When I was five I lived in a duplex in Medford, Oregon. I have a few fleeting memories of living there, like learning to roller skate and throwing up in my Strawberry Shortcake canopy bed. Some of my memories include a little girl named Melissa.
She was my next door neighbor and two years older than me. She was a tiny little thing; I was taller – but she was feisty. Though I was bigger, I was less experienced in the ways of the world, and our world was My Little Ponies. Melissa had a million ponies: rainbow ponies, baby ponies, smelly ponies, you name it, she had it. I had three. In pony world that made her better.
After going to Melissa’s a few times I started coming home crying. Mom would ask what happened and I’d tell her Melissa wasn’t nice to me, said something mean, told me my pony was dumb, etc. Every time I went she’d say I wasn’t her friend anymore and that I couldn’t come back. And every time she asked me to come back over I’d go. I was a glutton for punishment, mostly because I couldn’t hold a grudge. I wasn’t a saint, I just forgot what happened. Details became foggy and I forgave.
The last time I went to Melissa’s she was in a bad mood. She’d lost a tooth and swallowed it. She was in a panic because the Tooth Fairy would be coming. Anyway, things turned bad quickly and she flew into one of her rages. She started shaking me and saying mean things, when finally I’d had enough. I pushed her down hard. I told her she wasn’t my friend anymore because she wasn’t nice to me and that I wouldn’t be coming back. I clearly remember the complete shock on her face – had I known how scared she could be of me…well anyway, that was the last time I went over to Melissa’s.
I don’t know why I let her treat me like that for so long. Was Melissa just a spoiled only child or was she treated badly by someone? Whatever the case, I learned an unconsious lesson from that “friendship”. I never let friends push me around again. It still takes a lot to tick me off, and I can’t hold a grudge to save my life, but girl, don’t call my ponies dumb. I’ll come up swinging.
I definitely had friends like that, including one who cut all my hair off promising me to make me look beautiful (when I was about four). Yeah. Right.
I hope your shove made Melissa rethink her friending strategies–maybe she’s somewhere blogging about the epiphany she had as a child when her My Little Pony friend disappeared on the heels of a well-deserved smackdown!
I’m glad you stood up to her! Kids are so mean sometimes. But it seems like they must learn it from somewhere. I don’t know. I think it’s great that you don’t hold grudges… that is such a wonderful quality to have!
This was a cute post! I think you are right about it probably forming your feelings about friends – it is so funny how things from our childhood mold who we end up being when we are older. Great post – see you soon. Kellan
bah. kids… How can they be so cute, but so stinkin’ evil at the same time? Good for you for sticking up for yourself!!
ACK! I’m having serious throwbacks to a street I once lived on…. kids can be so mean.
Great post! Funny – or not – how kids are so mean.
Saw you on My Life With Boys. I have 3 boys, too, so thought I’d check you out.
Frenemy- that reminds me of another good tv show, SATC. Melissa sounds like she had some issues. Hopefully, she learned a lesson about how to treat people if you want to keep friends.
I think I only had one My Little Poney (pink body with purple mane) so I must have been really dumb!
it’s funny what vivid memories we have of childhood and how those moments have shaped us.
There’s always a mean kid in everyone’s past, isn’t there? I can remember a girl that was my friend for awhile, but she was kind of mean, and when she told me we weren’t friends anymore, I was like, “great!”
I look back and wonder why I let some of my ex-boyfriends treat me like crap for so long. They were mean to me, but yet I stayed.
Nicki, I love reading your posts about your past. It is kindof like being in a therapy session with you. I just realized that may have sounded bad. I didn ‘t mean it in the bad sounding way. I would know now that therapy is all wrapped up!! It is amazing how our life experiences truly affect us as adults. I always thought it was ridiculous to think that things from childhood affected our adult lives. That is until I was sitting on the therapy couch sobbing
“… And then there was this one time, back in kindergarten… waaahaahaa ha ha…”
This post just made me really chuckle a good one! Thanks! Way to tell that girl what’s what! Where were you when all those girls were being mean to me? I could have used a tough friend like you!!
[...] 3, 2008 by Nicki At the time we lived in the duplex my step-dad had only been a member of our family for a year or so. Naturally, we were just [...]
Its funny, you reminded me of my own tooth fairy frenemy…every time I left a tooth under my pillow I would get a quarter. Once my best frenemy lost a tooth the same day I did, I think we were in second grade. The tooth fairy brought me the expected quarter. My friend got seven dollars and a hot pink heart shaped combination lock. I was devastated. Why did the tooth fairy like HER so much better?!?!?! :)