Saturday, April 13, 2013

latch key kid

i really must stop listening to talk radio, there was a story of a couple that left their four children aging from 4 to 13 for an entire week so they could go on vacation to madi gras.  Somehow they had an arrangement with an 18 year old to stop by and check on the children and the parents would call and check on them as well.  People in the audience were outraged and this started a discussion of what age and for how long do you leave children alone.  One lady actually said that no child under the age of 18 should ever be left alone.  All i could think of was i hope that child doesn't leave to go to college, poor kid wont have a clue what to do with all of that freedom. 

I was a latch key kid (that was the phrase in the early 80's when both parents worked or the child only lived with one parent and came home to an empty house).  I was one of those children, i got home from school at 4:30 and butch usually came home anywhere from 5:30 to midnight depending on the day.  I would get so scared and all Butch would tell me is "no one is going to mess with you all the way out here" and all i could think of was if they did, no one would hear me scream.  He was usually gone all day Saturday and Sunday for baseball games and depending if it were a home or away game, it would be late when he came home from that as well.  I really got used to spending time alone, that was especially difficult when i got married and i would come home to someone who actually wanted to talk.  Now i am used to it, rarely do i get to stay home alone, except this weekend and it is really weird, but i didn't feel guilty about spending my day in bed.  I will admit, it was kind of freaky when Mr. B woke me up by sticking his cold, wet nose up to mine at 6:30 am. 

The question has finally been answered, Barbara will no longer be allowed to drive.  She was going to one of the high schools yesterday, came down the off ramp and didn't even touch the brakes at the stop sign.  Luckily, the driver wasn't going 80 (as most drivers are known to do on that road) and she was hit on the passenger side.  The car is probably totaled, but i no longer have to keep my eye out for a red Camry...now i just need to know what color the car mother driving is.  Three weeks ago, my husband and i went to a funeral and my mother in law left before us, there was a train on the track so i got in the left hand lane, she was in the middle lane.   My husband and I just assumed she was going to Ross's building, NOPE, she just made a left hand turn right in front of us from the middle lane. 

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