Childhood is
a time for discovery, wonder and learning. It’s also a time of accidents, comical and cringe-worthy moments. No wonder people say that they learn the most from their mistakes. Flustered and giggling, a few students at West High decided to share their stories with us and the general public. But who knows what other more mortifying stories they won’t tell?

Alexia Stevens, ‘19, a sufferer of eternal second-hand embarrassment, shared this story.

“So, in the 4th grade I remember, it was recess and a bunch of people were playing frisbee; and one of the frisbees got stuck in a tree. So [a boy from my class] jumped up and climbed up and grabbed it and got stuck. I tried to climb up and help him but I was wearing a dress so I couldn’t do anything but laugh and roll around dying. It’s not really funny now, but we were all dying of laughter when it happened. [If it happened again I] would probably still die of laughter.”

Megan Brown, ‘18, told the story of when she was seven and she and her younger brother took a trip to the golf course.

Years ago, Brown’s family lived next to a golf course. While playing in their yard one day, Brown and her brother found a golf ball, and she had the brilliant idea to venture out into the golf course and collect more of them. After wandering out a ways, a man driving a golf cart came across them and asked if they were capable of getting home. After realizing that they were very far from their home, the man took them to the golf course receptionist where they called Brown’s mom to pick her up. After she arrived, Brown’s mother laughed at them and took them home. “Of course she grounded us, but it was so worth it.” she said with a grin.

People love funny stories, especially if those stories are embarrassing. As long as it’s someone else’s story, that is. The following video is a small piece of Janaya Buns’ childhood, or in her words, “a very dark time”.

“Now I acknowledge and accept that I was a weird child; but in all of the years that followed the making of this video I have yet to have been able to watch it without cringing,” Buns said. We all have our share of embarrassing and funny stories from childhood and, yes, some of us are unfortunate enough to have some of those on video, but look at the bright side, childhood stories make for rather interesting and entertaining conversations.