How Did You Feel When You Left Home/Parents on Your Own?

ClassicRockr

ClassicRockr

Well-known Member
when you left home/parents or whomever was taking care of you and went out on your own?

I was extremely HAPPY!

My step-parents were loving/caring, but.........VERY strict! My parents divorced when I was 4 and sent me to live with an Aunt. The Aunt sure wasn't the best for me. Due to some abuse, I was taken out of her home and the step-parents (relatives someway) took me. Even my farmer friends knew just how strict my step-parents were with me! Living on their hog farm was fun (fun...?), except when it came to watering/feeding hogs in sub-zero weather w/inches-to-feet of snow on the ground!

Anyway, while my cousins and local farm friends were having fun on the weekend nights, I was sitting in the living room watching Lawrence Welk w/the step-parents! I couldn't wait to spend a weekend with my cousins, b/c they had fun when their mom and dad went bowling on a Saturday night. Snacks inbetween meals wasn't "off limits" like at my house.

A couple of weeks before high school graduation, I had joined the Navy b/c I knew the Draft would have got me if I didn't. Right after I graduated, I told my step-parents that I was moving to the YMCA Hotel in town. I had a job, working at a truck stop in town. The day I left, my step-dad was at work. I had loaded my old '56 Chevy Bel Air w/clothes and off I went........absolutely "tickled pink" to leave! But, it was when the Navy called me up that I really found out what "strictness" was all about! All I could think to myself was, "I wanna go home!"

So, how did you feel when you finally left home and went out on your own?
 

I got married at 18 to escape an abusive situation. NOT the smartest decision.. But at the time I was relieved to be out.
 

I always wanted to fly, so when I was 18 I joined the Army Air Corps (Eventually changed to the USAF).
Took the pilot training test and passed. Then got called up to begin as an Aviation Cadet. After all the regular
"soldier" training and ground school. We began flight training FINALLY; soloed in 8 hours.
Got my pilot wings and Lt bars at age 20. Finally got into combat; had several scary moments but came out unscathed.

And here I am.

Oh, I might add that when I was in Altus, Okla. for advanced flight training, my training officer was

George Gobel......THE George Gobel. (Check out the Johnny Carson show with him on U-Tube.)
 
I remember George Gobel. That`s funny,Falcon!

I got married at 17,middle of my senior year of high school. Wasn`t trying to escape anything,home life was good, but we just wanted to be married. In our case,it worked out. Married 47 years the end of this month. As far as how I felt at the time-all I can remember is being happy-can`t remember being scared,nervous,worried at all,but I probably should have been. But I knew,even at that young age,that I was making the right choice.
 
I always lived near my parents till the day they died,they did everything for me to get a great education and a great job with the Federal Gov.

I was set for life because of them.
 
In our family, getting handed the high school diploma was the ticket to leave...because there were still so many kids at home that it was my turn. I didn't mind, didn't feel rejected, just glad to be in a position to work and help my parents. I continued to send money home until I was married three years later.

Of course, as each of us left and there were fewer kids at home, their lives and the lives of my parents got easier, which is what we all hoped for.
 
Free! I too left an abusive home. My mother, well, I tell everyone this but I know they think I'm exaggerating but the mother on the movie Carrie reminds me of her. She literally ran around the house screaming "thou shalt not suffer a witch" to live when she was angry at us. It was scary as hell. That's when we were in our teens. When we were little, it was "spare the rod and spoil the child," and it was the code she lived by only her rod was her shoe. I was a suicidal teen but the suicidal tendencies disappeared literally overnight when I left home. No shrink needed. All I needed was to get away from my mother. Dad was almost as bad but they had divorced four years earlier when I was 14. His line was children should be seen and not heard and if he heard you, it was the belt. Of course there was the time, he socked me in the jaw and knocked out a tooth that wasn't even loose without warning when I was 7 upon seeing me watch him shave because he'd left the bathroom door open and I didn't know what he was doing as I'd never seen a man shave before. (TV's were false idols according to my mother.) No warning. Just turned around and pow! I was seen and not heard as I was just standing there quietly -- so much for believing that line. Yeah, I was happy to leave home and I'm proud to say I broke the cycle of abuse and have never beat either my daughter or grandson.
 
