Don't worry, High School gets Better...
Madness: The Early Years I spent my youth Hiding in the Cool darkness of my Parents Basement, devouring literature like it was going out of style. I got my love of the printed word from My parents, who read to me constantly before I had even gotten to Kindergarten. They even claim that I was reading on my own Before Grammar school. Y'know, Little Golden books, Suess...
In 1982, my Second Grade of Catholic Grammar School, my Love of Reading was bolstered by a wonderful Teacher... That Poor, Poor Woman. By the middle of that year, I'd Already blown through all the Beverly Cleary books I would ever read, and I was searching for Fresh Blood. I found it In the Depths of Our school library.
Now, This is not to say that it's been nothing but horror since... On the Contrary, I've read all kinds of things. By the Time I had made 5th Grade, I had discovered C.S.Lewis, Verne, and Tolstoy. But Nothing gets the Bat-Phone to the Child Psychologist's ringing quicker than a second Grader's Comprehensive Book Report on "The Pit and The Pendulum."
I Still Have that Report... It got a B.
I also have the report card from that teacher... She was Very Pleased with my 5th Grade reading level- and Deeply Concerned about my choice of reading Material. She was SO right. Muahahahahahahah.
Y'know, your average 8 year old doesn't know the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist. Y'see, when a psychiatrist tells you that Your conversations will be strictly confidential, they're not lying. Let it be a lesson to you kids, Psychologists will tell your parents everything you said, word for word. What's this got to do with the story, ye ask? Well, the upshot of my encounters with 2 different Head Shrinkers was Interesting to say the least:
1) I was Depressed.
2) I had no friends
3) I was getting Abused and Beat up at school
4) Dungeons & Dragons was somehow the Root Cause of all this.
5) The Only Logical Solution is the Complete Removal of all toys, posters, books or Other Material that could possibly be Related to Dungeons and/or Dragons.
Now Imagine coming home one afternoon and finding nearly everything you cherished is Gone. No explanation from your parents. Just Gone. Now imagine you're an unstable 10 year old. This was my Childhood.
In all fairness to my parents, they were only doing what they were told. They were actually pretty good parents, considering.
Are you Scared
of me Yet?
Addendum: I graduated from the 8th Grade of Notre Dame Immaculate Conception Elementary in 1988. Unlike the rest of my Class, I decided to attend a Public High School. The Choice gave me a chance to start fresh, and ditch the old Demons that Haunted my Past.