In this house, we eat supper as a family, no elbows on the table,

But remember, keep your emotions neutral, that way you won’t be called mentally unstable,

In this house, we believe in sharing, it is theirs too, even if you bought it,

But remember that time you thought Dad was a peeping tom? Keep it to yourself, no one else saw it,

In this house, the younger kids like to pray and be tucked in each night,

But remember to act like the picture-perfect family, “no, we don’t fight, that isn’t right,”

In this house, we often go on drives and take family trips,

But remember, “nobody finds out that your dad and I almost split,”

In this house, we have few mistakes, we learn from our past,

But remember when you were adopted? Don’t. We don’t talk about your real dad,

In this house, we have a great big family Christmas, we receive loads of gifts,

But remember that time when mom was all bandaged? I wasn’t supposed to know that she cut up her wrists,

In this house, we are taught to keep things tidy, we know what to do if something spills,

But remember that time you laid crying in the dark? That night your mom took a whole bottle of pills?

In this house, we believe family comes first, we must look out for one another,

But remember the time that your room filled with flashing lights – the night the cops came to save you from your mother?

In this house, if any problem arises, we like to think we can solve it,

But remember to have respect, don’t ever call your mother an alcoholic,

In this house, there are a lot of kids and a lot to do, mom and dad get pretty stressed,

But remember to never speak about your true feelings – they might try to recommend meds because you’re “depressed,”

In this house, mom and dad want us to be totally open with them,

But remember to never go to them about love because they hate your ex-boyfriend,

In this house, we are told to be thankful and nice, we are instructed to never pout,

But remember, the things you can open up to them about, are at a very limited amount,

In this house, we believe in God, and that there is a heaven and a hell,

But remember when you hit rock bottom and breakdown, you’re just a punk teen trying to rebel,

In this house, we know right from wrong, we were taught to behave,

But remember, if you stand your ground at all, they will threaten to send you away,

In this house, we were shown that school isn’t the only place you will learn,

But remember, you were raised to be only seen and not heard,

In this house, we are told to appreciate good people and nature’s every sight,

But remember, they will only listen to and believe what they want to when you say what’s on mind,

In this house, we have a lot of issues,

But to solve them on our own is something we refuse,

In this house, we like to think we do no wrong,

“Remember honey, it was your boyfriends fault all along,”

In this house lives a drinking mother whose husband ignores it,

Remember, the only thing in our worries is who our daughter sees, and how we can control it,

In this house lives a couple of people who each have their demons,

But the only focus right now is on the ex-boyfriend and how she mustn’t see him,

In this house, nobody wants to open their eyes to the bigger picture as a whole,

The fact that our family’s problems stem further than a boy they think they know,

In this house we need help – to talk and understand each other,

I want our old family back, and I want help for my mother,

On the outside we look perfect, like we have it all figured out and more,

But in this house, nobody knows what truly happens once they close that door…