Personal Childhood Web

This is my family. They were my support system as a child. My father was in the military so we moved about as he was stationed in different areas. I saw my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins only once per year until I was about thirteen. That is when my dad retired. He and mother decided to move back to West Virginia to take care of their elderly parents. I think the fact that we moved so often made us closer because we rarely stayed anywhere longer than a year or two, and that just isn't enough time to pour yourself into outside relationships.

 This is my beautiful mother who stayed home with me, her youngest daughter, until I went to kindergarten. She was always there when I was happy or sad, when I needed someone to let me make mistakes and someone to point out my mistakes, and she always allowed me to do what I wanted as long as I knew that once I decided to do it, I had to stick through it until the end. I can still tell her anything and she will listen without judging. She is not only a great mother, a great supporter, but a great friend.

This is my father. He was and is always pushing me to do my best. He always knew that I was strong and he allowed me to choose my own path just as my mother did. He was protective, as most dad's are of their baby girls. I had rules to keep me safe but we had the kind of relationship where he could look at me with disappointment and I would cry. He taught me to try my best but would hold me and tell me it would be o.k. when I failed.

Sisters Forever

This is a picture of my older sisters and I. The blond in the middle is the oldest. She would walk me to the baby sitter before she went to school. She would make sure the neighborhood kids didn't pick on me. The one in the gray sweatshirt is the middle child of we three. She was a little wild. She showed me how to be a free spirit. She allowed me to come to her room when I woke up with nightmares, so I always knew she would protect me when I was scared.


I know our assignment told us to list at least five people who supported us in early childhood. Unfortunately, I cannot think of a fifth person that supported me through the early childhood years because we moved so frequently and we were far away from other family members. I will say that my immediate family still has an impact on me today. My mother is still one of my best friends and she has built an amazing relationship with my daughter ( which is something I wanted because I never got that relationship with my grandparents). I can still tell her anything about my life and she still doesn't judge, but will offer me a bit a constructive criticism to push me in the right direction. My dad still pushes me to be strong, to make the right decisions, not only for me but for my family. My sisters still look out for me, making sure I don't take on too much responsibility and they will still comfort me when I am scared, even though now it's not the boogie man, but more adult issues that scare me. I hope I am passing these wonderful things onto my daughter. I also hope that some of these supportive ways will be passed on to the children I work with at my school.