Personal Narrative: My Mother

As part of my EDUC 2204 class, we are required to go out into the community and create experiences that enhance our own learning. The first lab I conducted was about understanding parental socialization by interviewing a parent. I had absolutely no desire to interview my own parent because I didn't want any questions or answers to feel biased or skewed. (I am sure I wouldn't agree with most of my mom's answers anyway). Instead, I chose to interview a former professor who I admire tremendously. Steven Hall was a professor at Idaho State University in the Department of English and Philosophy. He recently received a new title at ISU as part of the First Year Experience team. Mr. Hall will now be helping mentor first year students and assist them in their transition to university life. While in class, he had mentioned a few times about his young son and when the assignment came up, I knew who I wanted to interview.

Everyone says February is filled with love and happiness because of Valentine's day. Well February has not been the best month for my family and me. We loved February but now not so much anymore. One day I will learn to love February again, hopefully, but as of right now I can only think of what has happened.

I was so scared, I was about to walk down the aisle for my mom’s wedding. September 9,2017, I felt so pretty with my long rose colored dress with my makeup and my rose colored nail polish. Holding flowers and a ring box, it was a little hard but I did it! Ok, here I go everyone was clapping and I was nervous, then I got to the end of the aisle and “plop” the top of the ring box fell ugh I was so mad I couldn't even get it because I had so much in my hand I had to go back for it, so I turned around and got the top and stood in my place.

Alexus Casidy is out of her teenage years and now twenty, with a whole life ahead. The name Alexus may be a common but, the story of how it was picked, was not. Her father named her after a nurse at a Psychiatric Hospital, that he said was pretty. Not only did he name her after a nurse but, he chose the spelling of the car, Alexus. She grew up with her two younger siblings in Beloit WI, and I am yet to wonder if her sibling’s names have a comical story behind theirs as well. My peer went to high school at Beloit Memorial, graduating in 2015. Where she was an active cheerleading and softball player, also where she met her boyfriend, of three years, Ryan. Most don’t see that she is a mother, student, girlfriend, and employee; holding many different roles in all statuses. Alexus studies at UW Rock County and is undecided with fulfilling her dreams for becoming a children’s nurse or a teacher. Also, is hard-working employee at the factory Prent Corporation in Janesville, WI as an Inspector Packer. Where the money pays for the house her and her boyfriend own, with their one year old, Brooks.

The person in the book with whom I identify the most is Philip. My life is not like Philip’s after 9/11 and Wisconsin, but before that time, we have a lot in common. Philip and I live on the east coast. Philip lived in Princeton; whereas, I live in Delaware. My Dad and Mom both graduated from elite colleges. Dad graduated from IIT, Indian Institute of Technology, the best engineering school in India. My Mom graduated from Miranda University, one of the top women’s colleges in India. Joel and Amanda, Philip’s parents, both graduated from Harvard. After I was born, Mom quit her job and became a house mom. She drives me and takes care of me whenever I needed help. This was also true with Amanda as she “… quit her job and poured all her energy

My interviewee is a second generation immigrant with one parent who was born in El Salvador and the other who has Mexican roots but was born in the United States. For the purposes of confidentiality my interviewee will be addressed as Ana from here on out. In this interview paper I will discuss the experiences that Ana faced growing up in a tri-racial household. I will also evaluate her experiences regarding assimilation to the lectures and reading assigned through out this course.

As usual the hallway of Stafford Middle resembled an obstacle course. Hundreds of kids filled the highway, bookbags and other personal items were placed at the random and open lockers spewed their contents onto the floor. Evin quickly slipped through the gaps and open spaces. A normal kid may not have been able to fit through, but as Evin was tall and lean she easily fit through.

The second degree burns all over my mother's left arm and torso would debilitate her for months to come. As a young fifteen-year-old used to having basically everything done for her, I suddenly faced more work and responsibility than I ever needed to consider beforehand.

I first realized my parents mortality when I was in the fifth grade. I was in the basement of my house, watching TV, when I heard a frantic call from my father telling my sister to call 911. My mother had been taking a shower, but she passed out and fell to the ground. My father heard her fall and rushed into the bathroom to investigate, and found her lying on the shower floor. I ran up the stairs in a hysterical panic, while my sister was on the phone calling an ambulance. Every time my mother would open her eyes they would instantly roll to the back of her head. We got my mother into bed and I went to the kitchen to get water and we forced her to drink it. Pretty soon, she came to, and we canceled the ambulance. We huddled in with my mother

I watched her slip into eternal rest on November 10, 2010; she had finally lost her ten-year battle with cancer. The woman that molded and shaped my world, my mother, had died. Ten years before, the only time I dealt with the medical community was for my yearly checkup and vaccinations. Everyone in my immediate family was healthy and happy. Then she came to me and said she was having excessive vaginal bleeding but was not concerned because she believed it was just fibroids since she had them after she gave birth to my youngest sister in 1987. She was just going to go to her OBGYN to get it checked out, but it was no big deal. Two weeks later, we were all called in for a family meeting. The results of her test had returned, and she had stage

I would share what I learned to my family by letting them know about school. My mother plays a big role in helping me out with my daughter when it's time for me to do my school work she takes her for me because with my daughter I can't really just sit and tell her why mama needs to do school work with her being so little. When it comes to work and my boss I would honestly have to do most of my work before the deadlines just because i work full time 12 hour shifts in a factory most the time.So when working I really have to juggle work and school to even out between those hours. When it comes to sharing my learning skills with friends some don't think I learn as much with me doing online classes instead of actually being in the class.

Throughout my life, until now, I have always felt like my dear mother has sheltered me from the world. I was hardly ever allowed outside to hang out with my friends and if I was to be let out I always had the earliest curfew. I remember one day talking to my mother I said to her “ de que me protégés? No necesito que me trates como une niño el resto de mi vida ” (what are you protecting me from? I do not need you to treat me like a child the rest of my life). At the time my mother saw my questioning as a challenge to her authority and instead of being a bit more lenient towards me she just became stricter. I was expected to come home straight after school and I was never allowed to go outside to hang out with friends or my girlfriend.

After my mother and I have an argument she usually smiles at me and says, it’s because we’re so much alike that we argue. She reminds me that our lack of communicating often stirs more trouble than why we were arguing. I used to get upset that my mom didn’t set time aside for our family to spend time together or make us eat together at the dinner table. I was upset because I was comparing our family to my friends’ families. I valued those things and assumed my mom didn’t, but I was wrong. My mom had so much on her mind everyday it was breaking her on the inside. Not only had I wanted my mom to be like my friend’s moms, now I had wanted my mom to be different because she was depressed. Bonhoeffer mentions that we desire images of others that we want, but aren’t the true image they bear as Christ’s (pg37-38). At first I was puzzled. How is a good image of mine, not Christ’s image for her? I learned that His image is neither right nor wrong, but simply uniquely divine. My mom could have done those things, but her whole life would have had to be different, and I would never want to change who my mom is.

Erika Lynn is my Mother. Although she is no longer on this earth she will always be the most important person in my life. She meant everything to me as well as I did to her. In the short time I had with her I thought I learned enough about her to remember for a lifetime. She was beautiful, hard-working and most of all a loving mother.

Researchers have always said that opposites attract. They couldn’t have been more right in my parents’ case. My mom and dad have many differences and few similarities, but they get along all the same. My mom is very timely, organized, quiet, and conservative; whereas, my father is the complete opposite of all of these traits. One similarity they have is that they both love to be active and outside. My mother and father go together like icing and cupcakes, but despite their compatible traits, like being sporty, they have very different personalities and views.