It was a serendipitous moment when I saw a post on Threads last Friday from my editor at Business Insider asking if anyone collected pennies. I knew the last penny had been minted in Philadelphia the day before. And then I remembered my own collection, inherited from my grandparents. I sent her a message and ended up sending the essay later that day. I’d just had another piece, about being a grandma and also having kids in college go live a few days prior.
An interesting tidbit that was edited out of the penny piece involves this anecdote:
One night in the mid-80s, a group of teenagers came into the coffee shop in Running Springs, California, where I worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, at 10:45 p.m. They wanted milkshakes, and I’d already cleaned the machine. I told them we don’t usually make shakes that late, but I’d make an exception for them. I was also intimidated and wanted to show them kindness that most people in town didn’t.
I was a teenager myself at the time and so, waiting on kids my own age was always a little intimidating. These kids in particular, happened to be from the infamous, and now defunct, CEDU “school” for troubled teens. In the mid-80s the population of Running Springs was around 3,000 and everyone in town referred to the kids who would occasionally be allowed to leave the grounds as the “CEDU kids.” I don’t think anyone knew back then what a horrific place it was.
Rachel Uchitel spent time at CEDU and talks about her experience on her Miss Understood with Rachel podcast. Netflix’s limited series, Wayward is apparently inspired by CEDU. I’ll be watching and curious to see if they filmed in my home town of Running Springs.
Thanks as always for reading– Oh–and hope you find a lucky penny today!
When one of my favorite editors put out a call for pitches looking for stories about being an ‘old’ parent, I had one of those hold my beer moments as I grabbed for my laptop. Having had my first child at 18 and my last at 38, I am grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences as both a too-young and also ‘old’ mom.
The Cannons – Longwood Gardens – Kennett Square, PA 2008
As a teen mom (decades before the MTV reality show) I lacked patience and life experience among other things.
At one point, I was doing crack-of-dawn surveillance for a PI firm investigating fraudulent Workers Comp cases “down the hill” from the San Bernardino mountains where I lived, and would be back in time for the 3-11 shift waitressing at the local coffee shop. The ends rarely met. It wasn’t unusual to float a check to our local taco joint on ‘my’ weekends.
My three – Lake Worth, FL
“As an old parent, I have stability and a healthy marriage. I stopped working after the birth of my oldest daughter, and was fortunate (thanks to my husband’s job) to be able to transition to full-time stay-at-home mom. I overcompensated for every past mistake, changed almost every diaper, and never missed a thing. Every milestone moment of my daughters’ early lives was a painful reminder of what I’d missed with their brother. We’ve done a lot of healing.”
“Standing at the kitchen sink one summer morning in 2010, the warm prickle of hives took shape down my legs. Intense worry about my beautiful son and juggling his two little sisters was draining. The memory of our first “talk” about drugs at age 9 taunted me.“
This very personal piece was written with the support and encouragement of my son. I hope it might provide a sense of hope for even one person or family member of a person struggling with addiction.
Jennifer J. Cannon 