Motherhood

My Mother, Karen Annette Ingram, was born on March 19, 1965, in New Jersey. Her mother, Lois Mann, was an African-American woman who was very creative and artistic. She worked on interior room designs as a hobby, but worked with special need children at a school. She typically took care of all of the cooking, housework and children. Her relationship with her mother was very close, almost like best friends. She would help her mother shop, cook and clean. Her father, Bolden Mann, was an African-American man who worked as an international Human Resources Representative. He speaks seven different languages and traveled the country, such as Germany and Europe. He typically took great care of the outdoor housework and providing for his family. They were a middle class family, who attended church every Sunday. Her father remains a decant at the church to this very day. Although, she shared a lot of time outside of the house with her mother, her father always shared great wisdom and stories to my mother. My mother believes that between the two parents, she is more like her father.

 At a young age, her father received a new job, which ultimately caused them to move to Michigan. This move held a very important influence in her life. She hated living in Michigan, far away from her family and friends. Her goal, from then on, was to do everything possible to move back to New Jersey, where she considered "home". My mother was the second oldest, of four children, which has always been an influence for her as a child. She had younger siblings that looked up to her, so she was responsible for being a good role model to them. 

Growing up in a household of four children, the "hand me down" experience was quite common. My mother was a very independent woman. She did not like to rely on anyone for anything, especially money. At the age of, 16, my mother landed her first job as a secretary in an office building. From then on, she worked outside the home to support herself, to avoid the "hand me down" experience.  My mother's main interest are reading, dancing and spending time with family. One thing she always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to finish college before she married and had kids. 

My mother always wanted a little girl, so when I arrived her dream came true. We spent a lot of time together throughout my entire life. My earliest memories with my mother dates back to 1995, when I was 3 years old. My mother is the type of women who values quality time with family, so at the age of 3 years old, she signed us up for a "Mommy and Me" club. The purpose of the club was to allow mothers and their young child to bond through different activities and field trips. My mother loves the zoo, my favorite memory with my mother was attending a field trip to the zoo with the "Mommy and Me" club, which ironically was the very first time I had visited. 

My mother and I are very close to each other. If I could describe our relationship in one word, it would be sisterhood. In the past, my mother was the one person I ran to for everything. (No offense to my dad. I happen to have the greatest father ever!). However, I looked up to her as the person I wanted to be when I grew up. During my teenage years, there were times when we butt heads, reasons why I say we are like sisters, but no matter what the bond always remained. Now that I am grown, I now see my mother as my best friend and mentor. I run to her for advice, support, recipes, etc. Our relationship has meant the world to me since before I can remember. 

"You are the prize" happens to be the one phrase that sticks out in my mind when I think of my mothers' advice about being women. My mother always taught me to know my worth. She reminds me almost every day that I should never settle for less than what I deserve. My mother has been the lifetime example of how to carry respectfully as women. Staying humble, being a role model and spreading love have been the most important pieces of advice that my mother has given to me. 

I used to believe that my mother and I were complete opposites until I started to live on my own.  She was the kind of mother that obsessed about organization, cleanliness and planning. As young women, I always thought that I would be nothing like my mother. Let’s be honest – as a kid, a mom is just the woman that puts you on punishment or makes you clean the house all the time. Once I gained some responsibilities of my own, I realized that I am the same exact way as my mother.

  I have grown to be very independent women, who hates relying on anyone for help. Organization and time management seems to be the two main aspects that keeps my life together. My mother used to make lists and agendas about literally everything. Now, as a college student, I just realized I have about two planners and a small notebook with daily notes to myself. We both carry the same attitude of not accepting any "crap" from anyone and always wanting the last word.  I think if there is anything that is different between my mother and me; it would be our sense of humor. I am a complete jokester almost all day, whereas my mother never sees anything funny...ever. (I must have gotten this from my dad.)  

If I was ever asked about how I feel about my mother, I would say that I wouldn't  know who I would be without the love, support and mentorship of my mother. Though I already knew a lot about my mother, this biography assignment has shed some light on how similar our life experiences were. I did not quite learn anything new about my mother during this assignment. When asking some of these questions, my mother assumed that I already knew the answer too many of the questions. Her reaction was a little confused because we have talked about every topic I questioned about.