Parenting is like fire, because young people are flames.
I have a tattoo on my leg of a campfire reminding me of a summer camp that I grew up going to and for which I eventually worked. This camp's motto was keep the flame alive. Children absolutely are flames that need to be built up and tended to. They are strong, bright souls that require the care, compassion, and support of older, wise souls. We collect the long branches of life lessons we've picked up along the way and begin to build our fire. We begin by gently placing our hugs, our loves, and our stabilities as adults at the base of our fire pit. This is our Tinder. Tinder is the fire starter-- without tinder, there is no fire. Then, we add our kindling. We balance discipline with compassion, parenthood with companionship, and teachings with autonomy to allow our flames to climb the branches. With praise and unconditional love as our fuel, we light a match and set the fire ago. You watch as the flames grow higher and higher, contributing to the universe, until its time to put the fire out. Until then, it is important to continue to care for the fire and make sure we do our best to keep a few logs handy, in case we ever need a bit of extra support.
My name is Grace Schoenthal. I'm from Okoboji, Iowa. I grew up with an overwhelming amount of ACEs in my life, but two parents who would do anything for me. I see that through the rain, the snow, the wind, and the cold, my parents kept their fire alive. It's a damn incredible thing. I am excited to graduate from UNI with a degree in Family Services so that I may teach others about child development and the significant roles parents play in their children's lives. I live with my boyfriend and his brother and look forward to my last year at the university. Upon graduation, I hope to work for DHS, as a graduate instructor, and/or as a research assistant. Eventually, I'd like to create infrastructure for juvenile delinquents that combines the effects of a detention center, a state training school, and a summer camp. Similar to the movie Holes, starring Shia Lebouf, juvenile delinquents would be sent to stay at a summer camp. On the contrary, my summer camp would actually be fun; it would focus on team-building activities, self-discipline and therapy, AND traditional summer camp activities. The camp activities are so the juveniles are given opportunities for character development they may not have access to otherwise. Still, the infrastructure would be locked. This is a big goal of mine, but one that if implemented I believe can have great impact on the world.
I have looked forward to taking this class all throughout my college career. Here's to Spring Semester, 2017. 