Introduction

 I am a mother of three teenagers, but I am also a woman, a person with dreams and wants.  I come from a small town that is beautiful to observe.  I come from a place where fairs and festivals happen all year long and we like to go hiking and canoeing.  The air is fresh because smog is never an issue and the water runs cool and fresh.  A good time for is spent with friends at night in an open field and a bonfire burning to keep bugs and chill away.  This being said I love where I come from but like a lot of small towns, they are not open to see the world differently.  Yes, I am a mother, but I am also a person who would like a career as a teacher.  I was taught that a woman could not be a mother and a career woman at the same time. It was poured into me that a “real” mother didn’t work outside the home or leave her children with other people to take care of. It has taken me years to see that this way of thinking is not what I want or my daughter to learn.  Women should not have to pick to be a mom or a career woman.  We can be both, but this was not taught to me.  I had to break down walls and lessons that were engrave into me that it was okay to break “tradition”.  I am now a junior in college trying to continue a dream a thought I could not have because I am a mother.  I am more.