how many of you still retain

[Dr.Fine]

any childhood friends among current relationships. I count one from 5th grade, and two from HS among current buds. Was watching "Stand by Me" recently, and (besides it being one of the alltime best first films by a director), the last line of the movie was also HOF material: "I'll never have friends as good as the ones I had when I was twelve...Jesus, does anyone"?

[doomy3]

I am still best friends with my best friend from second grade. I also hang out with about 5 guys from Elementary school.

[KcMizzou]

I've known the buddy I'd consider my "best friend" since fourth grade. Kinda like a brother, really.

[KcMizzou]

Of course, I spent K-12 at the same school. I'd imagine that helps.

[BucEyedPea]

One from age 3 and 4.

[SLAG]

I have Friends from Kindergarten on my facebook, still talk to them good times

[Frazod]

I moved around a lot, which was a problem. But with only a couple of exceptions, I'm still close to my best friends from high school. My longest tenured friend I've now known for 30 years, since 7th grade. Visited him two weeks ago in Jeff City. Of my four best friends from high school in Kirksville (I moved from Jeff City to Kirksville between my sophomore and junior years), I'm in regular contact with two of them, somewhat regular contact with the third (saw him two weeks ago) and while I don't talk to the fourth all that often, I could call him right now and it would be like no time passed.

[StcChief]

One from 5th grade, one from 6th grade...

[Bugeater]

Of course, I spent K-12 at the same school. I'd imagine that helps.
Hell I've never lived more than 10 miles away from the house I grew up in. Most of the people I hang out with have been my friends since I was a teenager.

[RNR]

I grew up in the southend of town and like all towns they are divided into sections. In my town we are called southenders and there is a pride that all of us have because well we happened to grown where we grew up lol. I know all of the guys my dad ran around with and they watched me grow up. I know all my friends kids and watched them grow up. So yes I have known most of my friends all of my life.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

I've known the buddy I'd consider my "best friend" since fourth grade. Kinda like a brother, really.





Word.

[Frazod]

By the time I turned 18 I had lived in 14 different places in six different towns.

My childhood was not exactly a bastion of stability. :spock:

[DaFace]

I have a pretty close-knit group of four guys that I consider my best friends. I met them when I was 5, 5, 12, and 19.

[Chieficus]

I have one friend that I still see whenever I'm in the hometown from my younger days. I think we first met playing on the same little league team when we were 9, then in jr high we were really more rivals than friends, became good friends in HS.

But really, most of the friends I keep up with the most are from college and grad school...

[chief52]

I grew up in a town of 1300, Ferndale Ca., and still live there. I have a bunch of friends that I have known all my life and still party with and I am 51. One of my buddies owns the bar/restaurant in town. Kinda cool I guess. Their families are like family and vice the versa. One of my best friends is only 10 days younger than me and we knew each other before school days and went through every grade together. His wife was in our class as well. Got along great all our lives...with the exception of a couple of years in high school when an awesome looking cheerleader got in the middle of us. She was great looking, but damn what a bitch. We laugh about it now...couple of dummies!

[chief52]

By the time I turned 18 I had lived in 14 different places in six different towns.

My childhood was not exactly a bastion of stability. :spock:

That had to be tough...damn.

[Frazod]

That had to be tough...damn.

Yeah, it sucked. Being the new kid all the time isn't much fun. I was pretty messed up when I was younger. But when I moved to Kirksville I made the most out of the fresh start. Those last couple of years were fairly normal.

[chief52]

Yeah, it sucked. Being the new kid all the time isn't much fun. I was pretty messed up when I was younger. But when I moved to Kirksville I made the most out of the fresh start. Those last couple of years were fairly normal.

I bet. I was never the new kid...knew everyone. But I do remember those new kids that came in every year. Kids can be damn tough.

[Rain Man]

I have a pretty close-knit group of four guys that I consider my best friends. I met them when I was 5, 5, 12, and 19.

You met them when you were 41?

[Frazod]

I bet. I was never the new kid...knew everyone. But I do remember those new kids that came in every year. Kids can be damn tough.

The first major move (to a new city) I made was when I was 7. My mom had remarried, and my stepdad insisted I go to a Catholic school. But since I wasn't Catholic, I couldn't take communion, and had to sit in the back of the church while everybody else did. Talk about being instantly ostracized - I was not only the new kid - I was the New Kid Who Was Going To Hell. I only went to that goddamn school for two years, but the damage was done.

[Jenson71]

Yeah, it sucked. Being the new kid all the time isn't much fun. I was pretty messed up when I was younger. But when I moved to Kirksville I made the most out of the fresh start. Those last couple of years were fairly normal.

I'm like a poorer man's you. I lived in Waterloo, another city in Iowa, South Dakota, and back to Waterloo by the time I was 12; although, I should note, the move to Dubuque wasn't bad (I was three at the time - and any kid who had a red toy truck was your friend).

But even tougher than being the new kid was seeing the stress in your family and between parents, with the jobs and selling and travel in transitions. We lived in such a small house for sometime in South Dakota, and two different apartments in Waterloo.

I can't complain though. Things are good.

[RNR]

Yeah, it sucked. Being the new kid all the time isn't much fun. I was pretty messed up when I was younger. But when I moved to Kirksville I made the most out of the fresh start. Those last couple of years were fairly normal.
There are two sides to it. If you read my post you understand that your greatest moments last forever as do your weakest. By starting over you have a clean start, which would be cool. I have been lucky but some guys I grew up still live with some things they would rather forget ROFL

[Rain Man]

Yeah, it sucked. Being the new kid all the time isn't much fun. I was pretty messed up when I was younger. But when I moved to Kirksville I made the most out of the fresh start. Those last couple of years were fairly normal.

