I kneel in the booth
Devouring pancakes with too much syrup
As my drunken mom and slurred step-dad
Laugh too loud
At their friend’s stupid jokes
That aren’t even funny
Or maybe I just don’t get it
The night started out at the dive bar near our trailer house
In the country
Then on to the more lively, loud juke box playing bar
In town
And now here, the local truck stop
Open 24 hours
* * * * * *
Author’s note: I was about 8 or 9 at the time. I always debate writing about heavier stuff, but in the end, what I learned from my mom's drinking has made me a better mom today.
This is linked to the prompt, “Breakfast” at Theme Thursday.
30 comments:
tight. very nicely done...here to there and you dragged along...sorry you went through it, keep telling your story...unashamed.
Heavy is right! At least you can see the positive in the negatives that happened to you as a child! Good for you for sharing!
I think it must have been very hard.
@ Everyone - thank you for your kind comments. I write this not for sympathy, but as part of MY story and how this shaped who I am today.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I know it's always hard to know what to say to this type of writing, but I do appreciate it.
And you are right, you are a stronger, smarter, better woman. All of these experiences...the good and bad, so shape who we are.
We are who we are for how we choose to deal with the moments that shaped our lives.
I have no doubt that your mother's example made very clear the 180 degree direction you'd choose to go as a mother one day.
True many don't know what to say to "heavier" posts but know that they read them and feel them even though they may not have the words to express back to you their feelings.
To MUCH better breakfasts with all your favorite people...and no more truck stops!
Happy Thursday!
Dita
I heart you...and I am so sorry that this was your childhood.
But, you are right...it HAS made you a better mom!! I appreciate your honesty and transparency.
Hugs to you!!!
Sometimes the heavy stuff, the hard stuff is the most therapeutic to right, and just what others need to read.
I want to give you a hug!
bravo...i hope we've all learned a lot from our upbringing!
Oh sweety!! I so much enjoy getting to know more about you... what has made you the amazing mom and wife you are today... but MAN I wish you hadn't had to go through that. It makes my heart hurt!
Thank you for being so open and willing to share.. and wow, you were an awesome writer from the get go huh?
Blessings-
Amanda
These stories are your battle scars and have made you the strong woman you are today. Thanks for being brave & sharing.
Thanks kindly for visiting my blog... wow...this struck a chord with me.
My father was an alcoholic & my mother, being unable to take his abusive ways, uprooted herself & us 3 children and we moved far, far away. I have vague memories of him (not good ones), my sister (3 yrs older than me) remembers so much more than me. I am every so grateful my Mum saved us from that life.
I am sorry you went through that but am glad that you got through it!
I love this. You do heavy stuff well. Make a little room for it.
Thanks for stopping by.
well I am glad you could take it that way. Awful memory I am sure. thaks for writing this.
I am so sorry you had to go through that as a child, but you should be proud of getting out and not repeating your parents mistakes. It takes a strong person to face adversity and come out victorious.
This is very powerful. You are so good at writing the heavy stuff others struggle with. I find it beautiful that you've overcome and are a wonderful mom.
Wow. You're right, I'm not sure what to say. But I'm glad that you are open to sharing. What we learn from our past often shapes our future.
very well written!
I think it's great that you've turned around a terrible experience to be a better person yourself! :)
My parents did that on occasion. They had a lot of frinds and frqently no babysitter but they always kept us safe. Happy TT
I'm so sorry! But you are right, we can take what we went through and make better decisions and learn from it if we are willing...and you were!! {{hugs}}
Nice breakfast theme. What a shame it's from your memory though. It's great that you use your experiences to be a good parent.
I'm with Brian Miller. He's so right.
This is extremely well expressed in very few lines. Excellent.
I had a nice childhood, most of the time. I cannot imagine what this must have been like for you. Thanks for sharing that personal poem from your youth.
It is a blessing to rise above those things that were hard in our lives... it is not what you go through in life that defines you ... it is how you respond to those things that define you. You are a beautiful writer ~ especially with such difficult topics! You are a great mom!
I love how raw this is! Thanks for sharing.
I had a wonderful childhood... I can't even imagine growing up in a challenging environment like that. Hugs to you.
This really spoke to me. I spent more time in a bar as a kid than I have done as an adult. You did a great job portraying the helplessness of a child in that situation.
My post for Theme Thursday is up here.
It definitely does take courage to write about such personal experiences. I'm pretty open about my late father's struggle with alcohol and like you, it's not out of pity but more of how that experience impacted me and shaped my life. I actually just wrote about it a few days before this post when I was talking about ignition interlock devices.
You're totally right...turning negative parenting experiences from your childhood totally reshape how you are as a parent today.
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