Even though my biological father was an alcoholic, I feel I can say I had a good childhood. I am grateful for the memories of growing up with three sisters. With my mom included in the census, it was five females to my one stepdad. He certainly walked in to a home oozing  with hormones!! He was a police officer and tried to rule our home with an iron fist!! He used to always say, “This is not a democracy it’s a dictatorship.” We would laugh when he said it and respond with, “No way!!”

Sometimes when it rained hard, my stepdad would gather me and my younger sister and head to the city park. When we were little, it was huge. The most fun for me was the insanely tall metal slide. When that thing was wet, we’d fly down and land in a mud puddle.

So…….. were we really tight on money always?? Yes. Did we fight and argue with one another? Yes. Could my stepdad have been less strict? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing I knew was that my stepdad stayed and always took care of us. I think all of these things add up to a family and for that I am most obliged. 🙂