I can't remember my childhood very well. I think my earliest memory is playing with my neighbor, Jeremy. We would play outdoors a lot, especially by a particular tree in his backyard where there were lots of ants. I remember the base of the tree (where all of its roots were knotted) was filled with water and we were trying to drain the water somehow and then trying to lay leaves on top of the water so that the ants could pass over the water. I was probably around 6 years old.
I don't think there were any extraordinary circumstances about this memory because we frequently played together, even at that particular tree. I think my personality has changed a great deal since then. I was usually more of a follower because both of my best friends were older than I was, so I played by their rules. Now, though, I think I'm more independent.
I don't really relate to the person I was as a child. It's more like I am familiar with the person, but that it wasn't really me. I think around the end of middle school is when I can first identify with my memories as being myself.
I have memories of playing with my friend by the tree on my front yard. These memories were a lot more clear to me because we were such good friends and we played out by the tree so frequently. There was also one time she fell off one of the branches when we were climbing the tree. It was so scary since we were so young and didn't know how to deal with it.
