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  • Sometimes the people we love do things we don’t fully understand. Sometimes, we can’t always find them the help they may need. My friend's brother and father battled with addiction, and because my friend didn’t fully understand, she lost both of them in the span of three months. She says she’ll never fully understand why they made the choices they made.

    My friend's brother died three days before Christmas from a heroin overdose. A month before he died, he crashed his car into a tree so before the autopsy was done, everyone thought it was complications associated with the crash. However, they later found out he had overdosed on heroin. Nearly three months after her brother died, her dad was diagnosed with heart failure and was planning to get electrical cardioversion, which is basically where they shock your heart if it has irregular beats. Before that could happen he was found in her little sister's bed with a needle in his arm. She cremated both her brother and father but didn’t have a memorial for almost three months. At the time, my friend was suffering from both depression and anxiety.

    Because of my friend's anxiety and depression from the loss of her brother and father, she made the decision to seek therapy. In her opinion therapy helped her get through the struggles she was facing. She still believes she has not gotten over what happened considering the fact that she is still affected by what happened on a daily basis. She says that she is and probably always will be affected by it because she will never stop missing them and will never fully understand why they made the choices they made.

    Although my friend faced many challenges, her tight-knit family faced them together. Her grandma, mother, and deceased brother were her biggest influencers throughout these hard times. Now it has been nearly two years and my friend says that knowing her brother and father are no longer battling their addictions and knowing they are together somewhere is the source of her recent happiness.

    My friend always says “you don’t overcome any struggles, you learn from them.'' That's why I believe that many struggles can be put behind you but some leave scars that never fade. She says, “I definitely believe the struggles we overcome affect us and how we view the world in a good way”. She says that it affects us in a good way because we learn from it. What we learn is that although a bad thing happens, we still can find happiness.

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  • The stress of being a high school student can at times be unbearable when you’re not only a student, but also a student-athlete. Being both at once is hard because you have to get good grades to play in your sports. Not only is it hard to be a student-athlete and get good grades, but it is also hard for my best friend.

    Her parents are always busy and can’t make it to any of her events. Her mom doesn’t know how to drive so she stays home cleaning all day and taking care of her younger siblings, her dad is always working late so he can’t make it either. Her family members are always busy and no one from her family supports her. Sometimes her sister that lives in Chicago comes in and supports her in cross country but she’s also busy.

    My friends and I support her as well because we’re really close and she’s a great student and athlete. Even though band and cross country is really hard we always support her in her decisions. Every week she goes to cross country practice and every Monday we have to go to band practice and that ends around 7:30. School, on the other hand, is just starting so it’s getting more difficult.

    When she gets home she has to clean and get everything ready for the next day. This is what she’s doing every day, going to school, cross country practice and band is really stressful because there’s a lot of commitment you have to do and get better at. She never fails at what she does. She really loves doing the events she’s in because she can spend more time with her friends instead of being home and doing nothing. Sometimes, she makes mistakes like not running the best or not getting the correct notes out in band but she always learns from them and tries to improve. She has friends that help out a lot and always has her back no matter what.

    Most of the time our friends want to hang out but sometimes she doesn’t have a ride to get there and that’s where my friends and I come in and help so we can hangout and make memories together.

    I really love helping her out because it makes me happy to see her happy. Even if I'm not delighted I always try to make her happy and making memories with her are the best. It’s sad that her parents couldn't make it to her events because they’re always busy but that’s okay because they’re are still helping her out. Today, September 28, 2019, we had a cross country meet and we got a new pr  (a new permanent record). We got twenty-three minutes for three miles and we were really happy because we dropped four minutes from our old time. We were glad that we did it together and that we never gave up because we know we can do anything. We have been struggling in cross country but we’re getting better because we both work hard and are happy to be where we’re at right now.

  • Everyone at some point deals with loss. Someone I know has lost their uncle recently and it changed their view on life forever. This person has found out first hand we all need time to heal after things happen. Even when we don’t deal with loss on a daily basis, it still hits us hard when it comes to mind.

    Naturally, we all have fears, but for one particular person in Bangor High fear was the thing that was holding them back in school and in life. This individual was in a time where his uncle was on the verge of death, and they were afraid of losing him. Their fear was on their mind almost always, it kept them up at night, and was on their mind at school. They just couldn’t shake the thought of losing someone so close to them. Taking care of their uncle was the thing that hurt them the most, only looking at him gave them a terrible gut feeling that something was going to happen that could change everything in an instant. But even with all of this happening at home they were still achieving things elsewhere.

