Neither one of my parents had a college degree, but over time spent on jobs, interviews, and past experience, they both landed jobs that have set them for life. For as long as I can remember they have been able to afford a house, nice cars, expensive toys, and luxurious vacations. I thought we had it all and I never had to go with out anything. I depended on my parents for everything, except for their advice. I knew more then they did, and that was that! Never did I expect the challenge I was faced with the day I got married & out on my own. I don't think people realize that taking care of yourself is a job in it self. Now that I have children, I realize that being a parent is one of the biggest responsibilities & jobs a person can ever endure.

I awoke one morning to the sounds of nature and the smell of sizzling bacon on the stove. My mother always made a point of making breakfast, fit for a king, on Sunday mornings. She was a great cook, a great mother, and like my father, a great provider. My needs for survival were met beyond what some children even knew existed. I lived in a beautiful house on Emerald Lane. The yard consisted of velvet gree

n grass with sky-high trees, a crystal clear swimming pool, and a river rock patio for entertaining. The view from my bedroom was amazing and in the evenings I could look out my window and see the tiny moving lights of the cities activity. I had a cozy bed with pink satin sheets, my own bathroom that was splashed with floral wallpaper and plush peach towels that hung from brass hangers. On the counter stood three small plastic boxes I got from the dentist. They were all empty. I had lost, broken and threw away three retainers in a matter of months. What did I care? I had no concept of the cost of things. Besides, I was daddy's little girl and I could do no wrong. On my sixteenth birthday my father took me car shopping and bought me my first set of wheels. And when I blew up that engine from lack of oil, he bought me my second car. When that engine blew he bought my third and final car. I think by then he was tired of having a little girl. But he never reveled it. He knew he was the apple of my eye. I loved both my parents dearly and I never wanted to move out. This was going to be my home forever.

I had no idea that living on my own and with someone else was going to be such a nightmare. But I was determined to prove my mother wrong. There was no way in hell I was moving back home or getting a divorce. Even though Tony and I, at that time, were equally unhappy, it went unsaid. We both were too ashamed to go crawling back home and to proud to admit we had failed. Although we were struggling, parting our own separate ways was not an option.

We started a list of things that needed to be done on a daily basis and split the list in half. When it came to the bigger stuff we compromised. He hated cleaning the house and I hated doing the laundry. So on Saturdays I cleaned the house and on Sundays he took the laundry to his mothers house. I really didn't care how the laundry got done, even though I think he cheated, I was just happy to have clean underwear for Monday morning. I called my mother about once a week for a new recipe for dinner and on the other night we suffered with 'take out' or a fro

Some common words found in the essay are:
Emerald Lane, Check Neither, i've learned, taking care, little girl, bought house, living own, luxurious vacations,
Approximate Word count = 1422
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)