I'll throw out a couple of observations on this topic. My parents divorced when i was in the third grade. Fortunately my brother and I were never abused and knew we had two parents who loved us. But being raised by a single mom (who worked as a waitress) in the 1960's was a challenge. I know first hand what it was like to have very little to eat sometimes and very few possessions. I doubt if my family and friends would even believe me if I told them how it was back in those days. The strange thing is I have a lot of good memories from that time in my life. Even though a lot of crazy things happened. My mom passed away when I was 12 and we moved back in with my dad. I don't have many good or bad memories growing up from that point on. My step mom said that they couldn't afford to send me to college, but managed to send my three younger siblings. Then she told me maybe I should go find another place to live. I packed up and hit the road. Just to let you know, I never was in trouble in school, got good grades, never have done any drugs, rarely drink, and have worked since I was 17. Needless to say I was a little bitter about things. These are the times where your life can go either way. I worked hard, even working two jobs for a while, met my wife (married for 33 years now, and raised two boys that I couldn't be more proud of. It wasn't easy but I, like many people, wanted a better life for my family than I had growing up. I'm very proud that I was able to accomplish that. But it is such a different world today. I think one of the biggest problems is that kids today are hardly ever allowed to fail. Society wants to make it perfect for every kid. Then when they get out on their own, and they aren't successful, they have a hard time handling it. I can't tell you how much I've learned from my many failures, and successes. I have had success in sports and I have also been cut after the first day of practice. It has all contributed to who I am today. I feel like I can do anything, and a lot of that confidence is because I'm not afraid to fail. In the overall scheme of life, its usually not that big a deal. Even though I have had a little taste of a tough childhood, I can't imagine what some of you guys have been through. Keep pushing forward and each day try to make your world a little better.
Mike
Mike