1980s

"Cute Little Boys and Girls grow up, and I was no exception."

- Chris

The 1980s was a very eventful decade, known to most for neon colors, Nintendo's rise in the USA, the home computer revolution, synthesizers, and Reagan. But to us, it's the decade when Christian Weston Chandler was born, under the name Christopher (his name wasn't changed until 1994).

Source material referring to the 1980s is scarce, and this article is mostly based on statements made by Chris at a later age, and on image material. Being mute for most of the decade, Chris has few reliable memories of it. Chris would often indicate that his early childhood was filled with trouble. His true nostalgia sits mostly in the 1990s.

However, his second album features a plethora of '80s music parodies, indicating he has some fondness for the decade, or at least likes its sound. He has also twice referenced being born in the '80s in his June 2021 social media posts.

1980
The year Bob and Barbara got married.

Events of 1980

 * 1980 - Cole moves to California. Whom he lived with is unclear, as he would turn 17 this year and was thus unable to legally live on his own unless he was emancipated.
 * 1980 (sometime after 7 June) - Bob is transferred from Richmond to Charlottesville.
 * 7 January - Jerry Harmon divorces Barbara
 * 28 January - Bob divorces his first wife, Patricia Harley.
 * 5 March - Charlottesville Fashion Square is inaugurated and opened to the public.
 * 7 June - Bob and Barbara get married. At this point they are still living in the Richmond area, specifically Chesterfield County (to which the Chandlers would later return in the 1990s)
 * August - Bob receives the first of two triple bypass operations.

1981
The last year of peace for Bob and Barbara Chandler. Unluckily for them, the happy couple filled their time with lots of unprotected love-making. During the second half on this year, Barbara would be pregnant.

Events of 1981

 * 1981 - Cole joins the Rockin' Dogs.
 * 26 May (approx.) - Bob and Barbara Chandler have sweaty old people sex. Christopher Weston Chandler is conceived.
 * Fall 1981 - Cole enters San Diego State University.
 * 26 November (approx.) - Barbara's last chance to abort Chris.

1982
The year where it all began.

Events of 1982

 * 24 February - Christopher Weston Chandler is born around 5:30 a.m. at in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 * 24 February - Chris is brought back to the Chandler household in Ruckersville.
 * February/March - Chris's newborn portrait is taken.
 * April - Chris allegedly speaks his first word: "monkey".
 * 4 September - Bob's 55th birthday.
 * Autumn - A photo is taken of Chris and his mother on their front lawn.
 * 1 October - Barb's 41st birthday.
 * 13 October - Sarah Nicole Hammer is born.
 * 25 December - Birth of Alec Benson Leary.

1983
Chris has stated that, in 1983, he was abused by his babysitter, "starting" his autism. On other occasions, however, Chris has said that he is aware of autism being a hereditary disease, making his "acquisition" of autism impossible. We can nonetheless assume that the abuse Christopher suffered in 1983 was traumatic and possibly exacerbated his condition.

Events of 1983

 * 24 February - Christopher's 1st birthday.
 * 1 April - Jacob Sockness is born.
 * 30 June - Kacey is born.
 * August - Christopher's autism allegedly "begins". He claims the reason was an evil babysitter named Roach, who locked him in a room. He becomes mute.
 * 4 September - Bob's 56th birthday.
 * 1 October - Barb's 42nd birthday.

1984
In 1984, Chris lived his life in Ruckersville as a mute toddler. He himself declared that he gave his parents a lot of trouble, and he screeched a lot. It is possibly indicated that his parents held this against him at a later age, and didn't really like caring for the autistic child they had created themselves.

Events of 1984

 * 24 February - Christopher's 2nd birthday.
 * 1984 - Cole graduates from San Diego State University with a Dramatic Art degree in Music.
 * 4 September - Bob's 57th birthday.
 * 1 October - Barb's 43rd birthday.

