While I was growing up, I was lucky. I had time with both my parents and I could learn important lessons from both of them, but my encounters with them and how they decided what was best for my development was apparently a little different than the rest of my north shore classmates.
My dad worked nights at Dominick's while my mom taught early bird and through the day so they could both spend time with me. My dad got me ready in the morning and we watched ESPN together as he tried to convince me that going to preschool was, in fact, the best choice I would make all day. I would then go to preschool and socialize with my fellow "classmates". Then my dad would pick me up and I would sit in the back seat of our old volvo and eat whatever cookie my dad brought me for a snack as we drove home and talked about our day. Then we would have cross over time where I would be with both my parents and I would learn about social interactions between adults from theirs in that inbetween time before my dad left for work. He would make dinner before he left then my mom would take over. She would teach me letters and numbers, watch some sesame street with me, then I would put myself to bed at around 7.
I feel like all of these interactions has made me the person I am now and has defined my relationships not only with my parents, but with my peers as well. My dad and I still watch all sporting events together and we've always shared the entertainment side of my life together since that's what we did when he was home with me. My mom and I are more academic and we talk with each other about books and school more because that's how she spent her time with me when I was little. They also both gave me parts of their personalities that I really latched onto because I was with them individually for so long. My dad gave me his sarcasm and my mom gave me her ambition.
Thinking back on my childhood makes me think about how much people's lives are shaped by their relationships with their parents. According to a study on the effects of divorce on the parent child-relationship done by the Penn State College of Medicine, children of divorce can lose their relationship with their parents because of parental withdrawal. This can cause serious ramifications in their lives, such as violence, and having trust issues in relationships further down the road, and anxiety and guilt that can follow these children for the rest of their lives. It's interesting how parental relationships can effect someone's character.
Chloe: I really enjoyed reading this because it makes me think about my relationship with my parents and family. You're right that your home life defines who you are as a person. What your parents or guardians teach you or show you really sticks with you. It's interesting to think about what qualities I hold from my parents. I find it interesting that divorce has a great affect on most children. I didn't realize that withdrawl from both parents could really mess up someone's relationship or at least make it completely different from what it used to be. It's very interesting to see how much parents can affect their children in the way they act, the routine they build up, and so on. Makes me wonder about the future and how things will be.
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