I took this picture of my parents around 1970 or so. I think Kim developed the film for me. My parents were sitting at the table in our back yard where we often had dinner in the summer. I was looking for a photo from that time because my parents went to calling hours tonight for our old next door neighbor. Our neighbors had ten kids, more than anyone on the block and the house seemed perpetually out of control but they were very nice.
At dinner tonight my mom was explaining her discipline policy back in the day. When one or a handful of the neighborhood kids would act up around our house my mom would ask them to go ho home. When the kids got home their mom would sometimes come down to our house and ask what it was the kids did. My mom did not want to get into it. She just settled things that way.
There were seven kids in our family and if we all had friends over, there could be thirty kids in the back yard. I told my mom I remember her coming out of the house and telling everyone to go to their own home. It was dramatic and impressive. She could really clear the place.
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I reread and cleaned up this piece. I like it.