My future - my legacy

I have not yet entered my middle adulthood years yet, but when all is said and done in my life, I hope to have created a legacy in my life. I want to be an example of Erikson's generativity theory. I hope that my vocational legacy involves the work I have chosen to do with children with disabilities. I know that I have a God-given gift of helping children with disabilities, and my dream is to one day return to that field as an administrator. I hope that when I reach my late adulthood years, I will be able to look back upon my middle adulthood years with successful eyes. I want to be able to smile when I think of all the students and families who I have helped and touched. As for my physical goals in middle adulthood, I think I'm going to be alright with my saggy, stretched skin, but my eyesight is so important to me. I can already see a decline in my eyesight, and I'm only 28. The thought of having to wear glasses in order to read really makes my anxiety levels climb.

I became an adult when . . .

In my adolescent years, I did not get along with my parents, mainly my mother. I wanted my freedom and I was somewhat rebellious. I was ready to prove to them that I could survive. I felt as if they were more strict with me than my siblings, and I had so much anger toward them because they didn't trust me. However, there was a turning point in the relationship between my mother and me. It was in the summer of 2000 when I was 20 years old, barely a junior in college, and I became pregnant. I was not married at the time, but me getting pregnant was the best "mistake" I ever made. Of course my mother was outraged. The strange thing about the situation was that she didn't stay in a state of anger for long. It only took her about a week to realize that I was an adult. I was capable of making my own decisions and living with the consequences. Now, my mother is my best friend. I call on her for everything. It took my getting pregnant out of wedlock to establish a relationship with my mother. I completely agree with the saying, "You don't understand your parents until you become one yourself."