Well, my step-parents were loving, but never had children. I was around 14, when I moved in with them. Actually, I had my choice of going to them or to my alcoholic dad and I chose them. When I lived with the Aunt, it was on a non-functioning farm. No livestock/crops anymore. When I moved in with my step-parents, they had some livestock and crops. BIG CHANGE! I went from pretty much doing nothing outside, except moving the front yard, to feeding/watering hogs and chickens, gathering eggs, mowing a much bigger lawn (front/rear/sides), taking care of a fairly large garden, splitting wood for furnace and doing a crop of field corn (hog feed). Since I wasn't allowed any "in-between meal snacks" and doing so much physical work, that was probably the reason I was only 98 lbs. when I graduated. The Navy took me though.
 
The first time I left home I lived with my female cousin, and felt optimistic and anticipated good times ahead. This was not the case, because before I got there she and her boyfriend had moved into the bedroom that I had believed I would be sharing with the cousin, and I was left to sleep in the living room (not my idea). They used the living room as well, so I had no privacy or even my own room, even though I had paid half the rent. I felt betrayed, tricked and used and quickly moved back home again. My cousin and I didn't speak for decades, but now it's all in the past, thank goodness, relegated to youthful folly and poor judgement. We are friendly again, but the trust was lost forever.
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
I remember George Gobel. That`s funny,Falcon!

I got married at 17,middle of my senior year of high school. Wasn`t trying to escape anything,home life was good, but we just wanted to be married. In our case,it worked out. Married 47 years the end of this month. As far as how I felt at the time-all I can remember is being happy-can`t remember being scared,nervous,worried at all,but I probably should have been. But I knew,even at that young age,that I was making the right choice.
Click to expand...

I love stories like this :)
I couldn't wait to get out of the house. As soon as I graduated high school I moved into an apartment with a friend, worked, earnd money for a car, went on road trips, had a blast!
 
marty said:
I love stories like this :)
I couldn't wait to get out of the house. As soon as I graduated high school I moved into an apartment with a friend, worked, earnd money for a car, went on road trips, had a blast!
Click to expand...

See,that`s what most of my friends did right after high school-although several of my friends were married early as well and within the year after high school,we all had children. Several of our kids are still friends today after spending their early years together. It`s pretty neat really-they are all just turned or soon turning 46 now. I never,ever felt like I missed out on anything,even when I saw lots of my friends going out and having great times. Wes and I were perfectly happy just being together. I know some of my early married friends did regret it though,and all ended up no longer married.
 
One thing that did upset me was, they sold my old '56 Chevy Bel Air while I was in the Navy. They never asked me if I wanted to sell it or told me that they were going to sell it, I just found out that it was gone while on a visit there after my Navy days were over. I'd use it when I was home on Leave from the Navy, but couldn't afford to drive it back to San Diego. While on Leave, I had to stay with them and everything was pretty cool. Even though I had the old Chevy to drive, I didn't go anywhere at night.

However, I remember, after I got out of the Navy, I visited them. By then all the livestock and corn crop was gone. I stayed in my old bedroom, which felt sort of weird. Anyway, a couple of local farmer brothers I knew wanted me to come over to their place, play some pool and have a few beers. I told my step-parents about it, and that the brothers would pick me up and bring me home First thing my step-mom said was, "just remember, we go to bed at 10". I didn't think too much about it, b/c I knew there was a house key behind the thermometer on the back porch. I had used it before when I was a Senior in high school and working nights at a upper-end restaurant. There were times I didn't get home til 1AM. Anyway, the brothers picked me up about 7PM. Had a great time with them, but lost track of time. They dropped my off at the driveway at home about 11PM, I went to get the house key from behind the thermometer and it was GONE! I knocked on the door, the dogs barked, but nobody answered. I was upset, but had to remember that my mom had warned me about when they go to bed. Well, I wound up walking down a dark, gravel road to the brothers farm. To say the least, I was scared and done more running than walking. The brothers were still up and we all had to laugh about what had just happened. They knew just how strict my step-parents were. They took me home the next AM and all my parents said was "did you have a good time?" and I said "yes" and left it at that. One day later I got a flight back to Calif and they drove me to the airport. Never stayed with them again!
 
I didn't leave home until 21 (almost too late). Parents also very strict, even for those days. Spent 1 year in a rooming house with some other girls 20 miles away while going to school. That's when I learned to party, drink, and have fun---and grades plummeted. Got that out of my system (also, almost too late). Then moved 700 miles away. Made new friends and never wanted to go back.
 
Free. Graduated at 17, left within the week, got a job as Gal Friday for the district manager of an insurance company and went to community college at night. At 19 the man of my dreams stepped into my life and we've been a team since, soon to be 45 years.
 

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