Your biggest disappointment as a child.

My Mother not remembering my birthday! I was brought up by my Grandparents, but was always promised that Mother would visit me on my birthday. She still forgot, even when I was grown up and married. I still don't understand it! She passed away when I was 65.

Being told that because my big toes are longer than the next two on both my feet, I could never become a ballet dancer.

I had taken lessons for three years at that time and loved it and was good at it too. I wondered then why they let me start if they knew I never could go on point.

I was heart-broken and it took me years to get over my resentment.

A few, first learning Father Christmas wasn't real. Our family was pretty hard up so I'd learned not to expect anything expensive for presents, but I did have an aunt and uncle who gave nice toys as presents, and being bitterly disappointed when one year they gave me a set of horrible nylon scratchy yellow underwear - knickers and a petticoat. I wore the knickers once only, and never wore the petticoat.
My biggest disappointment however, was, having surgery on a deformed hand and being told I would have a hand like everyone else's but when the bandages came off, it was nothing of the sort. In hindsight I realise that was never going to be possible, but still feel I was very mislead about that.

The Sunday School trip was to Sandsend by the sea and I
was so looking forward to it. When we got there it was pouring with rain but the teachers persevered with the beach activities
and we ate our picnic lunch under a tiny abri. My legs were
blue with cold the whole day. The coach was parked not
far away but the driver had locked it and disappeared!

I always wanted a pony and a puppy and although I had riding lessons the longed for pony never materialised and the same goes for the puppy. I do know why my father loved dogs.

The biggest disappointment or perhaps sadness better describes it is that my mother who lost her second child at three months told me that she never wanted another one and especially not a girl. We never really had a relationship.

Being made to do ballet (Mam's friend started up a ballet school) when all I wanted to do was learn to ride a horse.

Coming home from school one day to discover my mother had sold my beautiful Silver Cross doll’s pram to the window cleaner for 7/6d. I never forgave her!?

On holiday in Bournemouth when I was about seven I saw someone eating ice cream in a tall glass. There were layers of ice cream with a red sticky sauce swirling through it, and a cherry on the top. Mum said it was called a Knickerbocker Glory. I couldn't take my eyes of the people eating it with long-handled spoons. I knew it was something I couldn't ask for (our holiday treat was an ice cream cone on the the last day of the holiday). I longed to have a Knickerbocker Glory one day.... but by the time I could have afforded it I could think of nothing I'd less like to eat.

I went into hospital for an operation when I was 8. I came out a week later with my birthday the following day. Whilst I’d been in hospital my mum had had my favourite doll with long wavy hair all cut off and a short haired wig to replace it. The reason was that I’d washed her hair and ruined it! I was so upset. My other presents were an encyclopaedia and a watch, neither of which I had any interest in having. I was a very sad and disappointed 9 year old.

Getting a dolls pram that was for a small child to play with when I was about 8. I was so disappointed I've never forgotten it.

When I was twelve I longed for a record player. My birthday came along and there was a big parcel for me. I tore the paper off to find a huge leather shoulder bag. I was so disappointed. Another disappointing thing was when my dad was going out he would say he was going to see a man about a dog. I would wait for the dog to arrive and it never came!

That I never got a horse. Or even a big rocking horse.

Lexisgranny

Discovering the cupboard where my unwrapped Christmas presents were some weeks before Christmas so that there were no surprises on Christmas Day.

I am sure there were more important disappointments, but that is the one I remember, and I never ever open birthday or Christmas presents before the appropriate day.

That reminded me of the time DH was chairman of a local charity which was asked to buy a Tiny Tears doll for a little girl whose mother could not afford to buy the one thing on her daughters letter to Father Christmas. The doll was wrapped and left on the hall table ready for delivery next day. Early next morning DD (age 2) crept downstairs and opened the parcel. She was so excited we had to make some excuse about FC had had this one send direct to us but she was not allowed to play with it until Christmas Day.
Doll was quickly re-wrapped and delivered and new doll hastily purchased to hide with all the other gifts for DD we had already wrapped and hidden.
Twenty years later I found myself working with the now grown up little girl. Talking about Christmas she said that the one Christmas she really remembered was when she received a surprise present of a Tiny Tears doll as her mother had said she did not have the money to buy one. Needless to say I never let on.

