Secret Life of Children

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Andrew Furlong, 6, at the edge of his family's yard in Sturgeon, Missouri.

Secret Life of Children

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Caption: Andrea Furlong, 9, leans against her family s Chevy Lumina in Hallsville, Missouri as her mother Cindy s ex-husband Will looks on.

Secret Life of Children

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Chickens recovered from a class project winter in the garage of the Furlong family. Andrea fearlessly reaches into the coop and pulls out chicks to show to her sister Lurlena, who is reluctant to grab one for herself.

Secret Life of Children

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Andrew's hand reaches out to choke his cousin Dacota as they argue about what TV show to watch, as the girls Andrea and Lurlena watch, impassive, from the corners of the room. Because of close quarters, fights are quick to break out, and are just as quickly forgotten.

Secret Life of Children

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Lurlena steals a moment of quiet in her parent s bedroom while her brother Andrew sleeps under the covers.

Secret Life of Children

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Lurlena ventures out into a neighboring yard as her cousin Dacota, left, and sister Andrea, right, hang back. Lurlena gathers dandelions to place on the memorial grave of a friend of the family, who died in a car accident of Highway 63 a few days earlier, on his way to a new job in Columbia.

Secret Life of Children

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In her new dress in the back of the car on her way home from the Sturgeon Carnival, Lurlena cries, having lost the competition for Carnival Princess. The title was given to the girl whose parents bought the most votes, in an effort to raise money for the elementary school. The Furlongs, with a single income and five children, spent eight dollars towards tickets for Lurlena, but the loss is still tough for her to accept.