Family Reflection Essay

Personal Reflection I grew up in a family full of educated individuals. Most of my family members went to college and had successful careers. I never saw my parents worried about their job. My dad is a teacher at the junior high in my hometown, so he always had a guaranteed paycheck. My mom had multiple jobs during my childhood, and she excelled at every position she was in. Her work ethic inspires me and I admire her determination. The habits of my friends and family only influenced me in a few ways. I have always been an individual that has to learn from their own mistakes. I am often stubborn, and I don’t listen to advice. In my household; my mom, my dad, my sister, and myself had dinner together almost every night. Family dinners were an important part of my childhood, especially when I would have dinner with my extended family, which we made a habit of doing at least once a month. Different members of my family had different diets and eating habits;

My paternal grandparents are smart with their spending. They saved money their entire life, and now they are living peacefully in retirement. My maternal grandparents never went to college, so they did not have the high paying jobs that my other family members did. However, they are also very smart with money. They own a house in Redding, California and are both retired, living comfortably. My parents struggled with debt in the early years of my childhood. I remember the collector’s calls every day, and I was told to never answer phone calls starting with 1-800. Sometimes my cell phone would ring, and they would ask for my mother or father by name. Eventually, my parents filed for bankruptcy in 2008. We lost our house and began moving from rental home to rental home. My family currently lives in a rental home in Los Banos, California. My parents plan on buying their own house after my sister graduates high school in