    From start to finish, we all have things to accomplish even when the worst is happening. An achievement is something that someone puts great effort into. Even though this individual was going through a tough time they still managed to keep their grades up and earned straight A’s. Even though not thinking about his family and uncle’s condition was becoming tough for them, they still managed to focus on school. School was very tough for this person because they were in school for so long and only got to see their uncle for a few hours every other day.  School was very hard for this person because they felt as if they had extreme stress in and out of school. Commonly grades can be a big thing in someone’s life, but throughout the situation they were going through it seemed as if that were the least of their worries.

    Coping with the loss of some can be harsh on someone mentally and physically. Unfortunately, this individual’s uncle did perish. Something that helped the individual cope with the death of his uncle was music. Music for them was the thing that took their mind off of the situation and was the thing that helped them get through that time. Eventually, the music wasn’t enough to keep them going and they had to talk about it with someone. They sat down with their parents and explained how the situation made them feel anguish on another level. The sadness that you feel when you lose someone is terrible, and sometimes the feelings can be amplified when you were especially close to the individual you’ve lost.

    Sometimes things happen that we have no control over whether it be losing someone close or trying to multi-task with two things on your mind. Fear can be the thing that breaks us down but can also be the thing that builds us up into the people we are today. Our achievements can be the thing that distracts us from our fears and gives us hope that we are doing sufficient in school and other things. Dealing with things that change in our family and life can be the hardest. All of these things can change our outlook on stuff we do in our everyday life.

  • Everyone wants to be happy. The key to happiness is family. Sometimes family can’t stay together and that's okay to admit. However, family is the most important thing to most people. Not seeing a family member like a mom or dad can be hard. Children are inspired by, and look up to their parents. Growing up without a mom or dad is a common struggle many children face.

    Whenever a family member gets a job, the expectation would be for them to come back home. In some cases, it doesn't happen like that. Sometimes, a family member can be gone for long periods of time. One student who started high school this year doesn't get to see their dad and it is hard on them. Their father has to work many hours just to earn enough money to provide for his family. This student is someone who has dealt with this problem and at the end of the day, family is what is important to them.

    It can get scary when your dad doesn't come home before you go to sleep. This is a daily reality for my friend. She is a genuinely good person, whose dad leaves and she rarely gets to see him. When she does get to see her father he brings gifts as a sign that they will always be his number one priority and the first thing on his mind. It does get hard, especially if the dad cries when he sees his children. Tears that are probably unexplainable. Tears that say everything will be alright.

    Because of the absence of her father anger and frustration became a big part of her life. Some people take their anger out on themselves, and some on the other. My friend's anger pushed people away. She didn't want people's presence in her way. With other people constantly being annoying it got to a point where she lashed out. She was sent to the office for hitting someone. These problems caused her to get sent home for these behaviors.

    There's a point in life where we all go through hard struggles. Things get bad, but at the end of the day a smile can't be that hard to put on. When a family member is gone it gets hard. Healing is a hard process. Sometimes letting go isn't the problem but trying to start over. Keeping a family together is a hard thing to do. Family is what helps us keep on going. Learning from our struggles help us shape into better people. My friend had to deal with her dad being gone for a long time but eventually things did get better. Her family are good people. They go through

    several struggles that we could possibly relate to. Growing up without a father figure in your house is a struggle. Children without their father have a few people to look up to. A wife without her husband makes it hard to take care of her kids by herself. Everyone needs a role model. If one is not present, a child may choose the wrong person to look up to.

  • She may be gone but to him shes still right there. Death happens to everyone somewhere along the lines. We all deal with it in various different ways, sometimes it's harder once you're used to them being there for such a long time on a daily basis. Some struggles that we go through tend to stick with us longer than others.

    Anthony’s mother had gotten into her car after she’d been drinking. She had never put her seat belt on and nobody stopped her nor did they tell her to put her seatbelt on. As she was leaving the party. She was going 50mph and hit a tree. Her body flew out of the passenger side of the window.

    His mom's death led him to thoughts of suicide. He wanted to be with his mom. At the age of eight not knowing why she died or even if she wanted to made him feel neglected like he wasn't good enough to be her son. He also felt like he wasn't good enough without her because she was the only one that he really had. It made his life harder that he even tried to commit suicide multiple times.

    Not having his mom to talk to made having nobody else to talk to even harder. His dad got remarried a short while after the accident, he never wanted to acknowledge that his 1st wife his son's mother is really gone. Anthony never really had anyone to talk to before his mother died and now there is nobody for him to talk to, besides me, he’s never really talked to anyone about this. Nobody beside his dad fully wants to accept that she's really gone. At the same time of all of this going on, he can't trust anybody. He has been bouncing back and forth between different schools meeting people, then leaving not having a bond with anyone to be able to tell things like this to.

