How does our childhood impact the rest of our lives?

Growing up, I was the only girl in a neighborhood of older boys. Although I adored my baby dolls, I never passed up the opportunity to join in a game of kickball, explore in the nearby forest, or climb trees along with the rest of the kids. Not wanting to be left behind, I always raced to keep up with everyone else. When the older kids started to ride bikes, so did I. Because I didn't want to be the baby of the group, my training wheels were removed at the young age of two and a half years old. Whatever my big brother, and the rest of the boys, was up to, I could be found right alongside them, not missing a minute of the action. These experiences led to my love of sports and have indeed had a great impact on my life. As much as I enjoy getting all dressed up for special occasions, such as formals, I have never been know as a girly-girl. When I get out on the softball field, you will constantly see me on the ground, for I go all out and dive when necessary. Mud and bloody knees will never bother me, when I am in the middle of a game all I care about is putting out the most effort possible. To this day, I cannot stand stupid girls who have nothing better to say than "omigod" and "like, totally!" Given the option of playing sports or cheerleading, I would rather play sports in a heartbeat. The person that I have become has been very much affected by my childhood. If I had grown up playing Barbies and sipping tea at my imaginary tea parties, I probably would have turned out very differently. However, I chose to spend my childhood covered in mud and playing football, which explains my personality today. Anyone who doesn't believe that their childhood has an impact on their life needs to step back for a moment and reanalyze that thought, for I am proof that it does.