Tiny Childhood Stories

Childhood is a beautiful thing. As I look at the friends that I have now, I often wonder — what were they like as children? I wonder if we would have been friends in elementary school, or even middle school, but all of those questions lead to the answer that I am at least happy to know them now, be friends with them now. Still, I still wanted to hear some of the childhood stories of my friends and understand where their coming of age stories began. So, I asked ten of my friends to revel in nostalgia, dig out the photo albums, and share one memory from their childhood. Behold ten tiny childhood stories from my friends and feel free to listen to our collective coming of age playlist here.

Out on the Cape | Tyler Leiderman 

Every summer my family and I travel to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents' beach house. For 51 weeks of the year, I look forward to that one week we spend on the Cape. Every morning my grandpa took me up to the roof deck to admire the calmness of the ocean. Whether it’s spending the day at Craigville Beach, riding bikes along the Cape Cod Rail Trail, going for ice-cream or mini-golfing, our days were always packed with excitement. Our Cape Cod tradition still exists today and is something I know I will continue for years to come.

Cookin’ It Up | Gabrianah Martelly

I can’t tell you that I mimicked someone specific growing up, but I did often play “grown-up”. I took any chance to steal my mom’s 10 sizes too big heels and purse to strut around the house. I also loved pretending to have my dream job at the time; being a chef. It always made me feel so joyful to feel so independent, not knowing what real responsibility feels like.

The Best Birthday Present | Vivian Schwerner

The best surprise I have ever gotten came on my sixth birthday. I woke up on that bright October morning to find my mom gone and my dad on the phone with my aunt, as if everyone had forgotten what day it was. Later that morning, halting any birthday festivities, my family and I rushed to the hospital to see the best present I could ask for: a new baby cousin. We spent the rest of the day eating cake and taking turns holding her. It was the first of many birthdays I have spent with her in my arms.

Creative Clementine | Clementine Gotlib

When I was little I was at least five times as sensitive as I am now, but much less practiced in masking it. All of my many instances of being overwhelmed with emotion translated into my fantasies and curiosities, both of which I documented in mini books, drawing series, and self-choreographed dances that I would subject my mother to viewing. I would write and illustrate fairy tales, most of which did not take form in coherent sentences and followed elaborate disorganized plots. Overall, any emotion that captivated me for more than a second would be reflected in a mess of attempted storytelling.

A Leap of Inspiration | Rebekah WolfsonKilayko

As a child, I always looked up to my dance teachers. Pinnacles of grace and self-assurance, all my dance teachers have had a major personal influence; particularly one of my first teachers, Ms. Patty. Very tall and always wearing black, Ms. Patty instilled in me a newfound drive and passion for ballet through gentle motivation and emphasis on the joy of dance. To this day, I regard her as a model of empowerment and elegance.

Morning Delight | Devon Chang

The Eggy Cheese. But really just, cheesy eggs. Though nothing innovative, it was my dad’s self claimed creation: a soft-cooked egg topped generous sprinklings of cheddar cheese. As a child, the Eggy Cheese was the most glorious part of my weekend mornings. With little sockets of oozy cheese, tinted just slightly more orange than the egg itself, each bite was always savory perfection. 

Sometimes I have my dad make me an Eggy Cheese for breakfast just to feel the warmth of those mornings again– the remnants of my childhood that taught me to always cherish the golden moments we share.

Oh Coraline | Jordan Gay

Growing up, I loved the movie Coraline. I was scared of it when I was young, but I always enjoyed watching it. It is such a beautifully done movie from its vibrant visuals to the stop-motion animation. As a child, these elements enchanted me and no matter how scared I was, I was hypnotically mesmerized by the movie. I tried to find my other mother through the vents of my house and thought every black cat I saw would talk to me.

Storm Chasing Mintzers | Anna Mintzer

When I was seven years old I had just recently found out what a hurricane was, and I knew one was coming. All the weather reports were saying that Hurricane Sandy would hit New York City— hard. A couple hours before families were advised to stay inside my parents decided the windy weather was perfect for a walk to the East River. My head presses against the closed gate, I gazed at the swollen river, so flooded it almost reached my family. That day we were amateur storm chasers, and is still one of my favorite childhood memories.

Mr. Cow | Devin Wu

When I was a child, my sister and I received a matching set of stuffed cows. Hers was pink, and mine was light green. My cow had small yellow horns and happy expressions on its face, and I remember hugging it some nights when I went to sleep. Thinking about my stuffed cow now, who unfortunately did not have a name, I am reminded of those times in my childhood, playing in my backyard, not having a care in the world. It’s that blissful ignorance that comes with youth, and my cow embodies that.

A Summer Away | Garratt Rothberg

Every summer me and my family would go to the beach in North Carolina for a week. My grandparents and cousins would come also and it was a big family reunion. I was really little so I don’t have many memories from that time, but I also loved visiting my great grandma in Florida. She passed away when I was around five or six years old. But it was always fun to visit Florida, since it’s a nice place. Going through old family photos and seeing how different we all look always sticks with me. It reminds me that wow my parents did really look different then and how far it's come to now.