Everyone knows that growing up is not the easiest thing to do in life. Whether that be getting a job, having to save money for something important to you or having to move out of a house that you've practically spent your entire high school years in. Whatever it may be we have all had to deal with it at one point in time. As an 18 year-old male I have had to grow up faster than most kids my age. My mother was and still is a dog groomer: she is really the only person that I have had in my life 24/7. I have only met my dad once in my life that I can recall and I barely remember that, so with that being said, I never really had a father figure in my life. I tried sports when I was a child as to fill a void of that perfect family that I always pictured. We were poor for as long as I could remember.
We originally lived in Jacksonville, AR after moving from California shortly after I was born. We lived in the "ghetto" as people would call it from the judgmental Christian school that I went to right that was right down the road from my apartment. After my second-grade year in school, I was told that we couldn't afford for me to go to that school anymore. At the time I did not fully understand what was transpiring before me. I then got sent to live with my grandparents in Carlisle, AR for my third and fourth grade years in school. They had more money than my mom and that was the best option for me that my mom saw. When my fourth grade year came around my mom told me that she had found a man and that we were moving to Beebe, AR. I was excited because it was a new town and I loved meeting new people at the time. We then moved in where he lived which was in the middle of no where. They then found a house closer into town around my seventh-grade-year. We then moved in to that house and everything was fine, we had money and we had a roof over our head which is all I could really ask for.
Everything was all fine and dandy until my senior year and then that's when everything went downhill. Around January of this year we found out that he was leaving my mom. We were broke again. I gave my mom money from my checks from my job to at least try to help us out but that wasn't enough. We eventually got evicted and I remember all my friends being there for me and saying that they would be there for me and they weren't lying. I now live with one of my bestfriends. I am forever grateful of everything that everyone has done for me. I had to grow up at a young age and continue to grow up now. Most kids my age are living with their parents while they go to college and have money as where I live with my friends and have no money currently and am about to start college this fall.
Life is hard, but you can make it through whatever as long as you try hard and strive for whatever it is that you want. This is just another sappy story from an 18 year-old and I hope that you don't let anything get in the way of whatever it is that you want in life. You can overcome anything that you are going through right now. Whether that be depression, how you are going to ask John Doe out or how you are going to feed your family. You are worth everything that you desire. Growing up is a hard thing to accomplish in life but you will do it eventually just don't freak out, stay calm and relax because everything happens for a reason.
