What were you like as a child/adolescent?

acd

acd

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In what ways were your favored cognitive functions apparent?
 
I was always either giving advice to my friends or attempting to resolve issues amongst them. When I wasn't doing that, I was alone playing video games or off in a corner away from other kids doing my own things. I also lived on the Internets quite a bit.

Not much has changed, just fewer friends and less time for games =(
 
Quiet and thoughtful. I usually sticked to myself or a small group of friends. I was always reading :)
 
I was an "interesting" child (talking about preschool).

I was actually thinking about this the other day because of a few things my mom sent me in the mail. Pictures and writings of me when I was in preschool/kindergarden.

By memory (and I have a very strong memory of my early years), I remember myself being extremely sociable; I want to be friends with everyone and be liked by everyone. I was the child that would run up to someone and go "hi! do you want to be friends?". Interestingly enough, this method seemed to work very well. The people I did this to through preschool ended up being the closest friends. I guess there is a mutual mindset of children that behave like that, and will automaticly get along by that preset. I was very chatty, I was always yelled at for talking. Even at a young age clear comunication was extremely important to me. My mom tells me when I first learned to talk I took it slow and went to lengths to pronounce "eve-ry syl-ly-ble". I also had this complex where I needed to win everything. If I played a game such as musical chairs or something, and I didn't win, I would very likely cry. I could not be told what to do if I didn't agree with it. As such, I was one of the worst nappers. If I didn't feel tired, I did not want to go to sleep, and I would get very mad if I was forced to nap. There were times where they kicked me out of the nap room and I got in serious trouble for not lying down. I would get very upset I was punished as well, much more so if I did not see myself doing anything wrong. There was a rule about not kicking the cardboard blocks. I remember in one distinct case, I was running through the room with the blocks and I accidentally kicked a few of them; I simply didn't notice them on the floor. I got put in time out and tried to tell the teacher that I didnt see them and didn't mean to. Despite my sincerity, I was still punished. I was so morbidly upset by this that I physically could not sit in the chair, and that proceeded in me getting in more trouble. I was also very sensitive about my feelings. If someone said something mean to me, I would likely cry. Although I would never retaliate in anger at anyone. I would usually run and hide, or go tattle (yes, I was a tattler) on the person. I was also extremely imaginative. I always tried to get people to play these complex games I would create, and they usually ended up being alot of fun, even if they were apprehensive at first. I don't think a 5 year old ever managed to make tag as complex as I did. I was also independent, and would have days where I would just play by myself (or with my imaginary friends), and would get upset if someone else bothered me.

Now for what I was given. What I noticed in pictures is that while I am expressive (i.e. not withdrawn), I am also almost always on my own. In a group photo, I am standing on my own, clearly distinct from everyone else around me. Were as most everyone else has their arm around someone. Signs of an introvert. In the writings (I dont have them with me so I can't quote word for word), the words that were repeated across the board were "indivudualistic", "creative", "sensitive", "intelligent", and "friendly, but independnt". They said that if I did not want to do something, it was near impossible to get me to do it. I also had a tendancy to be friends with mostly girls, usually the sensitive ones as well. They also said they were shocked at my intelligence. They mentioned that at age 4 I explained to a teacher what evaporation was, and how it worked (I don't remember that). However, if I did not get or understand something quickly or easily. I would want to give up and not try anymore, and get upset if I was forced to. I remember this, forsaw anything that was to hard for me to make any kind of progress on right away not worth my time. They also said I always wanted to be the leader for things. I wanted to be the boss all the time. I do remember this, I was nice to everyone and wanted to be the boss because I didn't want to be told what to do. I was always the "game creator". They also said I was very moody, I would have days where I would very happy and friendly, and other days were I was a complete grouch. They also said I had maturity issues, and I would "baby talk" at innappropriate times. I think I remember this. I was just being myself and I didn't want to have to follow social rules all the time. I wanted to be me.
 
As a kid I was a quiet, sensitive but happy loner that liked to read and draw (Fi), when I hit highschool my Se kicked in and I became a hellraiser, well, not quite but I was a stirrer and always in trouble for being too noisy/disruptive. After realising how much trouble that got me into, I sort of shut that part of me down and became very introverted (a Fi+Ni combo). From then to now, I think my functions have matured and are more balanced.
 
