[mst_RoadRash]

OH man, LAWN Darts. I think I might still have some. THOSE were fun. And only stupid people got hurt. Gee, a metal thing hurtling through the air in my direction... let's stand here and see what happens.

And when the infamous words "I'm bored" were a death sentece to your weekend. It was ok to be bored, but when you whined about it you got to clean the bathrooms, vacuum, clean up after the dog, mow the lawn, wash the cars, wash the windows and clean the kitchen. I didn't gripe about boredom too often.

Then I found out it was ok to say "Mom, my chores are done and I don't want to watch TV but I don't have anything to do. Will you take me to the library?"

And when we slammed doors after fighting with the parental units... well doors were a privelage, not a right. So if we slammed them, they got taken away. And there is nothing like being 13 and not having any privacy.

I was a latchkey kid since the 2nd grade. Nobody thought twice of that. Today, my parents would be locked up for neglect. They didn't LIKE the idea, but they didn't have the money to do anything about it. So, to solve the problem they gave me a key, some instructions and there you have it. "Don't let strangers in the house. Or else." I didn't need an explanation. I knew that if I let strangers in the house my dad would make me go get the belt. They didn't need to tell me about all the bad stuff, just to let me know it would get me in trouble.