Personal Narrative: How My Mom Changed My Life

Mom had always been the provider of the family. She worked at a failing elementary school as a reading recovery specialist. She didn't care so much about the money as much as she cared about her school kids. She was a very loving person who wanted her school kids and her actual kids to succeed in life. Mom was 5’2 and weighed one hundred and two pounds, she also had short brown hair. Her eyes were the color of the sky. Your mother cared so much about you in particular because you were the oldest and hoped that you’d go off to college and travel the world. Your father, on the other hand, was nothing to look at. He stood at 5 feet and weighed one hundred fifty pounds. He was bald, sunburnt, reeked of pot and lone star beer. He was in the military

What is your story? What kind of challenges did you overcome? There are things that happened to me that not many people really know about, I was abused by my older sister when I was a young child. But that didn’t make me a bad person, it made me a better one. I treat people with respect and kindness, I help my family with the things they need, and I take care of my brother. I still always make time for myself, to draw, to write, for anything really. But I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if these things didn’t happen.

On November 17,1989 my mother Juanita Renea Ohlinger went into labor at 6:00 A.M. she was in labor for 12hrs. She laid there in so much pain at Providence hospital until Dr. Kendal Foster showed up and told her she had to have a C-section because her pelvis would not expand. The nurse hooked my mother up to monitors and willed her to the operating room, my father Raymond F Smith was dressed in hospital operating clothes. Dr. Foster began to open my mother’s womb and pulled me out at 5:25 pm.

For my job shadowing experience, I visited OnStar with my mother, Karen Kenward, who works there. I was there to observe her career as developer for car radio apps. I observed an average day on the job for her at the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

I began my life conditioned to understand the meaning of various psychological disorders. My mom, whom is a therapist, turned herself over the AA recovery program when she was 22 years old – and naturally expressed her knowledge with me. My familiarity with conditions and their dysfunctions led to a catastrophic personal exhalation and the unmanageability of my life. A number of traumatic experiences toppled with insecurity and arrogance made me weak in this challenging world.

Brittany was watching Netflix on her couch, while her parents were at work. She felt a burning sensation in her throat-- Thirst. So she went to her kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. As she was pouring the water into the glass she saw an old damaged car driving across the bumpy road. She never saw that car in the neighborhood. A few seconds later Brittany heard a weird knock that she has never heard before. She thought that it was her parents but no. It wasn’t.

“Estas loca que le vas a decir a tu papa? (you are crazy what are you going to tell your dad)” my mom said

At the age of sixteen I became a mother. Not literally but I had to take responsibility for my six year old brother as if he was my own son. Our own mother was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder . We did not have a mother , she refused to seek help and the place we called our home became unbearable. She was careless , distant, she was would keep us up with her yelling and made up fights. She would threaten us and leave for as up to a week at once . I was the head of the household. I cooked , cleaned , helped my brother with homework, took him to practice and made sure my mother’s image was not ruined in his innocent mind like she had ruined it in mine . I became subject to her emotional verbal and once physical abuse. She targeted me more than anyone once she noticed that her son favored me more than her. All this while being in my first

In the fall of 2015 I reunited with my on-again off-again relationship with running. At the same time I started doing boot camp classes which I had never tried before. I’m not sure if it was an improper box jump or a wrong step down the road, but I began to notice my knee clicking when I walked up the stairs. After waiting (probably a little too long) I decided to go to my doctor because the clicking wasn’t going away. The ultrasound showed fluid on the knee, also known as prepatellar bursitis. She said it shouldn’t take long to heal as long as I rest and ice my knee as well as avoid doing any strenuous weight bearing activities such as “jumping around” or kneeling. As a yoga teacher it was hard to avoid doing any type of kneeling but I stopped running and going to

I remember a time, when I felt like the world was against me and the only thing keeping me sane was my mom. She has been their for me during all the ups and downs of my problems. I have felt elevation when she helped me get through the loss of my uncle.  For example, she would let me cry on her shoulder and asked if I needed anything. There would be days when I came home from school crying, from my teacher yelling at me and sending me to the principal office. She would comfort and tell me that everyday is a new day and the teacher was just doing her job. When I was little, I was always afraid to go over to my grandparents house and sleep over. She gave me the strength to face my fear and now I'm not afraid anymore. She has always pushed me

Is college right for you? When you think of college, fear is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Coty, a mother of 4 children, 33 years old, and always has a big smile on her face… Well, at least most of the time. She has long black hair, light brown eyes, and if you look closely, a tattoo behind her ear. Most people will assume she’s just a college student but really, she’s a “mom”. I chose to interview Coty because she’s very encouraging and a very talkative person. My mom has a lot to say about her college experience.

My mothers death changed me. I knew I had to change and for the better. I didn't want to waste time. I couldn't mope around and wish that her death wouldn't happen I couldn't change her death. Two days after her death I went back to school and began working nonstop. If my time was precious then I was going to make it count. Instead of watching t.v alone I would study, my G.P.A rose. I started going out spending time with friends and family. I went to school dances and participated in events because as much as the term is over used you only live once. I was making memories to last a lifetime and along the way I was building a future. I didn't realize at the time that my nonstop work was helping me build a resume. All of the extracurricular

I grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, which has such an amazing community, where there are so many people who have helped me learn and grow, especially my family. I have always been empowered to do my best, and this has helped me accomplish the highest standards I can.

Not only as a woman, but as a Mexican, my mother demonstrated to be the strongest person in the world. Since a very young age, growing up in a very difficult environment like it is Mexico, she learned how to see for herself. And through her life my mom appreciated all the lessons she experienced, never with a pessimistic outlook. That is why she always had the wisest words that encourage me to be brave when taking decisions. As the same way her mother’s determination shaped her to become someone independent and with more knowledge, is the same way my mother’s experiences influence me to have her strength. Unlike other mothers, mine was excited when I started solving problems by my own without her guidance, acting like a young adult. The fact

As the plane lands, I see a gray smoke hovering the whole city of Manila, Philippines. It was exactly as I remember it to be. Hot, humid, polluted, and lots of mosquitoes from left to right. These weren’t pleasing at all, however there’s something here that makes me want to go back every time. That is my very own mother.