends. About a year ago I recall playing a game where I used an inflatable lava lamp as a ray gun. I would probably still be playing it if it hadn’t got thrown out. I still play with my sister a lot too.
I had tantrums as well – in my infant school years I was a very badly behaved little girl. I wouldn’t do errands for teachers and I refused to work during lesson time. They would have to literally pick me up with whatever they wanted me to carry and drag me to wherever I was supposed to put it. When I got kept in at break I’d whiz through the work and get play as well. In PE I’d get fed up and throw down my hockey stick. My only friend back then spent just as much time outside the Head’s office as I did but we often fell out because we were both very bossy.
In my later primary school years, when my younger friends weren’t there, I used to enjoy talking to teachers. I saw them as equals even then – I don’t think I actually called them “Sir” or “Miss” until I hit Year 8! I still enjoy talking to adults as much as talking to anyone else. I’ve discovered that having an older friend works too.
This problem will be solved if I become a nun. Nuns have a bell to signal the time, and besides...for them time is seen in the context of eternity. Who needs a clock?!
