"The Lawrence Family When the alarm went off at 6 am, no one moved. Frannie stayed quite still, hoping Otis would remem
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:13 am
"The Lawrence Family
When the alarm went off at 6 am, no one moved. Frannie stayed quite still, hoping Otis would remember it was his morning to get the children up and start the dressing and breakfast process. She felt so tired that she could not get up yet anyway, stifling the guilty reminder that it was 11 the night before when Otis got home from his class, and he must be pretty tired, too. But the past month, she seemed to be completely exhausted at the start of each day. She wondered how she would get through the next three months. She again considered whether it might be a mistake to work right up until the birth but that was the only way she would take three months off after the baby was born. In her head, she reviewed the decision, but there appeared to be no other options. Their income looked fine on paper, but when you subtracted the child support that Otis sent for the boys - and it would soon increase because Danny had to get braces - there was just no extra money for her to take additional unpaid leave.
She groaned, but Otis still did not move. In a burst of exasperation, she maneuvered out of bed and banged the bathroom door louder than was necessary. Otis stretched and turned over, feeling guilty about Fannie but also telling himself he needed the extra rest after the late night at class and the late night we would have tonight at work. He would get up in a few minutes and help Fannie get the kids ready.
Fannie laid out breakfast things and went to wake the children. Four-year-old Pete was tired and hard to him moving, so she practically had to dress him, and eight-year-old Kim was impatient to get her hair done. But the time they were eating breakfast, Fannie looked at the clock and realized she would have to skip hers and dress quickly or she would be late again. In the still-dark bedroom, she fumbled for her clothes and shoes then went into the bathroom to shower quickly and dress.
She returned to the kitchen to find the table a mess of cereal and milk and heard the TV blaring in the living room. "Kim, when i leave you in charge, " i don't expect you to let Pete watch TV. Just look at this mess. Turn that off and at least put the milk in the fridge and get your teeth brushed, and Petey, see if you can't tie your shoes to help Mama out today."
Kim said, "Mama, I want a lunch packed. It's that awful fried chicken for lunch at school today, and I hate it."
"Kim! I told you before, I have to fix lunches at night. I don't have the time. We've got to leave right now, so don't start that." Kim's lip trembled, and Fannie turned away abruptly. She did not have time for one of Kim's scenes; besides, she was getting pretty sick of them because Kim was dong this more and more often. Last night, she spent an hour whining that she did not have any friends in her class and she hated Miss Yates. This was not like Kim, Fannie thought distractedly. She had always been a happy child.
Otis appeared in the kitchen just in time to see Kim burst into tears. "Hey, what's the matter here?" he asked cheerily. Fannie glared at him as Kim sobbed that Mama would not make her a lunch and that she could not eat the lunch at school. "Oh, won't she--" Otis began teasingly, but Fannie snapped, "Just be quiet, Otis. I haven't had one second this morning. I haven't even had time for breakfast, so if she wants a lunch, you'd have to make it, but we have to leave right now!"
After reading the two family scenarios and answer the following questions :
1. What did these scenarios remind you about regarding your own childhood? Or what challenges did you and your family face?
2. Regarding this memory, what could have helped or made a difference for you or your family?
3. How does this event/story in your childhood impact you as an adult?
When the alarm went off at 6 am, no one moved. Frannie stayed quite still, hoping Otis would remember it was his morning to get the children up and start the dressing and breakfast process. She felt so tired that she could not get up yet anyway, stifling the guilty reminder that it was 11 the night before when Otis got home from his class, and he must be pretty tired, too. But the past month, she seemed to be completely exhausted at the start of each day. She wondered how she would get through the next three months. She again considered whether it might be a mistake to work right up until the birth but that was the only way she would take three months off after the baby was born. In her head, she reviewed the decision, but there appeared to be no other options. Their income looked fine on paper, but when you subtracted the child support that Otis sent for the boys - and it would soon increase because Danny had to get braces - there was just no extra money for her to take additional unpaid leave.
She groaned, but Otis still did not move. In a burst of exasperation, she maneuvered out of bed and banged the bathroom door louder than was necessary. Otis stretched and turned over, feeling guilty about Fannie but also telling himself he needed the extra rest after the late night at class and the late night we would have tonight at work. He would get up in a few minutes and help Fannie get the kids ready.
Fannie laid out breakfast things and went to wake the children. Four-year-old Pete was tired and hard to him moving, so she practically had to dress him, and eight-year-old Kim was impatient to get her hair done. But the time they were eating breakfast, Fannie looked at the clock and realized she would have to skip hers and dress quickly or she would be late again. In the still-dark bedroom, she fumbled for her clothes and shoes then went into the bathroom to shower quickly and dress.
She returned to the kitchen to find the table a mess of cereal and milk and heard the TV blaring in the living room. "Kim, when i leave you in charge, " i don't expect you to let Pete watch TV. Just look at this mess. Turn that off and at least put the milk in the fridge and get your teeth brushed, and Petey, see if you can't tie your shoes to help Mama out today."
Kim said, "Mama, I want a lunch packed. It's that awful fried chicken for lunch at school today, and I hate it."
"Kim! I told you before, I have to fix lunches at night. I don't have the time. We've got to leave right now, so don't start that." Kim's lip trembled, and Fannie turned away abruptly. She did not have time for one of Kim's scenes; besides, she was getting pretty sick of them because Kim was dong this more and more often. Last night, she spent an hour whining that she did not have any friends in her class and she hated Miss Yates. This was not like Kim, Fannie thought distractedly. She had always been a happy child.
Otis appeared in the kitchen just in time to see Kim burst into tears. "Hey, what's the matter here?" he asked cheerily. Fannie glared at him as Kim sobbed that Mama would not make her a lunch and that she could not eat the lunch at school. "Oh, won't she--" Otis began teasingly, but Fannie snapped, "Just be quiet, Otis. I haven't had one second this morning. I haven't even had time for breakfast, so if she wants a lunch, you'd have to make it, but we have to leave right now!"
After reading the two family scenarios and answer the following questions :
1. What did these scenarios remind you about regarding your own childhood? Or what challenges did you and your family face?
2. Regarding this memory, what could have helped or made a difference for you or your family?
3. How does this event/story in your childhood impact you as an adult?