Larry Grant
From Mira Mesa (Machinist)
I was disappointed by my dad. He’s living back East now. It’s not the fact that he left my mom and my brother and sister and I. Divorce happens. He just decided he also didn’t want to stay in contact. And these days, it’s so much easier with emails and everything else. He also wasn’t very supportive. Since none of us played sports, which he loved, he seemed to just check out when it came to the activities we were involved in.
Darryl Valdez
From Tierrasanta (Insurance Agent)
My kids. They’re a disappointment. Okay, I’m kidding. I just never put their Student of the Month stickers on my cars. I suppose the only family member that brought grief to the family is my uncle. He’s dead now, but he milked my grandmother out of so much of her life savings. He would be unemployed for long stretches of time, and he’d always promise to pay her back and never did. It made my dad look bad when he asked about the money being paid back after my grandmother died and created tension among all of them.
Stanley Stevens
From Carlsbad (Accountant)
Do in-laws count as family? Hmm…I better not say that, or I know one family member that would be disappointed with me. I do have a brother that was the black sheep of the Stevens clan. I wasn’t disappointed with him, but I think everyone else was. They thought he’d play pro football. They thought he’d get a college scholarship. Maybe they just set the bar too high. He wasn’t college material and didn’t choose the career path they had laid out for him. He’s doing very well now, though, and enjoying life.
Barry Ladd
From Oceanside (Bartender)
I have been disappointed by all my family at various times. Isn’t everyone? Never for anything serious. I was disappointed when my parents wouldn’t help me out with a home loan in my early 20s. They have a lot of money, and I wasn’t sure what the deal was. I was disappointed with my sister for marrying a guy we all knew was a loser. They’re divorced now. I have cousins that have done a lot of crazy stuff. It’s just like dealing with your friends: They sometimes do stuff you hate or can’t figure out, but at the end of the day, you love them and accept them for who they are.
Paul Shales
From Downtown (Unemployed)
I don’t have a relationship with my family anymore. I think they were more disappointed with me. I won’t go into all the details as to why, but it involved drinking, drugs, and some jail time. Usually it stemmed from things that weren’t even my fault, but they didn’t see it that way. Maybe someday we’ll reconnect. Right now, it’s just not in the cards.
Brad Allen
From Los Angeles (Costume Designer)
I have a cousin that has something like six kids, all with different people. You wonder if he’s ever heard of a condom. I guess if he works a real job, they basically take his entire paycheck as child support. So, he still lives at home with his mom and doesn’t really work. My family and I had felt sorry for him over the years and attempted to hire him for some handyman-type work. But the guy is a major flake. He won’t show up when he says he will and takes forever to finish a task.