I was absurdly social. I was the class clown until 4th grade. I would do anything to make anyone laugh at whatever disciplinary expense it was to me...

I was highly creative and would draw for hours. I began writing stories about aliens abducting Mickey Mouse as soon as I learned to read (about 5.) As I read more, I tried to emulate what I read. I remember trying to emulate Shel Silverstein poems, too. The more confident I became in my reading and writing, the more I began to go by my own ideas.

Despite being rabidly social, I liked to play alone at home and I was always outdoors. By play, I mean I liked to do make-believe science experiments with worms I dug up in the back yard.
Either that, or make up potions and dyes from flowers I picked as I ravaged my mom's garden.

I had an intensely vivid imagination and was obsessed with all things medieval and related to Knights and Princesses.
 
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I have a terrible memory. I have no recollection of my childhood or adolescence only bits of pieces. All I can remember is that the Ninja Turtles wanted to kill me at night when I was sleeping in my bed.:mlight:
 
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In elementary school I was a quiet loner, constantly reading or writing. I lived a lot in my imagination and was lucky to grow up surrounded by natural beaty, which fueled my imagination.

By high school, it all depended on my mood: social one year, qiet and withdrawn the next.

Through it all, though, I was a good student, more because of my love of learning than a desire to please.
 
I was an awful student. Too much adolescent existential angst. I barely passed High School. I thought I was incredibly stupid. Then, I was shoved into going to college by my parents at their behest instead of becoming a roving bum. There, I discovered I was capable of understanding much more than I had thought.
 
It really depended where I was. I was a bit of a Chameleon. I was very serious and stoic. So serious that people would ask me "what's wrong?" or if I was having fun. Very curious. Ripped stuff up to see how it worked. I was one of those annoying children who ALWAYS asked WHY? I was always challenging my teachers.

One of my first memories was being in first grade and we were supposed to like paste shapes to construction paper, but I made them 3-d instead. The teacher said that it wouldn't work when I told her what I wanted to do. But then I showed her and all the other kids thought I was the coolest thing ever when I pulled it off but the teacher seemed miffed that I totally ignored her. But I always made my teachers explain themselves. Not because I was an ass, I just thrive on clarity.

I was pretty imaginative and people said I had an "old soul". I don't know what the hell happened to me. Heh.
 
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Alright fine, I remember.

I was always emotionally disturbed and angry at everyone.
 
I was a shy and quiet kid. Even then I had a good intuition and knew who I wanted to be friends with and who should be avoided. I spent my time at elementary school with a couple of close friends (mostly guys). I was kind and shared when I could. Kids often told me "You're too nice." People still tell me that today.

At home, I felt lonely. I had a brother, four years older than me, who was hard to relate to. My mum was often at work or too tired to do anything else and my dad just sat on the couch and watched the news after we came home. I spent a lot of time in my room playing with legos and listening to the radio, drawing or just staring out the window. I was a thoughtful kid and found myself pondering and worrying about all the hatred and violence in the world. I'd start crying thinking about it. I was (am) really sensitive.

I spent a lot of time indoors because my parents wouldn't let me play outside or participate in after school activities (I always wanted to do karate). The initial yearning to be out and about was there but I grew to accept and prefer being indoors. Today I wonder if my personality would have turned out differently if my parents had let me interact with other kids more.

I remember telling my family how I wanted to travel to different places when I got older. They always mocked me so I stopped sharing things with them and started keeping my feelings to myself. I became very serious and (seemingly) emotionless. I didn't loosen up again until high school.

Being gay, I always felt different from everyone else. It didn't help at all when my religious mother always told me how horrible gay people were and how they go to hell. ><

I'm glad I turned out the way I did though. I rather like myself.
 
As a child, I was hyper, loud, obnoxious, and extremely sensitive (all of these are very common except the extremely sensitive part). Occasionally, other kids came to me for advice.

