Member-only story
Family Dynamics, Family Differences
I carry a lot of guilt on my shoulders
Our family dynamics were pretty much like everyone else’s in the rural section of Pittsburgh where we lived. Dad worked while Mom stayed home to clean house and keep us kids in line. My brothers and I towed the line because when Mom said, “If you three don’t stop hitting each other, I’m telling Dad when he gets home.” That warning was enough for us to stop our “Got You Last” game, and play with our Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs without hitting each other.
Dinner conversations when Dad was home were educational. Dad loved showing us how he used his slide rule as a machinist at work. When calculators came on the scene, he refused to jump on the lazy train. “Those fancy gadgets will make your brain lazy.” The man was a genius.
Dad was a solid union member and Democrat. Mom never told us what her affiliation was. All we knew was that she was a converted Catholic, and that was good enough for us kids.
Dad was elected to the union’s negotiating committee. That year, the workers went on strike. Drunk people would call the house at all hours, making threats to us kids when we answered the phone, just to be assholes. They blamed Dad for the strike, but he never let it bother him. The negotiating committee didn’t budge, and when the strike was over, the…
