My Inspiration!

I was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, with my parents and my older sister, who is a year and six months older than me. As a child, I remember feeling very close to my mother. She was the one I trusted; I felt safe being around her. I was definitely a mama's girl. On the other hand, I did not feel the same connection to my father. I wasn't a daddy's girl, and I remember flinching or jumping around him. It bothered him because I was easily scared by his voice and occasionally by his presence. I remember jumping or flinching frequently. That would irritate him, and his approach to dealing with the situation was horrible. He said to me, "If I wanted to hit you, I would. Then, just when I thought that was the end of it, I felt his hand strike the back of my head and had the nerve to wonder why I felt uneasy around him. When my sister and I reminisce, we sit back and laugh, thinking the incident was a DCFS report. Where was a mandated reporter when I needed one? 

Another aspect of my childhood I recall being a crybaby. My sister was a master at bringing me to tears.