Childhood Memory Essay:

An event from my childhood that taught me an important lesson that I use today was my father leaving my mother and I at an early age. I was four years old when he left and I did not understand why. I did not see him for a while, but was soon reunited with him. What I did not know then was my mother reunited us. She was not going to let my father walk out of my life. He was scared; scared that my mother would take me away from him the way my half older sister was. My mother was not like his first; she has a good heart.

I did not know what it was like being a father; at least not until the moment I held my own son. When he is in my arms I feel like the most responsible man on this Earth. I did not ask for him, and I know I wasn't ready. I know though, in my heart, that this life is not about me anymore, but everything I do is done for my son. I want him to have a better life than I did. I want him to have a relationship with his father.

When things started falling apart between my wife and I; I tried as hard as I could to mend them, for my son's sake. She was not right for me, and she was not ready to be a mother. Everything changed when she threatened to take my son away from me. I have never fought so hard for anything in my life. It was a battle almost impossible to win. For a father to get custody of his one-year old son is almost unheard of, but I did not give up. I overcame and kept striving while his mother kept falling. I thought she hit rock bottom when she lost her son and became homeless, but she never changed.

There was too much back there, too much drama. I was fighting hard to work and take care of my son. We needed a change of environment. That is when I packed up all of our things and decided to move with the court's permission. I had two friends who drove with me. We left Washington State and drove for over three thousand miles to Mississippi. My son didn't need to grow up seeing a mother who didn't care for him. It would do him no good to watch, as his mother could not succeed.

Everything is going better now. My son has a home, and a family who loves him. I have moved down here to my father's. My stepmother watches him as I work, and she loves her grandchild. My father has became a great grandfather; much better than he ever was at being a father. One day I hope to accomplish my dream of being an author. I will be able to work from home creating novels, and I will always be home for my son.

My mother loves me very much, and she did not want my father to abandon me. I did not abandon my son; I am doing exactly as my mother always taught me, to love. She knew that without my father I would be missing out. I hope that one day my son's mother will grow up, and be a positive part of his life. Until then, I am going to do everything I can to make the best life for my son; my mother's love taught me how.