7/5/07

Do You Remember Your First Childhood Crush?











Do you remember your first childhood crush? Mine was on a boy named Dexter, in my third grade class.

I don't remember much about him, except that he loved to draw, and drew a perfect Charlie Brown from Peanuts. Dexter sat across from me in class, so I watched him draw everyday instead of listening to our teacher. Actually, as far as I was concerned my third grade teacher's voice was reminiscent of the adult voices in the Charlie Brown television specials anyway-
a muffled bloc, bloc, bloc ... She rambled a bunch of jumbled grown-up words, that we "bright-eyed and bushy tailed" third graders, hadn't the slightest interest in, especially me since Dexter was the center of my world. My teacher's name was Mrs. Keysler, and she wore cat-eyed sixties style glasses with a chain that jangled when she walked, which served as a warning to mischief makers at recess.

My first and only encounter with Dexter was one day while I was staring at him drawing, my heart ricocheting around in my chest, and I noticed a shiny whistle on the top of his desk. Ordinarily, I couldn't take my eyes off Dexter, however on this day he brought along some stiff competition. Dexter's new whistle wasn't one of those toy whistles one would find in a Kracker Jack box... no sirree, Dexter's whistle was a genuine silver army grade whistle, and I was fascinated by it. Dexter noticed me staring at it resting on the corner of his desk by his drawing pad, so he quietly picked it up and placed it in my hand, while Mrs. Keyster continued speaking in the background, bloc, bloc, bloc, bah, bloc… I felt an array of new exciting emotions overwhelm me, beginning with feeling like a different person. I was holding the whistle Dexter put in my hand, and sitting close enough to him to touch his copper colored hair. I was in a trance as I turned the whistle over and over in my hand, put it in my mouth, and blew as hard as I could- the room went silent.

However, the hushed sound of children’s voices began to fill the empty silence, followed by the snickering sound children make before the finger pointing begins... It's such an annoying tactic among tattlers, whose goal in life is to retire as the teachers pet. I could feel the stares, and of course, see their self-serving tattler fingers rise to the occasion, which happened to be in my direction! I heard one little girl cry, “She is sooo dumb!” as I sat there horrified, my face growing hot and flushed with humiliation.

Humiliation is just one of an array of emotions I associate with the day I blew Dexter's whistle; it's also one of those funny to me now, not so funny then, experiences especially since my teacher made me stand in the back of the classroom the rest of the day.

After that, Dexter (who may have turned out to be an illustrator) looked at me with a cautious look on his face for what seemed like the rest of my life, and the girl who called me “soooo dumb” turned out to be one of my closest friends, even if it was years later. We never know what our children are going through in a day, or experiencing with their first crush, do we?

My mother thinks to this day that I just blew a whistle in the middle of class for absolutely no reason that she can phantom. Do you know who your children are thinking about today?


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23 comments:

izzat said...

First crush.. as i remember my first crush is when i was 8years old she name is azimah.. she same class with me.. and i never hide that i liked her.. but yet no respond..haha.. and then this part what i like.. one day when my mathematics period i do speak with my friend even have been warning by my teacher i keep talking because that class so boring.. then my teacher really angry he ask me to stand up and change place with girl.. and guess what..i have to change with azimah's friend who sited next to her.. so whole mathematics period i become statue not speak and even not look at anywhere i just look at the blackboard..uhh after class all people laughing include her..gosh!! (^.^)

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

Oh, you poor thing! That's why I wanted to write this post! It seems like everyone's first crush has at least one moment of embarrassment attached to it!

Thank you for your visit and comment! I need to stop by your site!

Ann

Jen said...

I don't remember a whole lot about my first crush other than that it was on a boy named Crayol (what the hell kind of name is that?) and that he had really large front teeth. Clearly ours was a love for the ages.

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

It's like you block it out or something, isn't it? Thanks for the hilarious comment!

Ann

Graham said...

I feel left out.
Cannot remember.
High School i can remember a bit, but that was a one sided affair..

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

High school counts! :) Really, we are just babies then too-

Thanks for stopping by, I love your comments! I need to pay you a visit!

Ann

DiamondsSaphire said...

I don't remember a childhood crush but I remember a high school crush!! 13 years later I still wonder what could have been!

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

I know, wouldn't it be something if Dexter were working in the children's book market?


I couldn't write about my high school crush, since I married and divorced him! (I would, except we share a child)

Thanks for leaving a comment, and stopping by- I need to stop by your blog as well! All of my blog friends are commenting! :) I'm having a great morning!

Christy said...

I love this post!! Oh first crushes, how can any of us forget them?
My first crush was in grade six, that's when I first started looking at boys a little bit differently, lol. His name was Kyle Stanish (I hope he never finds this post, lol) We were both geeks and we sat beside each other...thankfully nothing embarrassing came out of that experience!!

