So you grew up in a bad situation, is that your excuse?

I know many teens that grew up in poor situations and with bad families that end up not succeeding in school and have nothing big going for them in the future, but it doesn't have to be that way. I've have a lot of stuggles in my life, but I learned at a very young age how to be independant and that in order to survive in this world, you've got to take care of yourself, understand that things are going to be hard(no ones going to do it for you), and just be happy. This is what happened to me.

I was born as an only child to a drug addict mom, and wasn't sure who my dad was. My grandma swears that while she was pregnant with me, she stayed off drugs, but I don't believe it. When I was 3 she was as bad as ever. She was never home, always out getting high. So my grandma took me in, but then when I was 5 she ended up in the hospital because of her heart and an infection in leg from a previous surjury. I was then bounced around by my family, no one seemed to want me, and I didn't know why. I finally ended with my cousins and their mom, and there I was hit everyday because they would always cause problems and blame me for it. When my grandma was out 2 years later, she was still very ill, but my family didn't care, they didn't want me, so they put me back home because "I was a horrible child". I was only 6.

So anyway, there was this nurse that came over to help my grandma out, but no one to help me. I learned to make my own food the best I could (no cooking yet). Days went by. My aunt was mean and rude to me and would argue and try to fight me often. My oldest uncle would not want to be bothered (he lived with my grandma and I). My other uncle wasn't around much, and the one that lived in L.A. was always comparing me to his son, and how much better he is than me. My mom was just getting worse, and I never saw her. At home I would do my homework, help take care of my grandma, and then just cry because I had no one. My grandma was there as much as she could, so I can safely say she is the only one in my family that I truely love.

When I entered high school, I was I guess the same as most teens. I went threw a phase of dressing a sertain way, confused about my sexuality, I drank, never smoked, wanted to die (don't know how normal that is), ect;. I don't remember what is was, but something hit me and made me relize that was the wrong way to deal with it, just being depressed and hating everyone. I decided that I didn't want to end up like my family,

I wanted to have a good future. So I brought all my grades up to the point that I was one year ahead, and here I am. I'm a 16 year old senior on my way to UCSB, no support from family, no friends, parents just died, grandmother is very ill in the hospital, and I'm living on my own. There's more to my story, but I don't want to waste your time. The point is anything is possible, if it seems difficult, try harder! Just because you grew up crappy doesn't make that your future, you make your future, and you should want to get out of it. I know how hard it is, and how sometimes you want to die, but you are the master of your fate, and the captain of your soul, your the one who can make the biggest change in your life for a better and happier future.