Photo: My family at our house in the country before my brother and I went wild.
What kind of trouble did you get into as a kid? I did my fair share of raising hell when I was in high school. I grew up in a small town where there wasn’t a whole lot to do outside of movies and go-karts so we would cruise the streets looking for anyone who was having a party. We lived in a dry county but somehow alcohol would find its way to these parties and we would just be crazy teenagers. It was good for us that we had wide open spaces where we could be that way somewhat safely. I was discussing one of my close calls with my parents last time I was home. I told them how I was in a car with a bunch of kids and we had just come back from the liquor store and got pulled over. We hadn’t begun drinking yet but the cop made us pour out every single bottle of liquor and can of beer! My mom and dad were appalled! I made the comment to my dad that I wasn’t unlike every other teenager in history and told him that I was sure that he and his brothers and friends did a lot of stupid stuff too. They all grew up on farms and truly in the country in the 40’s and 50’s and I assumed they would also steal liquor and drink and raise hell. He very quickly said to me “how the hell do you think we did that”? I was silent and couldn’t believe that he got so defensive. He went on to tell me that first of all, they didn’t have money to get liquor and that back then they had too many responsibilities at that age to run around and be crazy. I guess I wasn’t thinking how easy our generation had it. My dad and his brothers had to work to help support the family. They had to grow up fast, UNLIKE me and my brother and others in my generation. We didn’t have any adult responsibilities or worries like that so we could just be kids. Although I had already come to the realization of how much my parents did for me years ago, it really struck me hard at that moment how much my parents sacrificed as kids and how much they did for us and loved us to give us everything we could ever need. I love my parents and am thankful they will never know all the bad things I did! But for the first time, I really felt bad for doing those things. My dad made me realize it and he didn’t even know it. When I was a kid I thought I had it bad living in the country and not having anything to do but I had it easy. Too bad it took my thirty something years to figure that out. THANKS MOM AND DAD, I LOVE YOU!!