Walking the Hedge

I was born into a working class family in one of the best countries on the world. We struggled mightily after the divorce; Mom went back to school while cleaning rich people’s houses. The government didn’t consider making dead beat Dads pay a reasonable amount of child support on time to be a priority. Sometimes Christmas dinner came from the food bank. We lived in a ramshackle house heated with a wood stove and a kitchen sink that drained into a bucket.

I was teased and bullied by the well-to-do kids at school for having thrift store clothes and plain or subsidized lunches, because that is what they were taught by their parents.

I tried my very best at school and did well in some subjects but failed utterly in others. I was told this was because I was a bad and lazy child. It turns out that I had learning disabilities that should have been receiving treatment and help so that I could succeed. Because my mother was often working two jobs to keep a roof over our heads she could not badger the school and be an advocate for me. The schools refused to accommodate the… Continue reading →