But she took real joy in her role as a homemaker. As the few invited outsiders remember, Shipman's home was always spotless. Her children were well-mannered and well-behaved and were almost always home. Others admired her but thought the Shipmans were somewhat strange. Her neighbor Hannah Cutler, who lived in the area when Harold was young, said:
“The family was somewhat isolated, but I knew them well because they lived on the other side. I have known the children since they were young. They never mixed with other children, never played on the street, and stayed home when they got home from school. I think Harold and Vera wanted them to be different. They didn't want them to be like the other kids on the estate. They wanted better for themselves. In a way, they were investing in their children.”
Vera's efforts to shape her son's identity were largely successful. While still a schoolboy, Harold, known as “Freddy or Fred” to his peers, developed a somewhat arrogant personality that would remain with him for the rest of his life. This also seemed to affect his attire. While the other children wore casual clothes outside of school, Vera always kept Harold neat and tidy, and her idea of being “well-dressed” meant a bow tie and waistcoat no matter what.
His youth was not entirely lonely. He was close to his siblings, especially Pauline. A few houses down the street from the Edwards Lane estate lived a boy named Alan Goddard. Alan, just a few months younger than Harold, attended Buford Infants School in England. In the UK, children attend infant schools between the ages of four and seven, which can be seen as partly equivalent to primary schools in the United States. Goddard remembered seeing Harold often during short walks home as a child, and the boys soon became friends.