Like most musicians, John had a very problematic early childhood. He was born on October 9, 1940, during one of the most terrible bombings of Liverpool. In fact, the raid was so terrible that little John was put under a table to protect him, and his aunt Mimi risked her life to come and see him. His father, Alfred, was a merchant seaman, so he stayed away a lot and Julia, his mother, was a very free spirit and was the main source of John's fun personality. Because of Julia's personality it was decided that Mimi, her much stricter sister, would raise John with her husband George. John was not abandoned by his mother, as some believe, she often visited him, but it was Mimi who raised him. One of the most horrific events in John's life at an early age occurred when his father came home to visit him when he was four years old. Alfred came and took John to Blackpool, admitting Mimi's reluctance. He didn't return when he was supposed to and Mimi and Julia went to get him. Once they got there, they made John choose which parent he wanted to live with. At first he wanted to stay with his father, but went crying to his mother, who took him back to be with Mimi. This event tragically scarred John for the rest of his life and furthered his insecurities. Mimi and George were quite well off financially, contrary to John's idea that she was working class. Of all the Beatles, John came from the richest family. Mimi was very strict and strict with John, and had the piercing wit that John would later display. George was very accommodating and often spoiled John when Mimi punished him. John was a very bright child and often read, wrote and sang. However, he had many problems at school. He always had problems with Pete Shotton, his accomplice. He didn't do well with his grades and was especially poor in math. One thing John excelled at was art, he was known for his caricatures of deformed people. Therefore, as a teenager, he attended art school. There he met his future wife, Cynthia Powell, and best friend, Stuart Sutcliffe. Also, by this time, the skiffle craze had spread across Britain, and John formed a band..