Let me start by saying I had a decent childhood, there were just some early defining moments that shaped me but I still think I turned out okay.

My first memory is from about age two, I lived in Detroit with my family and our next door neighbors had an aggressive Rottweiler. I was scared of this dog even before the incident. One day I'm outside playing on the swing set with my cat nearby. Somehow the dog got free and attacked my cat viciously as I watched from the top of the slide. The dog ripped out his intestines and I remember him holding my cats head in his mouth and shaking him. It seemed like forever as I just sat there silently, afraid to move in case the dog noticed me. I felt so helpless and paralyzed. People came rushing outside and the rest is a blur but my cat was taken to an emergency vet and actually survived to live another 14 years. He was my absolute best friend and when he died I was destroyed. I still miss him.

A few years later, I was probably five and my parents were going out for the night so I had a babysitter, normal stuff. During the evening some man showed up at my house, yelling to see my Dad and scaring the shit out of me by trying to get into the house. My babysitter did not let him in and instead called my parents to tell them what was going on. They said to call the police and they were coming home. I remember hiding with my babysitter as we waited for the cops to arrive and I remember seeing the flashing lights outside and feeling such relief. I never got the full story but basically the man was a business associate of my Dad and he was very angry with my Dad over something. I felt like my Dad put me in danger and he wasn't even there to protect me.