What do you know about your mother and father? I cannot tell you what my mother’s favorite drink is. I can maybe tell you her full name and favorite color. I don’t even know how old my parents are. Now, think about everything you know about your parents. I wish I had my real mother and father to tell me what to do, give me rules. This not only should give you an outlook on how one can be affected by parents that have been in trouble with the law, it should also make you realize and appreciate your parents, whether it is just your mother or your father, because seventeen-year-olds like me would LOVE to take your place.

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Jail . . . it will get you . . . it will mold you . . . it will shape you . . . But it will never take the pain away that I have felt most of my seventeen years of life. It affected me much! I felt alone. I felt like all the other boys and girls had mommies and daddies, but I didn’t. I had people who played the role, but that cannot replace the feeling that I had. Sometimes, I just walked around with a frown, just wanted to punish things and throw things.