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Ready to blush? Just kidding—nobody enjoys making their cheeks burn out of involuntary embarrassment in awkward situations. But this time, we are taking you on an emotional rollercoaster where it may be the only option.

It’s called blast from the past. Remember your 8-year-old self drinking coke in a wine glass, thinking you were as tipsy as auntie Becky at a family reunion barbecue, ready to pass out on the floor and beg for salvation? What about the time you cried for 10 days straight after finding out that gum you swallowed would stay in your stomach forever? What if I told you that you're not the only one? In fact, that little kid with ginger frock from school, your cousin from Wyoming, and I was all secretly doing the same weird things. So, let’s go down this cringe-inducing memory lane were things we all did as kids are laid out on the table.

Pandas, is anyone having a déjà vu moment? Then share your experiences and childhood memories in the comments. Also, scroll down below to see what Krystine Batcho, a professor of nostalgia at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, told Bored Panda about the influence that childhood experiences have on the course of our lives.

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Things-Everyone-Experienced-In-Childhood

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Prof. Krystine Batcho, a licensed psychologist and scholar in nostalgia, has developed a universal tool to measure our emotions towards the past using The Nostalgia Inventory Test. It measures how deeply and often people feel nostalgic.

Bored Panda asked the professor about the role our childhood memories play in our lives. “Childhood memories can influence adult lives in a number of ways. They can contribute to our overall sense of happiness in life.” Social experiences we had when little turn out to be crucial. “Positive childhood social events, such as family get-togethers during the holidays or parties to celebrate birthdays or achievements, help establish good self-esteem and healthy social skills in adulthood.”

Prof. Batcho’s life-long research has suggested that “positive childhood memories are associated with more adaptive coping skills in adulthood.” For example, people with happier memories of childhood were less likely to turn to counterproductive ways of dealing with stressful situations, such as substance abuse or escapist behavior. Healthy coping is not something we’re born with, but rather “is learned during childhood by role modeling trusted adults, and memories of how respected adults coped with adversity,” said the professor.

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What does a Foxxy say?
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to draw on my erasers and then stamp them on my skin whilst the pen ink was still wet.

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Most of us deeply cherish powerful childhood memories and carry them throughout our lives. Batcho explained that this phenomenon is called a “'rosy retrospection,' that is, a tendency to remember the past as better than it really was.” But there might be an evolutionary reason for it, because “a favorable focus on the past helps most people remain healthy and happy despite the practical and emotional challenges of adult life.”

On the other hand, one's current mood has a tremendous influence on memory retrieval. “When we are sad or depressed, we are more likely to remember negative events in our past and remember past experiences less favorably.” That’s why if you’re in a bad mood, it’s better to leave those blasts from the past for another time in order not to distort them.

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Starbelly Eleven
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do this at my parents' house and I snarl and hiss because my dad's office is right at the top and I know he's sitting there witnessing it. I'm 46.

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MagicalUnicorn
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i always dreamed of having this one as kid, but mom said it was too expensive...

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Jennifer Hughes
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went to my friend's house for an afternoon of playing video games. His parents got into it, and I had NEVER seen parents get into a fight like that. Scared me something awful and I called on their phone without permission to have my dad come get me. Friend's dad then hauled off on me (9 years old) for touching the phone and said I was never coming back to their house again. Pretty sure he wanted to hit me. I was never so glad to get out of a house before that point.

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Monday
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I ever have kids this is one thing I want to avoid...no sense in embarrassing the poor friend that didn't do anything wrong

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Magpie
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Best sentence I ever heard about parenting: We will talk about this a bit later, when everyone has calmed down. ( optional : including me )

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Teca Guimarães
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Once I was on an elevator with my friend and his family. His sister said something or was behaving bad, I dont remember, what I do remember is the slap her mother gave on her face. Gee...it was intense! You could cut the air XD

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Razetime
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my friend got yelled at all the time and it was really awkward

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Catlady6000
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Worse yet, their parents fighting. Do I stay and play, do I go, are we going to play?

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Alex T
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm usually the one being yelled at, and my friend looking terrified in the corner

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Caitlin M. Maguire
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3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My best friend's parents used to do it in Punjabi..I never knew what they were saying.

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Kamry fullden
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was at my besties house, nothing really scares me, an I have a high pain tolerance but that experience was scary enough for me to hide with the monster under the bed. Worst; it was a sleepover so it was dark and we had the dvd on.

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Jaiden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My friends mom didn't play no mf'in games, I got yelled at too.

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Marianthi Stathakopoulou
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What do I do? What do I do? Just stand still, you heard nothin’, you didn’t see nothin’!

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Bookey
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hated this!! And they'd ask "do you remember me"? How the flipping heck would I remember you?

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Hendra Lim
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i still feel so proud when i hide in the bathroom while the lights out, my cousins searching for me, even get in the bathroom but didn't find me at all because of the darkness and me silently dodging their hands movement, because i got adapted to the darkness)

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LOttawa
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still do that when I go shopping with my teen. It's fun to innocently embarrass her.

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Danish Dynomummy
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So true. And the same snacks you had at home tasted 1000 times better at their place!

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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is such an old wives tale, so many people still believe this as adults. For those of you that do, it isn’t true.

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Ilona
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did that once.. they cared. I ended up being so embarrassed about pretending to have drowned that I actually pretended to have drowned

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