Personal Essay- Childhood Memories

Tomboy is the very first word that comes to mind when I think of my childhood. I was always the one girl you’d see playing tackle football, or rolling down hills with the boys while all of the other little girls played hop scotch or jump rope; kickball was also a daily activity for me in school.  I guess you could say it’s what came most natural for me. I grew up in Northeast Portland, Oregon, and attended Vernon Elementary from Pre-K through fifth grade. I hate to say it, but I was one of the most mischievous children around during my elementary school days. Looking back, I can honestly say that my knowledge and advance thinking may have exceeded the poor quality of Portland Public Schools so much so that I was bored in school, and therefore acted out. However, after a while, I was able to trade in my disobedient ways for a more productive activity: Baseball! Yeah I said it, Baseball, not Softball. This was the perfect sport for me at the time for three reasons: 1. it took most of my energy, 2. I could be as rough as I wanted without having to worry about hurting anyone, and 3. I absolutely loved it!                 

 

 I was introduced to the sport of Baseball by my uncle, Fred. My uncle was the head coach of a Little League Baseball team for kids ages 10-12 at Peninsula Park in Portland, Oregon; and I fit right in, I had just turned 11. Although the team consisted of all boys besides me, it made me a tad bit more comfortable that my cousin Leontrell played on the team with me. My cousin Leontrell and I were the closest of cousins growing up. If he and I were ever together, there was bound to be trouble. Our favorite place to hang out was always my grandma Bennie’s house.                                                                          

My grandma Bennie was always my favorite person and I was hers as well. Out of all of her grandchildren, older and young, I was her favorite and everyone knew it. I stayed at her house more than I stayed at my own; I basically lived there up until the end of fourth grade. After my fourth grade summer, I actually did move in with her because my mother moved away and I refused to leave my Grandma. My grandmother was born and raised in the Little Rock, Arkansas, so it was always fun and interesting to hear stories about her life growing up in the South. She was the oldest of seven children: Her (Bennie), Shirley, Tonda, Debbie, Joseph, Michael and Ricky. I loved my grandma so much as a young child and always will. In the year 2001, she was diagnosed with colon cancer and died from it in November of 2005.                                                                                                                                                         

 Holidays were always a big deal for me as a child. My favorites were: Christmas of course, 4th of July, and Halloween. Christmas was my very favorite. Every Christmas, me, my sister and my cousin would go shopping with my grandma to pick out everyone else’ Christmas gifts besides our own. We’d take them home and help wrap them, and then put them under the tree. All three of us would spend the night at grandmas on Christmas Eve and leave cookies and milk on the dining room table for Santa. We were each allowed to un-wrap only one gift before the morning. There were always at least 100 gifts under the tree at night, wrapped and ready for all of the other kids. I can remember being so anxious about my gifts, that I’d stay up all night from excitement. In the morning, all of the other grandchildren would come over and we’d all have a great time as a family!                                                                                       

I am truly grateful to have all of the great childhood memories that I have. Family is the number one contributor to the person that I have become today, and for that I am very thankful!