• Contact
• About
• Archives
• Home

Megan Jane - Age 2 Surfer’s Paradise, Qld, March and July 1973

We moved from South Australia to Queensland when I was little as my Dad pursued his singing career. I don’t remember much about it but I do remember the stories Mum has told me over the years. It was in my Terrible Twos that she began to suspect I was a little unusual. Actually in her words she thought I was “The Bad Seed” after some of my episodes…

We lived in the then unsullied Surfer’s Paradise, when it actually was a surfer community as opposed to a tourist haven. It’s tricky to see but I’m actually wearing a T-shirt with a surfer on it. My Dad used to sing in some of the clubs up there. Mum said that I grew up in Green Rooms and on club dance floors, as they used to take me along to the gigs. Actually the Green Rooms became my private bathroom - I had a fear of public toilets and would scream if Mum took me in one, so she used to bring along a potty for me and set it up in the corner. I have peed in front of several well-known Australian musicians. It’s funny really how things don’t change so much - I still hate public toilets, although I don’t usually scream now (except for that one time in the Shinjuku train station toilet, in which I screamed out in disgust at how filthy it was).

I had a dirt-phobia at this age. We lived near the beach so we went there a lot, but I wouldn’t play in the beach sand. I insisted being carried from the blanket to the water and back again. I used to change my pajamas in the middle of the night, she never knew which ones I would wake up in. None of my clothes were ever stained and my hands had to be washed all the time. I was a bit of a pain. Still my best friend at the time ate bugs, so she thought she got off lightly.

Because I was mainly around adults I had to amuse myself a lot, and inevitably invented some imaginary friends. Mum had to deal with re-shoeing invisible horses in the supermarket and being careful not to sit on any of them. They went away though when my brother came along a year and a half later.

At my worst I was a little bit evil. I was very possesive of my Mum, as she and I spent a lot of time together. One time when my Auntie visited and took up Mum’s time, I tried to stab her with a kitchen knife. She forgave me luckily. Strangely enough I never tried to harm my little brother when he came along. Somewhere along the line sibling responsibility kicked in. He was also like a toy and I took good care of my toys.

One thing that amuses me about these two photos is that I’m almost in the exact same pose, just the opposite way round. It’s almost as if I’m stumbling towards the camera. I look as if I’m about to dash off somewhere…or perhaps I was dashing off somewhere and Mum said stop and took a photo…

My poor Mum. We laugh at all the old stories now, but it must have been a bit of a trial. J-Mum said that the Boy was a complete ratbag. (When she and I went though 12 photo albums of his childhood pics). Apparently he was a bit of a daredevil - and still has the scars to prove it. Our kids could turn out to be scary indeed.

I get clucky sometimes, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to be a Mum yet. I don’t feel grown up enough. But then how old are you supposed to be before you feel grown up?

• You will never feel grown up; you’ll always be that 2 year old, peeing in the Green Room.

  It’s neat to see that your expression hasn’t changed since you were two. That upper picture is definately you “What are you on about?” look.

  kuri
  03/03/13 05:02 PM

• Hi MJ,
  I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments about yourself. I was born in 1970, so last night when you talked about the 80s and feeling old…that was right in my territory. But I sure hope I NEVER feel grown up ... I’m interested in the kid thing too, but I kind of wanna be a kid with them you know? Or maybe I just don’t ever want to give up all this fun I’m having!

  Mie
  03/03/15 10:44 PM

• Oh that so does not look like you!  Im surprised!  I thought it would!  I woudl like ot see more…

  j-ster
  03/03/17 08:58 PM