I was a little bit the same way, with seven schools by the time I ended fourth grade. However, I really liked it. It was fun to run around and pick out a new bedroom every so often, and to figure out a new school.

It was probably good, though, that my eighth school lasted from 7th through 12th grade. Moving around was fun, but I didn't keep any friends from that era because I wasn't around long enough.

I keep in sporadic touch now with several friends from high school - two from 7th grade, one from 8th, and one from 9th. I actually just got in contact a while back with another guy that I knew from 9th grade. Sadly, one of the ones from seventh grade got some sort of brain illness about ten years ago and has had a rough time of it. I don't notice a problem when I talk to him, but he apparently has a lot of social problems now as a result of the illness. Sad situation for a great guy.

[Frazod]

There are two sides to it. If you read my post you understand that your greatest moments last forever as do your weakest. By starting over you have a clean start, which would be cool. I have been lucky but some guys I grew up still live with some things they would rather forget ROFL

The worst part was getting picked on. I was short and kind of pudgy when I was younger, and that in addition to being new AND introverted was a recipe for disaster. By the time I got to Kirksville, I had had enough of being bullied, and had slimmed down, and part of that new leaf turning thing was standing up to the goons. Got my ass kicked really good once, but most of the fights I won. Your average bully crumples like an empty beer can once you punch him in the mouth.

[Jenson71]

when I was younger

??

[RNR]

The worst part was getting picked on. I was short and kind of pudgy when I was younger, and that in addition to being new AND introverted was a recipe for disaster. By the time I got to Kirksville, I had had enough of being bullied, and had slimmed down, and part of that new leaf turning thing was standing up to the goons. Got my ass kicked really good once, but most of the fights I won. Your average bully crumples like an empty beer can once you punch him in the mouth.
I grew up in a area where you learn to stand your ground. I found out early it was better to take a beating than face several later. You are right most guys will leave it alone even if they can whip if they know they are going to have to!

[Frazod]

??

I was always pudgy until my junior year, when I lost about 40 pounds. For a while, I was actually too thin. When I graduated high school, I was 5'8" and weighed around 135. When I got out of boot camp, and was in the best shape of my life, I weighed 145.

Pudgy came back later, though. With a vengeance. :banghead:

[Dr.Fine]

The worst part was getting picked on. I was short and kind of pudgy when I was younger, and that in addition to being new AND introverted was a recipe for disaster. By the time I got to Kirksville, I had had enough of being bullied, and had slimmed down, and part of that new leaf turning thing was standing up to the goons. Got my ass kicked really good once, but most of the fights I won. Your average bully crumples like an empty beer can once you punch him in the mouth.

that was one of the most appealing things about SBM--each kid had his own issues and insecurities, but they all supported each other. also, the fact that 4 twelve year olds could at one time actually go off for an overnight w/no adult supervision. our kids these days have generally more functional upbringings, but they've also lost a lot of what that flick was about imo.

[jjchieffan]

I have managed to keep in touch with just a couple of friends from school. One that I had lost touch with called me recently in response to a job that I had inquired about. She is now my boss. Small world I guess.

[Frazod]

I grew up in a area where you learn to stand your ground. I found out early it was better to take a beating than face several later. You are right most guys will leave it alone even if they can whip if they know they are going to have to!

There was one kid in Jeff City who absolutely terrorized me. I never did stand up to him. Looking back, he wasn't all that much bigger than me, but he sure had that bully thing down to a science. I took down other bullies later, but I never got a shot at redemption with him. It is a vast stain of shame upon my existence that still pisses me off to this very day.

And yes, if I ever meet up with him, his ass is going to the emergency room. I don't care if I have to beat him with my walker to do it.

[Rain Man]

I never had any troubles with moves other than seventh grade. Before that, I was always welcomed and happy, but man oh man, seventh grade was hell. I was the new kid, and it wasn't until about halfway through eighth grade that the bullseye came off my chest. From there through the end of ninth grade I was only subject to the normal violence of that age, and after that it was clear sailing.

[RNR]

There was one kid in Jeff City who absolutely terrorized me. I never did stand up to him. Looking back, he wasn't all that much bigger than me, but he sure had that bully thing down to a science. I took down other bullies later, but I never got a shot at redemption with him. It is a vast stain of shame upon my existence that still pisses me off to this very day.

And yes, if I ever meet up with him, his ass is going to the emergency room. I don't care if I have to beat him with my walker to do it.
I can relate there was a couple guys that were a couple years older than me and picked on me and some other guys my age. As I said in my post I grew up in the southend well low an behold several years later I bumped into them sitting with some girls I knew. I walked up and they doing the hey whats up thing I clocked one of them and the other bailed ROFL I hope you get your chance to settle with that asshole.

[Demonpenz]

Luckily I married mine

[BigMeatballDave]

2. One I met when we were 12, and the other I met when I was 15. I'm 37.

[BigVE]

I was 5'8" and weighed around 135. When I got out of boot camp, and was in the best shape of my life, I weighed 145.

Pudgy came back later, though. With a vengeance. :banghead:


Ah, I remember being that size. 5th grade was awesome. ;)


I have several friends who I went to grade school or high school with.

[seclark]

have 2friends i met in 7th grade. still close after 35 years.

went to 13 different schools before graduating high school.
took a lot of sh@t.
deserved some of it.
had some fun...cranked some tunes.
seems to have worked out ok.
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