Some small thing you longed for as a child, but never got. 🙁

Books! My neighbour took her children to the library and I was so envious of the books they brought home. I didn't realise I could join the library until I was about eleven. It was life changing.

I have older sisters, I wanted Mum to have a baby girl - a girl to play with. When I was in already in school mum gave birth to my brother - who has been a wonderful sibling - since I was around 30.

I've always adored him, but he wasn't fun early on. Add to that he was my parents clever favourite and a much desired male child.

I had ballet and riding lessons .
I far preferred horses to dancing .
I wanted to learn a musical instrument -any instrument .

My cousin had a fantastic train set and I really wanted one !
He also had a massive battleship for the bath and I was keen on that too .
And a garage with cars that whizzed down the ramp and smashed into the skirting board .
I thought that his toys were incredible .
I heard my mother telling my grandmother that she was really concerned about my great love of animals and boy toys and how I always looked a mess dressed in jodhpurs with untidy hair .
I think that she found me abnormal .
Playing with toys which were unsuitable for your sex would endanger your sexuality .
But later , when I asked for a Cindy and a Barbie - the answer was no .
As I approached puberty , she was worried about my being too feminine and pretty and attracting the wrong sort of boy !

I also longed for a brother and a sister , but that didn't happen either .
I was told that you get married , then you ask for a baby from God .
You get one if you are good .
I began to wonder what God thought of my parents !

An older brother. Every Christmas I would write to Father Christmas, but was always disappointed 😥.

I had ballet lessons when I was 8 and hated them. All I wanted to do was learn to ride properly rather than career round a paddock on my best friend’s pony - hanging on for dear life.

I finally got my wish and gleefully told my dance teacher I was also going to have riding lessons as well but she threw me out of her class saying I would develop all the wrong muscles and she wasn’t going to teach any girl with horse rider’s thighs!!

She was right to get rid of me because not only did I end up with the wrong legs, I also had large flat feet! 😂😂

Pippa000

An older brother. Every Christmas I would write to Father Christmas, but was always disappointed 😥.

At 3, my Gdd1 asked Father Christmas for a real baby, boy or girl, she wasn’t fussy (already had a little brother).

We explained that FC wasn’t allowed to bring babies or animals in case people didn’t know how to look after them properly. Also, it’d be so cold on the sleigh!
She did however get a baby sister in very early January the following year.

A Sindy Doll and candyfloss - not allowed either. Bubble or chewing gum - not allowed those. Or a puppet with more than 3 strings.

Ballet classes. Parents bought me ballet magazines but couldn’t afford lessons.
A bicycle. Parents were petrified that I would have an accident but I borrowed friend’s one but never really learned to balance.
To join a youth club like my friends. Parents thought it was the den of eniquity.

I wanted a dolls pram but I was born in the war and toys were difficult to obtain. One did appear but wasn’t kept as somehow or other it tore a long strip out of one of my legs. Bikes were out of the question as too expensive.

Esmay I loved your post !

Hair shampoo and a toothbrush. We used soap to wash our hair, but sometimes my mum would treat herself to a sachet of Silvikrin and I really wanted to try it. I got my first toothbrush and access to hair shampoo at fourteen when I went to live with my dad’s family, before that I shared a toothbrush with my siblings occasionally. 😱

Gosh, granny, touch times. I vividly remember the sachets of Silvikrin. I can smell it now.

My youngest daughter longed for an older brother and although I couldn’t oblige she was lucky enough to have an older sister whose best friend became, in all respects, the older brother she yearned for. They still maintain that sibling relationship thirty years on.

I did eventually provide her with two younger brothers. 😁

Ashcombe

Clawdy

Ballet lessons, as I was an avid reader of the Lorna Hill novels about Sadlers Wells! No way my mum could have afforded them, and not sure there were any available in our area anyway. I did make sure my daughter had ballet lessons, and she loved them!

I, too, would have loved to have had ballet lessons but was told that there was no money available as I was already having piano lessons. All three of my children had ballet lessons (including my son) and my DGD, aged 11, is doing well in her lessons.
When I mentioned the Lorna Hill novels to my DH, he immediately came up with the names: Veronica Weston and Sebastian Scott. Do those names ring a bell, Clawdy?

Ooh yes, I certainly know those names! I wanted to be Veronica, and think Sebastian was my first crush!

eazybee

I will write the name and I sincerely hope this is not taken down; a toy I really wanted.
A golliwog.

My brother had one, hand knitted by an aunt. I remember him well!

zakouma66

Gosh, granny, touch times. I vividly remember the sachets of Silvikrin. I can smell it now.

I remember all those little sachet ‘pillows’ of shampoo in Woolies! Nobody in our family ever bought one though.

Ballet lessons but only my elder sister was allowed them.

I wanted a bicycle. Everyone I knew had one except me. Or so it seemed when I was about 14 mum and dad bought bikes for my younger brother and sister for Christmas. I got a silver bracelet. I was so disappointed and hated the bracelet. I never did wear it. I remember how my face ached from pretend smiling so I wouldn’t seem ungrateful.

To learn to play the piano. But we didn’t have a piano and couldn’t afford it anyway. I got to brownies because it was cheap and started guides but I didn’t like it.

Mine was a horse, which wasn’t possible financially. 9 years later my younger sister was brought one then when he was outgrown another was brought for her. 50 years later it still annoys me. I don’t think my sister should have been allowed one - we should have both been treated the same.

I always wanted riding lessons. My Grandfather's girlfriend was quite wealthy - when I passed the 11+ I thought she might treat me - but I received a leather satchel! It was wonderful to be able to contribute to buying a horse many years later for my GD though!

A party dress. I had to go to parties in a homemade pinafore dress with a school blouse underneath. I'm 78 and I still get tears in my eyes thinking about this.

Like most of us I wanted a bike. My parents couldnt afford one same as most in our road. So we shared with those who did have a bike. Only two of us & they did not mind sharing. Eventually my brother was given an old bike that was unwanted. DD & DB rebuilt it & it became another in our shared collection. Do not see ‘shared’ now do we?

Oh that's awful for a child, isn't it?

Parents were less tuned in, I think, years ago, to the things that made a big difference to their child.

Sorry, that was for jennymolly