Reply #123: Thank YOU! I grew up in a house where my dad's business partner

[plumbob]

literally took off with the money, leaving my dad holding the bag. His father, attorneys, even the bank, told him to declare bankruptcy, but that false pride of his meant paying the bank back over 15 years while he worked as a mechanic.

This meant:
five shirts, two pairs of pants, 7 underwear, 7 socks, and 1 pair of shoes for school each year. Period. Your last year's clothes are for play.
we lost our actual house, so lived in a 14x32 tarpaper house on two acres of land 20 minutes from town and 10 minutes from our nearest neighbor.
no driver's license or car for mom.
no telephone.
we ate at a local drive in called Wattburger once a month as our only social outing.
no movies, bowling, or school activities.
I graduated in 1971 from high school, and I promised I would never make any kid live like that. Ever. So far, so good.