Beauty

I was born in 1966 ( I post my age so I am not giving anything away) in Massachusetts to lower middle class of Irish heritage parents! I mean to say that lower middle class is probably a stretch! We lived in the middle class section of our city, but we were borderline lower class poor! That's okay...my very clever mom knew how to keep up with the Jones' and she made us look middle class! We looked like we fit in economically so well that when I was a little older my neighbors would say we were the rich ones! My dad worked as many jobs as he could find! He was a lineman for New England Telephone! He drove a cab when he could get a shift! He was a handy man...did wallpapering and painting for whomever needed it and when people just didn't have enough money he did major renovations on their homes dirt cheap and enlisted the help of my Uncles! M

y grandfather was a cop and would bring us bags of groceries, new coats and whatever else we needed! It was like Christmas everyday!

I had a happy childhood! I had friends and we all had what seemed like similar experiences! So what, we ate the same thing all the time because it was cheap enough for mom to feed a family of 8! So what, the dog ate better than we did (financially speaking...she did). So what, we had one pair of shoes and one pair of sneakers! Its all we needed, but we had a pool in the back yard! My dad got it for free and installed it, but we were rich because we had a pool! So what we were disciplined for talking back, bad grades, foul language and being disrespectful! Everyone got slapped in the face or beat with a leather belt or sent to bed with out dinner or locked in a dark closet! Everyone got bloody noses and split lips a least once a month or woke with bruises the next day! But we were the most well behaved children in church and school! We were polite to our elders and never embarrassed our parents out to dinner, the once a year we went out to dinner AND we always looked amazing! We were also hugged and kissed everyday and told we were loved. So... I maintain I had a happy normal childhood!

Everyone went to the beach to their summer cottages! Of course most people owned their summer cottage, but we rented! No biggie! We needed four families (all cousins) to rent the house and most of slept on the floor and showered outside in the cold water and we ate a lot of hotdogs, but no one cared and we looked like we summered at the beach which was more important than anything!

Side Note...I never ate lobster until I was 20 and I could buy it for myself!

I was fed, clothed and went to school. There was no need for child protective services or welfare to get involved! It wasn't as much abuse wrought from alcohol and mental illness than it was what my parents learned and it was their norm! We handled our problems privately we moved on and when each child in the house got old enough or big enough the hitting stopped! The need to look perfect stopped and we were allowed to be who we were going to be! We worked, went to school, contributed to the household and made wonderful memories! I loved my childhood! It was my norm!

Now I am guessing if anyone is reading this that you think I am being sarcastic! You are waiting for the punch line! Well...there is no punch line! I had a great childhood full of wonderful memories and I am the person I am today because of my experiences good and bad! of course I learned a few things thankfully! I hate Phil Donahue, Oprah and Dr Phil, but give that whole movement and genre credit...I learned a few things! I do not hit my kids! I do not verbally abuse them and I couldn't care less what the Jones' think! I hug my kids all day long or as much as they'll let me and I make sure they know I love them!

This New Year is a celebration of life...Past Present and Future! I loved my Past...I'm LIVING my Present and I am excited for my Future