Childhood is often a gray area in one's memory. My own memory lacks the knowledge of things I did from age 1 to 5. It is usually during this time that one discovers their own fears. My only fear was of the alarm clock.
I was a normal child. I liked to pick up things and play with them. My Nanny's house as the best place for this activity. Everything she had was old and there were buttons to push and knobs to turn. On one adventure of this sort, I found an old alarm clock. I decided to take it home for further entertainment. I sat on my bed for hours winding the alarm clock and making the bells go off. One evening, in the middle of the night, my parents awoke to my terrified screams. They rushed to my room where I was in hysterics. They couldn't understand why I was so very upset. That is when they noticed the strange ringing noise coming from my pillow. I had stashed the alarm clock there, fully wound, and it had gone off in the middle of the night, scaring the wits out of me. My fear of alarm clocks started then.
Most of my childhood was spent at Diane's house. Diane Harmsen was my babysitter. Her home was like a second home to me. I had friends to play with. I had toys. She treated me like a daughter. I was teh first child for her blossoming daycare. Diane later began to watch other kids too. Though I was the first, soon after came Jessica (2 years older than I), Katelyn (2 years younger than I), Dani (4 years younger than I), John (5 years younger), David (7 years younger), Brian (7 years younger), and finally Joel(10 years younger). These children brought me a lot of happiness. I owe it to Diane that I know how to react in social situations. We were like a large family. Diane didn't have any children of her own, but we were her "kids". One only had to look at how well behaved we were to tell that she was a wonderful mentor. Diane always had large outside toys to play with and climb on. There were play houses, toy boats, a swingset, and plastic cars to ride in. My memories of this place are very warm. Many of the qualities I have come from my experiences there.
Diane wasn't a normal daycare provider who doesn't even care about children. Diane gave us many opportunities to extend our learning. We did not stop learning when school was out. We did crafts each day. There was always time to play outside. She made us warm meals. She took us on day trips. She was a genuinely caring person. Each of us knew that we were loved.
My favorite friend at daycare was Jessica Mason. She was the only child older than I, adn she only came to Diane's when she wanted to. Her parents later divorced and she moved with her mother to Virginia Beach. It was this void that made me befriend Katherine and Katie.
Kat, Katie, and I loved to play make-believe. We also loved roller-skating. On the rare occasions when Diane would let me visit Katie or Katherine, I was ecstatic. Whether Barbies or a tire swing, we had fun. We fought, as most children do, but even when they hid from me in the bushes, I knew that these people were special. I guarded these friends adn have kept them throughout life.
I attended preschool at Peace Christian PreSchool in King George County. Mrs. Finck was my first teacher. My favorite part of school was the interaction with children and learning. I loved to learn about colors and manners. My favorite part was the chore octopus. I always wanted to be the person who got to put the candles out. My only bad memory of preschool was show and tell. I had begged nanny to let me bring a ceramic figurine to school with me. She finally gave in but made me promise to be extra careful with it. I showed the little bear figure to all my friends. I was careful though and wouldn't let them hold it. This made the other kids mad and Brooke Lancaster took my figurine from my locker and broke it on the hard floor. I cried very much because I thought that I had ruined one of my grandmother's treasures. The figurine meant nothing to her. When she saw how upset I was, she was only concerned with making me feel better. nanny loved me. I graduated preschool and my parents began preparing for the next step on my ladder of life. I started Kindgarten the next fall.
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