Our childhoods were both so similar and so different. We were poor, but I can't say I was malnourished or neglected. Nor can I say I ever was a latch key kid. I can give my mother that much.

Those scars do remain with a person. They're hard to escape, if not impossible.

One thing that struck me was the steamed vegetables. That was like a gut punch. I NEVER had frozen or steamed veggies, only canned. The only fresh vegetables we ever had were carrots, lettuce, totmatoes, cucumbers (okay a couple of those are actually fruit) and sometimes cabbage. The first time I had frozen peas, I bought them myself as an adult. I still can't stomach canned peas. We only had actual potatoes on weekends when my father had time to cook a proper meal. Otherwise we had potato flakes (just add water). I never had fish unless it came in the stick, wedge or canned variety. Oh and I got lunch money too, which in an odd twist, contributed to the poverty because I got $5 a day and it wouldn't have cost that to make me a sandwhich. The truth is, I think maybe they were just too tired to make it. Poverty is exhausting.