[TLFisher]

Please make a distinction with childhood?
I would say there was a best of times and there was a worst of times.
From the age of 3 through the end of 6th grade was the best of times as a child in the local churches. There was innocence. There was not the legalism to experienced later on as a teen. Baseball games, baseball card collecting, reading fiction, etc was not discouraged. Sure my mom would highlight in TV Guide which shows were acceptable to watch. I was different. I liked old reruns of The Lone Ranger. That was an easy pass. Listening to music? Henry Mancini and Simon & Garfunkle was a pass. Another churchkid taught me the joy of playing Stratego. Ending 6th grade brought on the worst of times.
No longer was it okay for boys and girls to socialize. Your elders were always right even when they were wrong. One night my young peopel's meeting was spent detailing the car of our serving brother. My peers looked at me in horror as I objected. Many of my experiences as a teen ccarried over into my own experiences as a father. For a time I did meet with the local churches as a parent. Question was asked if my children would attend Summer School of Truth. I tried to be polite as possible without saying hell no. Summer School of Truth from 1984 was not the SSOT of 2009. No matter how much I liked the serving brother I once lived with in a brother's house, I did not have trust any serving one to do right for my children in my absence.
It's taken me years, but the best cure from my teenage years is staying away from anything local church. It provides peace of mind. The stress is long gone.