Personal Narrative: My Stepmother Archetype

Most of us are lucky enough to have a home. A place one can come to, and find those close to us. We often take this for granted, and stay blissfully unaware of how fortunate we are. Jeannette Walls’ life has been far from easy. From the day she was born, she and her family had combated constant forces of turbulence and order.

“Moving away from a dysfunctional family environment is often necessary in order for individuals to grow and develop into healthy and productive adults.” (Wilson 5). Jeannette was finally able to put her family’s dysfunctional behavior behind her and

I am Mica Herrin, a struggling college student from a provincial town in the middle of nowhere with a bank account that is composed mostly of some change I found in the fountain, but my lineage is a story that consists of much more. My family is vibrant and diverse, spanning across most of the west coast, the mid west, the south of the United States, as well as into northern Europe. We are a ragtag collection of farmers, intellectuals, artists, and creepy uncles all with our own unique tales of travel, wonder, and woe. My personal story begins in the Mobile Infirmary in Mobile, Alabama on July ninth, 1996. As the second child of Kevin and Darla Herrin, I spent the first three years of life in Mobile, Alabama before continuing my life journey to Dallas, Texas.

For many people, the childhood house they grew up in has countless memories, both good and bad. However, the concept of home is not confined to a single house or location-- instead, home is mostly made by the people in it. Although this can sometimes be forgotten, the home matters far more than the house. The experiences someone goes through in their home serve as lessons that over time begin to shape their view of the world and themselves. In Jeannette Walls’

I remember the talks my mother gave me each morning in our 1997 Aerostar van, which my mother had cleaned houses to pay for. She always instilled that we were fortunate, even if we were struggling, we were fortunate. She had jobs, she had her health, we were a family, and for those things we would always have to be grateful. My love for academics immediately set me apart from the world in which I had always been an insider. I was immediately labeled differently from my family members outside of my immediate family, who felt that academic pursuits were a waste of time and money.

Eventually that led to a divorce and yet another loss in my life. My step-father had been the only steady adult figure in my life and now he was gone

Not just once, but it almost became a routine: waking up to an empty home and a crime scene while falling asleep to the tears of their mother and slams booming from down the hall. By lacking a parental figure, the child sought out a new source to nurture them, which became the elderly neighbor. They get exposed to real world violence from the case of domestic abuse; their parents, who are supposed to guide them, set them on a downward track. Maybe by the age of fifteen, they could recognize what was wrong with it; though, we have no idea how old they are or how long this has been going on; in my mind when I wrote this, the child was around the age of seven. During these few years, the child’s mind is highly influenced by their surroundings—especially their

My life has been like a roller coaster running on its tracks going through the twists and turns and the ups and downs. Much like a rollercoaster being guided along with the urge to keep pushing forward my life has been driven by three vigorous passions that burn deep within the pit of my soul: the significance of family, the desire to help others, and the exhilarating feeling of exploring new destinations. Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions, but our roots remain as one. As the youngest of three children I’ve been able to learn from the mistakes of my older siblings to help contribute to my development as a young man.

My grades were not that great. Just seeing the abuse that my mother went through, it was hard for me to cope. I graduated from High School, went to W. B. I. received my 2 year degree, right after graduation, I got married. It did not last too long, this is where I experienced the four Horsemen of The Apocalypse. Then, I met the father of my children where I followed my mother’s steps.

My journey began when The Deron School hired me as a paraprofessional. I learned so much about myself in a classroom setting of diverse learners. First, my strong qualities, such as patience, flexibility to change, and positivity, were simply demonstrated for this position. I have witnessed staff members resign due to stress from unpredictable circumstances. However, I can simply understand the rough days which strengthens my performance to find a solution.

Throughout my life, I strived to produce my greatest work possible and continue to do so today. I am in National Honor Society, I take Advanced placement, Honors, Advanced, and dual-enrollment courses at Penn State DuBois. I spent two summers volunteering at the local community theater kid’s summer workshop, and during the year I volunteer to usher, stage manage, and run lights at the theater. I began selling clothes on eBay at thirteen and by fifteen I created an online store through Etsy. I began working at the age of sixteen, and I currently work at T.J. Maxx.

I can only tell my story. I have overcome hardships in my life. My first four years of life was in the Foster Care system bouncing from one foster home to another before being adopted. I am an African-American that has lived outside of the African-American community and I have experienced discrimination. Despite these difficulties I managed to get myself through school and accepted into UW-Stevens Point.

My journey has been very rough and I could have never done it on my own. Firstly, I would like to thank my parents, my mother, Margaret Maude Bull and my father, Allan Gilmour Findley, who is a stockbroker. I would like to thank my parents for not just giving birth to me, but also for taking care of me and help fulfill my dreams. I would also like to thank my domestic partner, Bill Whitehead, who is a writer that collaborated with me on several projects.

There are a great number of people that grow up in dysfunctional homes, with the problems ranging from usually mild to quite extreme. Some people are able to overcome the stumbling hardships that are laid in front of them as a young child, and go on to live a healthy lifestyle. But on others aren’t so lucky. Some will repeat the negative behaviors, which they learned growing up, and will often have trouble creating a normal life with those around them.

My name is Liz. Elizabeth is okay, but don't call me Lizzie. I admit I was a snob in high school. I was stuck up, only dating the handsomest jocks, not even talking to most of the 'ordinary people'. That seemed like a waste of time.