Did your parents ever threaten you to give you up for adoption?

Never. My grandparents would have lost it if they ever heard something like that from my mother to me.
I’m hoping yours were joking but if they weren’t, that’s pretty harsh to tell a kid, I’m sorry.

No, my father disowned me when he found out I was gay. He threatened to kick me out onto the street when I was a teenager, so I stayed in the closet and lived in hell.

Not adoption, just sent away. Usually to an institution or some kind of place like that, that was the threat.

What were you like as a kid, @ragingloli?

Nope besides I was my mom’s sous chef for meals (how could she put me up for adoption) I’d pedal my bike down to Von’s for supplies starting when I was nine. I was oldest of five. And could cook any meal with a recipe by the time I was 11, no assistance needed from mom.

Yeah, my mom would say that and till I was a teen. Then as a teen I told her great. I know some people who would take me in. Then she would reply good, go then. Hurry up and pack. Then I would tell her I can’t leave because Dad would miss me.

Never. They were very nice to me and I didnt deserve it. I know that now. Too little too late, right?

The running threat from our parents was to give us to the junk man. It began when I was 6 feuding in the car with my sister. Dad stopped the car abruptly beside an actual scrap metal cart tethered to a huge brown horse. He then leaned through the window to ask the man at the reins how much he would pay for 2 BAD kids. The man got down from the cart and peered at us through the back window. He stood up and announced; “these 2 look especially bad. I won’t take em off your hands unless you pay ME $10 apiece.” From that day on, the running lament from our parents on any occasion we kids were deemed troublesome or expensive was always about the day dad missed out on the $20 dollar bargain.

No, they never said that, but they were pretty loving and supportive as far as parents go. :)

No, but they threatened to send us to a child center for wayward or delinquent kids.

No. My Dad had a friend who ran the local juvenile hall, and said he would leave us there next vacation.

The worst thing my dad did was when I was 8 and got busted for shop lifting rolling papers from Shopeze.
He said “We have to take them back and I will just have to beg them not to throw you in jail.” He put a nice little sob in his voice even. I was terrified!

No. I did however have my dad threaten to send me to a military school in Alaska.

I told him great and I would be taken care of, and that they would teach me how to fight, and I would be trained to kick his ass after.

I called his bluff. I would love to go. I would have better, and more food.

This gives me an excuse to tell a grandkid story. My daughter walked by 7 year old Kale’s room (the boy twin) and saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, pretend crying.
She asked what was was wrong and he wailed “I’m dopted and nobody loves me!”

When I was 4 years old my Mother took me and my two older Sisters to an orphanage. It was right after my Father died fro leukemia. I didn’t really understand what was happening at the time. But I remember my Sisters crying and pleading with our Mother to not leave us there.

I wish now that my Mother left us at the orphanage. All of our lives were pure hell. Mom was always gone (work or sleeping). No adult supervision at home. Pure pandemonium. Nothing made sense to me. I made everyones life miserable because I was miserable. We were a sad group. Not really a family at all. Incredibly I achieved a modest level of success in my profession. Very happy in my adult life.

My parents never said that to me. But my older brother often said that I was adopted and that my parents were going to return me.

I’m sorry that was something you grew up with. How has that dynamic changed as you’ve gotten older?

No, but my mother told me I shouldn’t have been born.

*This world is so much better because you are in it.

@chyna: awww. thank you.

My Mother never said that to me, but when frustrated with my brother, she would frequently say that she had found him out behind the barn & decided to keep him & wondered why. Mom died back in 2008 & I still wonder IF there is any truth to the comment…NOT the why but IF she did indeed adopt him. That’s the kind of thing that my dad would have insisted on being kept a secret & Mom ALWAYS caved in to dad’s insistent whims!!!

I probably would’ve liked the idea, knowing my parents.
My dad used to threaten to send me to a reform school but I never quite knew how to take that.

Well, I actually was adopted, and I actually was sent to reform school… twice.

@gondwanalon I’m so sorry that was your life growing up. My life wasn’t great, but it sure wasn’t that bad.

@gondwanalon: I’m sorry you went through that, but am glad to hear that adult life is treating you better.