Reality Check
             Neither one of my parents had a college degree, but over time spent on jobs, interviews, and past experience, they both landed jobs that have set them for life. For as long as I can remember they have been able to afford a house, nice cars, expensive toys, and luxurious vacations. I thought we had it all and I never had to go with out anything. I depended on my parents for everything, except for their advice. I knew more then they did, and that was that! Never did I expect the challenge I was faced with the day I got married & out on my own. I don't think people realize that taking care of yourself is a job in it self. Now that I have children, I realize that being a parent is one of the biggest responsibilities & jobs a person can ever endure.
             I awoke one morning to the sounds of nature and the smell of sizzling bacon on the stove. My mother always made a point of making breakfast, fit for a king, on Sunday mornings. She was a great cook, a great mother, and like my father, a great provider. My needs for survival were met beyond what some children even knew existed. I lived in a beautiful house on Emerald Lane. The yard consisted of velvet green grass with sky-high trees, a crystal clear swimming pool, and a river rock patio for entertaining. The view from my bedroom was amazing and in the evenings I could look out my window and see the tiny moving lights of the cities activity. I had a cozy bed with pink satin sheets, my own bathroom that was splashed with floral wallpaper and plush peach towels that hung from brass hangers. On the counter stood three small plastic boxes I got from the dentist. They were all empty. I had lost, broken and threw away three retainers in a matter of months. What did I care? I had no concept of the cost of things. Besides, I was daddy's little girl and I could do no wrong. On my sixteenth birthday my father ...