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in my backyard
By heather | April 3, 2009
I grew up in a safe, idyllic town. Probably everyone I know feels safe when they go home to the place they grew up, but my town really was. I waited for the bus by myself, walked to the drugstore, and rode bikes all over the place without wasting a minute on thoughts of predators, or speeding cars, or all the things I worry about with my kids.
I never really considered going back there after college, but I always pictured raising my kids somewhere exactly like where I grew up. I wanted my kids to have the same freedom I did, somewhere where they and I could feel safe, and to be able to shoo them out in the yard to go play. I wanted them to attend a small high school where they wouldn’t be offered drugs by the time they were 10 and could make it to college without having had sex.
Despite my mom’s reassurances that just like everywhere else, my hometown was getting less safe, with more violence and drugs as people from “the city” moved there for the lower cost of living – I didn’t really believe it. A small town, one that requires explanation when people ask where I’m from – the nearest big city, a landmark, and failing those things the proximity to a major highway.
The place I grew up is a suburb of Binghamton, NY. If you ask me where I’m from, I’ll tell you, “Binghamton, NY – small town just across the PA border, right off 81.”
Often referred to as Bimmington, or Birmingham, or Bringhampton – today everyone has heard of it.
Before today, I think the main claim to fame was spiedies and a brief mention in Rounders.
After today, you won’t know it for the quiet streets, or the good schools. Nor for the kind of cold winters that often dump a foot of snow in April, or for the spectacular mountain scenery, the warm summer days and cool summer nights, or for the community feel.
My dad and I always laugh at the hometown newspaper, because it’s usually poorly written and two days behind the rest of the world news. In fact, the local news at noon today didn’t even cover what happened almost two hours earlier. When we visit, without fail Brett or I will marvel over the cheap real estate, and wonder if we could find jobs there.
Now, just like Columbine or Virginia Tech, the place I thought was insulated from the violence that is usually a result of feeling as if you’re owed something that the world hasn’t delivered, Binghamton will always be known for a different reason.
Over the next few days, as the media parades photos of the victims and shooter, and analysts make up motives that can never be disproved, and talking heads overrun the city, I’ll mourn the loss of my personal utopia.
Topics: misc, nostalgia | 3 Comments »
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April 4th, 2009 at 1:51 am
I don’t know what happened but I’m going to go find out. A year after I graduated a kid brought a gun to my high school. There’s a breakdown happening with families, even in small towns. We can’t expect our kids to grow up seeing what they can see on television, hearing what they can listen to and playing the kind of games they can play without expecting consequences. I don’t know this situation, but I’m going to guess it started at home…
I’m sorry your dream has been tarnished.
Vicki’s last blog post..If only money grew on trees and I had a green thumb
April 4th, 2009 at 1:59 am
Alright you mentioned two schools so I thought it as a kid. Who knows what makes adults snap. Well, I have my suppositions. I’m still so sorry that this has happened, not only to the victims, but also to the town, your family and you.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I live in New Orleans and my husband and I are Hokies (Virginia Tech grads) so I can appreciate where you are coming from here.
Don’t know if it will make you feel any better, but when I think of Binghamton, I think of IBM!