A Mother's Memories to Her Child: Early School Days

Mom and me in 2000-something

In 2004, I gave my mom a journal with prompts to fill out that would tell me about her life. After 5 years, she returned it to me complete with cards, photos, and other items she included along with her responses.

For my babies, I include my mom's responses as well as my own so they can get to know how far have come the women in their family. 

Joyce

The first school I attended 

St. Joseph Catholic School

Other schools I attended 

Lakeview Elementary, Nehi (Northeast) High School

My favorite teacher during my early school years

Sister Marie Antonette

My best subject(s) 

English, Geography, History

A school experience I'll always remember

A play - Lola was the "queen bee" and she flubbed her lines. We all disliked her as she was rich and a snooty girl. Mean, too.

My best friend(s)

Not many in elementary except for Joann in 6th grade. In Junior High, Linda, Barb, and Geri.

I wanted to grow up to be

Airline hostess, wife, mother

Dawn

The first school I attended 

Petrosky Elementary School

Other schools I attended 

Albright Middle School, Hastings High School

My favorite teacher during my early school years

Mrs. Berenstecker

My best subject(s) 

English, French, Art

A school experience I'll always remember

10th grade Science class: We had to dissect a frog. I was super squeamish about it, but my friends and fellow group members made it funny by putting a rolled up piece of paper in his mouth like a cigarette and pretending he could talk. It made me laugh and made the whole task easier.

My best friend(s)

Elementary: Angela, Karen

Middle: Erica & Amy; Kadian, Renee, and Johari

High School: Veronikah, Kim

I wanted to grow up to be

Actor, singer, artist, writer

A Mother's Memories to Her Child: Spiritual Beginnings

Joyce

The first person who told me about God
My parents; mostly my Grandma Eulah who was very religious. Later - my parents again.

As a child, my image of God was
A being who ruled with an iron fist! We were to honor Him and we were intimidated by His power.

I first knew that God was real when
Touched a "little" by grandma's death while in 6th/7th grade. Later, I was experiencing my father's dying at a very young age (he was 61). I was angry at God for a long time.

My favorite religious holiday
Christmas and Easter. They were very important holidays in the Catholic Church. Mom and Dad always went to church those days but were lax others until they got older.

People who helped me learn about God
Grandma Eulah
Dad
Mom
Aunt Rose
Aunt Arna
Uncle J. D.
Father Mulligan
Sister Josephine Marie

Dawn

The first person who told me about God
My parents

As a child, my image of God was
A dead man on a cross
An angry, judgmental father
An ethereal unknown

I first knew that God was real when
I knew there was something bigger than me that I was connected to from a very early age. I woke up one morning when I was little with a song in my head. I went to church, and they sang that very song. I felt united with something indescribable.

As a teen, I entered a Twelve Step Program. They told me I could believe in a Higher Power, and it didn't have to be defined by anyone else but me. At The Right Step, I was encouraged to write about the God of my own understanding. I started identifying God as a She, and I was better able to connect with that Higher Power.

My favorite religious holiday
Christmas

People who helped me learn about God
My parents
Anne & Steve Mcallister
Gary Reyes
Emily Barclay
Sarah Harrington Levit
Andrea
Lauri
Becky Cuellar Ahlgrim
Silvina Duchini
Amber Tillman
Carol Wyatt
The Right Step Program

A Mother's Memories to Her Child: Childhood Treasures

Joyce

My favorite storybook(s)
All those by Jane Eyre; classics, and, as I got older, romance & history.

A game I never tired of playing
Jacks with Linda
Sorry with mom
Gin Rummy with family & friends

My favorite childhood rhyme
Not really a rhyme, but a song: It is French
"Whatever will be, will be." Mom sang it to me.

The best toy I ever owned
My dolls ~ a nun doll and a bride doll that my Grandma Eulah made the clothes for me. 😢Lost these ~ move to Houston in 1973.

My most cherished item
A cross my Dad gave me when I was 16. Still have it.

