A Young Girl's Lesson

Annie, a little girl, the oldest of eleven children, lived in a house on Douglas and Homan in the city of Chicago with her family. She lived with her grandma, grandpa, mom, and her seven brothers, and four sisters. It was in a nice neighborhood with lots of churches and stores. The people in the neighborhood were very friendly. With her big family and nice neighbors, there was never a dull moment. As she began to get older going to school was getting harder, because Annie had to babysit her sisters and brothers. As time went by, her mom would get sick, and she had to tend to her sisters and brothers. She started to hang out with girls that were different than the way she was raised. They even dressed different than the way she did. Wanting to be accepted, by her peers, she started to hang out with them.

She felt like she was being too protected by her parents, so she left home and her mom was very angry! She looked to her friends as her second sisters and brothers then she started to like boys. She wanted to be accepted by her peers. That changed everything when she visited home to see her mama. There were lots of arguments. She turned to a boyfriend for comfort only to find out that he could not solve her problems. She ended up getting pregnant, first problem. Second problem was that she had to have baby’s pampers, milk and clothing. Her mother still needed help with Annie’s brothers and sisters. She still needed Annie’s help with dressing and feeding them, so Annie decided to go back home.

No matter what was going on, Annie’s mama said she understood that it was hard to go to school with helping her, but she that must still try to go. Her mother said that when she was a child her parents needed her to help by going to work in the field to pick cotton, so she did not have a chance to go to school. She wanted Annie to not to have a hard life like that, because she had to work in the fields, going to the white people’s houses to clean. Annie’s mother made her feel bad about having a baby so young. She said she needed Annie’s help sometimes, but never intended for her to stop going to school. By not listening, Annie found herself working, taking care of two children, and a home. When she finally realized what she was saying the damage was done, but what she said was still true. Now Annie had a chance to talk to other young girls who are at home with their moms and want to finish school.

Finally, she wanted young people to know that there are many things that can get in the way when trying to go school, but don’t stop trying to get a career in some field to support you. Mama influenced Annie to keep trying even though many people have told her she should give up. She now has enrolled in a Garfield Learning Center.  Influenced by her mother, with the help of many good teachers has made her feel better about her life. The staff at Family Start Learning Center has helped her with my reading, writing, and math.