Encouragement

What we do for children ‘
by: Christina
As I grew up in a middle class family with three sisters and one brother, I often wondered, “Why life was so complex”. I never seemed to ask for anything, except to be able to hang out with my friends. My early years of age was playful and fun, but slowly fading away. Things began changing when I was around the age of 11-12 years old.
While Dad was gone a lot because of his job, Mom stayed home to take care of us children. Sometimes it wasn’t easy for her to do. Unfortunately, she suffered from migraine headaches quite often and couldn’t tend to the house, us kids, or even herself. Things started coming at me from all directions and threw me for a loop,trying to become a teenager and turning into an adult all at the same time. With Dad working to make ends meet, and Mom being sick all the time, I became the mom.
Even though I wasn’t the only child at home, I still grew up to be mom. My older sister was lazy and didn’t care, while the other one was to young to understand anything about life. So I took things one-step at a time and before I knew it I was doing everything that Mom would do. Learning to cook wasn’t an easy task and laundry was very tiring, but Dad was working to keep a roof over our head and put food in our mouths, “what more should a child ask for?"
Sometimes I would feel like I was being punished, but now that I’m married and have two children of my own, I realize that I was given a gift. A gift of life to give life. I have always believed that things happen for a reason and they do. I thank my parents for the things they did and still do for me, while hoping my children will appreciate what I do for them.