"If trust predominates, as it should, children develop hope: the belief they can fulfill their needs and obtain their desires" (Martorell, 2023, p.150).

Still an only child, my parents ventured out of my maternal grandparents' home into a few different rented homes over the next three years. They had to work hard to support our lives, and there were times they may have been too tired to be patient when I made mistakes or accidents occurred. My father does have anger issues, and yelling was pretty frequent. But by and large, I felt confident in myself, and don't recall many moments of unnecessary doubt or shame, outside of discipline to keep me safe.

When I was age 4, I became an older sibling to my little sister, Katherine. Excited to be supportive of my parents, I was a very hands-on "helper". I remember spoon-feeding her baby food and helping with diaper changes. But I also remember jealousy and frustration. One of my earliest, clearest memories is of me biting her fingers when she wouldn't stop crying in the room we shared before my mother could awake from her sleep to soothe her. I still feel guilty about that to this day. Mostly, I still had plenty of encouragement and attention. Though, between work and two children, my parents were frequently exhausted and sometimes short-tempered.

"If children are unable to obtain the praise of others or lack motivation and self-esteem, they may develop a feeling of low self-worth and thus develop a sense of inferiority. This is problematic because during middle childhood, children must learn skills valued in their society" (Martorell, 2023, p. 276).

"The effort to make sense of the self is part of a healthy process that builds on the achievements of earlier stages—on trust, autonomy, initiative, and industry—and lays the groundwork for coping with the challenges of adult life" (Mortorell

"Person seeks to make commitments to others or may suffer from isolation and self-absorption" (Martorell, 2023, p. 11).

Raising my son into a healthy, respectful person is my main priority, but I have plenty of other goals as well. I hope by focusing on my career, I can either become a successful teacher or a school counselor. If that doesn't pan out, I'd like to continue working for nonprofits like Second Harvest and address community issues like food insecurity. Additionally, another goal is to have fostered enough friendships and family ties that I live a full life with plenty of meaningful moments and connections.

"Elderly person achieves acceptance of own life, allowing acceptance of death, or else despairs over inability to relive life" (Martorell, 2023, p. 11).