a tale from when i was a kid

[Bertha Venation]

This was in the early seventies. One day we were out running errands (i guess) in the station wagon -- my mom, my sisters, my stepfather. We stopped at Thrifty Drug Store. My mom and stepfather went in and left us in the car.

It was hot out and the windows were open. I was in the front seat. A hippie walked past, stopped and asked us the time. Suddenly he reached into the car,across my body, smashing me against the seat, and grabbed my mother's purse, which she had left on the driver's side floor. As the purse went flying past me, i grabbed the strap and held it tight against the door. The hippie ran away with the flap in his hand and i had the purse.

When the 'rents came back out, my mom had a gift for each of us: smiley face pendants, each in a different color. I asked my mom, "is this because i was a hero?" She said, "no, everyone got one."

I felt slighted and dismissed. But in retrospect, nearly forty years later, understanding my mother much better now, i know there's no other way she could have reacted.

It's one of my strongest memories of childhood.

Do you have a tale of how your 'rents dismissed something you had done, or something important to you?

[1gobluedem]

1. I discovered that a friend got a dollar for every A on her report card

So I reported this to my mother, thinking of course she didn't know, and mentally counting up my money since I had straight As. My mother explained that for this girl's family, As, were something to celebrate because they were rare but in ours they were expected, reward or no reward. Bummer.

[Bertha Venation]

2. How disappointing.

:(

[Roon]

4. My brothers and sister got money for As

they were straight As all through school and college.

I got money for getting Cs.

[rurallib]

3. Oh yeah

When i told them the priest at our church was trying to have sex with me I got a bitching out that was unbelievable. Safe to say our relationship was strained after that. I was @13 at the time.
That was in the early 60s. The whole concept of priests molesting kids was not even on any radar. And my folks thought they were very religious so any statement that was considered anti-church was met with fierce defense of the church.

[david13]

6. So sad. So tragic. Yet so common amongst those who think

a church can do no wrong, for whatever perverse reason.
dc

[Archae]

5. Every summer we ended up doing the same thing.

On weekends we'd drive 2 1/2 hours up to my parents' house trailer on a lake.
Then drive home on Sunday.

Never went to museums, theme parks, etc.

Dad and Mom would go there and fish.
Us kids were bored silly.

[hippywife]

7. I'm very proud of you, K.

You did the right thing and should have been praised mightily for it. :hug:

My mom did the same thing once. We lived in Columbus, OH. She ran into a little Lawson's store and left us five girls in the car. Parents always left kids in cars back then, everywhere. One of my sisters pulled the gear shift into reverse and we started rolling down the slanted parking lot towards traffic. A man ran over really fast and jumped in the drivers seat and stopped the car. We were lucky he reacted so quickly or there would have been severe injuries, or even death.