Zheng (Kathy) Li's Blog

I learned many lessons from many people I have encountered throughout my life. However, the greatest lesson that I learned was taught by my mom. A lesson of independence.

My mom is a single parent, and she has been taking care of me without any help from relatives or friends because only the two of us came to Canada. She never depended on anybody, and didn’t even accept the money she could have gotten from my dad after the divorce. She worked very hard, beginning with part-time jobs, then going back to school, and finally finding a job that offered the two of us a better life. It was a struggle, but she made it on her own while taking care of me.

I was very dependent on her for everything when I was still in elementary school. I relied on my mom for simple things like how to get around the mall, taking the bus, or even talking to the workers at PetCetera to get the pets I wanted. Eventually, when I was roughly in grade six, my mom decided it was time for me to be more independent. She didn’t want to baby me anymore, and knew I needed to grow up.

So, ever since grade six, my mom taught me which bus routes I needed to take when I needed to go anywhere. She also made me learn to get around in malls alone, and speak for myself when I had questions. Not only that, but these day to day lessons taught me to work hard for things I want, and reach my goals without relying on other people so I could grow. I became independent, from the great lessons taught by my mom.