1. Finding your friends' houses was always a big challenge, because all the houses looked similar, if not identical.
2. So if you've ever looked at your hometown on Google Earth, it probably looks something like this:
3. You need to actively remind yourself to lock things (your house, car, etc.) because it was never necessary growing up.
I don't know about you, but in the past week, the most significant police run-ins in my town involved a suspicious mystery smell, burnt food, and people in a park after hours. It's not exactly the most dangerous place on earth.
4. You might have driven a car similar to this one at some point in your life.
The safety features only encouraged you to race the people next to you at a stoplight.
5. And there's a good choice you saw your fair share of these bad boys back in the day:
6. The first job you had was babysitting, because everyone had little kids.
7. You couldn't go to the grocery store, the gas station, or basically any public place without seeing someone you know.
Sometimes it was cool, sometimes it was just downright annoying.
8. Diversity was a big deal in your high school, mostly because there was almost none.
You might have even been called "basic." (gasp)
9. Going into a "real" city was a pretty big deal, but you did it whenever you could, because there wasn't much to do at home.
10. Even though you sometimes really resented it and felt over-sheltered and spoiled, you know you were really lucky to grow up in such a safe and supportive environment, and you wouldn't be the person you are today without it; you really wouldn't change a thing.