You are very lucky to have had such a childhood. I did too. I had no idea that this wasn't the same for everyone, but I realized later that many of my friends had a lot of miserable memories from their childhood and had to grow up long before their time.

One of the reasons that I really love the Netherlands is that we see all sorts of children here, and they look like they're having the time of their lives, doing kid things that are completely important to them.

American kids are in general so cynical and tightly wound, and who cam blame them?