How I Am Who I Am

I’d like to think that I am pretty interesting as well as a unique individual. Not only because no one shares the same DNA as I do, but also because no one has had the same exact experiences as I have. Using the different levels on the social world model, I will share my experiences and relationships that have made me who I am today. I was born to my mother in 1983. At the time she was only 19, so pretty young. To this day, I have yet to learn the identity of my biological father. I am sure my mom has her reasons for keeping this private and that is a whole other story in itself. For the first 5 or so years of my life, my immediate family was just comprised of her. She met my stepfather (but I call him dad) just before I had turned 5 years old. My dad was the one who really instilled the importance of following rules into me. I’m not saying my mom didn’t have me following rules but keep in mind she was a single mom and had greater concerns such as providing food and shelter for her and I before my dad was in the picture. My dad is an air traffic controller. He got his start in that career via the Air Force. So it was only natural that he believes in rule and order. One thing that hasn’t influenced who I am today would be religion. My mom grew up Jehovah’s Witness and has seen the ugly side of religion. I think the start of my distrust of religion came from her and her experiences. Since she had bad experiences with religion, she never once forced my sister or I to go to church. However, there were times where I went with friends, and she was supportive. Basically, I feel that she left that option of religion completely up to me. I do feel that I am an “odd ball” in this category, because not many people that I have known have been completely left since childhood to make their own decisions on religion. A lot of people I know believe in a god because their family has instilled religion from the day they were born. It seems to be generational with most people, where with my family, it isn’t. Another aspect of my life that has determined who I am is my dad’s career. Because of his career, we moved a lot. I had the pleasure of living in California, Texas, and New Mexico. Even though I have never lived outside of the country, my experiences at each of these states, although all different experiences, has helped developed the way I think and feel today. In California, my mother was able to be a stay at home mom. This was great because she then volunteered at my