My Childhood

My entire past wasn't terrible, I actually had quite a nice childhood and feel I was brought up well. Everything changed once I hit my teens... and all went downhill from there. There were, of course, positive times in my past~ I have some amazing memories of fun times, and obviously the birth and upbringing of my daughter. But as for the overall view from about 1980 to 2005... most of it I wouldn't mind forgetting.
My family, consisted of my parents, who are still married after a short split back in the 80's, my sister, who came from my dads first marriage, and myself. My sister was the girlie one, I was the tomboy. Both my parents worked and we had all the things we needed. We were considered upper-middle class. We traveled, we had a boat, we had some great times. I was a daddys girl, always wanting to be just like my dad and making him proud was all that ever mattered to me! I never really felt close to my mother, which eventually got worse and was the cause of so many of my problems. My sister was 5 years older than I, and we were never really close either, we were total opposites! None of my extended family ever lived near us, but we went to see them often.
 I was raised by parents who believed the wifes place was in the kitchen- never the husband, we always sat down together at the dinner table... with no television! Children never spoke out of turn, we were raised with values and morals and manners and respect (no, religion is no necessary for that!).  Chores got done when they were expected to, homework was done after school and before anything else. There was no religion in my home, my parents came from different religious backgrounds and I think they just decided to let my sister and I decide for ourselves when we got old enough. We did things as a family, we voted on where to go for family vacations. We were never physically punished, rarely punished at all- because we knew the rules, and respected our parents. After a while my sister decided she didn't like doing the things our family did, so I was pretty much an only child after about age 10... trips and outings were me and my parents.
It saddens me to think back about how lucky I was as a child, and what a wonderful life I had, and then see where all that ended up. But I know I am doing what I have to in order to be happy and healthy, and I know my choices are what is best. 
A lot of people look at me and wonder how I turned out the way I did after being raised as I was. They see my sister and wonder how we can even be related because we are so different... different ideals, different priorities, different beliefs... nothing about us is the same. I have no contact with these people at this point in my life... this is my doing, my choice. And it is what is best.