When I went to “Documenting Social Justice” lecture Monday night by Ellen Spiro and Dr. Darlene Grant, their presentation on girl scouts and their mothers behind bars was very powerful. It brought up a lot of memories about my own childhood. Many people might say that I was deprived as a child but I feel it was for the better. Growing up, I missed out on various things but at the same time I was very spoiled.
In my family, I am the youngest of three children which I was always thought was a big advantage. My brother and sister are close in age to each other so they grew up together. Because both my parents worked all the time, they received very little attention. I was different though. My dad stopped working so he took care of me all the time. Unlike my older siblings, I was fortunate enough to attend private school all my life. I have always had whatever I needed at my fingertips and I thank my parents for that everyday.
In my family, I am the youngest of three children which I was always thought was a big advantage. My brother and sister are close in age to each other so they grew up together. Because both my parents worked all the time, they received very little attention. I was different though. My dad stopped working so he took care of me all the time. Unlike my older siblings, I was fortunate enough to attend private school all my life. I have always had whatever I needed at my fingertips and I thank my parents for that everyday.
Being the youngest also has its disadvantages. Growing up around adults all the time can be pretty tough sometimes. You are forced to mature faster than normal. I always felt pressured about everything especially school. My sister and brother taught how to read at a young age and my parents put me in higher grade than I should have been. My mom always said “never settle for being average, but aspire to be
the best.” I never felt like a normal kid. When I was at school, I would always hear about cartoons or Sesame Street but I wasn’t allowed to watch TV programs like that. I pretty much felt like an outsider. My imagination never really developed and that is probably why I’m not very creative or artistic. I never really had the chance to express myself through art. Instead of playing outside, watching TV, or playing with dolls, I read books and learned about math. I guess that is why math has always been my strong point. In “The Mystery,” it says “if you will remember every day to feel the mystery and if you will remember to feel that you are the more than what you look like and if you will remember to be the mystery itself then you will be happy, every day, and all kinds of wonderful happenings will come up for you” (179). As a little kid, I never felt unhappy because I had not done a lot of the things that the other kids did. Instead, I felt so happy because I was smarter and more mature than anyone else. I didn’t really care what anyone thought. I was still a happy child.
After reading everyone else’s interpretation of their childhood, mine really sounds different. Maturing faster had its advantages and disadvantages. In the end though, I wouldn’t change a thing. I turned out to be so much more (in a good way) than what my parents expected and to me, that’s all that matters.
