Personal Childhood Web

Growing up, I had many people that were an influence in my life. Some of those are my parents, Pete and Debbie Luciano, my grandmother, my Aunt LuAnn, and my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Gill.

My mom and I have always been very close. Growing up, she was an amazing mother (and still is.) She did everything for my sister and I. She was a stay at home mom for half of my childhood, and even when she returned to the job force, as a nursery school teacher, she still made time to be there for us at school events, girl scout meetings, birthday parties, and play dates. I gave my mom a really hard time as I grew a little older, but I still knew that she was always there for me. She was and is my best friend. We speak everyday, usually multiple times via phone or video chat. She has taught me so much about being a mom and an educator. As I make important decisions in my career or in my role as a mother, I like to reflect upon how my mother would handle things. One important statement I can hear her saying is, "It's not what you say, but the way you say it." It's interesting how many times I have said this to people in my personal and professional life. I recently purchased a coffee mug for myself for Mother's Day that reads "My Mother was right about everything." Oh, how true, how true.

 

My dad and I have always had an amazing relationship. He worked a lot when I was little and we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him during the week. But he made sure to be home for dinner most nights and we had several different routines that were just for him. Reading comics together on a weekend morning, and listening to Frank Sinatra on Sundays while working in the garage with him are two of my favorites. He taught me about cars, how to drive a lawn moto, and As I have gotten older, I formed a different relationship with my dad. He also is my best friend.  He has always been the voice of reason for me. He tells it like it is and really doesn't care if you don't like what he says. He is the only person I know that can insult you to your face and have you laughing about it in the same sentence. This was much of my childhood.  He taught us important lessons through a little comedy and a lot of hard love.  I wouldn't have had it any other way and I like to think I am raising my own children the same way.

My grandmother was one of my favorite people growing up.  As the oldest grandchild, I spent the most time with her.  I knew when we visited her house in Upper Darby, PA, I would get to explore and have sugar coffee and eat dinner at the coffee table and sleep on her big pull out couch all by myself. In the summer, I'd stay with her for a week at a time, and we would enjoy our walks to Dairy Queen, which was through the playground, where I would get to stop and play for a few minutes before eating our dipped chocolate cones. She taught me how to sew a basic stitch and taught me that I could explore anything as long I was safe. I loved to explore her attic, as it had many fun items of my mom's from when she grew up and also tons of art materials that she let me really be creative with.  At the end of the day, she would make me anything I wanted for dinner, including buttered noodles with sugar. I loved all my time with her and it was a special time to be the oldest grandchild and know that I spent the most time with her.

My Aunt LuAnn is married to my mom's brother. She isn't biologically related to me. But, she was the fun aunt!  She had a pool and a small deck and she let me help her take care of my much younger cousins. She taught me about fashion and jewelry and always had my back. She trusted me enough to let me walk my younger cousins to the park down the street from their house. This responsibility alone was part of why I wanted to be a teacher.

I realize that fourth graders aren't exactly early childhood, but my fourth grade teacher is probably one of the coolest teachers, dare I say people, that I have ever met. Mrs. Gill made you feel so special!  She really cared about each child and you could tell.  We laughed, we cried, we cheered together. It was an amazing time in her class. I looked forward to going to school! She took the time to speak with each of her students on a daily basis, just so show that she cared. And she even took time to speak to our parents, for times other than "bad" times. She would call just to say that we had a great day, or that we seemed to struggle with the math assignment during the lesson, so if homework caused an issue, it was okay. She was simply amazing! I lost touch with her when I went to high school, but there are times now as an adult that I find myself using terms that I learned in Mrs. Gill's class.

I loved my childhood. I had amazing people surrounding me. I felt their love and support and know that it has all carried with me in my journey to being a teacher and a mother.