Profoundly Misled During Formative Years?

[Bushmiller]

I was wondering, if like me, you grew up pretty much accepting and respecting that the parental word was not only law, but sacrosanct. I tended to believe anything that was told to me being of a basically credulous nature.

It was only much later in life that I discovered that not everything that was told was correct and that parents were not infallible. They were just another human being with all the human failings, even though they believed what they were saying was true.

Did you ever see the Bill Clinton interview (I think it was with Andrew Denton) where Denton, if it was indeed him, asked Clinton what Chelsea thought of his indiscretions with Monica Lewinsky and he said,

"Look, there comes a time in every child's life when they have to realise that their parents are not perfect."

I was gobsmacked, and promptly wrote it down so I would never forget it. He was an amazing man. I think he had all the American men wanting to be him and all the American women wanting to be Monica. Amazing.

Actually, if I may digress a little, I heard Ms Lewinsky had become a little rotund and amidst tears of distress appealed in a moment of weakness to a higher being to remove her love handles. It would appear that there is a God and she was heard as moment later her ears fell off.

Anyhow, back to the story, my father had always stated that John Wayne was no taller than my father's own six foot and was made to look big by a combination of built-up boots and camera angle. I accepted this without question.

Many years later I was walking along Regent Street in London and a dark limousine stopped and illegally parked in the road. A man got out. A young woman rushed past me up to the man and asked him if he was John Wayne. He replied'

"I am."

There was no question. He was.

He was also humungus. Every inch of the 6' 6" he was reputed to be. He was old even then and grotesquely knock-kneed. I thought a passing vehicle was about to expire, but it was only his knees knocking. As he crossed the street I thought a London bus would surely take him out and in ten seconds achieve what Geronimo and the Apache nation had failed to do in ten years. (Did I say I was credulous?)

So I was profoundly misled and I attribute my many failings to this. Any of you have similar stories? It doesn't have to be about John Wayne (I would have changed it to "John" too if I was called Marion). It could be Clint Eastwood or......You know what I mean. Anything.

Regards
Paul

[artme]

My failings are not due to incredulity, not being properly potty trained, or being given the odd whack for being a stubborn bad tempered little twerp!

My failings can be laid squarely at the foot of the Mount of Poverty.

I never got to go to South West Rocks as a kid, didn't see the Murray River until I went teaching, never got a Davey Crocket cap, had no coloured pencils
during the first few years of school.

All of this has had a profound influence on me to this day!!!

[Kidbee]

My failings are not due to incredulity, not being properly potty trained, or being given the odd whack for being a stubborn bad tempered little twerp!

My failings can be laid squarely at the foot of the Mount of Poverty.

I never got to go to South West Rocks as a kid, didn't see the Murray River until I went teaching, never got a Davey Crocket cap, had no coloured pencils
during the first few years of school.

All of this has had a profound influence on me to this day!!!

Yes I too wanted a Davey Crocket hat, but never got one.

[wheelinround]

You mean there really isn't an Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy, Trolls under the bridge.

[Avery]

You mean there really isn't an Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy, Trolls under the bridge.

Oh! there are certainly Trolls under the bridge...

[rwbuild]

Oh! there are certainly Trolls under the bridge...

..... the bridge in Canberra on the way to parliament house

[artme]

..... the bridge in Canberra on the way to parliament house

... and they make regular public appearances.

[The Bleeder]

You mean there really isn't an Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy, Trolls under the bridge.

Yes Wheelin' there is an 'Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy'. Just go up to Macquarie St and the ones up there will give you everything and the 'Trolls' will extract from you twice as much and do it painlfully to boot.

I think they are part of a collective group that go under another name ....I think they call themselves ....ahhh that's it 'Politicians'

[bark-hut]

Yes I too wanted a Davey Crocket hat, but never got one.

I made one out of dead fox when I was 10, not good, still paying for mistake to this day

[rsser]

If you're lucky your parents do their best by you, acc. to their rules, consistently.

Even them doing their worst consistently is better than inconsistently, which will set you up for major probs.

My old man dealt with his kids harshly; product of his culture and generation. But he was mostly consistent so mostly I hate him still. But not enough to fail to recognise how much of him there is in me. That's the challenge.

[artme]

Hang on Ern, that's just a tad too deep and meaningful!!

[rsser]

Maybe Paul's bluffing us, so I just raised the bet

Over to you Paul.

[Bushmiller]

Hang on Ern, that's just a tad too deep and meaningful!!

Agreed. I have just realised I omitted numerous s, s and s in my original post. Although a completely true story, I might have exaggerated the psychological effect it had .

However I would agree with Ern that the vast majority of parents rarely intend to misinform or do the wrong thing. It just happens that way. Today we would have googled "The Duke" and it would have been there for all to see: 6' 6" . But not in the sixties.

Regards
Paul

[BobL]

I worked out pretty early that parents could be dead wrong but my faith in the so called reasonable adult was shattered when I was about 13 and my dad's boss did him over financially to the tune of a couple of years wages. We were already on the bones of our bum so we moved fair and square into artme's territory. Still we survived. I worked just about every school and uni holiday and most weekends at various jobs and didn't really have what I would call real holiday until I was in my early 20s'. This is probably a major reason why I am psychologically and physically ready to take early retirement so easily.

[Sebastiaan56]

Who remembers The Samurai "Shintaro"? I was a geek, my bestest ever XMAS present was a Shintaro rubber sword. Well Shitaro came to the Horden Pavillion to do a show. I must have been 8 or 9. We were right at the back and shock horror the ninjas didnt jump backwards up onto their attack posts. I retired my sword after that. For the young uns here is a taste The Samuri Shintaro - YouTube Still the best TV show ever, period, full stop.