Other essays on this theme

Essay: "My Family"

As I sit here surrounded by unpainted walls of concrete and steel, the theme "My Family" leaves me with little to dwell on. When I grew up in the fifties, our family was still living in a house without any conveniences: no plumbing, running water, or electricity. In certain ways, we were never without because we found a way to pull through. Back then families were usually large and we were no exception. There were twelve of us in our family.

In the summer there were certain chores we were supposed to do around the house. We helped to plant the garden, can the food, and whatever was needed to save a dollar. Having no running water, we heated water outside and took baths in a number 10 tub. In winter we bathed in the kitchen in the same old tub. There was no such thing as a washer or dryer. The laundry was done outside in the wash tub and hung out to dry on a clothes line. In the summer we were not allowed to wear our shoes. They were put away so that we did not wear them out.

My Mom and Dad always found a way to put food in the table, even during the big holidays. Even at Christmas we had at least one present. Finally as I got older, things I saw when I was younger seemed to not be enough. I saw other kids with money for sodas and candy. This led me to doing petty little crimes, which eventually landed me in court. From that day onward, I never returned to my family. I spent my youth growing up in foster homes until I went into the service, so it's really hard for me to visualize or even think about a family atmosphere. And now today the family unit even in the best of families seems to be nonexistent. I don't know why, but families seem to be smaller, better off, and the children have all the necessities of childhood.