In the Beginning

In this crazy world of ours there are so many things that can go right and so many that can go wrong. With the current pandemic situation there is so much changing for everyone that it is so hard to find your feet. As a 90's baby I had thought that I had seen everything, known everything I needed to know, but man was I sorely wrong. Growing up I always thought being an adult would be so easy; being able to do things without having to get permission first, eating what I want when I wanted, going to school (or not) but using this mindset I lost my way, lost my center.

Growing up everyone goes through fazes of what they want to be; mine included an actress, singer, song writer, poet, then an author. As I got even older I ran into the very same things many kids do, the one phrase that kills anyone's dreams "maybe you should aim for something else." As I reached high school I began to think about becoming a lawyer even going so far as to take a law class as an extra curricular, then later an advanced psychology class. Going into college I studied criminal justice and psychology, quickly falling out of love with the criminology aspects and getting deeper into the question of "why do people do what they do?" After graduating with an associate's in criminal justice I went on to get a bachelor's in Human Services and Psychology. After having children I have found myself longing to write again.

Using this platform I want to try and find my center again, this is just the beginning of my journey. For more background information my name is Shiloh, I'm twenty eight and a mother to three amazing boys; eleven years old, two-and-a-half years old and three months old. As I have become a mother it has occurred to me that it is so important to understand how things can impact children from the major events to the tiniest little sentence. Thinking back on my own childhood there are so many things I can and most likely will take and analyze through this process. In this journey I want to incorporate not only stories but also thoughts and dreams to find my center and maybe, hopefully, help others find theirs too. Using my limited psychological background and just genuine curiosity there are a few different things I want to explore through this journey such as:

1. Nature vs. Nurture and parenting

2. Socialization of children with adults and children their own age

3. Parental shaming (yes, dads get it too)

4. Step parenting

5. Relationships and step-parenting

6. Teen pregnancy/parenthood

As boring as some of these may seem I also want to incorporate stories. These stories will include past experiences, current experiences/situations, dreams and other random thoughts. Most will be stories with meaning that touch on things like mental health and brain injuries, others will be random stories that come to mind. As I said before this will be a journey of discovery as well as an attempt to get back to my dream of writing. Things may get personal, may get a little deep, so I appreciate anyone willing to stick it out with me and continue to explore not only ourselves but maybe even the people we're creating.

Parenting is hard, life is hard, finding ourselves is even harder. Some experts believe the teenage years are the ones we spend finding who we are, maybe that makes me a late bloomer. If so, with that in mind, I would like to welcome you dear reader on this journey and hope to go through it with you.