As far as my parents and homelife went, it was pretty idyllic.
In grade 3 my teacher moved me away from my seat beside my best friend (because we were being disruptive) and sat me instead next to a GIRL! EWwWwW!
I was teased about it mercilessly for the whole year, handled it poorly and quickly became an over-sensitive introvert, especially when it came to relating to girls.
Fast forward to Grade 6 (the first year of Junior High with lots of kids from 2 other elementary schools now mixed in) and I was completely blind sided by the reverse shift from girls as objects of scorn to objects of status.
Being a thin-skinned, clueless introvert led to more teasing and awkwardness, but even worse, badly missed opportunities. "Woulda, Should, Coulda..." but damn those years could have gone a lot better. It took well into high school for me to come out of my shell.
That girl I sat next to in Third grade? We've been married now for 10 years!
Okay that's not at all true but we are Facebook friends and do get together with other friends every now and then.
