Loveday Writing

A PROUD APPLE ON THE TREE

This might sound clichè and it’s going to be the most obvious choice, but I can’t deny them, there are two people, the two most important people in my life who have shaped me—my parents: Michael and Jennifer.

Nearly everyone would say that their parents shaped them, but it’s true for me, without them I wouldn’t be here—both physically and emotionally. From the moment I was born they have loved me without condition. Even when I caused them trouble as a toddler, chucking tantrums and hitting my head on the floor, getting to the point where my mother knew where to put the pillow so I wouldn’t cause brain damage. Even when they were told that I had a mild intellectual disability and would spend my school life in “special classes” and would only be able to cope with completing basic life skills, a year later they were informed that, that diagnosis was incorrect. And, of course, they loved me when I was causing them stress and worry behind the wheel (and I still do, even though I have my unrestricted licence now). I know they will always love me, no matter how many mistakes that I make and no matter where I go in life.

In all of my life, what has stood out to me in terms of my parents shaping who I am is when I finally embraced my writing abilities and decided to make a career out of my writing. Writing, like any other art form such as music and performance doesn’t have the biggest career prospects and there aren’t as many secure jobs as say in finance or retail. They could have been the type of parents who would have encouraged me to pursue such “safer” career choices and have reinforced that writing is merely a “hobby”; instead they encouraged my dreams to go to university and study creative writing and journalism. They are always asking me what ideas I’m working on, when I’m at home on my holidays and they are always proud and brag when I get published in magazines—print or online, then again they always tell me that they’re always proud of me for getting out of bed every morning.

This pride works both ways—I’m proud to be the daughter of such loving, caring, sweet, open-minded and good hearted parents and I wouldn’t trade them for any other.