I had a good start in life. Looking back at my early years, I remember my parents acting like cognitive behavioral therapists - they didn't ever say "do this because I'm the parent", they would challenge me to think things through rationally and try to reach me on my own developmental level. I had very supportive parents who taught me about empathy, boundaries, personal responsibility, all that good stuff. They took parenting very seriously. About the only problem I had with my family was, they could sometimes go from calm and reasonable to loud ranting if they thought I was doing something seriously wrong. Calm, calm ... BOOM!

My family moved several times - eventually to a different country - and I experienced being the slightly shy kid who caught the attention of every bully on the block, it seemed. I think being teased and bullied so much eventually caused me to develop social phobia and self worth issues. I did have friends, though.

I remember having good school teachers overall, but also encountered some teachers who seemed to think shaming kids in front of their friends is an ideal way to get a reasonable, compliant child. I disagree. I suspect I have some problems today because of those experiences - seeing it and experiencing it. Maybe that's partly why I am so protective of people to this day - can't tolerate seeing people put down by others.

My closest, earliest friend was literally the girl next door. We were pretty much inseparable. But I had to move. I sometimes suspect that maybe, on some level, I've been trying to find her ever since ... ?