Do you come from a dysfunctional family?

[PartyPooper]

If so, tell us your story.

:-)

[Placebo]

1. You can't HANDLE the truth.

[Bouncy Ball]

2. I'll give you the really short version, ok?

Mother was and is mentally ill. Married a nice sweet guy, had me and my brother, ran around on him, decided he didn't make enough money, left him cold. Divorce.

Married a guy who made more money, really nice sweet guy (seeing a pattern here?) and he quickly became a horrible alcoholic. They are still married.

They were both verbally and physically abusive and neglectful.

Ta-da! How many words was that?

[last_texas_dem]

3. No

Immediate family, at least. We all get along pretty well for the most part.

Extended family is another story, but they're easier to avoid. haha

[whirlygigspin]

5. My family is as normal as our President's

should I be scared?

[Cobalt Violet]

15. Now that family makes mine look like the Cleavers. n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

4. I believe everyone's family is dysfunctional in one way or another.

It's only a matter of degree.

[WindRavenX]

6. yes

Both parents alcoholics, seperated last year, mom is now on anxiety meds, and dad recently tried to kill himself.
Woo.

[n2mark]

9. Yes

my father was an alcholoic and my mother bought him the alcohol. She was the enabler.

[Miami Liberal]

7. Who doesn't?

We're all damaged by our families in some way.

[LeftCoast]

8. Absolutely non-Brady household

BUT, both my parents grew up in situations that could keep Jenny Jones AND Jerry Springer busy for an entire season. Given that context, they were saints.

[put out]

10. Yep.

A whole bunch of weirdos.

Me included. With a cherry on top, but whipped cream too.

I think my mate is the most sane, and I am not very sure about him.

[donheld]

11. Dysfunctional is relative

:shrug:

[jdots]

12. the whole nine yards

thats why it's good to have kids and change the patterns

[WCGreen]

13. Officer Krupke.....

ACTION
Dear kindly Sergeant Krupke,
You gotta understand,
It's just our bringin' up-ke
That gets us out of hand.
Our mothers all are junkies,
Our fathers all are drunks.
Golly Moses, natcherly we're punks!

ACTION AND JETS
Gee, Officer Krupke, we're very upset;
We never had the love that ev'ry child oughta get.
We ain't no delinquents,
We're misunderstood.
Deep down inside us there is good!

ACTION
There is good!

ALL
There is good, there is good,
There is untapped good!
Like inside, the worst of us is good!

SNOWBOY: (Spoken) That's a touchin' good story.

ACTION: (Spoken) Lemme tell it to the world!

SNOWBOY: Just tell it to the judge.

ACTION
Dear kindly Judge, your Honor,
My parents treat me rough.
With all their marijuana,
They won't give me a puff.
They didn't wanna have me,
But somehow I was had.
Leapin' lizards! That's why I'm so bad!

DIESEL: (As Judge) Right!

Officer Krupke, you're really a square;
This boy don't need a judge, he needs an analyst's care!
It's just his neurosis that oughta be curbed.
He's psychologic'ly disturbed!

ACTION
I'm disturbed!

JETS
We're disturbed, we're disturbed,
We're the most disturbed,
Like we're psychologic'ly disturbed.

DIESEL: (Spoken, as Judge) In the opinion on this court, this child is depraved on account he ain't had a normal home.

ACTION: (Spoken) Hey, I'm depraved on account I'm deprived.

DIESEL: So take him to a headshrinker.

ACTION (Sings)
My father is a bastard,
My ma's an S.O.B.
My grandpa's always plastered,
My grandma pushes tea.
My sister wears a mustache,
My brother wears a dress.
Goodness gracious, that's why I'm a mess!

A-RAB: (As Psychiatrist) Yes!
Officer Krupke, you're really a slob.
This boy don't need a doctor, just a good honest job.
Society's played him a terrible trick,
And sociologic'ly he's sick!

ACTION
I am sick!

ALL
We are sick, we are sick,
We are sick, sick, sick,
Like we're sociologically sick!

A-RAB: In my opinion, this child don't need to have his head shrunk at all. Juvenile delinquency is purely a social disease!

ACTION: Hey, I got a social disease!

A-RAB: So take him to a social worker!

ACTION
Dear kindly social worker,
They say go earn a buck.
Like be a soda jerker,
Which means like be a schumck.
It's not I'm anti-social,
I'm only anti-work.
Gloryosky! That's why I'm a jerk!

BABY JOHN: (As Female Social Worker)
Eek!
Officer Krupke, you've done it again.
This boy don't need a job, he needs a year in the pen.
It ain't just a question of misunderstood;
Deep down inside him, he's no good!

ACTION
I'm no good!

ALL
We're no good, we're no good!
We're no earthly good,
Like the best of us is no damn good!

DIESEL (As Judge)
The trouble is he's crazy.

A-RAB (As Psychiatrist)
The trouble is he drinks.

BABY JOHN (As Female Social Worker)
The trouble is he's lazy.

DIESEL
The trouble is he stinks.