    Losing his mother has opened his eyes and made him realize anything can happen at any time. The struggles that we go through can be either long or short-termed. It just so happens this incident came with long term struggles.

  • Sometimes it's hard to let go and say goodbye one last time. Saying goodbye one last time can shatter you from the inside out. Saying goodbye one last time can break you emotionally. Saying goodbye can sting. A loss can make you stronger but it can also hit you in your weak spot. One student at BHS  knows that losing an animal is one of the hardest things to go through.

    When her parents got their first dog they had found her and they decided to keep her. They ended up deciding that they were going to breed her so she could have puppies. Once Lova (Moms Name) had babies they ended keeping four of the dogs. Once the dogs got settled in, her whole family was excited because they were the first dogs the family ever had.

    Eventually, as the dogs started growing up she would spend a lot of time with them. She would play tag with them. One of her dogs (Gordo) was tough, he was the one that would jump on you no matter what. Some of her family members would be scared of the dogs because they were big dogs. Afterward, they ended up having only 3 dogs because they had sold one of them. But as the dogs got older things were not looking so hot. Their dog's mom ended up dying because it was just suffering too much, she would starve herself, she would stay outside in the cold winter on purpose. Gordo was given to a family member and ended up passing away due to cancer. Nena was the only dog alive at the time until things took an unexpected turn.

    One day my friend received the devastating news that nena passed away when she was in Detroit returning from a one month vacation. She was getting ready to go to the mall when her mom got a call from her son that Nena had choked and passed away. Nenas leash was too long and she was on top of her dog house and when she jumped off she was caught and she choked. When she found out, she was in shock. She didn't know what to do. Her family’s reaction was the same, no one knew how to react. Afterward her brother buried Nena in their backyard.

    Letting go of something so valuable to you can shatter you inside. Even though people go through some hard things it doesn't mean it will make a bad or a good thing to them in life. Like some people in this same situation might not trust dogs anymore. When someone gets a dog over time the dog becomes like family. Losing that dog is like losing a family member because it was part of the family at one point.

  • Sometimes forgetting your father is better than having him around. Not having your father around can be very challenging growing up. For one, you don’t have someone to teach you about life. You don’t have a father to shape you into a better person. Unfortunately, a friend of mine doesn’t have a father figure, but in his case, it’s better for his father to not be around, in order for him to be a better person.

    My friend's father used drugs such as meth. Due to his father's mistakes, every single person in his life suffered in some type of way. His mother had to make some tough decisions. She took her kids out of the house and stayed at her brothers. For my friend, this situation was hard for a toddler. The older he got, the more he understood what had happened. He’d rather know now than being around toxic people.

    My friend's father ended up hurting another person in the family, his brother. His brother was abused by his father. At this time, my friend was still young, but he was still affected. He felt helpless, he couldn’t do anything to help. He might not have gone through it but having a loved one suffer still hurts. No one deserves to go through any type of abuse. His father should have shown a better version of himself to his kids.

    After they left the house, they left my friend's father behind and moved on. This came with a lot of confusion growing up. This has affected my friend in a couple of ways. He isn’t as social in school. He sees the world in a distinct way. He believes he will not be able to forgive his father, even if his father apologized. In the end, my friend is glad he didn’t have his father around.

    Value the things you have, and don’t think about the things you don’t have. Knowing your father was a bad person and wasn’t present is really hard. My friend's family went through so much due to one person. They had to let him go because being with him or close to him would have caused them more trouble. In this world having a single parent can be challenging. Kids don’t receive everything they need to grow up properly. We need to change the way kids grow up. We need to do something about the thing that is stealing our parents away from us. We need to do something about addiction. Parents should be determined to show their kids the good things about the world and not only the bad.

  • The quote “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” may be hard to believe, but it’s true. Many people go through tough times and take on a negative view of life. Most of the time it’s because they have lost hope. However, a very important man in my life didn’t. The struggles we face make us stronger when we learn how to grow from situations such as growing up poor, being a single father, and quitting your job.

    Many people have financial issues growing up. Unfortunately, this man hardly had a stable home or barely any food to eat growing up. Since no one was really looking out for him or raising him, he got into trouble with the law. His parents didn’t really care what he did, nor did they care about providing him with the basics to survive. If he and his siblings were hungry, they had to go pick fruits and vegetables to eat from the fields around their house. They had to wear the same clothes to school year after year until they didn’t fit anymore. Whenever his parents would get money, they would always blow it on alcohol, drugs, and the casino. In order for his parents to pay the bills, he and his siblings had to work so that they could keep their house, even if it was temporary. This then led to him having a child at an early age because he felt responsible enough.

