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My Birth
I was born on March 1st at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning Military Base in Georgia. I was born through a natural, vaginal birth at 6:47pm and I weighed 5lbs and 10oz. When I was born, my mother was 30 years old and my father was 31 years old. My original due date was March 19th, but the doctors had already stopped my mother's labor four different times. I was only slightly premature, but there were no complications. I was breast fed and developed a secure attachment with my mother. -
Walking and Talking
On this day I took my very first two steps and two days later, I rode a pony for the first time. One month later my motor skills were even further developed and I was already feeding myself and climbing up the stairs. Also, my first words were dada, but I moved on to babbling words that started with the letter b. I would say birdy, booboo, bubble, and byebye frequently. My temperament also developed and apparently I was well-behaved and a good listener. I was also a notorious social smiler. -
Parents Divorced
When I was four years old, my parents went through a divorce. It was a domestic abuse situation that did not end on favorable terms. My mother and I lived in a women's domestic abuse shelter for about 6 months during this time. I adapted extremely well to being in a single parent home since it was a much safer environment for both me and my mother. Also, this period is when I first showed a significant resiliency. I told my mom there was nothing to be afraid of when I went to preschool. -
Moved to Tennessee
My mother and I moved from West Virginia to Tennessee and this is when I feel like my life really started. My mother was my sole caregiver. Around this time, I also got saved at VBS. Technically, this was already my third time being saved so I must have really felt a need for Jesus in my life. During elementary school, I went through Erikson's Initiative vs. Guilt stage. This is the time I remember becoming afraid of failure and I definitely internalized my problems. -
Adolescence
As a typical adolescent, I joined an athletic club and became a cheerleader. In accordance to Erikson's Industry vs. Inferiority, I tried cheerleading, football, and karate, but I finally decided that I was best suited to academic pursuits. I attended a private school and always scored above average on achievement tests. Due to internalizing problems, I started to eat a lot of unhealthy foods and ended up with a higher BMI that was not healthy for my height. -
Middle School and Puberty
I hit puberty at age 13 which was about the same time as the majority of my peers. I remember crying a lot over school work, but my maturation and hormonal shifts were not that traumatizing for me or my mother. The worst part of hitting puberty was starting to deal with acne and this has been a struggle that has always been frustrating for me. Further, middle school was not a big deal for me either. I became known as the "smart girl" but I was never bullied by my peers. -
High School and Driving
I got my drivers license at 16 which was a year later than all of my friends. I waited a year so I could study and be extra prepared for the tests, and I ended up getting a perfect score on both driving tests. I most definitely went through role confusion at this time. I saw my mother wearing professional dress clothes to work, so I decided that I would wear the same thing. I would wear high heels, blazers, ties, and skirts to school almost every day. I didn't realize that I was still a kid. -
Graduating High School
I was homeschooled my last two years of of high school and I graduated as an honors student. Unfortunately, high school was hard for me and I began to self-harm during this time. However, I did reach identity achievement by graduation. I finally learned to dress like people my age and I learned to appreciate my "nerdiness" as a gift. I also lost a significant amount of weight at this time and became interested in fitness, specifically crossfit. I also decided that I wanted to study psychology. -
Moving to College
I started to consider what college I wanted to attend, and at first, I had my heart set on Samford University, but I ended up at Trevecca and I am so thankful that I chose to go here. I handled moving to college very well, but I was very afraid of failing in my classes so my self-harming became much worse. I also experienced the death of my grandmother at the end of my first semester. This was hard for me, but I learned a lot about hospice care and grief during this time. -
The Current Me!
I am now 19 years old and a sophomore at Trevecca. I am studying Psychology and Criminal Justice and loving every minute of it. I just recently celebrated 6 months of being self-harm free (YAY!!) and I have learned how to be less of a perfectionist. I have increasingly become very individualistic and I am not at all concerned about finding a significant other. I have a high self-esteem and I am happier now than I think I have ever been about my life and I am excited to see what the future holds!
