What helped shape the person I am today?

I have lived in the same house in Stafford, Virginia since the day I was born on May 19^th 1997. I grew up living with two older sisters, my mom, and my dad. When I was about 7 my grandpa came up from South Carolina and lived in my house because he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Growing up my dad worked a lot so I didn’t really get to see him much. I am blessed that my grandfather lived with me because in my dad’s absence he was always there to play baseball with me and teach me life lessons. My mother worked a little bit, but was mainly a stay at home mom so I always got to see her.

My parents weren’t too strict on me as long as I got good grades and tried my best in everything I did. When I was young I played baseball a lot, much of my time was devoted to either practicing baseball or playing in games. Baseball was a key element of my life and taught me many things that I will hold onto for the rest of my life.

         
My siblings and I never spent too much time together, we all kind of did our own thing because of the age gaps between us. My oldest sister is now 28 years old, and my other sister is now 24. Since I didn’t have much to relate to with them I had to create friends. I have had most of the same friends since I was a kid. Most of my time spent after school was either playing baseball, or hanging out with the same group of guys every day. As a child I was very active, being outside was a great escape for me and is where I spent the majority of my free time.
   
I am a white male, and I have noticed many other cultures have different rules and guidelines that kids must follow. As a kid I was disciplined quite a lot, I got spanked or got in trouble when I did something I wasn’t supposed to. When I look back on it now I feel as if I had a lot more freedom then other kids because my parents didn’t want to just shelter me. I had a great childhood, and it helped shape the person I am today.