RUNNEMEDE REMEMBERED

Growing up in a small town in Southern New Jersey


Sunday, October 28, 2007

Begging for money

No, not in Philadelphia like my father. (See previous post)

I'm not the "good little girl" my teachers thought I was, believe me, I'm a sinner like everyone else.

I learned early how to get spending money, well, not that early, I was in high school.

Anyway, here's what I did.

Dad was always asleep when I left for school/college, so he was a soft touch. I mean who wants to be waked at 7 a.m. by a teenager? So each day that I needed money for whatever, I'd go into mom and dad's bedroom and ask dad if he would give me some money because I needed it for something for school. He would always say, "Take what you need." I did, and maybe a little extra, too.

Not something I'm proud of, taking what I didn't need, but how else was I going to get the money I did need to get my school things?

I got an allowance, but that stopped when I went to high school since I was able to "work" for a living by then by typing things for people. I never made enough at that to enjoy high school, though, and by college, all the money I earned at Strawbridge's (another department store in Philadelphia where I worked the toy department) went for college tuition and books and transportation and clothes.

I'm confessing this to you so you can be alert for things your children might try with you, not that any of my precious grandchildren would be that sneaky!

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