1985
In 1985, Chris is still a mute, screeching toddler. He meets his first gal pal, Sarah.

Events of 1985

 * This year - Sarah Hammer and her family moves to Chris's neighborhood. The cordial relations that develops between the Hammer and Chandler couples lead to some sort of friendship between Chris and Sarah.
 * This year - Cole's band, The Rockin Dogs, disbands.
 * This year - Barb visits a Johnny Cash concert.
 * 24 February - Christopher's 3rd birthday.
 * April - Chris has his picture taken holding a leaf.
 * 30 July - Birth of Anna McLerran.
 * 12 August - Birth of Jack Thaddeus.
 * 4 September - Bob's 58th birthday.
 * 1 October - Barb's 44th birthday.
 * December - Chris and Barbara have their picture taken with Santa Claus.

1986
In 1986, Chris is still a mute, screeching toddler.

Events of 1986

 * 17 January - The Adventures of the American Rabbit is released.
 * 24 February - Christopher's 4th birthday.
 * 1 March - Birth of William Elliott Waterman.
 * June - Chris has his picture taken at what seems to be a zoo.
 * 23 July - Birth of Megan Schroeder.
 * 4 September - Bob's 59th birthday.
 * 1 October - Barb's 45th birthday.
 * 17 October - Birth of Count Dankula.
 * December - Chris has his picture taken in front of a bathroom, and at a shopping mall.
 * 25 December - Chris receives an abundance of toys for Christmas, including a giant doll, Raggedy Ann dolls, and several pieces of Sesame Street merchandise. Bob receives a book entitled "Your IBM PC Made Easy".

1987
In 1987, Chris starts attending Greene County Primary School. It isn't known for sure if he attended preschool before then.

Events of 1987

 * Date unknown - Bob retires from his engineering job at both and.
 * 24 February - Christopher's 5th birthday. A paper hat is made in his honor.
 * August/September - Chris begins kindergarten at Greene County Primary School.
 * Autumn - Chris's school portrait is taken where he is holding a ball and is seated at a desk with an apple and a textbook placed on it.
 * 4 September - Bob's 60th birthday.
 * 1 October - Barb's 46th birthday.
 * 26 December - Bob writes a letter describing his hopes and dreams for Chris.

1988
In 1988, Chris, still mute, begins first grade at Greene County Primary School. Later in either this year or the next, he joined the Cub Scouts. He was later kicked out for unknown reasons.

Events of 1988

 * Date unknown - Carol Chandler wins the E.J. McShane Prize.
 * 24 February - Christopher's 6th birthday.
 * 17 March - Patti is born.
 * August/September - Chris begins first grade at Greene County Primary School.
 * 4 September - Bob's 61st birthday.
 * 1 October - Barb's 47th birthday.
 * 29 October - The Japanese release of the Sega Genesis.

1989
In 1989, helped by the language training at James Madison University, Christopher starts talking again whilst reading a GoBots package.

Chris believes this was the year in which he had his encounter with Leonard Bearstein, but contemporary evidence shows that this actually happened in 1992.

Events of 1989

 * 1989 - Chris claims that he had a dream in which he foresaw himself with a daughter named Crystal, and an office job.
 * 1989 - Bob puts up a plaque in his workshop which reads "DREAMING STUDIO OF MR. C AND LITTLE C WHERE DREAMS DO COME TRUE - 1989".
 * 24 January - Ted Bundy is executed.
 * 24 February - Christopher's 7th birthday.
 * July - The Chandlers fly to San Francisco, California for Cole's 26th birthday, which was on the 24th of the month. Barb would later describe the trip as "painful".
 * August/September - Chris enters second grade at Greene County Primary School.
 * 14 August - The North American release of the Sega Genesis.
 * 4 September - Bob turns 62.
 * 1 October - Barb turns 48.
 * 25 December - Chris gets his second gaming system, a Nintendo Game Boy, for Christmas.