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Management of grief
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I sat anxiously in a hospital waiting room eating the colorful candy, Starburst, with my aunt. The wait seemed to drag on for eternity but finally my step-dad came through the doors exclaiming, “he’s here!” Becoming a big sister brought joy to my family, helped me cope with change, and develop a sense of responsibility. Up until March 5th of 2009, I had been an only child. Many big changes occurred in my life the year prior to the birth of my new brother. My mom became remarried, we moved to a bigger house down the same street, and there was talk of a new baby in the future. The remarriage was a small celebration held at a quaint location on a chilly fall night, a night you would rather be snuggled up on the couch with warm, fuzzy blankets drinking from a mug of hot cocoa. The move was a breeze, as I can just about see the old house through the tall maple trees from the new. I carried whatever I could back and forth, running quickly back down the street to grab more. The excitement of a new house chasing me to and from. Lastly, the talk of a sibling. I wasn’t sure what to think. The thought of a sister excited me, but a brother not so much. I wanted to share my dolls and dress up, not have to play with mud and trucks. Despite my wants, I had a feeling it was going to be a boy. The day of the ultrasound, I made a bet with my step-dad the baby would be a boy. After, I was a dollar richer and a sister of a brother to be. Having to wait a few more months to meet the little guy would be torture, as the anticipation was killing me slowly. I may not have been ready for the changes made and the ones to come, but I took them like a champ. The night before my brother came into our lives, we went to gymnastics, a staple Wednesday n... ... middle of paper ... ...ave me a bright pink gift bag stuffed with shiny silver tissue paper to open. Inside was a shirt that read “I’M A BIG SISTER!” I put the sister shirt on and saw everything differently. “Today marks an important day and you’re going to hold your brother even though you’re nervous, you’re going take responsibility and be the best caring, loving sister you can be”, I said silently to myself. I worked up the courage to hold Hayden, and he smiled up at me from the cocoon of newborn baby blankets he was swaddled up in. From that moment on, I have strived to be a positive role model for Hayden everyday. I’ve learned to love little kid activities again and try to make even bad days, fun. Becoming a sister has made me a better person, and taught me many life lessons, such as conquering challenge and change, making sacrifices, and learning to care for precious human life.
When I was a teen, my mother gave birth to two children, a female (Tamber) and a male (Avery), nineteen months apart. As the two became more mature, my parent’s desire to place each child in the
Seventeen years ago, I came bounding into a world of love and laughter. I was the first child, the first grandchild, the first niece, and the primary focus of my entire extended family. Although they were not married, my parents were young and energetic and had every good intention for their new baby girl. I grew up with opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth, secure in the knowledge that I was loved, free from fear, and confident that my world was close to perfect. And I was the center of a world that had meaning only in terms of its effect on me-- what I could see from a height of three feet and what I could comprehend with the intellect and emotions of a child. This state of innocence persisted through my early teens, but changed dramatically in the spring of my sophomore year of high school. My beloved father was dying of AIDS.
I was raised by my mother and grandmother. They kept my head leveled and taught me that working hard leads to success. I loved them, and they were my role models. I grew up in a middle class family with strong women. I learned independence, and the strong will to never give up. It was the summer of 2005 when my mother re-married, and I was in the eighth grade. My mother was happy because she found the conclusion to her life: a husband. I was ecstatic because I finally had a daddy! My hopes, wishes, and dreams had come true. I felt that God answered my prayers. I loved having a father figure, although I had certain doubts. My uncertainty came from the way he looked at me. He looked at me the way men crave women. However, I concealed my unclear feelings because I did not want to ruin the current circumstances. Unfortunately, all of my suspicions were true.
Last time I remember my family being bright and happy as a whole was probably seven years ago. My family members were my perseverance, my strength, and most importantly my friends who always supported me. When I fell down, it was their hands and smiles that gave me strength to get back on my feet, when I felt like giving up, it was their arms that opened widely to embrace and receive me. As joyful as we can be, I thought my family, was the most beautiful and most pure thing that lived in my life. Lived, sad truth that can’t be forgotten even through numerous of years of facing the same old reality of what happened; where was the breakdown? I wondered. I knew it was useless to attempt to cover up the wound that was deeply implanted in me but in hopes of making the memories of this disaster disappear, I , a young child, was allowed time to cover up those memories as best I could. I often told myself, “at least I have a family… I shouldn’t be sad” and thought of those who were adopted and how they felt. However, the scar deepened by seconds and the spaces to fill were rapidly widening. If I had to be hurt, I would just endure the pain even if I wanted to lean on someone; I kept it all to myself and believed in patience. The impact on which family separation have had on children has been a major problem throughout the world for centuries. Yet, parents fail to acknowledge the effect of how their own irresponsibility can sway their children’s educations, their future, and their body image as their children struggle to continue their life assuming they were abandoned.
