Personal Perspective Essay

Looking Back We aren’t born with teeth, they develop as we grow; the same could be said of our life experiences. Babies don’t choose their parents and yet the parents play a large part in who they will become. From the name they give the child to the way they handle discipline. Every day the baby is learning something from their parent’s actions, something that shapes who they will be as adults. Children tend to follow in their parents footsteps. Children are soft like clay, sculpted and molded by each of their experiences. Childhood is everything, and we take something away from all of those experiences and carry them on into adulthood. We don’t see the wind but is still makes us cold and we don’t see all our childhood experiences but they still shape us as adults. People are defined by big moments and decisions they make, but it’s the little ones that make us who we are. Like the moment a mother holds her baby for the first time, and the moment they set you down and you take those first steps. I don’t remember any of those experiences, yet they were life changing moments in my life. My dad was married twice before my mother and I have a brother and a sister from each of those marriages. My mom wanted a child and he agreed, that set the tone for our relationships. From day one my mother was very involved in my life and my father worked a lot. Both of my parents supported every decision I made. Mom supported me by signing me up for gymnastics, young actors, and modeling when I was three. Dad supported me financially. Because of all those activities, I am still very active and physically fit. In, A Walk On The Far Side, Gary Larson’s parents seem a lot like mine.”His folks kept his crayon caddy well stocked. And when Larson wanted a pet snake instead of a beagle? Well, that was OK too.” Some might see this as hindering our ability to make decisions, but I say it gives us more opportunities. I am at a point in my life where it is time to look at all of my options. Most people are going to college, but I’m starting my own business as a photographer and if it wasn’t for the love and support of my parents, I wouldn’t even consider not going to college. I’m sure that Larson wouldn’t have become a famous comic artist, if his parents weren’t so supportive throughout his childhood.
There is a difference between being supported and getting spoiled. My parents always tried to give me everything I wanted to the point where I was spoiled, “I was their little princess.” I was happy when I got the things I wanted, and my mom was happy when I was happy, which made my dad happy, and we all lived happily ever after well, maybe not. Unfortunately, my life is not a Disney movie so this ending isn’t so happy; however, Disney movies did have a big impact on my life. I grew up watching Disney movies because every time I cried or was bored my parents just turned on the TV, and it always made me happy. Television was my escape from reality. To this day whenever I am having a bad day I just watch one of the Disney movies to help me forget about the real world. The author of “Disney Dolls” made me realize just how much fairytales and kid’s movies affect our adult perspectives. Disney movies create an image of what life should be like and they shape our roles in life. My parents treated me like a princess; therefore, I acted like a princess. Everything worked out perfectly until reality hit and my perfect little life began to unravel. Just as David Sedaris realizes in The Ship Shape, very few people have happy endings, and “we’re not that kind of people.” “What goes up, must come down.” Sir Isaac Newton was correct because my family went down hard when the housing market crashed. My perfect little life went spiraling out of control. My dad decided to retire and help my mom start her construction business. Instead of helping, my dad tried to control everything, like always, because he felt like he could do a better job and make more money. He invested all of his retirement money into the houses when the market was good, but they couldn’t predict the future. Around 2008 the economy crashed, and so did my family. It’s similar to The Ship Shape. In this story, the family is happy and excited when they were promised a nice beach house, but when the dad’s promises fell through again the family lost faith in him. The young boy comes to the realization that all of his father’s promises were lies. When a family loses trust in each other, they also lose hope. “As if carried by a tide, our mother drifted farther and farther away, first to twin beds and then down the hall.” I observed similar signs with my family. My parents both blamed each other for losing everything. I was just a walkie talkie they talked into in order to vent. These experiences are difficult for kids to deal with because parents are supposed to be strong role models and when we see them acting as children we lose respect for them. I was forced to play the role of an adult at a very young age. I gained maturity but lost hope and innocence. Most people don’t realize the long lasting effects that divorce has on children, because parents always say that “it has nothing to do with you” when in actuality, the kids are affected the most. The children lose faith in future relationships and typically get caught in the middle of the battle between the parents. In addition, David Sedaris and I were both exposed to the power of money. As difficult as the last few years have been, I am thankful for the strength and wisdom that has been forced on me. Had the housing market not crashed, I am positive that I would be a spoiled, selfish brat. That’s the type of person I was raised to be, but because of my life experiences, my life took a different turn. I am wise and cautious when dealing with money and relationships because of the hurt I have witnessed. I have unreasonably high standards for guys because I am always looking for the prince I saw in the Disney movies, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I am similar to Snow White in the sense that, “Domestic drudgery doesn’t faze her since she is sure that a handsome owning-class chap will, someday soon, come and save her.” I am protecting myself from getting hurt because I don’t want to end up like my parents. Unfortunately, I am also preventing myself from being happy. Whether we like it or not our adult predispositions are influenced by everything we see and hear as children. We cannot stop our experiences from affecting our adulthood, just as we cannot stop the wind from making us cold; all we can do is embrace it and hope to adapt.