    This man had his firstborn child at the age of eighteen years old. After he realized that raising a child so young was difficult, he started to become distant. He then stated, “I wish I would’ve spent more time with my firstborn.” He had another child about three years later. Since the way he grew up was rough, he was always afraid of not being a good enough father to them. He and his wife then got divorced and he remarried about five years later. He then had three more children soon after. Things were going well but then his wife got involved with drugs and left him with their three kids. Eventually, things got tough and he ended up quitting his job.

    After a while, money was scarce. Taking care of three children by himself was no easy task. He then quit his job because it wasn’t playing well enough to support him and his children. He started to get behind on rent, bills, etc.. which eventually led to getting kicked out of his house. He and his children didn’t have a place to live. They then started staying with some family as some time went by. Later on, things started to get better. He finally found a new job, made more money, and bought a house in Bangor. They have been happy and living there ever since then.

    Almost everyone goes through tough times in life. This man's story is inspiring in many ways. Going through tough times can in a way make you stronger. A lot of people don’t get back up from hard times. Even though he had a lot of struggles in life, he never lost hope. It may seem hard to recover and get back up when you fall. However,  if you believe that you can, then it is possible. Overall, when you feel like you’re losing everything, just hang in there. It’s easy to give up, and much harder to fight.

  • Procrastination is currently an increasing trend in today's youth. Youth procrastinate because sometimes they have a fear of failure or they think they can’t live up to high expectations. Another reason people procrastinate could be because they feel alone and have no one to go to if they need help. Jennifer is an example of how the struggles we go through make us realize that procrastination can lead us to regretful decisions and leave us in a deeper hole.

    2017 was going to be tough because at this time it was Jennifer's first year of high school. She knew that all grades mattered in highschool. Jennifer’s older sister was also a senior that year, which meant that her mom had set extremely high expectations for her. Her mom encouraged her to do better than her older sister was doing, to have a better future and more advantages in life. But ever since she started freshman year she was really shy and was having trouble fitting in.

    Jennifer started to struggle with anxiety because she felt a lot of pressure to try to get everything perfect. The last thing she wanted to do was mess up and let her parents down. When she started sophomore year she was taking college classes which caused her to have more homework throughout the day. In sophomore year she also had sociology class and things didn't reflect on how much she was trying in school. She failed the class which caused so much anxiety that she didn't have any more hope to pass any other classes. The moment she realized she didn't pass the class she knew it was going to affect her GPA.

    The next year arrived,  junior year, and nothing seemed to change for Jennifer. It just kept getting worse. Junior year Jennifer decided to join (NHS) National Honor Society which is a program with students with high GPAs. As junior year was coming to an end, She wasn’t expecting good results. That's when she decided to look online at her grades and she had seen that her rank went down to ninth in her class.

    Today her life still requires a lot of effort. However, at the end of the day, it’s how much you try that reflects on how much you get. Staying on track in school can be really stressful because everyone works at different paces. Life isn’t a race. Try your best and you’ll get better choices in the future, In this experience, Jennifer learned that procrastinating makes you fall into a deep hole of stress, anxiety, and wanting to quit just makes life harder.

  • Addiction is common but is always a sore subject to talk about. Millions of people in the United States struggle with drug addiction. Many come out alive some but some are less fortunate and do not. Kaleigh’s battle with addiction has taught her to appreciate a life lived sober.

    Kaleigh started her battle with addiction when she was put on Adderall by a doctor at the age of thirteen years old. She was then taken off nine months later. Ever since then she's chased the feeling she got from the pills on and off until eighteen. At the age of fourteen, she started taking heroin. Later on, she quit heroin when she overdosed in the school bathroom 6 days after her 16th birthday. At the age of fourteen, she started to drink alcohol.

    While she was addicted to cocaine at the age of 15 she later ended up quitting. When in the middle of an abusive relationship that lasted a year and a half she figured out she was pregnant with her oldest son through it all she was Verbally and physically abused by her Boyfriend.  She stopped doing everything when she got into trouble with the law and they said they were going to send her to prison for 25 years to life and she would lose her son if she didn't follow her probation.

    She overcame her drug addiction for her family. She lost everything during her addiction: her house, her family, her life, her car, and her son. She also overcame her addiction knowing her husband and kids needed her.

