The Process of Growing Up
“The process of growing up is when you discover the strength within you survives all the hurt”. It was that last hot summer day of sixth grade, walking home from school as usual being so excited to finally move on and become a seventh grader. While walking home I still remember I had that feeling of joy and happiness to think wow moving up to seventh grade next school year and the enjoyment of growing up a little bit more. Seeing how it was going to be summer break. It was a normal and more than perfect day to actually go home from school without a care in the world.
When walking up to my house, I saw the green Ford truck all packed up with our belongings; I thought well, “when we decided to move”? I was analyzing and questioning all the possibilities of why that truck was loaded up with things that both belonged to my mom and stepdad. As soon as I stepped in the house I knew there was something terribly wrong. I walked throughout my house seeing everything turned upside down, smashed, thrown around everywhere and destroyed all to pieces.
As a sixth grade little girl I didn’t know how to react or even know what to think. All I really knew was someone obviously wasn’t happy and that same person was moving out. At this point my mom was basically the “house wife” that cooked, cleaned and did all the motherly things. While my stepdad worked and made the money. They both had their hands full with four kids and still being able to maintain their marriage and relationship. But as you can see their marriage wasn’t at all perfect, everything down fell from there.
My stepdad left us with nothing; took just about everything that was in our house. The only thing we had left was our toys and rooms. Coming home and seeing my house destroyed in every way is when I knew at that point nothing is going to be the same and knowing my stepdad was moving out was not one of the best things for any of my family’s lives. Since my mom didn’t work she had to get a job in order to support four kids including a roof over our heads, food and clothing on our backs.
This was the turning point of many emotions, anger, disgust and hatred but at the same time this one thing helped me grow in strength, maturity and even responsibility towards myself, making me who I am today. Devastated as I was, my mom had to work nights as a bartender meaning she was never home with me at night and me being the oldest resulted in me having to watch my brothers and sister. Emotions were running high in my family, but from then on watching my little brothers and sister was my job, didn’t really have a huge social life, I found my world spiraling.
All of these effects that took place when my stepdad decided to move out really had this huge impact on my life. While trying to take care of my brother and sister, I found myself having to grow up more and more every day. The responsibilities that were involved were more than I could ever handle at that time. Working hard to help out my mom and getting through the emotions of my stepdad leaving was the most life learned experience I’ve ever had to go through. The hardest time in my life by far.
As a result of that time, I can say now it really made me a better person in every way imaginable. As time went on it eventually resolved itself, making me more responsible than ever; my maturity enlarged immensely and just that experience alone makes me a grateful person now. Seeing how people can destruct something they once loved including their family really made me realize how lucky our family was without him. Although this experience was at rock bottom at the beginning it ended up working out for the better.
In a way that I got a chance to realize something’s on my own and not to only depend on my parents. Just of the simple fact that I learned to have responsibilities. Which in the end really helps me now and for in my future. Having to grow up too fast was the most challenging thing in my life. My family and I survived all the heartbreak that came from my stepdad leaving but now actually being eighteen, I can say it was really worth him leaving. With that being said; “The process of growing up is when you discover the strength within you survives all the hurt”.
