I recently watched a family home movie and I was amazed. I watched a video of my third birthday in 1988. I was shocked. In that video I was a completely different person and one that I never imagined I was. In the video, when I was to blow out the candles on my birthday cake, I didn't give a lot of effort. It got even weirder when it came to opening my presents. I just couldn't open my presents. It wasn't that I didn't know how or that I was dimwitted. I am Autistic and it really showed in my formative years. I was not social, I was isolated, and I wasn't very expressive. I didn't talk too much, either. Another thing that I had trouble doing was following directions and grasping concepts or words spoken to me. My sisters were telling me to open my birthday presents but I just couldn't do it. My brain wasn't getting the messages straight. After a few minutes of trying to persuade me, my sisters had to open my presents for me. I didn't seem to mind. I seemed extremely withdrawn, I didn't have the attitude a kid would normally have on a birthday. It was as if I didn't feel the day was special.

That's how I was until I was nearing the end of elementary school, around 4th grade. Until then, I had to have someone holding my hand to do everything. It really showed in that family home video.

we've never made those things. in some ways i'm just the same as i've always been and in other ways i'm the exact opposite.

I watch home videos from time to time. I think I've been the same exact person since like first grade. It's weird. I've always been really mature for my age and I've just never changed. The only thing that's really changed is that I'm not as shy as I used to be. But yeah, home videos can be fun to watch but sometimes it's hard when you know that things change and those are the things that you can never change back...

Yeah, I have a couple scattered here and there.

The main tape I have begins during the summer time in 1990 and ends just after my paternal grandparents' 50th anniversary celebration in September 1991.

I was just like any other kid in the home videos...the only difference is that I wasn't as understanding back then as I am now - I didn't understand the fact not everybody in my family knew how to communicate to me [via sign language]. I assumed everybody knew how to talk to me, and I would try to talk to them...It makes me cringe to see that. Luckily, I didn't run into that problem much. Now I don't have that problem anymore. If I want to talk to a relative, I use some paper and a pen. Works pretty well that way. :D

Otherwise...I didn't notice much of a change. I was always pretty mature for my age, altho I was a hyper little kid like everybody else in the home videos we have from the 80's.

Nope, never watch them

We have some, but I haven't seen them in years. They're all from when I was 13 and younger.. I was really out-going back then, and it showed on all the tapes.

I can't bring myself to watch home videos because most of my family has died. I won't even watch my wedding video from 1985. Too painful. I don't look at pictures either.

I refuse to, partly because I start crying a minute into them. So many memories. My extended family could be in a room without talking **** about the other members behind their back, my dad wasn't an alcoholic, my mother and sister weren't screaming at eachother 24/7, I was such a happy child back then...

Originally posted by Kaffeine Kay
I refuse to, partly because I start crying a minute into them. So many memories. My extended family could be in a room without talking **** about the other members behind their back, my dad wasn't an alcoholic, my mother and sister weren't screaming at eachother 24/7, I was such a happy child back then...

Yeah, I know EXACTLY how you feel. My parents split up almost 10 years ago and it's hard to watch videos because of that. So far, only two of my relatives have passed away...so I can't imagine how it'll be in 10 more years. :(

So many memories... :nod:

Hmm I watch videos from when I was a baby
Its weird to think that baby was, well, you!
But I watch other things too, other things we've caught on camera.

My grandfather has just died and we have a lot of videos with him and I like to look at them, just to remember.

I guess im the opposite of everyone else here :lol:

Every now and then we watch the video of our vacation to Florida. I usually cringe when I see what I'm wearing though. It was the early 90's and from the looks of the tape, everything I owned was hot pink.

Originally posted by sara
Every now and then we watch the video of our vacation to Florida. I usually cringe when I see what I'm wearing though. It was the early 90's and from the looks of the tape, everything I owned was hot pink. :lol: Same here; there is a home video of a birthday party; and I am wearing this leather outfit, with a leather/lace combination skirt and a black leather jacket with these dated falming red, spiked heels:rolleyes: The video was filmed in 1992, and all I can say I looked like I just stepped out of a cheesy Poison music video...

Yes- and I hate watching them! We have clips from birthdays, whole tapes of holidays, weddings, christmas etc. It's nice to have it on tape to know it's there- but I feel embarassed watching them. I prefer just going through photo albums.

I remember watching home movies when I was little. My big sis would set up the screen and the projector in the living room and we would all sit around and eat popcorn and watch them. Later on when VCRs became popular my mom would always talk about having these filmstrips converted to VHS but never got around to it and a few years ago all those movies got ruined along with most of our baby pics.when my moms basement flooded.

Yes I have watched some......

On christmas one year my dad shot most of it on the VHS camera....... Watching/hearing stuff IN ANALOGUE is goregous.........

I have noticed all VHS cameras I have seen only record in SP mode......

I would love getting another one and go out taping placs I go,etc :)

When I turned eight years old my dad bought our first camcorder and the first video Dad took of us was at Thanksgiving and it's one video I dislike watching because I had kind of a moody temper and I didn't want to eat turkey so my dad filmed my outburst and it's embarrassing for me to watch that movie even today. But we did film lots of Christmas videos and one of my favorite Christmas videos was when I was also eight is one where I was in a cast because I had surgery before Christmas and my mom had to help me open up my big present because I was real weak which was my dollhouse and that video brings back so many memories for me. I also have home movies of our Disneyland vacations and I used to adore looking at those all the time as well

Hehe I would like to watch your outburst Hawk..... I have had many of them!!