    Sometimes going through struggles can shape our lives in a good way. She had many struggles leading to one big one and they led her back to the right path which was being a sober person. Millions of people in the United States struggle with drug addiction Kaleigh is not only my sister but she's one of many that made it out alive.

  • Sometimes we forget people are important. You never know when someone might be  taken away from you. Don't ever forget to cherish someone. Right now many people are getting deported and it's sad. Many kids are losing their parents and are most likely never going to see them. One of my friend’s cousins were deported. They weren't so close but they did talk every once in a while.  My friend learned that the struggles we go through can teach us to value people.

    The first step of being deported is getting arrested. When someone gets arrested they go to jail afterward. In this case, this person went to court. Deciding what to do with someone on the first day of the court is difficult so nothing really happened that day. After court, he went back to jail. The family tried to bail him out but it didn't work. This was because it cost too much money.  At this point, it was time to try something else.

    The first thing that came to mind was marrying an American citizen to see if he could stay.  Everyone was in such a rush that he just married a random girl. She agreed to marry him because she wanted to help him in any way possible.  They had a little ceremony and both said: “I do”. Now they are married. No one really knew who she was. He only met the girl once and got married on the second day they met.  They saw each other for the first time in court. Then the next time he went to court she said she would marry him. Things weren't going so well and nothing went the way it was supposed to. Marrying the girl was completely useless.  The court said that he couldn't stay.   When things don't go as planned it seems like everything goes wrong. Everyone had very little hope that things were going to turn out as planned.

    Things don't always get solved the first time in court so he went to court again. Things didn't go so well at that time either. At court, this family found out he was going to get deported. One of the family members dropped off his things in Detroit. A few days passed, and he was gone. He was deported and dropped off in Mexico.

    Sometimes people don't value each other until it is too late. At some point in our lives, we will go through something we cant fix. Family is important even if we might not talk to them much. It's ok to argue with someone but you have to forgive them. Be kind to everyone you have and cherish them. You never know if it is the last time you are going to see someone.  Just because someone seems and looks happy doesn't mean that their life is perfect. When you lose someone, you look back at all your amazing memories together and feel like you just lost the world.

  • Sometimes you have to learn the hard lessons for your own good. Getting in trouble can change you into a better person. It shows you how to mature. People will take you seriously if you change. Without getting in trouble people won't know how to change. My best friend is an example of how getting in trouble can change you for the better.

    There were many reasons he got in trouble.  In class, he talked too much which was a problem.  Even when he did work alone he constantly talked and eventually, he got sent to the office. There were times where he messed around without even thinking about what he was doing. It was bad because most of the time because he would do things and never realize that he was hurting someone else.  He was always embarrassing himself. He did things that embarrassed his family, which wasn't good. He never listened. This really became a problem that was tough to deal with and was a big deal for his family.

    He wanted to change because he wanted to be a better person. He wanted to make his family proud and keep his family name a good one. His parents were not so happy with him so he wanted to make them proud by going out of his way to be a good person. His parents deserve to at least say that they have a good son. The school staff had to deal with him a lot and it wasn't good. They got tired of him getting in trouble because they had other kids to deal with and him getting in trouble made it harder on them. It started to get better but he still but still needed to work on some things.

    My friend acted like a fool everywhere he went. He also would bring this behavior to-the soccer field. There was one time that he acted up in a church which was a huge deal because his mom was had to teach him a lesson the hard way for being disrespectful in church. He messed around so much it got to the point where he ended up hurting himself messing around which involves hurting himself and busting his lip open. He realized then that he wasn't being smart with his actions and knew that he had to change before something really bad happened. Luckily, he started making small changes and is now better in school and other places. He accomplished what he wanted and made his family proud.

    If he continued to act in the same manner as he did before, he would have flunked a grade or may even have to take special classes. But his family was more important to him. It was important to make his family proud because he wanted people to see that his family was the best. His sister was really worried for him. She was fearing that he was taking the wrong steps. She always tried to help him and she did what was good for him and for his image. His story is a reminder that when you have people in your life that hold you to a higher standard, you will meet them there.

  • My sister has struggled with horseback riding. She is a good example of how the struggles we go through make us and break us. She has her ups and downs just like anyone else. She is an eleven-year-old girl who has gone through so much in so little time. She is fearful for her future and the struggles to come.

    My sister became very stressed with horseback riding. Because of her stress, she took a break from horseback riding. You can win money when you compete and win one or more of the top three spots. Riding a horse gives you space away from stressful things or people. When riding a horse you risk getting hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally.

