Personal Autobiography: Childhood, Growth & Future Goals

Introduction

In this paper, I describe my life and how my experiences have shaped the person I am today, how they have influenced my dreams, and what I intend to do in the future. I explore my childhood and how the difficulties I encountered during that time have helped shape the woman I am today — a mother, a wife, and a student working toward admission into a respiratory therapist program. Generally, I have worked hard to put a difficult childhood behind me, which is why I must acknowledge that this autobiographical paper was very challenging to write. I do not like to reflect on how my childhood has impacted who I am.

While I am generally self-confident, I recognize that the things I like least about myself are those that remind me of my father. Although this paper was difficult to write, I believe it has served its purpose and provided insight into my own social background. If I do not understand that background, I do not think it is possible for me to bring genuine understanding to future clients.

Personal Description and Family Background

I am a 37-year-old woman, happily married with four children: a 19-year-old son, a 12-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old twin daughters. My husband and I are currently living apart while he works as an instructor in Afghanistan, which has placed me in the role of a single mother. This has proven challenging, particularly because I am simultaneously pursuing my own education. We live in a normal middle-class household, though my husband's absence has required me to prioritize carefully, which means not all chores are always done and the house can be messier than we would like. Despite these daily challenges, I am very happy in my current life.

Even though I faced difficulties in my childhood, I feel as though everything in my life has brought me to where I am today. Because I am happy with where I am, I would not change anything about my prior experience — even the negatives. I think this ability to acknowledge that even negative experiences can become positive learning opportunities is one of the reasons I am an optimistic person.

My current middle-class existence is significantly different from my childhood. I was the oldest of three siblings — my sister is 32 and my brother is 28. We were raised in a wealthy, dual-parent household in a large city home. While both parents were present, we were primarily raised by a nanny. She was a loving caregiver, and I believe I regarded her as more of a maternal figure than my own mother. I had great affection for her, and she still occupies a very important place in my heart.

Much of my affection for my nanny stemmed from the stark contrast she provided to my parents. My mother was not very affectionate. Looking back, I believe she was frightened of my father and that her fear dictated much of her behavior, but as a child I simply experienced her lack of warmth as coldness. My father, by contrast, was not cold — he was a hot-tempered alcoholic. He was verbally abusive to every member of the household, constantly insulting us and treating us poorly. His abuse was not limited to words; he struck us frequently as well. Yet maintaining the family's social image was paramount, and we were all expected to keep his abuse secret. It was an extremely stressful childhood.

What is ironic is that, because I do not equate abuse with discipline, I would characterize that household as fundamentally undisciplined. My nanny tried to instill in us a sense of right and wrong and teach us how to behave appropriately, but my parents were so consumed by their own personal drama that they generally failed to impart any moral goals or guidelines to their children. Child abuse and neglect, as public health researchers have documented, consistently disrupts the moral and emotional development that healthy family environments would otherwise provide.

References

Deaux, K., & Snyder, M. (2012). The Oxford handbook of personality and social psychology. Oxford University Press.

DiCanio, M. (2004). Encyclopedia of violence: Frequent, commonplace, unexpected. Mystery Writers of America.

Kail, R., & Cavanaugh, J. (2012). Human development: A life-span view (5th ed.). Wadsworth.