In Chapter 1, Bud feels sorry for his friend Jerry, who is going to a new foster home where he will live with three girls. Bud mentions that the reason he feels sorry for Jerry is because Jerry is six years old, and according to Bud, being six is a "really rough age to be at." In Bud's opinion, being six is a turning point in a kid's life because it is when they become an adult. Bud says that at age six, adults stop thinking of you as a cute little kid and expect you to understand everything they say. Bud also mentions that instead of getting little swats and taps as punishment, grown-ups begin to slug you hard enough to knock you down so hard that you see stars. Being six is also a time when really scary things start happening to your body. Bud describes how when he turned six, his teeth began to fall out. Bud was scared that other parts of his body were going to start falling off, too. Bud also mentions that at age six his mother passed away, which is when he first came to live in the Home.