Personal Childhood Web

My parents were a great influence on my life. I lived 10 miles out of a very small town in Oklahoma. My dad was a farmer and my mom stayed home, worked part time and was a seamstress. The values and skills necessary to survive on a farm were stressed and reinterated daily. We had to work the farm in order for it to be successful. So many times these days children are given everything and don't have to work for much. I found that my parents gave me life skills that provides me with the motivation and drive to be successful in my own life.

My grandmother ran a daycare in her home for as long as I can remember. I would go work for her during the summer months until I was old enough to drive. I remember wanting to take care of the children. I wanted to change diapers, and feed the infants. I wanted to do activities with the children and I wanted to take care of them and help them to learn. This opportunity gave me a great knowledge in early childhood practices and showed me how much I loved children.

I was a Nanny for a family friend during my Senior year of high school. The family friend's wife died of cancer and I offered to take care of the children afterschool during my senior year. I became a role model and sense of security for these young children. This opportunity provided me with inner strength and it humbled me a great deal. What a loss for them so young to loose their mother, and I still had mine.

When I was very young my father took me out to do chores with him on Christmas morning. We had to break the ice on the water tanks and make sure the salt blocks were uncovered from the snow. I was 6 and he woke me up at 5:30. We went to the coffee shop, and I got a donut. (REAL TREAT) I had my own leather gloves, chaps, boots, and cowboy hat. Mind you we lived in Oklahoma and when riding horses you must wear this gear to be safe. I remember that I was able to be in charge and he let me make the decisions on what needed to be done in order to help the cattle. I had a good bond with my dad, but this made a true connection with him. He trusted me at such a young age and he wanted to show me how much he loved me by taking me with him. My dad is a quiet man that never said he loved us when we were young. He says I love you all the time now, but when I was 6, I needed that connection and it was provided to me. This connection with my dad is very valuable to me and I have carried it on to my own 3 children. Separate ways to connect with each one.

In Junior High I had a basketball coach that did not like me. She always gave me a hard time with any task that I tried to accomplish. I was a good student and I was really good at basketball. She took me out one game and told me I could not go in until I told her what I did wrong. I honestly did not know. I did not go in the rest of the game. I was feeling ill, but my mom became angry with the coach and told her she was taking me home because I was sick. The coach told my mom, that is no excuse for how she played. My mom is a quiet woman and that evening she was not quiet. I never saw her raise her voice until that evening. I never got along with my coach and she was not at all inspiring to me. She made me feel bad and unworthy. I think the coach taught me a valuable lesson on what not to be or do.