What about riding in the bed of a pickup truck? Check.
I remember bouncing around in the back of my dad’s blue Chevy. It never occurred to me or my parents apparently that that was dangerous.
What about being left alone a little too soon? Check.
I was left alone around the age of 7, I’m guessing. I danced around, played the radio, ate Little Debbies.. .and didn’t once drink any Drano or put my tongue in a light socket.
Buying cigarettes and alcohol. Check.
Now, I assumed this was only a small town thing. I grew up in Southern Illinois… a town called Wolf Lake. The population was 300, including pets. There was one little gas station in town. And I still remember the phone number for it. It was owned by the same people who owned the farm supply store. The number? 833-FARM. And my mom would call that and say… “hey, I’m gonna send Sean down to get me some smokes.” And the deal was, if I rode my bike down to get her smokes, she’d give me some money to get a cold pop and a Little Debbie. Again with the Little Debbie. Did your mom do this sorta thing? Or is there something else you’d add to this list?
Photo Credit: Getty Images / ChrisiniLola
