Growing Up With My Family: Happiness, Fun, and Bonding

My family was a major source of happiness as a young girl. The love I received from my parents and siblings made me happy growing up, and I could not imagine a life without them. We visited places together having fun and enjoying each others' companions. We could engage in several activities like hiking, swimming, bike riding among other activities which made my childhood fun memorable and enjoyable. We developed a good bond with each other and became very close friends. I could share everything with my family as they found answers to all my questions and also comforted me while I was emotionally down. We could celebrate different occasions together. Birthdays and Christmas were my favorites as they were full of fun. We could come together and we could have fun the whole day. Friends and relatives would grace the occasions making them more interesting. These occasions made me have the best childhood anyone can ever dream of. During the Christmas holiday, we could travel to different places, enjoying the serenity of the new environments. We could also visit game reserves to enjoy the view of wild animals. I was very happy when I first saw a lion. I had read different stories of how the lion was the king of the jungle and I wanted to see it, not just in books but also in real life.

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I had never thought of children living without a parent. I did not know about them until we visited a children's home in our neighborhood. It was a strange experience as I was not used to this kind of visit. That Christmas of 2010 was different. My parents had decided we would spend the entire week with those children visiting them every day to help them in their daily chores. Many questions ran through my mind, where are their parents? How do they feel living without parents? Do they miss their parent? Do they even know them? I could not get an answer to any of these questions and I did not want to ask them. On the one hand, I was felt sorry for them, and on the other hand, I envied how happy they were playing together. We spent the whole week with the children washing them, preparing food for them, decorating the house for Christmas and even giving out Christmas gifts.

That Christmas holiday was different from those we had before. It made me realize what other people go through with their life. I realized not everyone was happy like me while growing up. Although living happily with each other, I could see they missed the parental love which in my case was abundant. I felt thankful for having my family as they were always there for me. When my father asked the caretaker how they found the children, I could not believe the answers the woman gave us. Some of them were found on the street while others had been abandoned by their parents in different areas. Some were also orphans and had no one to take care of them at home. These words made me sink in deep thoughts wondering how parents can abandon their children. All along, I had supported divorce but for the first time, I felt divorce was not necessary especially when children were involved. Most of the children were rendered homeless after their parents separated. This should not happen to anyone's child as they deserve a happy family and also deserve good care and love as they grow up.

The experience at the children's home changed my life completely. I started caring for the children living in the children's homes as I could visit them frequently. I could go and help them do their home works over the weekend and play with them. I wanted to share with them the love I received while growing up. I became a frequent visitor to the children's home, and it made me feel good. I felt I was doing a noble thing hence did not want to stop. During holidays, we could visit different homes as a family and share the love with the children. I have interacted with several kids living in the children's homes making me understand what they go through daily. The mental trauma they receive in the homes and their desire to have a happy life sometimes leave me helpless. Spending time with these children has always made me happy. Despite their predicaments, they still live happily and hope for a bright future. They are always positive in life and have great dreams. I sometimes remember the experience I had on that Christmas week and how it changed my life. It made me realize the pain other children go through while growing up.