Homework 1

Shannon McCormick
You were my only friend when I we lived in Bismarck. I admired you (as much as a 4 year can do) because you had a nice house, a lot of toys and a family that paied attention to you. You also went to school or daycare so I never saw you during the day.
We were going to Elk's Pool for your birthday party. I never had a group of friends at my birthdays, and I thought it was really cool. We started on the 5 block walk to the pool, and I walked next to you. You pushed me away and said you wanted to walk with your friends from school. That crushed me! I went home instead of going to the pool with you because I was crying so bad.
I didn't have another friend for 5 years after that, and she treated me pretty much the same way. Because of what you did 35 years ago, I have felt all my life that people didn't want me around. I withdrew, I read too much and I didn't participate with others, because I felt they'd just push me away. I don't even feel welcome within my own family. I wonder if you remember me.
Rachel, from the end of the block

Amy Cooper
You were new at school and some of the boys made fun of you because you were pudgy. You loved cats, so did I so we became two against the rude boys. We did almost everything together, except when you went to your chorale practices, or your CCD classes. The next year we were in different classes, and you got a new circle of friends, but we still hung out at recess, at the tire swing.That's how the next two years went, me hanging out with you and your friends, and me on my own. You had fun birthday parties with all these other girls I never knew, but seemed to be closer to you than I was.You had song-and-dance routines worked out with them... I realized I wasn't your best friend when I went to a concert with my church group and saw you there with our music teacher and two other girls. Luckily that was the end of sixth grade, and we didn't talk in middle school or after that. I felt like you were always leading me on, like I was the second stringer. When your real friends were busy, you'd call me.

David, Mike, Jennifer
How to begin? It always felt like you were one club and I wasn't in it. Yes, we played tack-tackle and you taught me to read and we tortured each other like siblings do, but I never felt any closeness. "stop crying, mom's taking a nap" was the most common sentence in our house. I played by myself since you all had friends of your own, I read too much and I found Dad's stash of playboys. Mostly I watched you with all your buddies and wondered when I would have them too. Then they changed the drinking age and Jen was grandfathered in, so you 3 would go out together. and I was home with mom

Mom and Dad
First of all, thanks for having me. Thanks for thinking I was strong enough to not need supervision, but you know, it would have been nice to have someone around who acted like they cared about me. Dad, we would sit up late reading and eating popcorn on the couch but we never spoke. I wish you talked to me like you did to your students. I felt that since I wasn't going to be a scientist like you, that you didn't bother with me anymore. You called me Mike too often for it to be a silly joke. Mom, you had lots of pain and medical problems, but not everything revolves around you. When I first told you how I felt - when I was starting therapy and taking zoloft- your first words were "what did I do to make you feel so bad?" well, everything, and nothing. I was 4 years old when I first heard "I am A Rock" and even then, that was my theme song. I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. You never saw how unhappy I was to be alone because that's all I knew.