Have you ever looked back on some of your fondest childhood memories and wish you'd appreciated those moments a little more?
A recent survey by Comparethemarket asked 2,166 British adults what their favourite, or most vivid, childhood memories were that stayed with them the most. From holidays with family to school trips with classmates, the new study revealed that four in 10 adults said they wished they had appreciated those special moments a lot more.
The survey results also found which smells trigger memories and the feelings they provoke. For example, the smell of a roast dinner triggers childhood memories for almost 18% of British adults.
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While most of the memories that stuck with the adults surveyed are pleasant ones, the survey also found many other experiences that we remember most vividly. Some of those included fighting with siblings, falling out with a friend, losing a tooth, and parents separating.
The survey results were broken down to reveal the top memories that stayed with adults for different regions across Britain. Below are 12 of the top childhood memories for adults living in the north west of England who took part in the survey.
12. Listening to music
Of the 237 adults who took part in the survey in the north west, 63, or 26.5%, of those said listening to music as a top childhood memory. This stands to reason as how many times have we heard a golden oldie come on the radio that immediately takes us back to our childhood.
Listening to music is also strongly associated with our teenage years, when certain artists - such as The Beatles during the '60s - or music styles begin to define the places we go and with what crowd we choose to listen to our favourite artists with.
11. First day of secondary school
Nothing makes you feel more grown up that standing by the front door as your mum takes a misty-eyed snap of you in your school blazer. And 26.9% of surveyed adults in the north west agreed.
10. Fighting with your siblings
Not a pleasant memory but a vivid one that stays with us just the same. In this survey, 27.5% of adults still remember the battles they had with their brothers and sisters.
Whether that's a falling out that leads to screams across the landing and slammed bedroom doors, or a black eye, fights are among the top memories we remember. Thankfully, warring siblings often learn to appreciate each other more as they grow older and move out.
9. Being allowed to 'play out' unsupervised
Another top childhood memory, and one that made us feel very grown up, was being allowed to escape the watchful eye of a parent when playing out. However, none of this makes up for the embarrassment of your mum bellowing across the street that "your tea's ready". This was a top memory for 27.6% of surveyed adults.
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8. Taking part in school sports day
Perhaps school sports day provided the opportunity for a never again matched feat of sporting glory that you can dine out on for the rest of your days, or maybe it was just a chance to get out of lessons for an afternoon. Either way, 28% of adults who took part in the survey in the north west chose taking part in school sports day as a top memory.
7. Your first boy/girlfriend
Ah, it seems you never forget your first crush or announcing to your school mates you were officially an item. 28% of adults surveyed said they never forgot their first boyfriend or girlfriend.
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6. Buying sweets from the local shop
There's a certain time in childhood when the excitement of going to the local sweet shop to spend your pocket money was incomparable to anything else. But what to buy, and where to go?
Was it Woolworths for their legendary pick and mix? Or perhaps the local newsagents with its jars of cola cubes, sweet peanuts, and jaw breakers that made the pennies burn a hole in your pocket
Or maybe you were lucky enough to live close to a dedicated sweet shop that really was like having Willy Wonka on your doorstep. Whatever it was, over 28% of adults said buying sweets was a top memory.
5. Getting/having a pet
Not many people forget the animals that have come and gone throughout their lives. If you've ever had a great dog, or cat, as a child then you'll know such memories stay with you forever. Over 31% of adults surveyed in the north west said getting or having a pet was a top childhood memory.
4. Going on school trips
Whether close to home or further afield, we all remember the excitement of being packed off by our parents with a lunch box full of sandwiches and treats, ready to make memories with our classmates. Except of course if you were travel sick, or you spent the journey sitting next to the kid heaving into a Kwik Save bag.
Some of the great school trip memories made by kids on Merseyside will have been at Camelot, Speke Hall, Chester Zoo and, of course, Colomendy. And for over 35% of surveyed adults in the north west, childhood school trips were a top memory.
3. Visiting your grandparents
No doubt memories of visiting your nan and grandad will have made the top three childhood memories, and likely one that many wish they appreciated more at the time. Interestingly enough, the smells associated with visiting our grandparents came out at number two in the top memories associated with smell for all Brits. And for over 35% of north west adults surveyed, it was a top childhood memory for them too.
2. Christmas Day
No wonder such an exciting and hugely anticipated event such as Christmas Day would make it high on the top childhood memory list. Memories of waking up and finding presents piled at the foot of your bed, or running downstairs in new pyjamas to see what lay under the tree have made a huge impression on us. Nearly 38% of those surveyed agreed, there was nothing much more memorable for a kid than Christmas Day.
1. Family holiday/holidays
And with nearly 43% of surveyed adults in the north west's top childhood memories, family holidays comes in at the top spot. Whether that was a few days in Blackpool or your first time abroad waiting in the airport, it seems there was nothing more memorable than a holiday.
Family holidays and Christmas Day came top for not just the north west, but through much of the UK. However, the most notable exception being Northern Ireland, when visiting grandparents came top with a whopping 62%.
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Other childhood memories that didn't quite make the top 12 list included winning an award, getting your first mobile phone, visiting a theme park, appearing in a school play, moving house and the last day of school before the summer holidays.
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