Proud of My Father

My grandmother said that she is proud of all (10) of her children. “Even Dennis?” I asked. Dennis is my father. She said, “Yes, he has worked hard all his life.” I told her, “And it didn’t get him anywhere.” We (that disembodied ‘we’ that is used in reference to a group that holds whatContinue

Krampus

Children in Silwa, Africa, are scared into subordination by their parents’ implementation of a fictitious monster that will hurt the children in their sleep. My mom implemented a similar bogeyman when my cousin was a toddler. “Behave yourself,” Mom would say, “or else a big, winged monster will get you!” Many parts of the worldContinue

Memories of Grandpa, Anecdote #2

I don’t know if my grandpa thought that he was funny, or if he intended to be rude. He, my cousin and her friend, and my mother made the 50-mile trip to Maryville to shop at Dollar Tree (everything’s $1!) and eat at the Joy Wok buffet (it had been too long since I’d hadContinue

We Don’t Get To Choose Our Parents

Individuals are born into times, places, and social systems beyond their choosing. When such times, places, and social systems are not conducive to producing a well-adjusted individual, a great deal of distress and maladjustment and result. Also consider that individuals may inherit from their parents temperaments that are dissimilar to those of the parents. ImagineContinue