I got a mustard yellow dolls pram from Santa and when we played and maybe swapped each others prams no one wanted mine cos it was so horrible, I used to be in tears. A couple of years later I got the most beautiful Silver Cross pram and of course everyone wanted to swap then.

We were having a school trip to a zoo and the seaside when I was 9 and we were told where to wait for the coach to pick us up if we didn't live near the school. I waited at the appointed place for 1.5 hours and it didn't come. I went home so upset. I found out the next day the driver forgot to call there, the teacher forgot too. What made it worse was my best friend didn't notice I wasn't there. I've never felt so ignored in all my life. The postive thing is that my mum took me for an icecream to cheer me up, and it taught me to cope with disappointment.

As an only child I had a very happy and unspoilt, childhood. I was desperate for a red tricycle with a ‘boot’. I thought they were the bees knees. I got a second hand blue one with no boot ?
(Like Sarnia I was desperate for a sibling. Later I understood that I had been my parents last hope for a child. They had lost a full term baby before me so it must have been very difficult to have me asking for a baby brother ?)

Bananas! As a child growing up in the war, I had never seen a banana and people had told me it would be wonderful to have bananas again. When I eventually had one I was so disappointed - I thought it would be juicy like the other fruit I loved!

Being an only child. I would have loved a brother or sister and even now, in my 70's, I still feel I missed out on something.

Lilylaundry like Gwen I used a diet to “cure” my psoriasis. OK, you can’t cure it but it was dreadful and I have never had it badly since. My DH went on an elimination diet and discovered that bananas triggered his migraines. No more banoffee pie.

Lilylaundry - I proved my eczema was caused by an allergy to dairy products - it took a long time because my parents wouldn't listen to me. Even the doc told me to "grow up'!! I also had a severe allergy to wool.

Thank you all for replying and letting me know your disappointments. Some of them must be hard coming to terms with even after many years. I must say I still don't believe doctors when they tell me that certain treatments will 'alleviate' the itching and rawness. Nothing ever does and, I am only assuming, that as it isn't a life threatening condition, not too much research goes into why some people are affected, some very badly. I'm 80 now and still want to tear off my face, arms, legs, stomach, in fact any part of my body sometimes. The only thing which helps me is a very short, cool, shower. I was given UVB a few years back and it was wonderful. Alas, due to Covid-19 it is not available in my area. Still, life could be a lot worse, I do love my life.

Not being able to go to the Guides. Mum let me go to Brownies because Brown Owl had a stock of uniforms girls could borrow. We were told when we left brownies that if we wanted to go up to Guide we would need to buy the uniform. Mum refused to buy one because it was too expensive.

Also when I bought a violin home from junior school. I was so happy. Mum wasn't. She said she couldn't put up with the racket so I had to take it back. The lessons would have been free so lack of money wasn't an issue.

Me and my sister went guy fawking outside our local chip shop.
We had over £3 which was alot of money then in the 1970`s.
and we were so excited to give it to our dad to buy fireworks,but he bought food instead.
The right thing to do really,but i didn`t think that at the time.

Being picked on at school because I had to wear national health spectacles and as now my prescription was really strong so they had really thick lenses...

Lilylaundry I, too had severe eczema and was covererd in Coal Tar ointment (I still like the smell)
When I was 4 i had specifically asked father Christmas for a small doll with lots of clothes. I was very upset when I received a large baby doll with one lot of baby clothes!!

I was more disappointed when Mum sister and I were on our way to Lewis's in Glasgow to see Santa Claus. As we stepped of the train, my know-all 8 year old sister turned to me and said "You know there is no such thing as Santa Claus!!!!"

I was totally gutted