A Child Without Guidance Part 2

In the beginning of my 8^th grade year my mother moved our family to Minnesota without her husband at the time. The man of our house was in prison, which wasn’t the first or last time that he was there. Minnesota was for the better in my mother’s eyes because she had more opportunities there but it wasn’t so good for me.

Prior to our move to Minnesota, I had spent summers there with my stepfather’s family and those visits help reinforce the wrong message about life to me. I was exposed to: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, stealing, lying, and pretty much anything that you wouldn’t want your child being exposed to.

I hung out with my stepfather’s youngest brother and his friends when we first got to Minnesota just like I did when I went there for the summers. They were already into drug dealing, so I started right back dealing again once I got there and learned their way of doing things. My stepfather’s youngest brother was involved in a gang along with his friends, so I decided to join as well to fit in. I thought I was an adult around that time, I pretty much did what I wanted to do, and I did not have to answer to anybody.

I loved school even though the people that I was around were not educated and did not care for school. I was always on time to school and I received good grades but no one was ever there to simply tell me good job. I did not attend my 8^th grade graduation because no one in my family made a big deal about it.

My days seemed to never change, if I was not in school, I was out selling drugs and running with people that had already gave up on life. The people I was around carried guns because they had enemies, so I began to carry one as well because I thought it was cool. I was never a violent kid; I hadn’t even been in a fight. I got along with everyone; I even had a good friend that was in the opposite gang that I was in. I felt in my heart that I was a good person but I lacked guidance. I began to make what I thought was a lot of money selling drugs. My first encounter with the police came about from driving without a license. I had my own car at age thirteen and fourteen, I felt as if I was an adult because I was doing everything that I thought at the time adults did. Carrying a gun caught up with me, I spent my first time in juvenile jail behind it. I do not recall anyone telling me, what I was doing would someday get me in a lot of trouble.

All of the criminal things that I was doing came to an end. I was taken away from my family and put in a boy’s home. Being put in the boy’s home was the best thing that could have ever happened to me up until then, because there is where I met the person that showed me there was a better way to live life. It took fifteen years to finally get the guidance that I needed. I know that my past experiences helped make me the person that I am today, that is why I wouldn’t change anything about my past. Now my two boys will be able to share their stories about being a Child With Guidance.