Helen writes about being a child and teenager

In The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre, Helen takes a moment to answer a few questions about herself.

What were you like as a child?

I was shy.  My Mother used to say I was afraid of my own shadow.  She said "You let people walk all over you!  God help you when I die!"  I guess I was a mope.  I always had lots of dreams but never fulfilled them.  My Mother always talked about how I would never cross a street without hanging on to my Father's hand; while my brother Tom would run head first into the traffic, and that's how he lived -- going right up the ladder to his highest potential.  I was the opposite. But next month I'm going to be 84.  Don't mess with me.  I'll tell anybody off!  My Mother would be PROUD!

What was your greatest fear when you were a teenager?

That I would never stop growing.  I was afraid I would be 6 feet 5. When my Mother's friends would see me every so often, they would always say "Helen I think you've grown a foot since the last time we saw you."  I didn't like to hear that at all

I thought I'd never have a boy friend or ever get married.  And, if my Mother and Father died, I'd be all alone.

To whom did you turn for advice?  Why that person?

I wasn't much for asking advice but my Mother always gave me advice anyway.  Tom would give me some advice too.  I remember I was going on my first date, Tom decided to talk to me.  He said never to let a boy take advantage of me; and not to let them touch me where they weren't supposed to.  Then he pointed to my breasts and said, don't let them touch your breasts.  I guess I said OK, turned red and walked away.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your teen years?

It was hard at first.  It seemed I was just a little girl and then all of a sudden I blossomed into a tall young lady.  I had lots of insecurities at first, but it all turned out OK.  When I think back it was a fun time.  No big worries, just what we were going to do for fun.  I went up to Long Lake a few times with Mary Alice (Hopkins).  Her folks had a cottage there.  I went up to Lake Lawn Lodge on Delevan Lake, Wisconsin, for the first time with Ruth Nott.  I loved it and went back again many times.  Mary Alice would borrow her brother Ish's car and she, Junadell and I would ride all over Chicago.  We had club meetings and a group of us would get together every few weeks.  We saw all the latest movies, ate many a hot fudge sundae, took long walks in the summer, usually down Madison St. or Washington Blvd.  In our late teens we wound up with Jim Moffett, Jim Cullen and Larry McIntyre.  We took rides in Jim Cullen's roadster.  Had parties at our houses.  Had my first drink! Never enjoyed myself.  My dates were nice, good looking, tall, but I just never could relax and was glad when the date was over.

Yet, when we got mixed up with Larry and the two Jims I enjoyed myself and when Larry first kissed me, I knew I loved him right away!  There never was anybody else.