A child can only be taught to follow in their parents footsteps. However, what happens when the parents are still too young to fully understand life themselves? Teenagers yearning for the thrill of fun and eager to experience life. Life without experience is like running through a dark hallway, you never know what you’re going to run into next. My mind as a child was too young to understand most things my parents faced. I never understood why we couldn’t have the nicer things, or why we never got to go anywhere often. All I understood was what I saw, which was a lot of struggles and trials.

Looking back as a teenager, I now realize the things I never understood as a kid. Our lifestyle was far from perfect, however, I applaud the effort that my parents gave. Not one night have I ever gone without food or a home. My mother was my age when I was born, so I can’t help but wonder if I would be able to do what she did for me. Placing myself in my mother’s shoes, at 17, allows me to be grateful for the life that she gave to me. Although at times it was difficult, my life is a blessing, and I wouldn’t have wanted it to happen any other way.