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Honored Contributor
Posts: 37,847
Registered: ‎06-11-2011

Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

Don't ask me why, but a thought from my childhood occurred to me today. When I was growing up, gas stations were not self serve. An attendant came out and pumped however much gas you told him you'd pay for (yes him, I never saw a female come out) and he'd wipe off the windshield and ask if you wanted him to check the oil.

 

Well, my father never trusted the guy to pump the amount he asked for which was ridiculous because you could see the amount if the sale on the pump before you drove off! (I don't remember receipts being given). For some illogical reason my father always got out of the car, even in the snow in winter,  to watch the attendant pump the gas to make sure he didn't cheat my father out of any.  My mother never did that. I guess she just looked at the amount of sale on the pump before she drove off if she even cared at all.  Looking back, I think my father was completely irrational about this but he never trusted the attendant to pump  the amount of gas my dad was paying for!

 

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,019
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

My oldest brother.  He was occasionally off on some new and dangerous adventure. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,602
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

This wasn't me but my husband.  I was unaware of it for quite a while.  When my son was 7, he learned chess.  He was very good at it.  Soon my husband would take him to the chess club.  One of the people there took an interest in my son.  Soon he began playing and then teaching him more and more.  One day there was chess tournament in Virginia.  This guy wanted to take my son there.  It would be a several hour drive etc.  My husband hesitated.  My son was now 10 years old. Then decided not to.  A few years later we heard this man was arrested for molesting young boys.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,341
Registered: ‎04-19-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

@songbird , oh my!  This is an example of trusting your gut!  


-- pro-aging --


Rochester, New York
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,892
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?


@Pearlee wrote:

Don't ask me why, but a thought from my childhood occurred to me today. When I was growing up, gas stations were not self serve. An attendant came out and pumped however much gas you told him you'd pay for (yes him, I never saw a female come out) and he'd wipe off the windshield and ask if you wanted him to check the oil.

 

Well, my father never trusted the guy to pump the amount he asked for which was ridiculous because you could see the amount if the sale on the pump before you drove off! (I don't remember receipts being given). For some illogical reason my father always got out of the car, even in the snow in winter,  to watch the attendant pump the gas to make sure he didn't cheat my father out of any.  My mother never did that. I guess she just looked at the amount of sale on the pump before she drove off if she even cared at all.  Looking back, I think my father was completely irrational about this but he never trusted the attendant to pump  the amount of gas my dad was paying for!

 

 

  

 

 


Lol....my very first job was pumping gas, so there were some female ones.

Someday, when scientists discover the center of the Universe....some people will be disappointed it is not them.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,319
Registered: ‎03-16-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

Just the usual stuff, don't talk to strangers, don't eat you Halloween candy before we look at it, etc. My mother was over protective with my sister and myself. My brother being the oldest and a boy had much more freedom than we did, it really wasn't fair. Oh yeah, for whatever reason my father didn't want us kids eating Sweet Tarts ( I don't know what he thought was in them), my mom let us eat it anyway!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 37,847
Registered: ‎06-11-2011

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

Interesting replies but I was thinking more in terms of parents not trusting in regard to themselves rather than in regard to their children (like in my OP where it was my dad not wanting to be cheated).

 

@CrazyDaisy  I suspect you are younger than I am.  Did you pump gas for people in the 1960s? I don't think there were female attendants then.

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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,240
Registered: ‎10-14-2016

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

My friends and I were discussing something like this topic recently.  Seriously, I think if my parents knew them, they trusted them.  Looking back I am amazed at some of the things we were allowed to do.

 

1) We were allowed to go just about anywhere with any of the parish priests. I remember once a seminarian took a group of 8th grade girls across town to the seminary to bake a cake for someone.  No problem....go ahead.  We went on picnics etc.

 

2)  I had a friend whose uncle was in the mafia.  Always in and out of jail.  When he was home we always went places with him.  Not a worry in the world.

 

I guess we lived in a much simpler time.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

[ Edited ]

@songbird @There was a man that was a substitute teacher in a middle school near me. He was somehow allowed to have a before school chess club. I'm close friends with a couple of teachers in this school. The man took one of the teacher's class lists that contained all student contact information when he was subbing for her. The teachers said that they were very sure he was interested in only the boys in a predatory way. The teachers had many instances that were very suspicious. I can not remember what they told me because it's so long ago. The teachers went to the principal and he was not permitted to continue with the chess club. Other teachers had already gone to the principal with similar suspicions unbeknownst to each other. The principal told this to my friends. It was not an authorized club anyway. It should never have been allowed in the first place. The lady that would call subs into work each day stopped calling him.  The man went from school to school setting up these clubs and continuing with his behaviors. The principals and teachers from the different schools in the area spoke with each other about him. He had no criminal record or he could not have been subbing. He got a name for himself. They called him "The Chess Man."

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,602
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Re: Who or What Didn't Your Parents Trust?

@Mindy D  Wow....  Our chess club was different.  They were for adults and children.  They sponsored tournaments and your scores affected your national and eventual international ratings.  Both my husband and son were active in.  Nothing like that had ever happened before.  When the guy was arrested, it turned out that the chess club uninvited him to leave years back.  We had not heard about this guy for years before he was arrested.  My husband was thankful for listen to his gut feeling.