Personal Narrative – Complications of Becoming a Woman
My mother never told me the complications of becoming a woman in this world. Maybe she thought I was strong enough to figure them out on my own. Or quite possibly, she couldn't tell me, because she never really knew how to face the complications herself.
She never told me how to dress a certain way in order to keep up with the latest fashions. She never told me how to wear my hair in a way that the other girls wouldn't make fun of me for. She never even told me how to apply makeup to my adolescent face. I don't think she ever knew how to put it on herself. My mother was always a simple woman. A brush of mascara, a touch of the gloss, and she was done.
My mother never told me that being in love does not mean sitting by the boy of your dreams at a high school football game every Friday night. And that the boy of your dreams never really remains the boy of your dreams unless, of course, you don't know any better. How was I supposed to know?
She also never said that I would fall "in love" over and over again until I met the right "one." And when I met "the one," chances are he wouldn't be it, and I would have to go through the whole process again. Mother never told me the process would take weeks, months, or even years. She never told me this would be painful. Because if I knew that falling in love would eventually hurt so much, I would have probably tried at all costs to avoid the pain. It never brought me strength, but has formed a callus around my heart.
You know this story just as well as I do. I am sure it has happened to you. The characters might have different names, and the setting most likely took place somewhere else, but in the end, it's all driven by ...
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...etween true love and the need to be loved. I needed to be loved. I needed to feel loved, so I stuck with him until I realized what I was doing. I had never truly loved him. He was only satisfying my need for security and hope. Once he failed to do this, our relationship could not survive.
After the relationship ended, it took me a while to learn to trust again. I found it much easier to trust no one than to fail by trusting the wrong person. Over time, I realized I wasn't being fair to myself. I would have to learn to trust in order to let people back into my life. How else was I to find "the one?"
My mother never told me the complications of becoming a woman in this world. She never told me that it's not necessarily important to find "the one" true love in your life. She didn't tell me about the longing, the grieving, or the pain. She didn't have to, I guess.
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory." Theatre Journal 40.4 (1988): 519-31. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 11 May 2011.
This article presents an explanation of how the beer has led to the human civilization. The author starts off by addressing that humans were restricted socially. Lifesaving social instincts such as artistic expressions, romance, and inventiveness didn’t lend themselves to the development of human civilization. The author goes on to describe that, the only thing that freed up the rigid social codes that restricted people was the invention of beer. The author notes that this accidental discovery is unknown but it was discovered 10,000 years ago. The author explains the current theory that most people believe that many people stored
Butler, Judith. Ed. Case, Sue-Ellen. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution." Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.
was no mother figure spoke of, just her father, which she lived with alone other then
Parenthood is the hardest job anyone could ever have and it demands the constant attention of two loving parents, but what happens when one parent is left with the care and responsibility of a child. Well my mother had the burden of raising two kids, holding down a full-time job, and attending school. With her busy schedule it was hard on me because I was on my own almost of the time that I needed help whether it was to feed myself or if I needed help with homework. My mother knew I was having a hard time acclimating to our new situations so she took it upon herself to teach me to become as self sufficient as a 9 year old boy could be. I first saw this as a disadvantage, but quickly learned that it had become a blessing in disguise. Under the
As a child growing up, there were times I would feel my mother would be out to just make
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.
Growing up in a single parent household was a struggle. My mother worked very long and hard so that I could get what I wanted and needed as a child. To this very day she works just hard, if not more. My mother had me at the age of sixteen, although she was just a child herself, she has raised me well. It was hard for her to manage everything but she found a way. When I was eight years old my mom had to take in my older cousin, Longris, due to the passing of his mother. It got harder on my mom because now she had an extra person to provide for. Through these hard times another cousin of mine, had to move in with us due to his mother’s passing. From this point it got even harder to manage bills and taking care of a household. Despite all of our challenges we found a way to make it. This taught me
Throughout my life my mom has always been selfless and generous- especially when it came to her children and grandchildren… ever putting her self last! SHE WAS MY EVERYTHING… Unlike my sister, I was the one that gave my parents their grey hair… It took me longer than most to mature, and the truth is- that’s putting it mildly. Yet through all the ups and downs, and all the times I would end up disappointing her expectations of me, one thing NEVER
Motherhood has taught me many life lessons. Before becoming a mother, I was a self centered child. I had no motivation to succeed. All I was worried about was where the next party was. At that time I had no want to try because I was so scared to fail. I was slowly progressing to go nowhere and do nothing with my life. That has all changed now. I no longer party or use drugs. I work full time, attend college full time and devote my all to my children. Without them I would probably be in a jail cell not where I am today.
A secret agent. A professional football player. A fire fighter. These would have been my responses when asked that inevitable question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Family, Media and Peers are said to have influenced my views concerning the role I am to play society. All of these factors had one thing in common. They all were influencing me to behave according to my gender. Everything from the clothes I wore to the toys I played with contributed to this. Even now as a young adult my dreams and aspirations are built around the gender roles that were placed on me.
Does anyone really want to feel isolated from everyone else? From the beginning of childhood we don't want to stand out too much. We want to be like everyone else. We want a normal family, a normal life. We want mom, dad, maybe a few siblings and a dog. No one really wants to be the different kid. I was the different kid without a mom.
My mother was taking care of me, and my three other siblings all alone by herself. When my father was living my mother only had one job, but now she had to work more. She had a massive impact on our lives by making sure we had everything we needed. Because I was the oldest of my siblings, I felt like I was a parent. At just eight years old, I had to skip school just to make sure my siblings had someone to look after them while my mother worked. I was obligated to feed them, give them baths, and put clothes on them. It was very difficult, but I knew my mother had to pay bills, and take care of us and herself, so I knew she couldn’t afford a babysitter. When times got very tough, my mom would get stressed out and take it out on us by throwing tantrums, hollering at us and beating on us. I didn’t have a choice but to encourage my mother, and be the one to push her to not give
My mother was not only worry and take care of me, she always by my side when I need her help. I felt sad, my mother always by my side to talk and to console. While I am glad, my mother is always been there to share and listen to me. When I failed to do something, my mother who was gave me advices. She has always supported me in all my choices. She tried to make me strong people with independent minds. I looks to her in hopes that someday I will be as happy, as strong and as well as
Melissa, Bell. Empowerment Through Play: The Role of Theatre in Maintaining the Female Voice. New York: ProQuest, 2008.