How Do You Remember?

In general, when you look back upon your youth, do you remember the good things or the bad things? Do you see it with a nostalgic glow, or through a cracked, dark lens?

I remember my childhood more with the nostalgic glow than not. But when I read through the old journals I kept in high school, it seems I was so lonely all the time; at least that's what occupies so many of the entries. I wonder if the nostalgic-leaning memory is a defense mechanism to help us get through life. Maybe that's why some people who go through traumatic events black out parts of it. (Don't get me wrong - my childhood was thankfully lacking in trauma.)

Or maybe, in my case, as I look back it's with the perspective of the experiences I've gained as an adult. As an adult, I realize I had it pretty easy, so I'm no longer feeling sorry for myself like I may have been back then - therefor my memories have been colored with that perspective.

I wonder how people who really did experience constant trauma in their childhoods, but are now fairly well-adjusted adults, remember. Are their memories full of dread? Or have those traumatic memories been softened and redecorated with time?