I'll save you the excruciatingly painful story of my growing up, but I will point out that I moved in with my Grand Mother permanently on July 1, 2008, for reasons that don't really matter at this point. My Grand Mother has always been the rock in my family. Whenever anyone needed help, like when my mother, siblings and I needed a place to stay my Grand Mother opened the door no problem until my Mom found another apartment. After some unfortunate events my Grand Mother had custody of my brother and sister, and as mentioned on July 1, I joined them (I had been living with my father prior); Only I never left. In 2011 my brother and sister went back to live with our Mom.

No one understands how hard it is for a child to make a decision like that and how hard it is for a Grand Mother to support it knowing how it will affect her relationship with her daughter, but my Grandma did that for me. She gave me a life that I don't think I could have had if I was with my Mother or my Father.

My Grandma pushed me to try my hardest. I ended up graduating with honors. She was patient with me and was there for me even when I didn't deserve, like when I wasn't smart enough to listen to her the first time about a boy. She taught me the work ethic that I use to this day. Everyone always says I seem older than I am and it's because being raised by a Grand Parent they've seen everything, twice. Once with themselves and once with their kids. They've learned along the way and are able to assess situations a lot better than anyone in generations below them.

My Grandma gave me everything she could. She made sure I never went without, and she also made sure that, no matter how stubborn I was that I had a relationship with my Mom. My Grandmother is the reason why in 2013 I went to Europe. She's the reason I got accepted to every college I applied to because she never stopped believing in me even when I did. She's the reason I am in college right now and why I still push myself. I want to show everyone that ever thought it was orthodox or wrong for her to be raising me that she did an amazing job.

She made a lot of hard choices. She gave up more than what people realize and she put up with so much, just to make sure I was safe, happy and had a place to call home. If a child is raised by a Grand Parent, it doesn't mean anything besides that they have someone who is more experienced.