While there are many ways to define family, my definition of family is that which is most important to me. My family has been there for me every step of the way, from the time I was born until now. I had no idea what family meant. I believed it was their duty, and assumed that it was mine. However, it all depends how you define it. If you get hurt, you should run to mommy.
My mother is my mom. She has done everything to ensure that I am safe, guided me, and have all the things I need. My mother, who was born in Brooklyn, raised me in Haiti. Every morning she would wake up at 5 in the morning to get to work and provide food for me and my brother. She would be so tired when she got home that she would not eat. She is a nurse and pharmacist. Because she is always on the job, I needed a tutor to help me with my homework. My brother and I left Haiti at age 10 because she felt she could no more keep us there. She had my aunt give her legal rights so that she would be our guardian. Although I understood that she was my mother, she gave birth, I didn’t understand her true meaning. She is an example in family. She is someone who would do everything to make my life better. Because she knew that Haiti was not her future, she left her Haitian family behind to send her flesh and blood to another country. She is an example what family means for me. While many consider their family to include siblings, brothers or cousins, aunts, uncles or aunts, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be blood relatives. These are some of the people who I consider part of my family.
My mom employed a maid/nanny when I was a little girl. She was either too tired or busy at work. My brother and I were treated like her own children by her, even though she was young. In her mid-20s, she was still a teenager. She treated me as her child and was a great mom/sister. She would get up with my mother at 6:45 am to prepare breakfast, then make my hair for school. Then, she would go to the house to clean the house and make dinner. I would return home at 7 or 8. I would have so much study to do in Haiti. At night, I would wake up and go to bed. After a hard day, she would always be there to check on me until the wee hours of the morning. Family doesn’t have to be a blood line. Family can also mean caring for each others, even when you don’t know how.
