Taryn Stromberg: A Mother's Life

Sitting on the bench, I felt as if was getting older waiting for the zamboni to finish cleaning the ice. As they opened the door my dad nudged me and said to me “go out and skate.” As I stepped on the ice crash I fell. My dad laughed at me. I said to myself “little fall is not going to stop me. Holding on to the board I started to glide and take strides. At that moment I realized that I was skating. I was so happy.

One of my intellectual virtues is autonomy. I have always been able to function on my own, my comprehension of responsibility influences everything I do and everything that I work hard for. Motivated by my independent nature, I push myself to grow. My parents trust me to make the right decisions for myself, however with this blind trust, they fail to feel the need to guide me. As a result, I became my own parent, relying on myself for guidance: making sure I stay out of trouble, always making have my homework done, not allowing myself to spend money frivolously. This aspect of my personality has always benefitted my performance in school.

Everything my mother did was because she was a single parent and she had to do everything by herself. Therefore, I grew up with the mainframe that was how it was supposed to be. My mother dated men over a period but never settled down. This was my perception of the world; women date men, have their children and raise them by themselves. Being independent was something that I admired about my mother and I thought that was the way to live.

My sister also grew up with a single mother which caused her to do certain things in life. While our mother worked extremely hard to support her two children, she at times neglected the idea of guidance. She was a top provider, though not the best supporter. It was only in High School that she took bigger roles in influencing our decisions. Then, similar to the author, Wes Moore, we also had the support of our grandparents and extended

Wendy Lankford was raised within a “traditional” family and grew up alongside her mother, father, and younger brother in my home state of Maryland. Today, she is married to Shane Lankford and together they care for three adopted sons; ages 22, 7, and 4. Wendy is a stay at home mom who is also actively engaged in her church community and with several nonprofit service groups. Both she and her husband have dedicated themselves to raising awareness and working on behalf of orphans, those with special needs, and those living in poverty.

To make up for the loss of her arm, she had to push with her foot. She tried agian and agian to ride the waver but everytime she fell. After she ran out of strength to stay on the board she was about to give up. Her dad walks up "try it one more time, I feel that this is the one, you're going to get it this time". So She got up and tried it one more time. She paddled out to the wave, tried to stand, and she did. She stood up on the board, tears of joy flowing from her eyes as her freinds and family cheer at her... "She did it, she learned how to surf

He soon became depressed he had to have a nurse stay with him. All he wanted to do was go for a run. He wanted to be in races again. He asked his nurse if h could take him for a walk? He said “you will have to get in the wheelchair ok so the nurse too k him to some park thing there people in wheelchairs the were rolling around playing basket ball,racing just having fun he asked his nurse what is this he said” this is the place where you can still race. He was amazed he loved it as soon as he went home he asked his nurse why isn't that a real sport that competes. They do you just don't hear about them a lot because no one really even knows they exist so a few months after going around the track making friends he made it to a real race! He wins against all of them and they think he can make it to finales and win! He does make it and wins he

Once upon a time there was a girl named Jacie Handley, she lived in Annapolis, Maryland. She was homeschooled because everyday constantly consisted of gymnastics. At the age of only 13, she was a level 9 gymnast. Jacie attended Gymnastics 1st Class and that was pretty much her home. Having practice from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm every day, she was getting in much work. School was in the middle from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (of course eating lunch while working). She was training so hard and was only one week away from the first meet of the season when the worst thing that could possible happen, happened. Jacie was going for her pass, (which is always a no big deal) a double twist when she didn't rotate enough and landed straight on the side of her left

Growing up in a family of eight and seeing my parents struggles to provide for us had always made me wanted to become independent and

There was a girl named Quinley and the only thing she loved in life was basketball. She is 15 years old, but when she was 13 she started having problems with her hips. It was such a big problem that she had to have hip surgery. This was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her and it scared her because all she could think about was the bad things. Those bad things were that she might never be able to play basketball again.

St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) is a well-known reformer of the Carmelites. Her desire in life was to suffer fully for Christ at any cost. One of the costs was whether she would be taken seriously about her determinations since she is female. For being such a brave, strong-willed woman in the 16th century, current feminists would adore her. “Her practical intelligence and vivacious charm helped her often enough to slip out of those tight Spanish cords that kept Castilian women tethered to their small proper sphere” (Dorgan p.155).

Watching my mother live from pay check to pay check when I was young was difficult. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents but, she still somehow managed to get me everything I wanted, and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress, and the struggles my mom faced every day. She was only 20 years old when I was born and, because of that she had no choice but to grow up fast. At such a young age, I saw the effects of being a single parent, and the ways it changed my mom. She not only had to be a young mother but, she had to find a way to replace the void of a father, or a father figure in my life. My mom was strong, independent and courageous. Growing up watching her live her dreams under all the circumstances she faced, made me want to strive for a better life for myself. Seeing how hard is was to live and to have enough

While waiting in line at the ice rink one day, a little boy smiled at me and began making the cutest funny faces. He looked about four years old. My friend and I made funny faces back at him before going off to skate. Thirty minutes later, I noticed the boy again. His mother wanted him to skate, but only encouraged him from the sidelines since she wasn’t wearing skates. I asked my friend if we should help the little boy. She agreed. The mom smiled and nodded her head when we asked her. The little boy was so energetic. My friend and I took turns holding him up and steadying him. After an hour passed, he skated with a walker by himself.

When I was younger, I was entirely dependent on my parents. They had a clear plan of who they wanted me to be and what they wanted me to

When I was eight years old my parents separated, and they got officially divorced when I was twelve. After my parents separated, my mother took on being a single-parent. My father gave up all his rights to my sister and I. Prior to my parents separating, my family was considered upper-middle class. My dad worked as a computer engineer, and my mom was a stay at home mother. After my parents split, my sister and I went from having everything to nothing in a day. My mom had to move back in with her parents until she could find a full-time job and a place for us to live. Because I have seen my mother struggle as a single-mother, I matured a lot faster than most children my age. Even though we struggled with money growing up, my mother always made it a point to go on vacation yearly with my sister and I; I have been to over 30 states because my mom loves to road trip. Additionally, it has always been a family tradition of ours to go to the state fair every year. Because of my family experience growing up, I am very independent. I also learned to appreciate the little things in life. My mom always taught my sister and I that time spent with family is far more valuable than materialistic things. My mother and I are very close to this day, and I will forever be grateful for everything she has done for my sister and me.