Dawn

My favorite storybook(s)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark; More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Classic English literature
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Nell's Quilt by Susan Terris
Anything by Ray Bradbury, but especially The Martian Chronicles

A game I never tired of playing
Cops & Robbers
Truth or Dare

My favorite childhood rhyme
A song called Que Será my mom sang to me. Here are the lyrics:

Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)

Doris Day

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty
Will I be rich
Here's what she said to me

Que será, será
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que será, será
What will be, will be

When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart, what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows
Day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said

Que será, será
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que será, será
What will be, will be

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, what will I be
Will I be handsome
Will I be rich
I tell them tenderly

Que será, será
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que será, será
What will be, will be
Que será, será

The best toy I ever owned

My Puffalump, Cabbage Patch Kid, and musical doll from my Grandma EZ. She bought the musical doll before I was even born because she was determined I would be a girl.
A Barbie pool party set given to my sister and me at Christmas by my big brother when he got his first job.


My most cherished item
My Grandma's wedding ring. She gave it to me when I was 11 or so. My mom thought she was crazy. I wore that ring every day until I was 16. The diamond fell out when I accidentally hit the car door. It was actually not even a complete diamond as my Grandpa couldn't afford to buy her anything but shavings back in the Depression. My parents had it reset with a pearl, which is my birthstone.

A Mother's Memories to Her Child: My Pets

"Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast."
Psalm 36:6

Joyce
The first pet I ever owned
A little parakeet - can't remember the name but he sang a lot. He was very friendly and people oriented.

The pet I most loved
Jill, my Angora cat whom I loved dearly. The parakeet would sit on her.

Other family pets
John had a dog - a German Shepherd. We had several smallturtles and some baby chickens. We also had Blackball, a very sweet outdoor cat.

The pet I always wanted
At one time, a horse. Ed got one, and he was mean. They (Dad and Ed) had a hard time with the horse. He threw Ed and hurt him. He got rid of the horse.

My favorite book or movie about an animal
Black Beauty
Old Yeller

My best animal story
My mom telling me about her pet pig and her pet goat. She loved those pets a lot. She told me about the goat eating stuff it was not supposed to and her dad killing her pig for food. Also, her bunny rabbit.


Dawn
The first pet I ever owned
I had family pets, though I suppose I did not own them; my parents did. They were Sir John, a white cat, and Roxanne (Rocky), a Shelty. The first cat I owned was named Primo, but she died. I loved her so much and got her when she was a kitten. She sat in my lap while I watched TV. We kept her in the bathroom, and, one night, I went in to feed her and play with her, but she ran right under me as I was sitting down. I sat on her and broke her neck. It was truly awful. Then I got Emma who was from the same litter. She was a joint Mother's Day and my birthday gift from a friend.

The pet I most loved
Sir John. I cried unconsolably when he died. My parents told us on a Saturday morning when I was about to start watching my cartoons. They buried him in the backyard.

Other family pets
Bear - a mutt. He was a puppy when Rocky was an old lady. It was cute to see them play together, or, rather, for Bear to play with Rocky while she looked at him. 
A turtle my brother caught in the bayou nearby who was eventually eaten by Bear. 

The pet I always wanted
A fluffy lap cat. Preferably an Angora or Siamese.

My favorite book or movie about an animal
That Darn Cat!
Socks by Beverly Cleary

My best animal story
My mom told me Sir John used to lay on the headboard and swipe his paw at her hair, eat her ice cream, or purloin her popcorn.

A Mother's Memories to Her Child: LIfe Back Then

"The child grew and became strong in spirit." Luke 1:80

Joyce

An ice cream cone cost
Very little; Dad paid so not sure - maybe 10 cents

My favorite ice cream flavor
Strawberry

Our family car(s)
Ford wagon
Impala
Can't really remember as I wasn't into cars.
John had a '65 Chevy

The fashions of the day included
Bobby socks; mini skirts; high heel shoes; backless or peek-a-boo tops and cropped pants called pedal pushers.

My favorite thing to wear
Pajamas as they were so very comfortable. For day times I liked my shorts; only allowed to wear dresses to school.

The popular things to do
I don't really know about popular as I didn't do that! I was more to myself and always "out of style." It didn't mean anything to me.
I liked to watch TV (we had only 1) and dance or be with my best friends. 
I also read a great deal.
I would go to the library.
I liked going to the beach and listening to the waves.

