Now I'm not an extreme case like most, or even pretend to be. I can't say that I understand completely certain others and what they went through. But I do have my own trials and tribulations that I have dealt with. I shall start from the beginning I was born in 86 in Orange County. Yes the one you see on Tv. It's predominately upper class white folks very small minority group in case you didn't know. We were a low class mixed family. Pretty much every negative black statistic I am apart of or had experienced. My only memories of my sperm donor was that he was a druggie who beat my mother. My most vivid memory was being 4 and him chasing my mom around the house. She dealt with this for years along with him not working. His drug of choice was crack. So while dealing with this and the blatant racism we dealt with of being poor and in a white community you would think this would set me down a much darker path. But it gets better. The next person my mom married was bad in similar and entirely different ways. He refused to work and abused my mom mentally as well as abused my brother and I mentally and physically we were step children and treated as such. His drug of choice was weed and was a dealer. My mom allowed this to happen and was okay. So now that you got the basic background will give you some more on actual up bringing and how feral semi applies. Sure you have figured out by now my mom worked a lot in order to support us. But her spouses happiness and well being went before ours. We were left to fend on our own in most things. The only thing stressed was you must get good grades in school but no actual support or help behind it. No plan in place to accomplish it just do on your own. Morals and guidelines of course we had the basics as most do but drugs were being dealt out of our house and garage, so saw quite a bit that kids should not see. This is putting things nicely and the minimum to say the least would go much farther into detail but will not publicly. But unlike most I differ on product of your environment and find it to be an excuse. Don't get me wrong it does play a part and have an influence but its an excuse. It all comes down to me you have a choice to make. Either right or wrong. Its your choice live up to it. Based on my experience and upbringing I should be an abusive, drug dealing, druggie, and absentee bad father. Who refuses to work and do anything with my life. But that couldn't be farther from who I am.I chose to be different and better than what "background" had lined up for me. I have never done any drugs of any sort, I do not condone it any way. I have never abused a woman mentally or physically and pretty outspoken about it. I got a job as soon as I graduated high school and worked up until I went back to school 8/13. Fatherhood which I am the proudest of all as you can see by my profile pictures. I shattered the stereotypes attached to black fathers and my sperm donor and step dad. For my daughter I had to fight for my right every step of the way in order to be in her life. It took two years and thousands of dollars and worth every penny. I would spend everything I have and own to protect and keep them. Fight with every thing I have. Education I'm currently on pace to have my associates degree in two semesters, than start working on my bachelors. Figuring this all out on my own as my mom didn't graduate high school and same thing for my sperm donor and step dad. I'm sitting percentage points away from 4.0 and have a strong possibility of getting into my dream school UCLA. All this because I chose my own path and didn't take the easy route. We are products of our choices. So choose wisely and stop blaming others for your pitfalls.