HOW TO PAPER
... my magnificent boyfriend and two best friends helped me see that lifestyle was creating more problems. They empowered me, allowing me to realize I could do it. I needed to change. I needed to not be selfish. I needed to put my family first. I needed to grow up. You may feel as if you have to grow up, but as a wonderful teacher once told me, “Even though life may put you in a situation that you feel ‘makes’ you grow up sooner then you would, its still your choice.” You have to decide what is more important, supporting your parents both physically and emotionally through a difficult time or being a typical teenager. Ask yourself, “What is more important: creating a false reality by staying out all night drinking Bud Light, burning Marlboros, hitting the bong, enjoying frivolous sex while disappointing your parents or using your energy for something productive and beneficial to your family by being there when they need you, doing things around the house that you would never think of such as cooking dinner or even dusting behind the furniture, the things that only a mom would think of doing?” Luckily I had made my decision by the time my mother moved back home. I had stopped drowning my pain in alcohol and cigarettes. I started an unpopular, difficult journey of selflessness for my family, and it has blessed me in many ways. The second step is learning your new role, in my case, the role of a mother. An example would be when there is a sink full of dirty dishes teenagers could easily ignore a growing pile for days maybe even weeks, but for a mother they have to be cleaned immediately. This transition is not easy; do not be afraid to or ashamed to ask other moms that are close you and your family to help you clean the house at least the first time. They can help you find the places that no one sees and as kids (yes, I said kids, because you may not realize it but at seventeen you are still a child) think it its futile to clean. It will be frustrating and hard, because you will never clean to the standards of your mother. She has her way of doing it all, and it can never be like that again. It is extremely time consuming, but every time you do it, you will get closer to perfection. That does not mean you will ever reach that goal. You might never be perfect, because you are not her. Understand she is not mad or frustrated with you personally; she is angry that she cannot do it by herself. This second step also includes cooking. I still have definitely not mastered the art of cooking, but I practice every day. Remember to ask someone to teach you the basics of frying, broiling and other cooking processes. It only comes to you with practice and you cannot do it all by yourself. The final step is balancing your new responsibilities with your past life. I reached this step my senior year in high school. I knew this was my last year in high school, my last opportunity to be with my friends that I’ve known my entire life. I needed to find equilibrium between providing my family with everything they needed and enjoying my senior year. At this point, I h...