The boring Middle-Class American kind, unusual only in that it happened to be located in Southern California, so I didn't realize that being within driving distance of mountains, ocean, desert and Disneyland was not average until I was a teen. Our public school system here in CA is inexcusably bad, but I was homeschooled for most of my childhood, so luckily, I didn't encounter too many of its ill effects. We were one of the few families in the area who actually owned our house, the majority of the houses being rentals, and subsequently I never had the same neighbors for very long. The kids in my neighborhood were not quite sure what to think of me, I'm afraid. I talked about fifty times as much as any of them, and I could be very bossy when I felt that they were not playing a game "correctly", but I was also scared of everything and would unabashedly flee for safety the instant I thought I was in any danger of being injured (for values of "injured" see stubbed tow, scrapped knee and hangnail).
I didn't realize it at the time, but the area where I grew up is what middle-classers regard as a not-quite-savory area (partly because of the fact that it's mostly rented-out...renters tend not to care for their houses like owners do, and people that move every few years have a higher likelihood of being undesirable neighbors). The area has since become even less savory than it was fifteen years ago. The neighborhood park is no longer a safe place to frequent alone and the street where I lived is more run down and shifty-looking than ever. My parents moved to a more affluent (and much safer) area some years ago, when they could finally afford it, and I'm very glad they did, or I would worry about them (well, not too much, as Dad's ex-Navy and collects guns...but I'd still worry).
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-01 07:23 pm (UTC)I didn't realize it at the time, but the area where I grew up is what middle-classers regard as a not-quite-savory area (partly because of the fact that it's mostly rented-out...renters tend not to care for their houses like owners do, and people that move every few years have a higher likelihood of being undesirable neighbors). The area has since become even less savory than it was fifteen years ago. The neighborhood park is no longer a safe place to frequent alone and the street where I lived is more run down and shifty-looking than ever. My parents moved to a more affluent (and much safer) area some years ago, when they could finally afford it, and I'm very glad they did, or I would worry about them (well, not too much, as Dad's ex-Navy and collects guns...but I'd still worry).
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Date: 2006-03-01 07:27 pm (UTC)