I Was a Good Kid. Really I Was!

I was a good kid growing up. Well, for the most part. As I reminisce on my childhood, I honestly can’t recall doing anything that got me into trouble or scolded for. Of course, ask my parents and they might tell you a completely different story.

But really! I never broke any windows. Never took anything that didn't belong to me. Never joined in on the every now and then mischievous antics of the neighborhood kids.

I never really defied authority. Well, for the most part.

I was a shy kid and most often, kept to myself. It took effort for me to make friends and the circle of friends I did have was super small. Most of the time, I played by myself at recess and if I did play with the other kids, a majority of the time, it was because a kind classmate invited me to play with them and their friends. How I was as a kid is somewhat of a reflection of the person I am today.

I think most people can think back to a time when they got in trouble or if they didn't, a time when they did do something but never got caught (it will be our little secret 😉).

I can’t really think of a time when I did anything I shouldn’t have been doing.

Well...

There was that one time when I used the safety scissors I had just gotten from my aunt for Christmas and cut the ends of my hair. Giving into temptation and curiosity, I wanted to see if they could cut hair. Instead of asking an adult, I experimented.

Clever seven year old me thought I could hide the evidence under the tree skirt of my aunt's Christmas tree and no one would be none the wiser. Who was going to look under the tree skirt anyway?

Did I get caught? Of course I did! Did I get in trouble? Well, I can't say I was scolded but I was at least told not to use the scissor to cut my hair again. My aunt who discovered the snips of hair under the tree skirt as she was cleaning was more amused than anything.

The kid's safety scissors she had gotten me really had the capability to cut hair? When I did confess, she actually snipped a piece from the end of my uncle's hair just to see for herself.

There were also the times in which I found an already opened chocolate bar just lying on the table or in the cupboard and sneakily (or so I thought) broke off a piece and ate it.

I guess I wasn't as sneaky as I thought because Mom always knew when I was sneaking chocolate.

I was a smart kid. I would make sure that if I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing like sneaking desserts for instance, that no one was looking. Or so I thought.

Why wasn’t I as bold as some other kids? I was never the kid to test my parental figures.

Thinking back, I think it was because I was afraid of the consequences. Not so much as being punished. My family never believed in spanking except for maybe if us kids did something dangerous and foolish like run out towards the road after a ball, maybe. But that was more like a quick smack, with a “what in the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

As an older kid, I was never grounded either. My parents just didn’t partake in the whole grounding kids thing. It’s not that they didn’t believe in it. It was just never part of our family lifestyle.

Then again, they honestly didn’t have to.

I think the reason why I never tested authority was because I didn’t want to deal with the idea of disappointing them. Somehow, hearing the sharp disappointed tone of a parent or other trusted adult was worse than the idea of getting grounded.

While I did small almost unnoticed things behind backs like sneaking candy (I mean, what kid hasn't done that?), I was a good kid and wanted to keep that reputation.

Despite this, I still had a rather mischievous streak and as long as I was sure no adults were looking, I would sneak my hand into the candy jar and sneak off with a piece of chocolate.

Jasmine, we're you eating chocolate?

Um, no.

😉