My Parents Were Geniuses
My parents were cruel.
They never let us eat junk food like Twinkies; my mother made cakes, pies, and cookies from scratch.
They never let us drink pop; we had perfectly good water to drink.
They never let us eat bologna or other processed lunchmeat; the leftover meatloaf became tomorrow’s sandwich.
They never bought any food unless it was on sale or they had a double coupon for it; impulse purchases were not allowed.
They never threw away a Campbell’s soup can without removing the label and mailing it in to the company for a rebate; we kids had to learn organizational and budgetary skills.
They wouldn’t take us to fast food restaurants; going out for pizza or a Runza was a treat.
They wouldn’t buy popcorn from the concession stand at the drive-in theater; we had to bring our own popcorn from home.
They wouldn’t buy Wonder bread; my mom baked bread from scratch.
They wouldn’t let us throw away any food; leftovers were transformed into casseroles or soups the next day.
They made us eat nutritious food that came from the garden; we had to learn to like vegetables.
They wouldn’t let us go hungry; many meals were centered on saltines and sardines, but our bellies were full.
My parents were geniuses.