Growing up, my mother was serious about teaching her children all about independance. Me and my siblings would always have chores to do. I remember her saying, "I make you do this so that when i'm gone, you'll know how to take care of yourself when you're on your own. Never depend on other people to do things for you." I've always done my own laundry, dishes, and all types of cleaning of my own room and the whole house. I am greatly thankful to my mother for teaching me about independance, even though it's a pain in the neck sometimes. Since the very first day i turned fifteen and a half i started looking for jobs all over the place. I wanted to find a job to have my own money and learn how to save and spend it responsibly. It was a lot more difficult than i imagined. Every online application, every interview, every phone call. It was dissapointment after dissapointment. But i was determined. I finally found something in the late summer of 2010 here at the ryse center. Opening my first paycheck felt amazing. I made a bank account, put some in my savings, and bought my neccesities with some of it too. It made me feel much more independant. It is my junior year in highschool and of course there are people there to motivate and support me. But i am learning that i should depend on myself first to stay on task and pass my classes. In the next few years i'm looking forward to getting my license, buying a car, and finding my own place to live after i turn eighteen. I'm sure that as life goes on, i will grow more and more thankful for the things my mother has taught me.