Family Ties

Everyone has a family event or memory that they vividly remember and cherish for many different reasons.  The way my family spent our summers is what had an impact on my growth and development.  When I was in my preteen years my younger brother and I were dropped off at my mom’s older sister’s house at six am daily.  My aunt had a small two bedroom apartment on the fifth floor in a neighborhood called South Beach in Staten Island, New York.  My grandfather was in the kitchen at eight am preparing breakfast for eight of my younger cousins, including my brother and myself.  The age group ranged from six months old to nine years old, excluding me.  My responsibility was to make sure the kids were all fed, dressed and entertained until four pm when the adults arrived from work. My upbringing and the responsibilities was left with aided in my maturity level at an early age and the importance of family values.  I was taught early on the value of a dollar and what it takes to financially provide for a large family.  We saw nothing wrong with eating syrup sandwiches for breakfast and mayo sandwiches for lunch. Those are the main reasons why this event was important to me.