Candy's Corner

  When I started college, my dad and I were constantly fighting. It got to a point where I knew the best choice would be for me to move out.  I decided to dorm at college because I couldn't afford to pay rent for an apartment yet. Just like Wes, I kept the news to myself for a while. I resonate with feeling like you are in a daze. As each day passed, I tried to keep up the appearance that everything was fine.  I had to take a lot of deep breaths to calm myself down. I tried to act like it wasn't happening. I was too scared to tell my dad. I slowly started moving my stuff out secretly. I now know I should have handled it better and told him sooner. My friends helped me move all my stuff out to a nearby friend's house. He lived right across from school. It would be easier for me to move my stuff from there for move in day. I didn't tell my dad I was moving out until the day before. I didn't want him to guilt trip me to try and talk me out of it. I could tell that my...

       Activities that I enjoy while coping with difficult situations are watching shows or movies. I enjoy these activities because they become a source of escape for my problems. When I watch movies and shows I like to pretend that my friends and I are the characters on screen. Imagining the different lives I can have is entertaining. There are different ways people cope. Not every way of coping is healthy. For example, when Alma died from her body rejecting the kidney transplant, Kenneth chose alcohol as his mechanism. Although getting drunk causes a person to lose control of themselves and forget what is going on around them, it is only a temporary solution. I relate to Kenneth in a sense that sometimes making bad choices seems okay to do if it offers a quick solution. You don't always think about the long term consequences one choice can have. Constantly indulging in alcohol every time a difficult situation arises will lead to more harm than good. Wes' mom decid...

    I think we are a combination product of our expectations and environment. In the video, Wes Moore asked what separated him from the other Wes Moore who was convicted for robbery. It begins with having that strong support system at home. Wes Moore's parents instilled in him strong values about how to treat women. His dad told him he should always protect women. These expectations shaped him into the man that he turned out to be. Parents are their child's best teachers. Sometimes, they are not sure how to be. This graph shows what having a supportive environment looks or sounds like. Children observe and copy attitudes and patterns they see from their parents. However, just because we have expectations that are set doesn't mean we always follow them.      Depending on the person, outside environmental factors influence our decision making. For example, I have a relative who's parents treated him like a king. He had set expectations on what it m...