Stick To It: My Interview with my Mom

Determined, hard working, persistent,and considerate are all traits of the woman I admire the most in my life, my mother, Nadine Channer. Nadine is a woman who's had various obstacles to get where she is in her life, and it has made her a role model to myself, and the rest of my family. I recently sat down with her and discussed her childhood, her career, what it was like dealing with teenage pregnancy, and being a single parent.

Well, mom, I guess I should start by asking, what's your profession?

I am a registered nurse, working for NHI Agency. What they do is they send us around to different hospitals on different nights, wherever may need nurses at the time.

Why'd you choose to pursue this career?

I just really love helping people, and most of my family was pursuing a career in nursing, so that was definitely a part of it.

When did you realize that this was something that you wanted to do?

I think when I was 9 years old was the first time. I would help my younger siblings a lot, even my older ones as well.

Ok, your job requires you to do many night shifts, where you'll have to work all night. What is it like being away from your children so often?

It is hard, obviously I want to spend time with you guys, but the way I see it is, you have to do whatever it takes to ensure that your kids have the best life that you can possibly give them.

Ok mom, let's take it back a little bit. You're 18 years old, and you gave birth to Shane (my oldest brother). What was your experiences like being a teenage parent?

Actually, the surprising thing is that it wasn't too difficult. At first, I was terrified, because I didn't know what would happen. But, I had a very good support system, I surrounded myself with nothing but love from my family, and friends.

Obviously, you had to have some sort of daily routine, due to school, and a new born baby. What was yours?

My routine consisted of getting Shane to daycare, going to school, and then picking Shane up. That's it.

There are many women in today's world that are facing the same thing you went through, what advice would you give to them?

Stick to it. You have to accept what you're going through, and go through these hard times. If you want something bad enough, everything will pay out in the end. Trust me, it's worth it.

Being single must of been a difficult task for you as well, how did that effect everything?

It was definitely hard, I was at work more often, because I had to be the main provider for my children. I didn't get to spend much time with them, but, it had to be done if I wanted to be able to put food on the table everyday.

Alright mom, you've had a interesting life, one filled with obstacles, do you have any regrets?

Not a single one.

By: Sheldon Williams