I may not have the best childhood memories, but I must say, I had those experiences that are worth remembering. Memories that I will always cherish for the rest of my life. Plus, these memories, especially the bitter ones, helped me be the person I am today.

This article is inspired by @Jane's. I have always wanted to write this after reading hers but just didn't know how to start my sentence. Well, now, I've got the idea and time, so let me share mine - my version of my childhood memories.

Using a stool chair to walk

One of the few first memories I had as a "little me" was me trying to live a normal life in my own way. So back when I was just a little kiddo, my mom taught me to be resourceful at a very young age, probably around 4 or 5.

For those who didn't know or just new to my page, I was born without my right leg. Okay, not the entire right leg but somewhere from under the knee. Anyway, during those years, I hadn't started using a pair of crutches yet, so my mom taught me to settle for chairs first.

Basically, she would let me use two stool chairs. The first one would be the one I would sit on first. Then I would reach the second chair to sit and grabbed the previous one to put in front so I could move forward. And I would continue doing it until I reached my destination. Our kitchen, for instance.

That was how I managed to roam the house. Luckily, our old house was just small so walking back and forth won't be too hard for me. Going out would be a different story though. Either they carry me around or just let me sit on a chair and wait for my childhood friends to come by.

Climbing on Aratiles trees

Yes, I do climb on any of our Aratiles trees back in our old place. I would even bring a pillow with me and chill up there like it was the safest place in the world. Although I was forbidden to climb those trees, I would still do it because that was the only place that made me enjoy the view while eating the Aratiles fruit.

Whenever the neighbors would see me on that tree chilling, they would call my parents' attention. They were probably worried about me getting hurt or worse, fall from that tree. Fortunately, I had never fallen on that tree even once. I did fall through on the other tree but not because it was too high or I couldn't manage it but because I saw a caterpillar and didn't want to smash it. I had no other option, either I would smash it to continue climbing or just let go. In short, it was intentional.

Riding on a bike

My mom never bought me a bike. Of course, she didn't because I couldn't even ride it. As a kid, seeing your friends enjoying their bikes was quite sad because it's every kid's dream.

Thankfully, my neighbor/a good childhood friend had a bike with those two little side wheels on it that I would occasionally use when I would play with him at their house. Though it wasn't easy riding on a bike with one leg, it was still a fun experience.

Using my wooden crutch as a ladder

When I was a kid, my parents gave up our TV and sent it to my grandparents. They did it because they wanted my older siblings to focus on their studies and also because my grandparents didn't have a TV at that time.

So growing up as a child, we had no TV at all. If we wanted to watch something, we would go to our neighbor's house and watch our favorite shows there like the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. The sad part was, that neighbor wasn't the kindest of all. I guess, they didn't want to have so many kids in front of their house to watch TV, so they would lock the door but leave the windows open.

So the little me, who could barely reach the window had to find a way if I really wanted to see that show. As a clever me, I would use my wooden crutch as a ladder while enjoying a few shows. It was not that comfy to stay in that position, but it was worth it.

By the way, I considered my crutch as my best friend because it was the only thing that accompanied me wherever I go.

Pretending to be a Math teacher to my younger friends

This is one of my best memories as a child. Back in the day, I would teach the younger kids basic math. I really wanted to be a teacher back then. Teaching Math was my second dream and even lasted when I was probably in my 5th grade.

This is my favorite because aside from being able to teach the kids, I got to spend more time with friends. It was also the time where I finally got to experience that I got lots of friends. My mom was so supportive because she would even prepare snacks for all of us, which made them want to come over the next day and the day after that.

Learning chess at an early age

I barely go out when I was a kid. I usually stayed inside the house or just hang out with some friends in our backyard. But most of the time, I was just inside the house experimenting with things from my mom's items.

So my dad bought a chessboard and taught me the basic moves when I was around 5 or 4. My brothers loved chess, too, so I got to master it right away because we used to play it every single day. Playing chess was my best asset because I was good at it. I would even beat those who were older than me.

Closing thoughts

These are just a few things that I enjoyed as a kid. These memories taught me a few valuable lessons that made me the person I am today.

For instance, the stool experience. Because of this, I learned to analyze things at a very young age. Whenever I want to do something, I try to analyze everything first if it something that I can handle or not. I learned to plan ahead and only execute when things are well-thought of.

Second, the bike thing and the crutch as a ladder. Well, it made me realized that everything is possible if you believe. Everything can be accomplished if you just find a way or find alternatives to do it. Also, because of the crutch incident, I learned to share what I can with others.

When we finally moved to where I'm currently living and got our second TV, we made sure to let the other kids, who had no TV at home, come inside and watch comfortably with us. We never locked our door and our home is open for our neighbors. This is the reason why all the kids in our neighborhood would address my parents as daddy and mommy because they are like their second parents to them.

Although my childhood memories had full of downs than ups, at least, I've got some great stuff to share. Above all, I've learned something worth sharing.