With my dad’s advice in mind, I spoke up when kids had something unkind to say about our school’s janitors
When I was a little kid, I noticed kids making fun of the school janitors. It happened in middle school, when kids began trying to be cool. This meant being rebellious and acting like jerks to just about everyone. The reason this bothered me so much was that my mom works for a commercial cleaning company. Hearing the other kids react so badly to cleaning personnel had me wondering if there was something wrong with her line of work. I didn’t want them to know about it. I was embarrassed about what they might think. I mentioned this to my father one day. He taught me a good life lesson. He said that these kids who I barely know were not worth my time. He said that if I value their opinion so much that I am ashamed of how my mother earns her living, I would spend the rest of my life sacrificing my integrity to appease them. He basically told me I shouldn’t let what others think influence how I feel, live or behave. I am proud of my mother’s worth ethic. The cleaning company she works for has jobs all over the area, working in health care facilities, hotels, restaurants, sports complexes and more. With my dad’s advice in mind, I spoke up when kids had something unkind to say about our school’s janitors. I also managed to get part-time work from the cleaning company after I turned 16. I was able to save up the money for a car.