To whom it may concern,

No, I was not handed everything in the 18 years that I have been on this earth. I am not lazy, and I work for mostly everything that I have. Yes, my mother has worked very hard since I was born to provide me with everything that I would want and need, and she has succeeded at helping me when I need it.

Before I turned 15 I didn't have to work for what I wanted. My mother was understanding and she only bought me things that I absolutely needed or she would wait until my birthday or Christmas to buy me the things that I wanted. I saw that as a fair trade. Yes, when my mom was married, my stepdad would always buy me the things that I wanted when I wanted them, and for that, I was grateful.

Whenever I turned 15 I begun working. Being 15, I could not have an actual job at a fast food place or a grocery store, so I babysat everyday for the summer so I could start doing something that I had no idea would change my life, dancing. Babysitting six days a week was hard for me when I was 15. But the money that I saved all summer long that paid for the dance team I was on was well worth it. Not only did I learn how to dance, I built character.

After I started babysitting my parents wouldn't buy me as much, at first I was acting like a, here we go, a spoiled brat. I just didn't understand why my parents, after 15 years, would just cut me off. Don't get me wrong, they gave me a roof over my head and food in my mouth. Even though they wouldn't buy me everything that I wanted anymore, they still bought me quite a bit.

I think it was a transition into what was going to hit me when I turned 16 and got an actual job.

The day that I turned 16 I started working a Slim Chickens, a fast food restaurant. My parents were awesome enough to buy me my first vehicle. No, it wasn't a brand new Mercedes-Benz like you see on TV. It was a decade old, previously owned vehicle, and I was in love with it!

So get this, I am just cruising down the road on my way to my first day on the job, when all of a sudden, blue lights come on behind me. Yeah, that's right, I was getting pulled over on my first day of driving! Long story short, I cried, I ran a red light, and I got my first ticket. My first ticket, on my first day of driving, on the first day I was working.

After I started my first job, there hasn't been a time that I have stopped working.

My junior year of high school I had three jobs. I worked six days a week on top of going to dance team practices and balancing out my schoolwork. That was probably the hardest year of my life so far. A year later, I had knee surgery and was only out of work for a month when I should have been out for three or four months. The fact was that sacrifices had to be made so I could pay for the car that my parents had generously put a down payment on for me. If it meant that I would be in a little bit of pain so I could get my payment made, then so be it.

So let's fast forward a little bit to now, I am a Freshman in college.

People still have the tendency to tell me that I am spoiled, so let me tell you a little bit about what I do so I can provide for myself. My mom was awesome enough to make my car payment for me until I could get a job.

I work on campus 15 hours a week, I am involved in Phi Beta Lambda, The Cast, our Christian Ministries Leadership Group, and the Cheer squad. I lead a youth group on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I just found a job that is open 24/7 so I can go to work at three or four in the morning and get off before I have class that day I can have nights off to handle the rest of my life. I do not buy anything full priced. I thrift shop and I try my hardest to handle my money very well.

My mother did not have to help me pay for a dime of my college, she worked so hard for the first 18 years of my life, so I am going to school so I can provide for her and my future family later on in life.

So next time you want to call someone spoiled, please make sure you know how hard they work to get what they have.

Sincerely,

The Hard Working - Business Woman/Actress/Christian/College Student/Cheerleader/Thrift Shopper/Youth Minister.