Loneliness during childhood

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Was anyone really lonely when you were a child, and felt isolated and depressed during school holidays because of it?

I wasn't lonely at all when I was little, but when I got to about 11 or 12, I began realising how lonely I was, and it affected me emotionally.
When I was little I didn't have a lot of friends but I had a lot of cousins around my age who I saw a lot, in fact I spent so much time playing with cousins in the school holidays that I never had time to be lonely. I had a few friends on and off (because it was easier to join in and make friends as a small child than it is as you get a bit older).

But when I got to about 12, my cousins got friends of their own. I still sometimes saw them but not as much, so I had to stick to my much younger cousins. But I did long for other children of my age to hang out with. This went on from about the age of 11 to about 15.

I hated school, but I got so bored and depressed in the school holidays when I was an early teenager, but when the holidays ended I didn't want to go back to school either. I keep thinking back to those days and I sometimes feel a bit down about it now because I still wish I had friends as a child, but I am glad those days are over.

Did anyone else go through this as a child?

I was after 1977. Earlier I had a few good friends but later that became more difficult and during adolescence allistic people only really saw me as a free meal ticket or cramping their style. Members of my family think I had a lot of genuine allistic friends but they are delusional. This lack of friendship affected my emotional development too all because my parents wanted me to be 'independent'

Oufff! I remember. I Hated school. It was incredibly boring and I was bullied day after day, but the loneliness during holidays was depressing. Luckily, at 11-12 I usually found some children in the villlage to play with, while my "real" friend was away.
Before that, at a younger age, holidays and sundays felt like being in a desert.

Hard to say. Being alone was a given growing up.

Certainly, being alone in school, having to eat lunch alone, being the outcast was an issue. Not having friends to play with on the weekend sometimes was a bother, but it's not like I really knew what I was missing out on.

Since I did not have lasting, close friendships as a child, no best friend or even consistent friend, I was lonely a lot, and became depressed. I decided I was a loser, one who loses, and that there was nothing to do about that so I should just move on and find other parts of life to focus on. I still have difficulty getting close to people. I make friendships with the understanding that, "This too shall pass" and that in a year or so we probably won't still be talking regularly, and they will be like a stranger again. Unlike my childhood self, I just keep trying, keep throwing myself out there and seeing what sticks. I tell too much personal information and try too hard. I barely even feel the sadness when it ends, now. I've grown numb. Yes, I was lonely as a child, and in the quiet hours when I am alone, I am still lonely.

I was alone a lot but I was never lonely.

I idolized my older brother, but he & the cousins pushed me away for being a girl. My girl cousin never made sense to me, but she tried.

School was hell.

My best friend was my cat, who I had from age 5 to age 22. She was awesome & spastic.

Now I have my dog, but I have human friends too... well. Can you consider co-workers friends? If so, then YES. I have friends now.

I was regularly shunned during childhood. every time we moved, I dreaded the change but always hoped that "this time maybe I will make some friends". Between my oddities and my publicly critical drug addicted father (ridiculing me in conversation with his acquaintances, in the presence of their children), I never needed to concern myself with trying to establish friendship. It was never a possibility.

I never felt lonely because I had hundreds of imaginary friends! Although I guess I had the imaginary friends because I felt really lonely...

I need to get my imaginary friends back again. I've really been feeling lonely lately.

the paradox that is our quandary

the paradox that is our quandary

Yep. That summarizes my feelings in school. I started feeling lonely, now that I think of it, when I was nine. Sure, I had my friends in school. But in Eighth grade my two "best friends" (they weren't true friends at all) transferred to another school without telling me. I also had imaginary friends. I would pretend fictional characters were always by my side.

I loved breaks. If anything, they went by too fast for me. When I was a child, Christmas break was always my favorite because of the spirit. Now that I'm older and in college I don't like breaks very much because I like school. I've always liked going to classes and learning. It's just that I don't like the people which is the same way I felt in high school. The students and sometimes even the teachers get on my nerves. I especially can't stand the teachers that call on students or act unprofessional by making sarcastic jokes.

During breaks, I never hanged out and still never hang out with people. I have acquaintances at school, but I don't like hanging out with them. I feel bad. There's this kid who wants to hang out with me, but I don't. We do have a lot in common and all, but I know he sees me more than just a friend. And I'm getting the feeling he's only talking to me more because this other girl he liked rejected him. I'm now in the process of trying to get him to stop talking to me by never initiating contact or making excuses.

Well, I was bullied constantly and was the school pariah. I'd be in my imaginary world most of the time though, pretending to be a character in one of my novels who had lots of friends or sometimes pretending to be one of the popular kids at school. Therefore I was not overly lonely because in my world I had friends and I was very happy to spend all as much time as possible there. Also, I considered my acquaintances to be friends. When I was a little older and more socially aware , which began around middle school, then I became very lonely and miserable (at-least at school). I could still escape into my imaginary world but I was more aware of my real situation.

Interesting how so many daydreamers daydream out of loneliness. For me it was the opposite. I never found other people generally interesting at all; I was (am) only into my interests and daydreams. Teachers would try to get me to play with other children, but I wanted to watch cars and daydream. I loved spending recess/ outdoors time in school/daycare to go to a quiet place and dream away. Other children couldn't hold a candle to my (to me) exciting daydreams. I rejected them because of my ability to be in my own mind, because I'm far more into my interests than I have ever been (or ever will be) into people, because of social anhedonia and because whatever need I have to socialize have been met with living with my family. I didn't daydream out of loneliness, I daydream(t) due to liking it. Still feel exactly the same way.
For that matter, I also find certain non-existing people I "know" in my dreams (night dreams) far more interesting than real people. Dreaming about them, and making up stories about them give me far more than spending time with real people has ever done (not counting family).
I can only remember one non-related person who I ever took any interest in without them being connected to either an obsession or an infatuation.

I was always lonely at school as well! I didn't have any friends. People say it's hard to believe that you have no friends, but it is possible. Bullies were bad at school for me as well. I'm finding that I'm becoming lonely now, even though I am 21.

People used to pick on me when I was younger until I would get really frustrated and go ballistic. I would rage and throw tantrums and end up crying from frustration. I was given a detention once in my music class because the kids were all banging on the precussion instruments and saying my name. I sat quietly and did my homework and laughed at the idea because I thought it was funny at first. Then my teacher told me to go to stop hitting the instruments and go to the office. I tried to explain what was happening and she gave me a detention for being stubborn and lying.

This stopped in high school after I realized much of the reason they picked on me was because I would end up crying. I stopped this and beat the hell out of a few kids and they stopped picking on me. I would rather be labeled a psychopath that no one wants to mess with than the crybaby. When I graduated they all said my name as I crossed the stage similar to that day in the music room, but that time I took it as a form of respect and recognition. My superintendant looked at me and said, "I guess it's ----." I just smiled and took my diploma knowing he had no clue what it was about.