Our Father Is Stupid - June 15, 1992

This is the first of four entries during the summer before 6th grade. My brother and I are visiting our father in Phoenix, AZ for a few weeks. IN THE SUMMER. It was hot. And we were never that excited to go see our father anyway. People acted like we were going on vacation, but that's not how we felt. I'm glad I took this diary with me. These next four entries will give you a tiny glimpse of our summer "vacations."

Day: June 15, 1992 Mon  Date:   


Today Charles and I stayed home alone together. We had to because our father didn't have a certain thing for our forms to the day camp. I want to come home more than than anything in the world! I hate visiting our father because we have to go to the same kind boring thing here like we do at home. I cry every night. Our father is stupid it's only Monday and he said that today was the last day this week I could call mom. There's still Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday left. Mom probably won't call very often. I only have 5 more things to write her now because I wrote her a postcard today. I wish I was at home now and never had to come here again!


Audra S age 10
going into 6th grade

I like the part where I write out the remaining days of the week. Kind of reminds me of that one part of this infectious song.

So we'd have to spend a few weeks in Phoenix every summer per the divorce decree. It wasn't easy for me, my brother or our father (I assume). It was hot as balls, our father didn't know how to deal with his children, and these summer camps were an unwanted form of babysitting (according to my brother and me). We were glad to stay home alone, I'm sure, even though our father's house was the least kid-friendly place on the planet. No tv, no games--except Monopoly, and no junk food. We didn't know any of the kids at these camps and were so shy and uncomfortable that we just counted the hours and days until we could go home. To KC. I did learn how to play Stratego at one of the camps and colored in a lot of Highlights Magazine hidden pictures with a very nice old lady at another. One year he sent us to a place full of more affluent children where I got tennis lessons and they had a whole room full of Nintendos. My brother and I both hated swimming, which meant we sat around doing nothing for 2/3 of the time at these day camps. When it's 110 degrees outside, most people go to the pool. Not Charles and me!

Imagine that smiling sun burning your flesh in the desert while you hear the other children laughing and playing.