Dawn

An ice cream cone cost
A dollar or two I guess. I wasn't paying :) My mom would take us to get frozen yogurt as a treat sometimes. I would always be the last one eating. The cold hurt my teeth, but it sure tasted yummy.

My favorite ice cream flavor
Chocolate chip cookie dough or Oreo

Our family car(s)
My dad had a green Oldsmobile when I was little. Then we had a station wagon and, later, a big van that we would travel to and from Florida in. My first car I shared with my mom. It was a red Ford Probe. My brother had a 1979 Mustang, then a 1989 Mustang. When he got married, he was driving a 1999 Mustang.

The fashions of the day included
When I was little, kids were wearing Guess jeans. We couldn't afford them, so I never did. We had slap bracelets and Hammer pants. 

In the grunge days, black nail polish and flannel shirts with jeans.

When I hit high school, I switched to wearing clothes from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, so I really am not sure what everyone else was wearing. I loved wearing old fashions. My friends' moms would see me and say, "I used to have a dress like that." I wore my mom's old platform shoes, bell bottoms. I wore Metallica shirts with these hideous brown bell bottoms from the thrift store, Cure shirts with ankle length black and gold patterned skirts, Red Hot Chili Peppers shirts with maroon velvet bells. The more outlandish the pattern, the better. My favorite dresses were a green Chinese silk dress, a pink empire waist cocktail dress, and a mauve peasant dress with cream lace details on the bodice and sleeves.

In my late teens, early twenties, I wore some raver clothes. I had this amazing plastic, green glitter heart ring that I lost in the Mediterranean Sea when I visited France. I loved shopping for little boys' shirts at the thrift store.

My favorite thing to wear
My band t-shirts 

The popular things to do
I have no idea what other kids did. I think they went to the mall a lot before they got cars. I hated the mall. I went to movies and the skating rink when I was a pre-teen. As a teenager, we mostly hung out at each other's houses. Sometimes, we'd sneak out and go to parties where older kids were getting drunk and doing drugs. One time, we took a hike through a "forest" in the middle of the night with two guys who were wasted. With my girlfriends, we'd stay up all night getting "wedged" which meant not sleeping and getting crazy. We toilet papered people's houses, mostly boys we liked. We took midnight drives to Galveston just to watch the sun rise over the Gulf.

A Mother's Memories to Her Child: A Typical Day Growing Up

Joyce

Growing up, I usually spent my days
Helping out after I came home from my school. I loved school a lot. I was social there and made good grades. I had several best friends. Still have three to this day: Geri, Linda, and Barbara.

My chores included
Dishes
Cooking
Keeping my room clean
Watching siblings

On winter days, I would
Read books a lot.
Visit girlfriends and dance, play jacks, or talk and make up stories.

On bright summer days, I liked to
Be outside
Go to the beach
Jump rope
Sit in the shade
Visit with friends

During the day, my mother
Worked odd jobs and part time jobs a lot when she wasn't at a lull and "just a housewife."

During the day, my father
Slept until noonish as he worked nite hours and needed rest. When he was up, he would spend time with us kids and do his chores.

Dawn

Growing up, I usually spent my days
Playing in my room or, later, hiding out in my room.

Going to school, which I did not like. Don't get me wrong, I loved learning, especially English and reading, but a lot of the other kids did not like me. I had a few friends, but I spent most of my time alone. Some of my friends thought I was a little weird because I had ideas. For example, I once asked my friend if she ever wanted to be a boy. She looked at me funny. I just thought I would be happier if I were a boy because I'd be able to do more things and would be stronger. Because I preferred to draw and write on the playground instead of play, other kids made fun of me. I was a little nerdy and very shy.

My chores included
Doing the dishes
Dusting the furniture
Washing, drying, and folding the laundry
Vacuuming
Cleaning my room

On winter days, I would
Read books
Play board games with my sister
Draw and do arts and crafts
Write stories

On bright summer days, I liked to
Read books
Play in the sprinkler or the neighbor's pool
Play outside with the neighborhood kids

During the day, my mother
Took care of us kids when my sister and I were little. We did arts and crafts together, but mostly my sister and I played in our room. When we fought, mom had us kneel in opposite corners of the hallway until we apologized to each other.

Then, she started teaching special education at a local middle school. My mom worked with emotionally disabled kids during the school year and physically disabled during the summer.

