Our family began in a small town on the outskirts of Wharton, TX. This was the kind of town that was known as a rural area. The majority of the African American families that lived in this town were very poor and blue collard. Many of the families were large with more than five children in the household, which added to the family’s daily struggle. It wasn’t always easy to put food on the table, so everyday a hot meal was served was considered a blessing. Back then, all these families had to rely on (and look forward to) was love, church, and togetherness.
It was a time when families stuck together. When parents were out working, they rested with the knowledge that the community would continue to look after their children. Among all of the children that experienced this day to day struggle was my mother, Katy Sue. On May 26, 1955, she came to life in this small town born into poverty. She was the second born of what would soon become nine children to Jason Lee and Maribel l Castro. As she grew up, she could not help but recognize the struggle that she witnessed her parents go through, so she took the title as mother hen to her younger brothers and sisters.
As her parents worked; her farther a truck driver and her mother taking in laundry for those more fortunate than they, there were chores to be done, baths to be given, lunches to be packed, and all the while she was just a kid her with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She and her older sister Lola Mae, recall times when all they had for lunch was an egg sandwich wrapped in a Mrs. Baird’s bread bag. While the other kids feasted from the lunches prepared in their shiny new lunch boxes, my mother and her sister would hide in the restroom and eat their food, ashamingly thinking the other kids would ridicule them. As time went on, my mother grew up and so did the rest of the brewed. Many days were spent dreaming of better days to come.
The Essay on Children raised with Wealthy Families versus Children raised in Poor Families
Children who are brought up in families that do not have large amounts of money are better prepared to deal with the problems of adult life than children brought up by wealthy parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Families have different financial levels and some people think that this variety of the family budgets have an impact on children skills. I believe that ...
But for the time being, there were many nights when all they had to eat were beans and cornbread for dinner. And every Sunday, Lola Mae would send them to church to hear the word. There were times when work had to come before school. And sacrifices had to be made to put food on the table and in the mouths of the Tucker family. With that came yet another act of heroism on behalf of the second born daughter to Jason Lee and Lola Mae. Her choice was as clear as the writings on the wall.
with only a seventh grade education, my mother quit school to get a job and help out to support her family. Again the weight of the world seemed to bare down on her shoulders but she bared it. Never was she able to enjoy the little change she made working long hours at $. 25 and hour like so many of the other young ladies that took jobs after school to buy things like candy, makeup and other items. Even with three incomes combined, it still wasn’t enough to make ends meet. Eventually the family moved to Houston where there were more opportunities.
As time went on, going back to school seemed like less and less of an option to my mother. But she made the sacrifice so her other brothers and sisters could continue on with their education. All of the other kids finished school and gave Lola Mae the one thing that all mothers wanted: a high school diploma. With the seventies in full swing, my mother became a first time mother in 1974. Her first was Felicia. Soon after followed Jason Lee, Fred, and me.
Not having a complete education, my mother made sure to provide for us so that we would never want for anything. She also made sure we never went to bed hungry and that we always had, if not the best of everything, the necessities that she never had as a child. Mother instilled in us the same wholesome morals and values that were taught to her while she was growing up. This was very important to her. As time moved forward, so did my siblings and myself. We excelled by leaps and bounds throughout school and well into the work force.
The Essay on School Choice: Public Education Vs. Home School
School Choice: Public Education vs. Home School When Americans think of education, they almost automatically think of public education. Through the years, it is slowly changing. Many parents today are deciding to home-school their children. Although most people think that a public education is better, most statistics and facts tend to show that home schooling is beneficial in more ways. It is ...
There are five diplomas that sit on display in our living room today. My mom’s, sister’s, brother’s, and mines. Now a first time grandmother, she has made time to raise her first grandchild by extending the doors of our home as well as her love. My mother has not only received her GED, she is now enrolled at a local college where she is completing her second semester as a college student. Though the road was long, her journey has just begun. All of the things that have taken place in my life as well as my brothers’ and sister’s, we owe it to a strong foundation which we like to call Katy Sue Tucker.
Among all of the important people in our lives, she had the greatest influence on everything we have accomplished. Through all of the trails and tribulations, she has managed to see past the dark and dim days to the brighter side of any and every situation placed before her. Whenever my mother reminisces about the past, It is with a fondness that most people would try to alter. She continues to stick by the saying, ” Never forget where you ” ve come from, but think about where you are going.” God is woven into everything she does and everything she wants to do.
