Have you ever been in a situation that was totally out of control? Did you ever feel like you were doomed by virtue of being born? Have you ever felt like wrong decisions were being made on your behalf without the decision makers ever checking in with you?

Let’s face it. When we were children, our lives were in our parents’ hands. Some of our parents were totally involved in the process of making sure the next generation improved in regards to “quality of life.” Some parents make decisions with “self” in mind.

The course of my life was forever changed because of the decisions of my parents, and no one bothered to ask me, “How does that make you feel?”

As a young kid maturing in the state of New Jersey, I struggled with many things. On good days, we’d go to the ice cream parlor and get sundaes for all. On the not so good days, my childhood friends seized every opportunity to ridicule and criticize me.

As I look back on those days, I laugh. Because at the time, I thought life was relentlessly tough. I likened myself to the cartoon character Charlie Brown from the Peanuts. Chuck and I had developed this imaginary relationship, because, in many ways, I understood his pain. As I said earlier, I laugh about those days now. However, while I was experiencing the bad times, humor was away on vacation.

I implore you to take a fantasy trip back to the late sixties and ride forward to the mid nineties. Laugh, cry, and experience divorced life through the eyes of a child. Get involved in the process of Kevin Carr as he navigates through sibling connection and rivalry. Observe as teachers cause him pain—mentally and physically. Witness the accounts of the first death of a loved one. But most all of, cheer him on in his struggle to find “normal.”

Before I grasped the concept of decision making, I was making them—some good and some not so good. It is my hope and earnest desire that “Memoirs of a Broken Family” will encourage all who read it to make “good decisions” for everyone in his or her circle.

Good Reading!