Troubled teenage days

So with everyone posting about McKinney, I can't help but think about my own troubled teenage years. You'd never know it to look at me back then, or even to look at me nowadays. Why is this reminding me of my troubled youth, because not everything is as it always appears. I was often able to get away with things, and out of trouble, because I was cute, petite, privileged, and no one would believe I was capable of reeking havoc. That was until I did.

Sitting at the keyboard I'm in a quandary on how much to share. I don't care who I run off, or who no longer likes me, but what is pertinent to this blog. As I like to say I was a rebel without a clue, and I had/have issues like tissues, they just keep popping up. I was in trouble a lot with my parents, one time I was dumped into a children's home because my parents had no idea what to do with me, and didn't want to deal with me. So, I did what was my number one offensive move, runaway. This time around it was me and several others. We put the night shift caregiver, who was a woman, in the solitary room, and locked her in.  I didn't know how bad it had gotten because I wasn't there, but several of the boys had beaten her up. We stole the car that belonged to the children's home, and what cash there was in the office. Our big plan was to run to Mexico and grow pot. We did get caught before we ever made it close to the border. As I was 16 at the time I was charged as an adult. I was lucky, I served 53 days in jail, and got two years adjudicated probation. The judge who gave me my sentence didn't think I would turn myself around and be able to do the two years. But I was scared shitless, and had no plans of returning to jail or going to the penitentiary. By the grace of God, I was given yet another chance, and developed a deep, abiding, and loving relationship with God.

I did turn my life around. I went to college, for a year, where I met David. I got pregnant and we got married. I'm no longer troubled, I still have issues like tissues, and I'm still a bit of a rebel, see the tattoos. Unfortunately, not everyone has a redeeming story like mine. So, what does this have to do with McKinney, in my opinion some of these teens are going to end up in the system if they aren't already. They still have a chance, everyone does, and they don't deserve to be treated sub-human. I never was, and don't believe anyone should be. As to the cop, I don't know, it seems excessive to me and I hope that justice is done.