On being left alone: my dad left me and my sister alone when I was 5. It was for about 30 minutes. Told us to run to the church across the street if the house caught fire and not yo answer the phone or door. I never told my mother about that one. My dad had his own set of issues and scared me. I just remember being scared the whole time. Perhaps this is why every dream about my mothers house involved it being on fire.