Personal Narrative: Gaining Responsibility And Independence

I was never held accountable for my actions until I was fourteen years old. When my sisters both went to college, I started being held responsible for my actions, which was new to me because they would always get in trouble in place of me. Coming home past my given curfew now became a problem since my sisters were out of the house. This lead me to become more independent because I had to start doing some stuff for myself. Also, I started to become more responsible for my actions because I started to get in more trouble since I became my parents ' only focus. Gaining responsibility and independence shaped my character positively. My sisters moving out of the house to go to college shaped my character because it taught me to be independent and …show more content…
This happens to many people. 43% of families have more than one child and with most students attending college these days, many younger siblings are left at the house by themselves while an older sibling attends college. Theoretically speaking, more responsibilities are expected upon the child left in the house due to parents’ previous set expectations with multiple siblings around. These responsibilities of the oldest child are then passed down to the younger siblings when they leave the house. Responsibilities and chores are not necessarily the only thing passed down to the youngest. Parents’ focus is also passed down. The more attention or focus you have weighing on you, the more pressure there is to succeed. If you are used to slipping under the radar of your parents, all of the new attention brought to you from being an only child can result in getting in more trouble than usual, due to little things that slipped your mind in the past. In all, the more pressure and attention you have, the more likely you are to succeed. Of course with new responsibility, little mistakes are going to be made, but in the long run gaining responsibility is a good thing and it is a natural part of growing …show more content…
Responsibility can be used for both good and bad. Everyone gains responsibility at some point in their life whether it 's becoming an only child due to academic pursuits of an older sibling or just time passing responsibility down naturally. As many movies always say, with great responsibility comes great power. Does responsibility come at a certain time or does maturity kick in at some point? Should there be a certain age at which parents allow their children to have more responsibility? Should parents also be harsher with children who take advantage of that responsibility. Or, is responsibility the major role in developing as a young