What were you like as a child?

Would you say your personality to this day matches you in your younger years?

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it true that your personality tends to stay the same over the course of your life?

I'd say that's pretty accurate for me. I don't think you could legitimately type me at the ages between 6-12, but my personality is somewhat the same. It's funny getting into conversations with my family members about how we acted as children. I don't remember large junks of what I was like, *cough* repression *cough*, but my brother and sister still tell me I have that same jokerster persona about me. I think before I really had any idea what sarcasm was at the age of six, "SIKE!" was my early offsetting of that phase. Apparently I used it almost compulsively around the house, which later revolutionized into the "JK" you hear nowadays. Honestly, I wish I was less sarcastic and slightly perverted, it's just my nature. Innuendos will never escape me.

Also, I was a pretty energetic kid. I think at one point I was diagnosed with ADHD and took medicine for it. It wasn't the sugar, I promise. I just loved being active, could never sit down. Now, introspection is very dear to me. Sort of like this thread, ya know? =P

I was definitely an introvert. Being made fun of and bullied for a considerable part of my life, that almost certainly tied into my introversion. I moved a lot, too, so making friends was especially difficult for me. I had my little group. I was nowhere near the most popular kid in the class. In fact, now that I think about it, I was a pretty big nerd. You name it - I collected Pokemon cards, posters, the video games, and even the thirty-second pikachu tattoos. I could sing the original Pokemon theme song by heart, as well as stay tuned for Reboot and DBZ on Toonami everyday after school. Nostalgia, anyone? I still play my Pokemon Blue gameboy game to this day, which came out a decade ago. It's a fun game, what can I say.

I'm almost positive there is more I could share, but this is it for now.

Your turn. What were you like as a child, and do you think it resembles your personality to this day?

Well based on my personality description, I think I was an ENFP back then also.

In elementary school, I wanted to fit in so I bullied other kids in order to gain up in the social ladder. Once I got punched by a girl and realized how ridiculous I had acted, I became more aware and more sensitive on how I treated others. This is an enfp trait.

Sometimes, especially at a younger age, an ENFP will tend to be "gushy" and insincere, and generally "overdo" in an effort to win acceptance. However, once an ENFP has learned to balance their need to be true to themselves with their need for acceptance, they excel at bringing out the best in others, and are typically well-liked.

I was loud and sang around family. Around people I didn't know I was shy. I didn't like even ordering at a restaurants...waitresses scared me. Hell, I actually REMEMBER the day my mom started making me order for myself. I swear I was probably like...12 or 13. That's pathetic. Even now though, I never look waitresses in the eye. I don't know why...I hate making eye contact unless I really know the person. I am rude.

I only sing loud when I am alone now. Not even around family... hehe

My teachers noted reticence to socialize, even though I personally remember being a little lonely. I was probably insensitive to others' pain, a little bossy and demanding, and more interested in being the group leader. I scribbled a thought once in fourth or fifth grade, maybe even as late as seventh grade, that "success" was more important to me than family or friends. Also: had a temper, imaginative, bookworm, confident (or so Dad says), odd, artistic, fascinated by the esoteric and paranormal, slightly snobbish, generous, very formal speech, advanced reading and vocabulary, charming (peers and teachers all seemed to like me, for no reason apparent to me), pedantic, procrastinator.

On the flip side, I was highly sensitive to my parents' judgments of me. The opinion of my elders was far more important than what my peers thought of me, so their criticisms, particularly Mom's, often cut deep.

Honestly, I don't know what to make of the kid I was. Perhaps I was an ENTP forced to be INTP. You decide what has remained the same.

I honestly wasn't much different from what I am now. I guess you could've considered me a closet-nerd though, haha. I still am a little bit :X.

My dad told me something insightful once. He said that kids can get into snits and be angry at someone, but an hour later they have forgotten, or they spotted candy or a dog and are suddenly laughing and smiling. He says that me however, even when I was as young as four, if I got angry at someone it could last for weeks, he said it was a sign of good character :P

I was quiet and made nerdy friends, though I absolutely never participated in any of the fads like pokemon, digimon, DB, god knows what else. I thought they were lame even when they were designed for my age group :o (something I am fairly proud of). I was mostly passive with my friends, but sometimes I stopped them from doing really stupid things. I was and still am very active in ways that are considered weird. I still climb anything, and jump over things for no reason. I ate a hell of a lot of candy, a habit I admittedly still have.

Ah I wore track pants and really loose shirts for quite awhile :P

I was laconic as a youth. I was told that I smiled so contentedly as a child, when I was around my aunt, and only then. Apparently when I was as young as two I would say weird (supposedly advanced) phrases, entirely in Irish.. Which was odd, as my father was mainland and my parents & sister would alter between Irish and English.. I chose Irish.

Supposedly at age four I was a natural hand with animals. Mostly the pigs and sheep would follow me and even had a sheep I called scamall who was like a pet to me. I kind of remember her. Anyways. Island school bored me. I would find myself talking to the mainland kids most of the time, they were older than me, mostly teens going to the Irish college on the island.

I remember the first time I went onto the mainland for schooling. It was phenomenal. One time I got caught with a joint in my mouth by the principal and I managed to persuade him and the others to allow him to join us. He was awesome, held an half hour debate with him over educational policy in Irish secondary schools. Never did finish it, he didn't join us again. But we weren't punished either.