A-RAB
The trouble is he's growing.

BABY JOHN
The trouble is he's grown.

ALL
Krupke, we got troubles of our own!

Gee, Officer Krupke,
We're down on our knees,
'Cause no one wants a fellow with a social disease.
Gee, Officer Krupke,
What are we to do?
Gee, Officer Krupke,
Krup you!

Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
© 1956, 1957 Amberson Holdings LLC and Stephen Sondheim. Copyright renewed.
Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company LLC, Publisher.

[UdoKier]

14. Is there any other kind?

NT

[enigmatic]

16. Yes.

Think "Shot In The Heart" by Milkal Gilmore, but w/o the serial killer angle...

[shinju1985]

17. well...

my GRANDFATHER is on his third wife, who is 20 years younger than he is and friends with my mother, need I say more

[Piperay]

18. Yes and I don't believe

there are any familes that are really 'functional'.

[Skittles]

19. here goes

mum and dad both mentally ill, dad committed suicide, severely autistic brother, another brother drank himself to death three weeks ago; all aunts and uncles, cousin and grandfather died of alcoholism. Yes, a bit......dysfunctional. :o

[TyeDye75]

20. Born a bastard

I was a page boy at my parents wedding aged 2 but they divorced when I was three.

My dad re married and had three kids. Then died in 95 when I was nine.

My Mum re married but he hit her.
Married again but he hit her.
Her latest boyfriend also hit her but by then I was seventeen and able to hit back... and spent an evening at the police station.

Now our 'family' all co-exist in one house but theres little interaction.

[guitar man]

21. gawd,don't we all?

Dad was a Korea vet suffering from PTSD, back before anyone ever heard of it. He would scream, holler and raise hell with us constantly. Mom never stood up to him or attempted to do anything about it.

[shayes51]

22. Everybody does.

[ChickMagic]

23. Let's put it this way

I got a Christmas card from my mom and dad yesterday and it was signed, "Hazel and Louis Read."

[skygazer]

24. Oh, absolutely

My father is currently on his fifth marriage. One of his wives was a year younger than my oldest sister - that's the one he moved into the house within months of my mother's death.

Oldest sister is nutty as a fruitcake. She is paranoid, a hypochondriac and is constantly bringing up perceived slights from 20 or 30 years ago and berating people for them. She's been married and divorced twice.

Oldest brother is a career bartender whose first wife left him for another woman. Second wife left him as well. Bush supporter.

Other sister dates only married men because she's afraid of commitment. She is also paranoid and comes out with weird stuff like she tells me she can't move from her cruddy apartment that she's been in for 20 years and hated all that time because she can walk to work from there if her car breaks down. "Is your car not running well?" I ask. No, there's nothing wrong with the car, it's new, but IF it broke down....

Other brother is a loner and a long haul trucker, also very afraid of commitment. Another Bush supporter.

All are alcoholics to one degree or another though all deny it. The only normal one in my family is one sister who is highly educated with a law degree and who works for the gov't. (and is NOT a Bush supporter)

I'm as batty as the rest of them. ~sigh~

[lojasmo]

25. mom's an alcoholic

threatened to kidnap my son when he was born...haven't seen her in 8 years, thank bob.

[Nikia]

26. My parents married and had me as teenagers

I was a planned pregnancy so that my mother could marry and get away from her parents. As for her parents, her father was always overcritical to his children and was a miser with money even though they had middle class income. Her mother was basically a slave to her husband, had a big heart and bought things for other people's children since she would get in trouble if she bought them for her own, and overly controlling in her own way. My father's parents were a lot better and their family was close to the middle class functional ideal. Anyway, my parents knowing the value of education went to college when I was little and worked to support their household and had lots of arguements. They divorced before I went to kindergarten. Being divorced did not help end their fighting. They were selfish young adults and put their needs ahead of those of my sister and I. My mother was very ambitious in her career while my mother always put priorities on things besides work and had a hard time keeping a job. They both dated several different people before each remarrying. My father married a woman who seemed to be jealous of my sister and I. My mother married an abusive sociopath who had a relatively high income for our community. They both had a child in their marriages. Living with my mother and evil step father, my sisters and I were considered the slaves of the household and weren't even allowed to turn on the heat in our part of the house (we lived in Ohio). That's the short version of things.
Now that I am an adult, they seem to be doing a bit better in their middle age. My mother finally divorced the evil guy and is married to a nice guy and has another child. My father still puts priorities on other things but has had his job for several years. My half siblings are doing alright with my mother's daughter founding a community support group for children of divorce and other broken relationships and them both doing well in sports and in school. My sister and I are both still growing as young adults, dealing with what we grew up with and how we want things to be in our own lives. A lot of times, I wish that I had a better childhood but I think that it has given me the strength to better deal with true adversity as well as think for myself since I could not and would not accept many of the things that I grew up with.

[outraged2]

27. my therapist told me I should write a book

The movie "Mommie Dearest" sums it up pretty well, but in our family there was even more craziness.