Unlike what many have said about themselves, I was not shy. I would talk to and be friends with anyone, and I really took it personally when someone didn't want to be friends with me. I just couldn't understand. I spent a lot of time outside doing whatever with other kids and killing small insects. The killing small insects might have been a sign of the worse things to come.
 
As a child I was energetic, somewhat shy (yet outspoken when I felt confident), somewhat resistant to authority (and def. to bullies), and exceptionally nerdy haha. Literally, I would get so bored in class that I would start dreaming of creative strategies to kick ass in whichever video game I was playing. I would forget them soon after of course, but hey it was fun. I didn't have too many friends, as I was suffering from depression and lacked self-esteem. I really only started to become my more extroverted self during high school, and it finally realized in senior year. Now I am probably one of the more outspoken guys on my college campus. In terms of social life, I didn't have very much. In middle school, my extroversion hid under a cave and I became less confident due to puberty and the school's general atmosphere. It felt like my friends didn't understand me, my parents didn't understand me, and my teachers just didn't care enough to try. However, that changed in high school and I became more confident with less dark periods. I still don't have that much of a social life when I'm away from school, but that doesn't bother me. I don't find most people from home to be that interesting anyway.
 
Bored Now said:
It really depended where I was. I was a bit of a Chameleon. I was very serious and stoic. So serious that people would ask me "what's wrong?" or if I was having fun. Very curious. Ripped stuff up to see how it worked. I was one of those annoying children who ALWAYS asked WHY? I was always challenging my teachers.
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^ Most of this.

I was always the inquisitive type, always trying to learn even when I wasn't in school, at least about the things that interested me. Very serious in general, to the point where people kept wondering what was wrong with me.

Most of it was pretty miserable though, and I'm certainly not one of those people that believe the whole mantra about life being better as a child. I'm very glad to be adult.
 
I was a busy child and I was not really shy. I asked a lot of questions because I had to know. I was very stubborn. I was also quiet by myself and I played alone a lot. I climbed trees and had a wonderful imagination. I learned to read and write early and would write down my day dreams.

When I was 10 I had a journal. By this time I was very shy and I kept few close friends after finding how catty girls could be for no reason.

I was very niave for the most part. I had my dreams and the outside world was scary. I taught myself to continue to be outgoing so the people around me were not so scarey. I also learned that if you are quiet people trusted you and told you secrets and that made them vulnerable and not scarey.

I hate this computer it has no spell check and it irritates me to spell badly.
 
When I was very young I was very cheerful and played a lot, I was apparently quite sociable.
When I reached the fourth year of primary school I was separated from my best friend and both my sister and I were bullied a bit.
After that I became very, very quiet, shy and self-conscious and only stuck with my small group of friends (2 school friends, my sister and my childhood friend) for many years.I was a pushover for years. After several things happening through secondary school I managed to gain more self esteem and confidence by the end of year 11 (10th grade?) and now I'm pretty happy with myself and I'm much less of a pushover, thankfully ^^ though now I appear like a mother/father figure to most of my friends and take care of them.
 
I don't know what this has to do with functions, but I just remembered I had a temper and a rather short fuse in elementary school. I often got inro scraps on the playground, usually with the school bullies who beat the crap out of me most of the time. I got a gew licks in, but nothing like they did (I lost two teeth; one of them ended up with a broken nose). They both came to bad ends, however: one died in a freak accident at 10; the other went to prison at 16.
 
I was a "take no shit" kinda guy. Mum told me a story earlier this morning that when I was 4 years old I was good friends with someone, who then upset me somehow and I decked him. He was a foot taller than me. I think she's talking about Matthew Poole.

I never really took crap from anyone. I remember punching a kid in year 5 because he changed a t to a p in an end of week spelling quiz where we marked each others quiz. I consistently got 100% until that day. I was always doing really weird anti-social things like sitting in the library every single break reading, or explaining sex to a girl by dry humping a wall (in full view of the entire school and then getting sent to the principals office). I never really got into any trouble either because I was always volunteering for the rubbish pickup parades and had a folder full of stickers for that.

Me and a few friends road to the end of Opal St, turned down Campbell St, and road into the bush. There we set up a bush hideout (23
 
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