10 Kids & Counting
Nancy and Lauren Hoagland
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Interview Transcript
L= Lauren
M= Mom (Nancy)
L= When and where were you born?
M= Troy, Michigan.
L= How different is that from where we live now?
M= It was different in a lot of ways, but it was all I ever knew. Troy, Michigan is a bigger
town so it has a higher population and it doesn’t really have a little village center. Like downtown Wilmette, you guys ride your bikes to the town, and you even ride your bike to the beach, and we didn’t have it- it wasn’t like that.
L= What was your relationship with your parents? Since you had so many siblings did you get a lot of time with them? Were you close with them when you were younger?
M= Yes, yes, I was very close. I don’t know if I got a lot of time with them one-on-one, but something that we did when it was our birthday- we felt like we had enough (money) growing up, but we didn’t go out to dinner very often at all. But when it was our birthday, our parents would take us out for dinner just, just us.
L= Did you ever get in trouble with your siblings? What were they like growing up? Did you get along with them well?
M= Well, I only had one sister; I told you that my mom and dad had ten kids but unfortunately one of their daughters passed away when she was three. So I didn’t know her, she was born- she passed away before I was born so then there were nine kids; one sister and seven brothers. My mom said that my brother was the next closest to age that we used to be best friends and then we went through a stage where we just did not like each other at all, at all, at all. That was probably more in junior high and high school. And then we were friends again!
L= What was one of your proudest moments when you were a child?
M= Probably one of them was, well, I could generalize and say that I always worked since I was young. When I was real young I started babysitting and cutting lawns, and then I waitressed through high school and I worked through summers. I think it is really important to teach kids to have a strong work ethic and I needed to do that because I wanted to make my own money. With so many kids in the family, I knew that I had to do it if I wanted to go to college. So I paid for college, Poppy helped pay for a lot of it, but I paid for at least half of my college years. And I needed to work, so I was very proud of the fact that I did that through even childhood and high school.
L= So you were saving up since you were a kid?
M= I was saving up since I was a kid. And I paid for a lot of college. Another proud thing was that at first I didn’t get into Michigan State, which was where I wanted to go, but they told me that if I one semester of a certain grade point then they would reconsider. And I worked really hard, and I got the grades that I needed in that semester, and I was accepted.
Michigan State University: Informative
Annoying Little Brother: Interesting
A Poem by Lauren Hoagland
I try to do my homework
I try to play a game.
But everywhere I go,
my little brother is such a shame!
He won’t leave me alone and
He doesn’t stop the annoyance.
I don’t even think he cares because
A solution that he does not use is avoidance.
My annoying little brother does not have a life
All he does is drive me crazy.
He sits on his Xbox all day long,
So isn’t it funny when he calls me lazy?
My oh-so-perfect brother never gets in trouble
I am always the one to blame.
If he gets mud around the house, it is fine,
But when I do it, my Mom is a fiery flame.
My little brother is not polite.
He whines to my parents night and day.
He whines and whines if something is not right,
Until he eventually gets his way.
That devilish ten year old loves driving me insane
And sometimes he is so bothersome I have to tell my Mother!
But even though he really annoys me,
I really do love my brother.
Entrepreneurship Among Teens: Persuasive
One might say it is safe to assume that the large majority of adults who are experiencing a satisfying and successful life in the United States have accomplished this due to the habits they formed when they were younger. It is very important to have a strong work ethic at a young age because no matter what the job is, everyone who works at anything should always do their very best. Not only will it help to know that the job has been given one-hundred percent, it will show others that work is taken seriously. A large portion of teenagers across the nation strive to become prosperous entrepreneurs, and it is our goal to make every young adult in the United States just like this. To become an ambitious and diligent entrepreneur, the work life must start at a young age; even perhaps in your high school years.
Beginning life with hard work and persistence sets your future off right with a consistent base of stable work that keeps your mind learning that way. Mowing lawns, babysitting, waitressing at the local restaurant: all simple, yet efficient, ways to commence your future off right. One might say that babysitting is nothing but a hobby and something to do in your free time, but in the business world, it is just another way to start entrepreneurship. As adolescents progress from ignorant teenagers to lucrative adults, they will realize that hard work really pays off. Colin Powell, American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army, once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” This quote is nothing more than wise words of wisdom that can inspire individuals around the world, and teach them that success really only comes from the simple idea of working hard.
Eventually in every responsible teenager’s life, there will come the day when work is the only option, so why not start this work at a young age, when your life is worry-free? It will be much easier to set your future off right if you have a job, or even better, your own business. One might believe that becoming an entrepreneur helps gain independence, increase responsibility, and form a stronger work ethic. Although stepping out of your comfort zone can be quite difficult, you will gain nothing from growing up and knowing you didn’t take that chance at becoming an entrepreneur. Extraordinary opportunities just like this only come around once in a lifetime. Instead of regretting a bunch of things you had done in your teenage years, try giving it a shot. As a teen, getting a job will prepare you for life, and all the adventures that come with it.
As you can see, becoming an entrepreneur can, and will, do very many things for you and your future. You will be much happier in the long run knowing that all of your success came from a simple task when you were younger. Obviously, beginning to work as a teenager can change your life. Take a chance now, and take a break later.
Easy Jobs for Teens
Waitress
Lifeguard
Babysit
Uncut Interview
Works Cited
"Michigan State University." US News & World Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
"MSU Facts." Michigan State University. Est. 1855. East Lansing, Michigan USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
Price, Sean. "The Sibling Saga: Do You Have a Sibling Who Constantly Barges into Your Room or Always Pesters You with Annoying Jokes? You're Not Alone. You Can Cope with Sibling Rivalry." Scholastic Choices Feb.-Mar. 2006: 14+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
"Sibling Rivalry Is Perfectly Normal." USA Today [Magazine] Aug. 1994: 3. Student Resources in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Stevenson, Keira. "Bill Gates." Student Research Center. EBSCOhost, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.