What Were Your Defining Moments Growing Up?

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I've listened to a couple of radio programs in the last week about the moments we experience as children that shape our lives. Some examples were positive and affirmative, and usually led to good outcomes. Other examples were negative, and the results could go either way in shaping the individual's life.

I considered putting this into a blog, but I'm curious about your defining moments.

The moments that stand out most in my mind were on the negative side. My mother was determined that I would behave appropriately, which resulted in many vigorous "spankings" with a belt, hairbrush, or whatever tool was available. She said she wasn't going to hurt her hand. I determined, early on, that I wouldn't be as harsh if I had children. I spanked my children, but only occasionally, and I used my hand. I didn't strike them hard enough to hurt my hand.

Being attention deficit, I wasn't a model student. After a semester of D's in my second year of German (barely passing on the applicable scale), my teacher made a disparaging remark about my ability to complete the course. She hurt my feelings and angered me. I made an "A" in the next grading period, dropped to a "B" on the next report card, and dropped back to my normal "D" to finish the class, but I showed her! Right?

I loved band, and, normally, performed well enough to play first section trombone. In one weekly tryout, I played my prepared piece well, but missed a note at the top of a scale. My band director decided to move me to second trombone, because he said I couldn't hit the high notes. I blurted out, "Yes, I can!" He then told me to prove it, and I did. Only later did it occur to me I could have failed.

By the time I finished high school and left home to join the military, I had a mindset that, "I can do anything anyone else can do." I think God blessed me with a defiant spirit that enables me to press on when faced with adversity. That defiance helped me perform well in what was, primarily, a man's profession. When I joined the Air Force, females made up only 2% of the AF population. (Today, that number is 19-20%.)

Along the way, I've experienced doubt. The most significant doubt was during the birth of my first child. I had no idea childbirth was such a painful process. Fortunately, childbirth is one of those things that, pretty much, is resolved by nature. That first difficult birth was good practice for the birth of my twins.

Thankfully, the Lord has given me a healthy spirit of defiance. That spirit of defiance is helpful to weight loss. I can lose weight, and I refuse to stay fat. I refuse to be unhealthy. I refuse to be tempted to overeat. The list can go on and on!

Good or bad, what were your defining moments as you grew up?