Perhaps you should know what my family is like before you read my posts, it will explain my cynicism.
My Dad grew up being shuffled from one relative to another. He is the oldest of 9, which he took care of, after his mother overdosed and died when she was 36 and he was only 16. He met my sister's mother and she became pregnant when he was only 15. They married and she lost the baby boy during birth. They tried again and had my sister. While he was away for the army she left him and moved back to Michigan. His Dad remarried and borrowed $75 from my parents in the early 80s. They left town and didn't contact him again until the year 2000.
My Mom grew up in Flint Michigan (before the ghetto). 3rd oldest of 7 kids with an alcoholic father that was physically and emotionally abusive. She married right out of high school to my brothers dad. He was also an alcoholic. One night he came home drunk and slapped her. She left but when she asked her parents for help they responded with "you made your bed...". She would sneak into her parents house after they left and steal cans of soup for her and her baby (my brother) because they had no money. Eventually she realized you can't count on anyone except yourself.
They both ended up divorced in their first marriages and eventually came together to be married in 1978 and have me in 1980. My Dad had a short fuse but was loving and playful. My Mom was cynical and snarky but worked hard and made sure we had everything we needed. My brother is 10 years older than me and left for college when I was 7. My sister was 8 years older and lived with her mom all of my life. It was as if I was an only child.
When I was still very young my mother worked full time and started going to night school for her college degree. My Dad worked second shift at GM so I was left alone during most of my adolescent years. TV and crappy food become my comforts. I can still name every theme song to every TV show and cartoon of the 80s and 90s.
