_ Usually when you’re born in the Pork & Beans you don’t really end up like me. Everyone, almost everyone ends up the same. Many kids in the Pork & Beans don’t care about anything. They fight, skip school, and do all the things that won’t get them very far in life. While I was in the Pork & Beans my family was different. We did things that other people didn’t do there.
My family compared to other families was different. We spent time together for two hours a day, and on Sundays we had family day. Normally families in the beans don’t do that. In the beans kids were outside later than three in the morning and parents were inside watching TV and drinking, but not my family. We would tell stories, talk about our day, play games, watch movies, eat, and do other things that we wanted to do, as long as we were together spending time together.
My mother herself was different. Many parents didn’t care what their kids were doing outside. Ever since the day that one of her friend’s daughters got shot and killed, she’s been over protective. She would never let me outside past 7:30. I didn’t like it because all of my friends were out there. I didn’t complain, because I knew it was for my own protection
I remember when my mom got upset because nobody was connected, and parents didn’t communicate with their kids, so she put flyers on everyone’s door. She was throwing a party for everyone to become united. That was the day that everything in my neighborhood changed. Parents were more active with their kids, and everyone knew each other.
There weren’t many white people around, especially the ones that were whiter than rice. The beans weren’t very diverse. There was a majority of black people. Most of them were in gangs and things like that, but I wasn’t influenced. Some people were bright! Probably brighter than the magnet kids here at Chamblee. It made me happy, as happy as I am when I win a game! So basically my family and I weren’t like others. We were different.
My family compared to other families was different. We spent time together for two hours a day, and on Sundays we had family day. Normally families in the beans don’t do that. In the beans kids were outside later than three in the morning and parents were inside watching TV and drinking, but not my family. We would tell stories, talk about our day, play games, watch movies, eat, and do other things that we wanted to do, as long as we were together spending time together.
My mother herself was different. Many parents didn’t care what their kids were doing outside. Ever since the day that one of her friend’s daughters got shot and killed, she’s been over protective. She would never let me outside past 7:30. I didn’t like it because all of my friends were out there. I didn’t complain, because I knew it was for my own protection
I remember when my mom got upset because nobody was connected, and parents didn’t communicate with their kids, so she put flyers on everyone’s door. She was throwing a party for everyone to become united. That was the day that everything in my neighborhood changed. Parents were more active with their kids, and everyone knew each other.
There weren’t many white people around, especially the ones that were whiter than rice. The beans weren’t very diverse. There was a majority of black people. Most of them were in gangs and things like that, but I wasn’t influenced. Some people were bright! Probably brighter than the magnet kids here at Chamblee. It made me happy, as happy as I am when I win a game! So basically my family and I weren’t like others. We were different.