Return of Memoryfest - Day 31/31

[bironic]

Last day. *sniff* Suddenly I am assaulted with ideas for memories, and room for only one of them. Let’s go back to the beginning. Or one of many beginnings.

31. Pre-school, Kindergarten, possibly Elementary School

Comments

[nightdog_barks]

*smiles*

See that? *points to icon* That's me. Nightdog. 1959. One year old and trying her damndnst to read.

She knew there was something magical in it, even then. Uploaded especially for you.

:-D

[bironic]

Oh, how adorable. I love that your reading material is twice your size.

[nightdog_barks]

*squints*

I think that's a newspaper. If not, then it's probably Life magazine.

[bironic]

Makes me wish I was small again just for the weight of a huge book in my lap and having to stretch to turn the pages. Too bad there aren't many books around big enough to try that now. (I'm imagining an Edith Ann-type setup, complete with huge rocking chair.) Maybe some atlases, but those aren't much fun.

[mer_duff]

That story reminds me of the scene in Wit when young Vivian is reading with her father. Sop-or-i-fic.

You were adorable!

I don't have it scanned (I'll have to borrow it next time I visit my mother), but my parents had a series of studio pictures taken of my sister and I when I was about 2 1/2 and S was not quite one. In one of them, I'm looking up from a book with a devilish grin. Mom sent me the icon picture, because it reminded her of that photo.

[bironic]

I would love to see it if you remember next time there's a scanner handy. Sounds delightful.

[mer_duff]

The icon is from the same photo shoot - though this was innocent child, not devil spawn...

[bironic]

I don't know, that could be a manic gleam in your eyes there. I sense mischief.

[jadesfire]

Sadly words are more my thing than photos, so you're stuck with the emu :D

My favourite game when I was about 3 was a word one. Mum had small cards with simple words on them that she'd spread out all over the (rather small) living room floor. Then she'd read a word out and I'd have to jump on it. At that age, this about as exciting as it gets, which is probably why I still get such a kick out of reading.

Actually, she maintains it was purely selfish, teaching me to read as soon as possible - as a single parent, she needed something (preferably cheap) to keep me occupied while she got on with her work, and reading was ideal!

[bironic]

At that age, this about as exciting as it gets

Heh. That does sound like a lot of fun. And selfish motives or not, if it got you reading, and so early, your mum's to be congratulated.

(Is it weird and/or pretentious for an American referring to an Englishperson's mother to say "mum" rather than "mom"?)

P.S. There are far worse things to be stuck with than an emu. The photo made me laugh.

[jadesfire]

(Is it weird and/or pretentious for an American referring to an Englishperson's mother to say "mum" rather than "mom"?)

Nope! I don't think of her as my 'mom', so that would have been weird ;) The emu makes me smile as well, and, boy, do I need that today...

[bironic]

It would seem, then, that we both do. Hope things, whatever they are, start looking up for you.

OK on the "mom"/"mum," then. Hard to tell whether it's better to risk sounding pretentious or to mildly offend the other person by enforcing an Americanism on him/her. :)

[roga]

Temporary userpic, uploaded just for this entry :-) And you look so adorable, sleeping in the car.

I don't remember when I learned to read. I'm pretty sure it was before school, but it probably from educational TV, not my parents.

I do know that I "read" them books, though, at least from the age of two. My favorite children's books were read to me many times that I had memorized them by heart, and so with every new book there'd come a point when I was no longer the one being read to, but the one telling the story - I'd recite it to my parents, and it was almost a game to see if I was flipping the pages at the correct marks or not.

And on that note, I'd like to thank you for this Memoryfest - I admit the idea seemed strange at first, but as it turned out every day I looked forward to reading your entries, reading about different people's experiences, and remembering a few of my own that I hadn't thought about in a long time. Three cheers, and a thank you.

[bironic]

Thank you. I'm so glad to hear that it won you over, and am happy to have had you along for the ride. This is the sort of thing I'm hoping to discuss in the recap soon.

Cute photo! You and nightdog_barks with your massive reading materials. You look a bit like one of my cousins in that shot when he was very young. Which... means nothing to you, but there it is. :)

I don't remember learning to read per se, although I do have vague memories of learning letters on an Apple computer program called Stickybear, of learning to write in pre-school (and practicing cursive in second grade), and of sitting on the couch with that syllable trick mentioned up above. I can't remember a time when I couldn't read.

[roga]

Ah, but baby Nightdog, and hopefully your cousin, don't have my huge Hobbit feet :-)

You had a home computer when you were that young? Wow. That's fairly progressed, isn't it?

My youngest sister learned English through a computer program. It was amazing - she could read and write in a second language at three, better than in her mother tongue. Computers are the bestest.

[musicisbelievng]

Last day of Memoryfest... suppose that's my chance to redeem myself for not posting more.

I remember being in second grade and having the hardest time remembering how to spell "half" for an upcoming spelling test. *Someone* sat me down and said "happy and loving fuzzies." I giggled and then got 100 on the test the next day.

[bironic]

:D That memory gives me happy and loving fuzzies in my tummy. *hug*

I give you all these very important language lessons, don't I? Donnez-moi ton vache, etc.

[musicisbelievng]

Yeah, first day of french class and all I could do was ask someone for their cow and say "je voudrais un sandwich avec les concombres et les prawns." So useful. ::hugs back::