    Her struggle with horseback riding has made her and her horse develop a stronger bond. Her skills have improved in horseback riding. She has fallen off of her horse many times before. She has been thrown into a fence by her horse and she has been bruised but she continues to live her dream.

    She has become an inspiration to many people including me. She has gained many more strengths in many things. She has gained strength in her horseback riding goals. Mallory has gotten first place at a weekend horse show. She has become a tougher girl throughout the years with riding her horse and in general.

    Sometimes our tough times get us further along and build us up but they can break us as well. Although she has been through many ups and downs, she continues to do her best and never gives up.

  • Just persevere through life's struggles and you will be able to get through. Sometimes people will hurt you, and that's ok It will make you a stronger person in the long run. My father is the Meat Department Manager at Walmart and he is still working hard toward his dreams while dealing with many struggles. He is an example of how not giving up on your dreams will lead you to be a stronger person and try harder.

    My dad was born and raised in Allegan, MI. He had gone to Allegan public schools his whole life from what I'm aware of. By the time that he had graduated from high school he had no interest in achieving a higher education so he had tried to rush into adulthood. He had got a job as soon as he could. He then proceeded on with his life and got a girlfriend, apparently, He had met this woman while he was working at Pet Life, an old store that has since been rebranded and moved down south. According to him, he was a machine operator for making dog food and treats. While he had already been working there first, she came along as a packager in the same area. Later they soon started talking to get to know each other better and even went on a few dates. Things then snowballed as relationships do and they got married. His wife had already been with somebody else and they had a kid together. This left my father with a 50/50 split of taking care of this child. As he had become more and more invested in this relationship he had to figure out how to take care of a child as he went. He then realized that it was necessary for him to achieve a higher education if he wanted to make it anywhere in life so he had tried to go to college online and get a bachelor's degree. So now he has to balance taking care of a child and his wife, managing his job, and going to college online.

    Before my dad had a girlfriend or had gotten out of school he had started out as a paperboy. He would go from house to house, street to street, neighborhood to neighborhood delivering papers on a bicycle. He then sought out a higher paying job as he got older. He had gotten a job and his job was at parker hannifan where his father still works to this day. He then got fired for reasons unknown he then proceeded to try to find work at numerous other jobs, whilst successfully getting hired he could never really keep one job for a long time. He had then felt miserable after being let go from so many jobs and didn't know what exactly to do. Then he went to Walmart and still works there today as Meat Department Manager. When my dad had kept going in and out of jobs he had started to struggle with his attitude. Like for example some days he would have an a, we attitude by contributing to others and being selfless. On other days he would have me, myself, and I attitude by caring only about himself and being selfish as can be.  Since he has a wife and 3 kids now that are at the age of 9, 14, and 21 though he stats, “ I find it easier to get my work done and achieve more because I do it for them.” Another thing he finds challenging is taking care of three kids since he was 25. He worries that they won’t become the men that he has been working his butt off to shape them into, so he tries very hard to discipline them correctly.

    My father is an important person because of what he has gone through. He is a good example of don’t give up on your dreams no matter what. Though he had a hard time with many things, three of those things being raising kids at a young age, finding a stable job, and dealing with his own attitude from time to time. He still had not given up on his dreams of a peaceful and fulfilling, happy retirement along with keeping his morals of perseverance through tough and difficult times will make you a better and stronger person.

  • Parents are always important, but not always for the right reasons. Parents are supposed to be role models for their children. Most of the time they’re great role models. Other times they’re perfect examples of what to never act like. An active Bangor mother had to grow up with a parent who, sadly, was an example of how to never act. She is a great example of how growing up with an unsupportive parent, but turn it into a great thing. She is an example of how, sometimes, the best things in life come from the worst experiences.

    This mother’s struggles started young. She was born in Illinois and moved to Michigan when she was five. She went to Bloomingdale for a few years before moving to Bangor until she graduated. She essentially always had family struggles. She had an unsupportive mother and never met her father. Because of the little to no support from her mother she ended up with some issues that she still struggles with today. She had low self-confidence as well as trust issues. It got to the point where she did not want to be home or with her family. In fact, she avoided going home as much as possible. Some may think growing up unsupported she would’ve turned out unhappy. She wasn’t happy when she was young. But her struggles made her a better person. They made her stronger and more independent and brave. She wouldn’t change a thing, that is except meeting her father before he had died when she was only two years old. This is the one thing she’d change because she wonders if anything would be different today or would’ve happened differently in the past.

