My Grandmother Helen, was always there to listen and give advice. She was very loving and candid. Her plight in life at 5’4” tall was to advocate for children and to ensure that education was accessible to everyone. Soul food Sunday’s were always at my grandmother’s house. Every aunt, uncle and cousin were in attendance at the big pink house. She impacted my life by establishing the unique concept that no matter how young or old a person was they should always be respected. Her desires for me were happiness, love and a bright future.
My Mother Gwen, was always very opinionated. Raising 9 daughters, she was not only a disciplinarian, she was a protector. She encouraged me to try my best at all times and to never give up on myself. Her aspirations for me were that I live my life in a positive manner and respect not only myself but others too. According to my Mother, “having an education was the key to unlock any locked door.” Some of my fondest childhood memories were centered on my mother’s baking, there was always a special aroma coming from the kitchen and our friends would sit on the porch waiting for the warm treats.
Portia was my best friend growing up. She was a very good listener and her personality was very energetic, she was always ready to climb trees, run and ride bikes. She was a very caring, supportive and trusting friend. What she wanted for me when we were younger was for me to stand up for myself and not be so trusting of everyone. What I gained from our friendship was strength to stand alone and the desire to be adventurous.
Connie is one of my oldest siblings. As a little girl I looked up to her because, she was very affectionate and attentive to my needs, she was nurturing, witty and very outgoing. What she wanted for me was a future of happiness and security. Connie inspired me to read, she was always reading and for my 10th birthday she bought me my very own book: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. The bond that my sister and I establish as children is still very strong today, she still listens when I need her and she still provides sound advice; our relationship is a lifelong friendship. The values that she instilled in me as a child have assisted me throughout my life in many ways.
My Aunt Jean “Koolaide” is loving, caring, nurturing, trustworthy and always honest. She would take me for long rides in the summer and we would go to the park, the zoo and out for ice cream. Whenever we went to Belle Isle in Detroit, MI, she would pay $0.25 and we ride the giant slide. Riding that slide helped me overcome my fear of heights. Koolaide has an infectious smile and loves to entertain others. In life, she was an example of the perfect humanitarian in my eyes because she was always helping someone. Her hopes for me was that I was successful no matter what I decided to do in life as long as that success did not cause me to be unhappy. Koolaide’s motto “leave all negative energy at the door and never let it cross her threshold.” She taught me that life no matter how complicated did not have to be miserable.
janellamalonebarnes 
Janella
It sounds like you have a very fun and supportive family. Wow…9 daughters, your mother is amazing. How did she handle the different personalities? I have 2 boys and is still trying to figure our ways to minimize the nick-picking…lol. I love that your sister bought you a book for your 10th birthday. I am also a HUGE fan of reading.
Thanks Tisha! Having 10 females under one roof was extremely interesting; never a dull moment and always someone to lean on or play with. My Mom kept us in line amazingly with just a look; that look meant nothing good would come from any negative or unwanted behavior. We knew when to play and when to be serious and we were all given specific task, if we overlooked are duties, there was no sleep for anyone until everything was completed sometimes in the wee hours of the morning (no fun). But, it reminded us that we had responsibilities and that we couldn’t skim past them without completing them. Nonetheless, we had an awesome childhood.
I love that your personal childhood web consist of family members, to me family is the determining factor in a child success. I have majority family support now but as a child I had support from teachers.
I had several teachers that were supportive but, as a child I was rather shy and my teachers were too pushy in a non-compassionate way and that made it hard to relate to them. When I was in third grade, I had a teacher name Ms. Miller she was really me; one day she told me that I had eyeliner on my eyebrows because “no one had perfect eyebrows>” My response was “no I don’t< before I knew this lady (no longer a teacher in my eyes) had slapped me so hard that it brought tears to my eyes. She then proceeded to try and wipe my eyebrows off with spit and her thumb. I felt so violated that I ran from the room and took off running out of the school until I reached my mother, she was always my hero. Let's say the end result was not pretty and the actions of this lady made me vow that when I became a teacher I would never be cold hearted and I would always listen without judgment.
Janella, I see you were surrounded with many beautiful, supportive, loving women!! You can not beat that and I see they did a great job because of the product I see today!
Very Good Job on your web!
Thank you very much Alicia, I admire the strength of each one of these women because they each brought a different type of love and admiration for life into existence,