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

Kyle Stanish. We never forget their names either! I can't remember what Dexter looks like, but I remember his name! Isn't that funny? Thanks Christy for stopping by. I'm glad you read it!

Ann

Anonymous said...

Since I'm just a teenager I actually do remember my first crush very vividly.

It was in 4th grade with a girl named Stephanie. She would always follow me at recess, and then one day she confronted me and was like do you want to be my boyfriend. It was the "craze" at the time and I wanted in, so I said yes.

It ended very soon because I wanted to play football with the boys while she wanted me to hang around with here all recess. When we broke up there was like 5 girls that went up to me trying to convince to go back out with her.

Very interesting. She's actually still in my grade, and I believe she likes me. Who knows...

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

That is very interesting! I bet she does! It sounds like she was sorry for being bossy. Girls take notice of the boys who will not be told what to do. They try to tell you what to do, but they really don't like it when you listen. It's confusing huh? Us girls/women are really a pain in the you know what! I don't know why you guys put up with us! :)

Maybe, you ought to consider giving her another chance? That is if you are still interested.

Thanks for your comment-
Ann

lizzie said...

I remember my first crush. He was called Brendon and he had a mass of curly chestnut coloured hair. We were both 10. I adored him. I used to give him sweets in the hope that he might reciprocate, but he just took the sweets and I never made any progress. Awww! I still get that nagging hurt when I think about it now...45 years later!

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

It sounds like Brendon had beautiful hair~ I know what you mean about never forgetting them, this post was originally about teachers, but I got sidetracked with the thought of Dexter, and I don't even remember what he looks like! It's weird how the mind works when it comes to love! Thanks for the comment, and for stopping by~

Ann

Tracy said...

I don't really remember much about my first crush...from when I first knew him. It was really early. Then I moved away and when my family moved back to the place we lived in the first place and started going back to the church we went to in the beginning, he was there. For a long time, he didn't realize who I was. When he remembered who I was, he asked if I remembered going to school with him and I grinned (I guess stupidly), and he figured I didn't. After having observed him for a while, I didn't really want to re-start a friendship (we'd hung out a lot before, I think). Anyway, that's that.

Not only that, but your enemy turning into a good friend story is also something I can associate with. My best friend in middle school was a girl who got mad at me for hanging out with one boy at recess all the time because I "stole him" from her. She doesn't even remember, which I think is really amusing.

Sorry I'm long-winded. :[

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

Yeah, when you think about it people can have short memories. It goes to show, that we make to big of a deal out of most things. My grandfather used to say that, "most of the things we worry about never happen, and the stuff that does, won't matter in a hundred years!" :)

Thanks for stopping by, Tracy, and for the comment!

Ann

Unknown said...

good old days... yap, I do remember my first child crush and destiny have it.. years later i met her only to notice she is happily married..

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

Well, you never know, someone may have saved you a whole lot of trouble! I think that's how you have to think about some things, huh?

Thanks for the comment, and for reading the post!

Ann

Anonymous said...

Ah...I remember Forrest. Blue eyes and black hair. 4th grade...surely it was true love!

Thanks for reminder to remember!

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

Isn't it fun! I've had more positive responses to this post! Thanks for the comment, and for stopping by. I need to pay your site a visit! :)






Ann

Becky C. said...

Since my sexual orientation was different even back in earliest childhood, I am not real sure (not then being able to translate the emotion into crush). But, as I have revealed to a roar of guffaws, I had an intense tweenie crush on Kelly Ripa when she was starting out on this low budget dance show on the USA Network called Dance Party USA.

But, I think I would have been pretty crazy on any kid who could draw a perfect Charlie Brown:)

~Becky

aniceplaceinthesun.blogspot.com said...

Wow! You write the best phrases! "tweenie crush" "to a roar of guffaws" I don't remember Kelly Ripa on Dance Party USA, but of course I can remember how I felt about Dexter! Its funny since I couldn't tell you what he looked like today. If he stood before me I wouldn't know who he was, but I remember the feeling as if it were yesterday.

It must have been confusing for you growing up. My oldest brother is gay, and he had a tough time. Maybe it's harder for boys? I worry about gay children. Especially since kids refer to everything and everyone they don't like as "gay" these days. For example, (as if you need one) I heard these little children in the grocery store the other day refer to a car in a magazine as gay! How can a car be gay?

Yes, you would have liked Dexter, since he was the greatest! My heart still races when I think of him. Isn't that pitiful? I think I still have a crush on him! I wonder where he is?

Do you see what I mean about the tattlers? Of course your post sounded more like a grown-up!


Thank you Becky for all your support and for reading my posts!

I'm glad you're my friend!


Ann

1z0-043 said...

I never crushed on any body during my school age even never in life.I do not know what is crush.I liked some body but never crushed.

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