You can't ask an acquaintance if he had a good childhood. It's too personal — and a potential can of worms. But we're naturally curious, looking for clues about the situations that our friends come from. This interest comes out in questions like "What do your parents do?" "Are you close with your family?" "Have you been home recently?" and even the straightforward "Where are you from?"
But what does a "good childhood" mean anyway? Most upbringings are complicated; mixed bags. Most parents try their best, and all make mistakes.
Descriptions, whether words or images, of the physical spaces of our formative years hint at the relationships within. If these walls could talk, they'd tell tales long forgotten.
- Laura Brunow Miner, introduction to Coming Home