Back to young childhood I suppose. I was generally told I was a scientist (and in our slang, that meant a crazy callous SOB). Also said to be very depressive to those who encountered me with a gripe. I was ruthless even as young as 6 when it came to arguments. My mother would beat up my sister and I. But that eventually stopped when I yelled her down (after she broke a wooden spoon off my back).

I think the only thing that was clearly consistent between myself and INTJs from youth was confidence and disrespect for authority.

I loved taking charge and having adventures out bush with anyone who would tag along. I used to get into a few fights at school in class when I'd speak my mind without caring about how others would react. I can remember the specifics about one in particular because we became fast friends when I showed him how to fake tears when we were called back into the class room so we could pretend to be remorseful about fighting.

I never really understood the rules on a lot of games and was incredibly naive when people were telling me things. I got introduced to a game of mugby which was really popular, and I thought that it was an amalgamation of "mug" and "rugby", so when I got the ball and everyone was running towards me, I understandably kicked the first guy in the face and very unfairly got sent off and people wouldn't play with me... That was okay though, I spent most of my time in the library, and when our school started a book club, I was the first person to read 33 books. (for me that's a book a day, at the very least and always has been). Every single time there was a reading award for the school I was top of the mark, I only just had my record of 2750 books read by primary school graduation... I graduated primary school in 1995. Heee, 12 years holding the record. I was also the only little boy in town doing ballet, but that was cool, because I was the only kid in town getting private Tae Kwon Do lessons from the sensei who thought I was good enough. I was both the teachers pet (in order to be a smug little shit), and disrespectful of authority (because they were either flat out wrong, or didn't explain themselves). I got kept back in Gymnastics by my retarded gym teacher because of it. I never once went to my basketball practices... but to be fair, I didn't know there were any, but we still won.

I used to design all sorts of things, I'd cheat where the only rules were "show fair play", you know, fishing... Heh. I used to use a butterfly net to catch fish whenever we went out on a boat, or when the river flooded and the fish were swimming in droves over the bridge . But when there were real rules and someone broke them to my disadvantage I'd punch them. I got into a bit of trouble over that. Apparently little boys aren't supposed to punch little girls in the face, even if the teachers, my parents and society said that males and females are equal, girls are allowed to get away with more. In my defence, I also punched a lot of little boys in the face for the same reason. I can't remember how many times I ran away from home. I cried non-stop when our car battery died. But apparently it just needed to be replaced, the car wasn't dead after all.

For anyone who cares:

Mi Vida Loca

In early childhood, I was quiet for the most part when I was in my home environment except when I was asking questions(and I asked a LOT of questions!). I would play alone with my Star Wars toys and figures staging elaborate battles with complete story-lines for each of the characters. I also liked making up dances while listening to Kiss records! I would play sports with some of the neighborhood kids, but also liked to play Superfriends (I was always Batman) with them! I loved to play in the woods with friends. Some kids had built a fort in the woods and it was rumored to be Yoda's house, I remember it being so real to me, that the Jedi master actually lived there. There was just this real intermingling of fantasy and reality! I would also spend a lot of time alone outside on the playground, that is where and when a group of boys who were not my friends would come and harass me I was painfully shy around new adults, and my feelings were hurt very easily. My younger brother would tease me to the point I would lose it and go after him physically(then I would get in trouble). My mother would always say "he's sensitive" and that would drive me crazy! I loved animals..which is why I became a vegetarian at 5 when I found out where meat comes from.

I found my kindergarten report card a few years ago and I think I would probably be diagnosed with ADD these days based on the behavioral description. Apparently I often would wander off to play with whatever I wanted to when the class was supposed to be together doing a group activity. As I went on in school I usually had one really good friend at a time, but at the same time was quite popular (without trying to be) until we moved in 5th grade. At that point I fell to the bottom of the social ladder, but again always had one really good friend that I would goof around with in school. We would draw funny cartoon characters and crack ourselves up! I was always getting in trouble for not paying attention in class, even though I had tested into the gifted and talented program. Teachers either loved me or hated me and the feeling was usually mutual! In 5th and 6th grade I taught myself how to break dance and took to dressing like Michael Jackson.

By seventh grade I started to get picked on for this since I was the only one doing it in a 98% white school in upstate NY! Not long after that I got into heavy metal and started growing my hair. In junior high I loved to be the instigator of food fights and very rarely got caught. I also quietly orchestrated a lot of trouble in the classroom that other kids got in trouble for. I had the cover of being an honor student!

In high school I played football but did not hang out with the jock crowd. I liked to hang out with my metal-head musician friends. I started drinking, smoking pot and dropping acid at that point too. Somehow I managed to do well enough in school and on the SATS to get accepted into an Ivy League school. At the very core I am still that shy sensitive boy who loves to live in fantasy world but I have learned to do what I need to survive and thrive in this world.

Liked to be the center of attention, liked to put on plays & one-up the boys with my tree climbing skills, liked to answer the teacher's question before anyone else. I was very outgoing, loud, goofy. Much the same as I am now when around people I love/feel comfortable with, only all the time. My parents divorced when I was seven & I had a really hard time because of it for several years. I think that changed me, taught me to hold back those parts of myself.