How did you get into trouble in school?

I had a pretty rough and poor childhood. Long story short, my dad was working in the Gulf, but his employer cheated him and didn’t pay his salary for about 1.5 years. I think I was in the third or fourth grade at the time. One day, our school had an event where kids could bring their toys or books to share with others.

I remember not having anything—no toys or books—to bring and share with my friends. Feeling left out, I started playing with the toys my friends had brought. Later that afternoon, I stole some books and toys from other kids and hid them in my bag. Of course, the kids eventually realized their stuff was missing, and the teacher caught me. The sheer terror of waiting for my bag to be searched and being caught red-handed is something I’ll never forget.

The next day, my mom was called into the staff room for a one-on-one meeting with the teacher. She didn’t say a single word to me afterward; she just walked out crying. I think she understood why I did it, or maybe she didn’t know what to say. When we got home, she hit me hard with whatever she could find. It wasn’t just physical; I could feel the weight of her disappointment.

Now I have a daughter who is about to be that age, and I can’t seem to shake this memory. I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self not to steal from others, not to take things that other kids cherished. But a part of me also understands the circumstances that led me to do it.