re: Were you forbidden from hanging with certain kids when growing up? How did they turn out?

Yes. He lived through the woods from us. My mom found out we were meeting in the middle, just playing in the woods like normal 12 year olds. Moms was concerned that I would get in trouble with him, just like our older brothers did before. We never hung out after that. Dude's dad was an abuser. I saw him the summer he graduated, I could tell he was emotionally burned out. He told me he was gonna do something with himself. The next week he joined the Marines. I saw him 6 months later while he was on leave and I could tell he was better for leaving. He was KIA a few months later in Iraq. There's a memorial for him about 100 yards away where he told me he was going to do something with himself. I still wonder what might've been different for him if he'd had a friends house to go to within walking distance when we were 12.