During the day, my father
Worked in Quality Control at an international power and automation technology firm. He is an electrical engineer.

A Mother's Memories to Her Child

In 2004, I gave my parents each a journal with prompts to fill out that would tell me about their lives. I started sharing my own responses to the same questions a couple years back, but I haven't kept up with it. I left off with my siblings last time.

I've decided to change my technique a bit, so I'll include my mom's responses as well as my own. Enjoy....

Joyce
My Hometown

As a child, I lived in
St. Petersburg, Florida

Mom's house on 39th Ave. No. The one in the middle, not the pink one.

Our street was
Patton Ave. No. then 39th Ave. No.

My favorite place in the neighborhood was
My home at 39th Ave. I grew up there. I was 21 when we moved. I loved the screen room on a rainy day. I was very happy there.

My favorite community event
Church festivals and school activities. We pretty much stayed to ourselves. Mom and dad had a few close friends but mostly it was family activities. Vicki and Gilda Lopa (friends)

Games my friends and I played
Hopscotch; hide and seek; jump rope; jacks and we loved to dance a lot. We listened to the Beatles and Elvis. We made up stories and plays.

Someone from my hometown whom I admire
Father Mulligan
Aunt Rose and Aunt Arna
And of course my parents Ezell and Eddie Colson

My Childhood Home
When I was growing up, our home was
Full of love; crowded as we had foster teens. We had up to 8 teens at one time in the house!! Busy with chores; did our schoolwork and played a lot. There was no air conditioning and only one bathroom.

My favorite place in our home
My room and the screened-in back porch. I loved when it rained and you could hear the sound on the aluminum roof. Always cool there. 

When I wanted to be alone
I would go to my room or walk around the neighborhood or go to the backyard under the tree. Sometimes go to the bathroom but not for long due to usage.

My favorite hiding place
Never really hid. I would just withdraw verbally and be quiet. My reading books was an escape. I liked silence.

My favorite place to play
Back porch or the yard. We were outside a lot. Played jacks a lot.

At home I could always
Be myself. I was relaxed but strong and bossy at times; like when I had to watch my little brothers or other kids.


Dawn
My Hometown

As a child, I lived in
Houston, Texas. More specifically, Alief, Texas.

My house on LaGranada

Our street was
La Granada

My favorite place in the neighborhood was
The park at the neighborhood pool and tennis court.
The playground at the elementary school. 

My favorite community event
Fall festivals at the churches we attended. First was Notre Dame where I won one of those totally 80s fuzzy piggy banks. Mine was a squirrel. Jean won a bunny. Another time, I won a jug of wine - ha ha! Then was St. Justin Martyr where they sell Filipino food, fried bananas, used books, and smoked meats.

Games my friends and I played
Cowboys and Indians. We played with almost all the neighbor kids. Our porch was huge,so it was the jail.
Dress up. One time, Jean, my friend, and I put on her mom's bras and filled them with socks, then proceeded to parade around with our "boobies."
Red Rover.
Marco Polo in the pool.
Truth or Dare. I was once dared to eat the leaf of a plant that everyone thought looked gross. I did.

Someone from my hometown whom I admire 
Sharon Thomas, my adopted aunt, who taught with my mother for many, many years and continues to inspire me to teach with my heart and a good sense of humor. She is also one of the best storytellers I have ever known.

My Childhood Home
When I was growing up, our home was
Divided. Mom and the girls on one side; dad and brother on the other. Mom was very loving and enjoyable when she was in a good mood. We did crafts, danced in the living room, and played cards. When she was stressed or in a bad mood, or when she had a terrible migraine, she was not much fun to be around. Dad was busy with work a lot, did a lot of Boy Scouts stuff with my brother, and withdrew and got really quiet when mom and brother fought.

My favorite place in our home
My bedroom when I was a teen, mom's bed, the front porch, and the back of the couch in the living room that looked out onto the patio and backyard. 

When I wanted to be alone
As a teen, I closed the doors of my room. As a little kid, I think I went in the closet or bathroom to be alone since I shared the room with my sister. 

My favorite hiding place
Bathroom

My favorite place to play
Front porch and yard

At home I could always
Isolate myself from just about everything and everybody