Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.
how is it? what should i change? is it relevant to the topic?
Every weekend I go visit my mom. When I enter the facility where she stays now that her Alzheimer's is difficult to deal with, my eyes often wander to thepicture of my mom and my siblings. Just six months ago, my mother was diagnosed with stage 6 of Alzheimer's. When I look at her wandering around her room, nervous and disoriented, it's hard not to dwell on the "what if's": what if there was a cure? What if she has been diagnosed sooner? What if I still had the chance to ask all those questions that choke me up when I see her in the nursery?
Ironically, through this difficult time in my life my mom has given me a chance to face reality head-on. Before, when everything was normal, my relationship with her was warm but very tense. She had strong opinions about my hairstyle, clothes, friends, and--above everything else--my academic performance. When I was not sitting at my desk in my room, she invariably asked me why I had nothing to do and told me I should not procrastinate. She stressed that if I missed my teenage years of studying, I would regret it later. She didn't like me going out with my friends, so I often ended up staying at home--I was never allowed to sleep over at other students' homes. My high school memories consist of going to school and coming back home. I was confused by my parents' overprotective attitude, because they emphasized independence yet never actually gave me a chance to be independent.
She worried incessantly about whether I would ever get into college, and she often made me feel as if she would never accept my choices. Rather than standing up for myself, I simply assumed that if I studied hard, she would no longer be disappointed in me. Although I tried hard, I never seemed to get it quite right; she was never satisfied with everything I did. As if that weren't enough, she frequently compared me to my over-achieving older sister, asking me why I couldn't be more like her. I must admit that at times I even questioned whether my mom really loved me. After all, she never expressed admiration for what I did, and my attempts to impress her were never good enough. In retrospect, I don't think I fully understood what she was trying to tell me.
These days, when I come home to an empty house, it strikes me just how dependent on my parents' care and support I have been so far. Now that my mom is in not home and my dad is always working, I see why she was always so hard on me. I understand that she had a big heart, even though she didn't always let it show; she was trying to steer me in the right direction, emphasizing the need to develop independence and personal strength. She was trying to help me see the world with my own eyes, to make my own judgments and decide for myself what I would eventually become. When my mom was still healthy, I took all of her advice the wrong way. I should not have worried so much about pleasing my parents, after all, their only expectation of me, is that I be myself.
Strangely, dealing with my mom's Alzheimer's has made me believe that I can tackle just about any challenge. Most importantly, I am more enthusiastic about what the future hold for me than ever before. In embarking on my college career, I will be carrying with me my mother's last gift and greatest legacy: a new desire to live in the present and the confidence to handle whatever the future might bring.
how is it? what should i change? is it relevant to the topic?
Every weekend I go visit my mom. When I enter the facility where she stays now that her Alzheimer's is difficult to deal with, my eyes often wander to thepicture of my mom and my siblings. Just six months ago, my mother was diagnosed with stage 6 of Alzheimer's. When I look at her wandering around her room, nervous and disoriented, it's hard not to dwell on the "what if's": what if there was a cure? What if she has been diagnosed sooner? What if I still had the chance to ask all those questions that choke me up when I see her in the nursery?
Ironically, through this difficult time in my life my mom has given me a chance to face reality head-on. Before, when everything was normal, my relationship with her was warm but very tense. She had strong opinions about my hairstyle, clothes, friends, and--above everything else--my academic performance. When I was not sitting at my desk in my room, she invariably asked me why I had nothing to do and told me I should not procrastinate. She stressed that if I missed my teenage years of studying, I would regret it later. She didn't like me going out with my friends, so I often ended up staying at home--I was never allowed to sleep over at other students' homes. My high school memories consist of going to school and coming back home. I was confused by my parents' overprotective attitude, because they emphasized independence yet never actually gave me a chance to be independent.
She worried incessantly about whether I would ever get into college, and she often made me feel as if she would never accept my choices. Rather than standing up for myself, I simply assumed that if I studied hard, she would no longer be disappointed in me. Although I tried hard, I never seemed to get it quite right; she was never satisfied with everything I did. As if that weren't enough, she frequently compared me to my over-achieving older sister, asking me why I couldn't be more like her. I must admit that at times I even questioned whether my mom really loved me. After all, she never expressed admiration for what I did, and my attempts to impress her were never good enough. In retrospect, I don't think I fully understood what she was trying to tell me.
These days, when I come home to an empty house, it strikes me just how dependent on my parents' care and support I have been so far. Now that my mom is in not home and my dad is always working, I see why she was always so hard on me. I understand that she had a big heart, even though she didn't always let it show; she was trying to steer me in the right direction, emphasizing the need to develop independence and personal strength. She was trying to help me see the world with my own eyes, to make my own judgments and decide for myself what I would eventually become. When my mom was still healthy, I took all of her advice the wrong way. I should not have worried so much about pleasing my parents, after all, their only expectation of me, is that I be myself.
Strangely, dealing with my mom's Alzheimer's has made me believe that I can tackle just about any challenge. Most importantly, I am more enthusiastic about what the future hold for me than ever before. In embarking on my college career, I will be carrying with me my mother's last gift and greatest legacy: a new desire to live in the present and the confidence to handle whatever the future might bring.
