This has troubled me a mighty long time. Unresolved, I ask opinions. There have been innumerable "child prodigies", Mozart, Lavoisier, Einstein, who displayed unusual mental abilities very early in childhood. Such capacity was often focused upon, either by parents, teachers, or both. Usual childhood experiences, if I may judge from my own, involve some very non-adult behaviors; my helium-filled balloon at my one and only trip to the famous Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, provides example. I was perhaps 5 or 6. A child. The balloon was a prize, bought for me by my father. I treasured it beyond any possible description, as we walked about the pathways, a first-time experience of absolute mystery, having had balloons before, which simply fell to the floor. For reasons no longer known, I released my hold on the string......the wonderful, indescribable lofty balloon immediately rose up into the sky, I had had, apparently, no idea this could happen. Appalled, I bawled like a baby (which of course I still was, in retrospect). I begged, pleaded, for another, to no avail. I was as heartbroken as a child of that age could possibly be, bawling my eyes out. That the event still weighs heavily on my mind, much less even remembered, points out the reason for my thread. I think I was somewhat gifted at 5, writing down the integers from 1 to 100 on a page of paper in Kindergarten, having been well-coached by my Mother in numbers, something which seemed to amaze my teacher, Miss Moffet. I see now that the lost balloon event weighed upon my little mind so deeply, that it impacted my memory for life. My imponderable here is that, do children having inquiring minds at early ages suffer a "loss of childhood" to some extent as compared to other kids? Thanks for reading; I know this OP is rather OTL (out to lunch), but the idea has always been a concern for me. Frank
Well @Frank Sanoica that's some mighty deep thinking for this early in the morning! I have always had an inquiring mind but I don't think we need to have that kind of mind to suffer a "loss of childhood" ...I think all people retain memories of "sorrows" and "joys" of their childhoods. My deepest childhood loss which remains just as clear to me today as it did when it happened to me as a young child is when my school bus driver accidentally ran over my dog and killed him. I loved "Dog" who was the spitting image of the dog in Old Yeller. I cried for 3 days straight and couldn't eat or sleep and my moma told me if I didn't stop crying she was going to have to take me to the hospital (and she was serious about that). To this day I still have "Dog" in my heart as being the only dog for me! I also think that there are many of us who lost balloons when we were children just like you did and thought it was the "end of the world" because we couldn't bring that one back or have another one. My children have gone through that too although it only took me one time for them to lose their balloons before I figured out it had to be tied to their wrist, etc. so that wouldn't happen again. I think as innocent children our first experiences with loss are more devastating because we are innocent and our minds can't conceive anything like that could happen...until it does. Although losing "Dog" is a childhood loss etched in my heart forever, there are also childhood joys etched in my heart forever too. As a child prodigy @Frank Sanoica I would have thought when that balloon floated up and away that instead of thinking you lost it...your mind would have been thinking how far was that balloon going to go, etc. Who knows maybe you could have even become an Astronaut because of the balloon that got away from you.