Me in 9th grade
I was driving around looking at all the signs in people’s yards acknowledging their kids for graduating from high school. I started to think back about my high school years. I had an ok experience in high school but boy would I not want to go through that again lol.
Skating buds(haven’t seen them in yrs) Monica & Theya 1983
I was pretty much an ugly duckling according to listening to the guys tell me daily that I was too skinny and dark. Back then, it was still the paper bag rule. If you were darker than a paper bag, you were not considered attractive.
Sweetheart dance with friend Ramone(was not my date) 1984
I was quiet believe it or not and EXTREMELY shy. A lot of people tell me now, you do what? You talk to people? Yes, I came out of my shell lol. My daughter is pretty much the same way now and I really try to encourage her.
Caryl’s prom in 1984
Caryl in 2009(I had bangs eeww!)
People can be so mean when your growing up with their teasing and bullying not knowing that that can really ruin your self esteem. I did have a few guys that liked me and I was asked to a prom a couple of times. Caryl Ford was a good friend of mine but we never really dated. He was on the football team and I was a cheerleader.
Me and Monique(Co-Captain of Varsity) 1985
Freshmen,JV and Varsity(my hair is a hott mess)1986
My mom didn’t mind me going with him because she knew his mom I think. We had fun and I remember him bringing me straight home and taking another girl to the after prom lol. I hated the dress I wore because it wasnt pink but I had borrowed it from a friend.
I was taking vocational classes which is like trade school because I thought I wanted to be a nurse. When I got into the 11th grade, I got out of school at 12pm everyday to go work at a nursing home. I hated that job but it was really good money for a girl my age.
Thats when I first saw someone pass away and didnt want to be a nurse anymore lol. There were alot of mean girls at my school and there were a lot of clicks. I stayed to myself because my household was not normal like everyone else’s. I was practically raising myself.
I try now with my own kids to make sure they have pleasant experiences while being in school. I ask them daily about new friends, social activities and whats going on. I still eat lunch with my kids(which they hate) and try to be a cool mom with their peers. I often wish that my own mom was that kinda mom.
I hope and pray that my kids be good friends, stay true to themselves and speak up if someone is doing something to them that is not right. Although high school was a bit challenging for me, I learned a lot and it has made me a stronger person today.