    Since this particular Bangor mother grew up with an unsupportive family she is used to doing everything herself. Her past struggles have shaped her present-day life a lot, especially with her own family. She often has trouble asking for and receiving help. Her family set an example of what not to be. She also learned how a parent should never act. As she grew older, her situation started to help her figure out what she wanted for herself. She eventually began getting the things she needed to. Especially after meeting her now-husband in highschool. He and his family showed her what love is. They showed her everything she wanted in a family.

    She truly is an example of how sometimes the things we view as the worst things in life, can really help make the best happen. She had many struggles with herself because of her family. She no longer talks to most of them. She’s never really healed from her past. The memories of it are always in the back of her mind.  But it’s only when she thinks about it that she can’t stop thinking about it. About the struggles of little to no support. About the little to no love, she received as a child. Through all of it she never really knew how to act. She never really knew how to be or act happy because of all the negativity she faced at home.

    But now she has a loving family of her own and a great job. So many people go through similar struggles. And most, like her, think or thought they are or were alone. But if you look closer, you’ll realize you’re not as alone as you think. So keep your head held high. Remember some want you to fail. So show them you can’t be beat.

  • Nobody knows when a heart is beating its last beats. Losing someone you love is hard on everyone involved. You feel very sad and upset for a while. However, over time the pain will lessen. My friend learned that losing an animal can feel like losing a family member.

    While she was at a sleepover something fell and killed her pet puppy. At the time of the accident, she was 9 years old. Her dog was a girl named Falyn. When Falyn died she was 3 months old. She left for a sleepover and left Falyn home. There was a board that they left unattached to the house. The board fell on top of Falyn and killed her. The girl saw Falyns dead body and she said that the body was warm. They disposed of the body properly. She was very upset by the death of Falyn.

    Her recovery took time but she did not do it alone she had help from her family. Her recovery from losing her pet took a few months to heal. She said that a lot was the same other than she no longer had a big responsibility. She no longer had to feed, take her out, and had no one to hug and cuddle with. Her family also dealt with Falyn’s death. Because Falyn was a family pet.

    she is now fourteen years old and is five years older than the day Falyn died. She was a student at Lawrence schools but now is a Bangor student. She does not believe everything happens for a reason because some things that happen are not fair. She does not blame herself for Falyn dying. She did, however, say that she did wish the board was attached to the wall. If she had attached the board Falyn would have survived.

    Sometimes leaving something unattended can have a big consequence. Even though everything seems okay in front of you, someone else is struggling. The falling of a board can crush a little girl's dreams. Which makes you realize to appreciate what you have when you have it.

  • It’s nice to grow up in a house with two loving parents, but not everyone gets the privilege. Having both parents there to support them can make kids feel more loved. It also allows them to have someone to confide in. Some struggles kids are subjected to are not fair and can end up affecting their lives negatively.

    One of my friends has divorced parents and it has negatively affected her and how she feels. So much happened so fast, she couldn’t completely process what was occurring. She told me, she thinks about it all of the time. No matter how much she stays busy, she always feels sad. Since the divorce, she has major trust issues. She said, “ Since the divorce, I feel like I can’t trust anyone because they end up leaving”.

    Having her parents divorced affected her home life in a negative way. Her sister recently left for college so when her mom goes to work, she is left at home taking care of brothers. In school she participates in band and jazz band because she takes care of her brothers she doesn’t really have a lot of time to herself so she can practice. Since her mom works during the day, her mom isn’t able to go to the performances. When she is at home she feels overwhelmed and lonely.

    Her relationship with her mom and her dad were affected in a bad way. She has an okay relationship with her mother, even though she barely sees her because of how much she works. Her mom won custody over her kids because her dad wasn’t capable of taking care of them. When her mom won custody her dad tried to take the kids and separate them from their mother but that didn’t work. Since then, she doesn’t want to see her dad and tries to make up excuses not to see him.

    To this day she is still dealing with taking care of her brothers, not feeling supported by her family in extracurricular activities, and barely seeing her parents. Hopefully, it will get easier to manage. Sometimes struggles people are subjected to can be good for them, but for her, it is a different story. Having her parents divorced affected her home life, her relationships with her parents, and how she feels about life. Many kids like her are in the same situation. Everyone has something they are dealing with. Just remember before criticizing someone realize they too have something they are struggling with.

  • Everyone has struggles and some are worse than others. The world can change you in many ways and can shape you into the person you are today. It can affect you in ways you never thought of. Some people have learned that the hard way and others haven’t. From my mother, I have learned not all struggles make you stronger, and some can even turn the world you thought you knew into a scary hell.