It was August 25, 2006 and I just received the news that I was going to have a baby. At that moment so many thoughts ran through my mind. I was extremely nervous and terr...
As a big sister, I get to see my siblings grow up and follow my examples. I also get to boss them around of course. I never thought of what it would be like to have 2 younger siblings. I thought that I would forever be the baby. Things evidently change.
It was September 8th 2010, about 8:00 pm my mom had just put Jaclynn, my three-year-old sister to bed. My parents sat my brother Matthew and I down at the dining room table. I was very confused because we only sat at the dining room table for holidays and special occasions. The last time they sat us down this formerly was when my mom was pregnant with my sister. I thought that they were about to tell us that I was going to have another sibling, which would be a bit extreme considering my brother was a sophomore in high school. We sat there patiently waiting for them to explain the reason for this meeting; my mom started explaining that my dad had lost his job about a month ago. My dad said that there was no reason to worry because he had found a new job. I was extremely relieved; I was only thirteen but was old enough to
I used to be the baby of the family until the day that Child Protective Services turned my world upside down. At the ages of four and five, Karter and Tanner moved into the Gardner house, forever changing the dynamic of our family. Child Protective Services dropped Karter off at our front door with holes in the soles of his shoes and Tanner with shoes so broken down, that the bottoms were falling off. That first day was such an emotional roller coaster that by the time we had finished dinner that night all I could think of was how horrific this experience would be. I learned just how quickly the little things make the bad days worth while.
Looking back now, I can specifically remember when this so-called reality I had as a young child, changed drastically. It all happened when I was six years old; my little brother was born. I didn’t realize the difference until he was almost a year old, but his birth, my mom having a boy instead of a girl, definitely helped form who I am today. His birth was ultimately the alter of my whole reality as I had previously known it. There are plenty moments that I can look back on during this time, and realize how each aided in forcing my gender upon me. My parent’s followed many of the social norms when it comes to boys and girls. Even at age six I noticed that they dressed my brother differently than they did when my younger sister and I were his age. I even noticed that they had a different tone of voice when they spoke to him; it was nothing at all like the little baby voice that I remembered them using when my little sister was a few months old. You know, the voice that we as toddlers would normally get in trouble for using because we weren’t babies anymore. While I could pick out all of these little differences, I wasn’t exactly sure why they were the way they were until a few months later. One evening, around the time in my brothers life when he had finally learned to walk, a few relatives were over visiting and just having a good time. My parents and relatives were talking and admiring my baby brother Mike, and my sister and I played with dolls in the corner. As they were talking, I remember my Uncle saying something like, “He’s getting big, you think he will grow up and be a football player like we use to be?” I ...
My sister is important to me in a numerous amount of ways. She has taught me to be truthful, kind and to never loose faith. Through her I’ve learned to have self-confidence in all that I do or I won’t limit to half of the things I am capable of. I am very thankful that she is a part of me because I know without her I wouldn’t be who I am today. She has helped mold me into the person I have become. I learn from her that making good choices is one of the most important things in life, no matter the situation. Every moment I have with ...
The 31/05/2013 is a very special date for me and my husband André, it is the day our baby Kevin was born. After 12 hours of labour in the hospital, we finally heard him cry, we got to see him for the first time and there is nothing that can be compared to that feeling.
The stress of my day drained away the moment I heard my sister’s laughter. Every other noise would vibrate in the eardrum and make me feel like I was about to topple over. I reached out for her, the warm, small palms fitting entirely in mine. When she flashes an innocent smile in my direction, I cannot not help but feel grateful I have her around. Although she does not understand it, I attribute my determination to succeed to her.
“Hey did you know Kayla and Chanel are sisters, their dad must have been a dog,” and I was mortified by the idea. Yet, I did feel a sense of satisfaction. They say there is no bond like a bond between siblings, and being older and wiser I think my thirteen-year-old self was trying to tell me what I didn’t know the whole time. I always felt a connection between us, but I would never have imagined that we had the same blood running through our veins. I would be lying if I said our new “sister” relationship wasn’t weird in the beginning.
I have wiped her tears when she cried, fed her, bathed her, and changed her diaper. I have organized other caregivers to be there when I could not be, and fought the state medical system to ensure she obtains what she needs to have the quality of life she deserves. When it was time, I was the one who searched for, visited, and placed my sister in an assisted living facility.
I was an only child in my family for about a year and a half. Of course I don’t remember being an only child, but I feel that time will be similar to my first year at college. I’ve en...