    My mother has faced many obstacles from the time she fell victim to anxiety, to now. The bigger the life events that happened and the more overwhelming they were, caused her anxiety to worsen. She had dealt with a lot of trauma when she was younger from her parent's divorce and her home life. It is the main reason she has anxiety now. In addition to the trauma and overwhelming events, she is constantly overthinking and worrying. Her anxiety always keeps her thinking. She is also always wondering what people are capable of doing, and not in a good way. “It is ok to talk to someone, it’s ok to ask for help,” she stated, that is something she has learned in her course of living with anxiety. One big problem my mom deals with is seclusion.

    My mom tends to exclude herself from a lot of situations. She mostly stays to herself and her immediate family. When she gets around large crowds she generally does not like to participate. She does this because her anxiety shoots through the roof. Due to the fact that she does not like large crowds, and she doesn't like to be around too many people, she does not have many friends. Another reason for this is her lack of communication. Some people don’t know what anxiety is like and they want her to go out and do things. The activities she participates in, are not as interesting as some may think, even she finds them boring and not fun. Another way this has affected her is having to deal with panic attacks.

    The worst part of my mom’s anxiety is her panic attacks. My mom’s panic attacks are terrifying. They can cause her to cancel plans, not being able to function the rest of the day, and sometimes she has to sleep for a period of time. One side effect of the panic attacks is the hyperventilation. She starts to breathe rapidly. Then it turns into heavy breathing and feeling like she is short of breath. She can also get light-headed, dizzy, and she gets peripheral vision, which is when her eyes only focus on certain things and it causes her to not see very well. When having a panic attack her chest also gets tight and she gets chest pain. This causes her panic attacks to get worse. One of the reasons her panic attacks happen is from being around too many people, and from the high levels of stress. Panic attacks are horrible.

    The world is not the same as it was 20 years ago, it has changed people and has affected people in many ways. Now to my mother, the world is a scary hell. Anxiety is horrible and can be terrifying. It has affected my mom, my family, and me in a negative way. It has also affected my parents’ relationship at times, and they commonly get into arguments. When they get into arguments, they will slowly escalate, because of my mom’s anxiety and my dad doesn’t know what it is like. This causes my siblings to start getting confused because they don’t know what is going on, and sometimes they get involved. This causes me to get involved and it turns into a big mess of yelling and arguing. My mom is normally calm and understanding, she doesn’t really yell unless she gets very aggravated. I try and help out as much as I can so my mom can sit down and relax. I have learned from listening to my mom’s story that living a life with anxiety is not fun. This story is important to my mom, it might not be as important to you, but it might help you voice out some of your own struggles.

  • I grew up with a normal childhood. I had friends and good grades and I was happy with my life. Though this wasn't always the case when I turned five. At the age of five came along something that has definitely left scars, both physically and mentally. My life was infected by OCD and Trichotillomania.

    My OCD is the first disorder I dealt with. OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is where a person has repetitive thoughts or behaviors due to stress. I relate to OCD because of the thoughts I have. I usually have terrible thoughts like someone or myself dying, breaking bones or even embarrassment. Another thing I fear is a form of radiation in the air or something that involves germs and because of that, it causes me to have repetitive behaviors like scratching the right side of my nose and pulling my hair out on my head.

    All of these behaviors have caused me a lot of stress. Due to the stress, my other disorder called Trichotillomania was formed. Trichotillomania is a big factor in my OCD. Though now that it has gotten more repetitive it has formed into its own issue more than just an OCD side effect. It’s now its own disorder.

    About Trichotillomania, it is a hair-pulling disorder. It has other side effects like nail-biting or scab picking but in my case, it’s just hair pulling. When I say hair pulling people tend to think it's painful, but really it’s not. When I pull my head hair it feels good and for me is a way of relieving stress. The feeling of the hair coming out of my head is satisfying so it makes me want to keep pulling.

    After so much pulling I got a bald spot. The bald spot makes me very uncomfortable and it just makes me stress even more. So because of this, I recently had to inform my parents about it. Just so you're aware most of my friends and family know about the disorders I'm not really afraid to tell them. Though when I told them my disorders got better.

    My parents said they would help me find ways to help me stop pulling hair so it can regrow. They also said they would help me find methods to help my OCD die down some. It's now been a day since I told them. During that day I didn't pull my hair once! Also confronting my parents about my thoughts and behaviors I have not had a bad thought for over 24 hours now which is ten times better than before.

    So now I realize that all I need to change is to confront my issues. Whenever I get stressed, I just need to talk about my issue. Whenever I want to pull hair I will stop and ask myself, why am I doing this? From this point on I do see great improvements in my future. For everyone who also might deal with relatable issues, I hope this might have been helpful advice!