My mother was brought up to believe women had their place in this world, but it wasn’t taking jobs away from men.
- Mom thought women should stay home, take care of her kids, and make sure her man was happy.
Why I grew up as independent as I am, is surprising. It was the culture she was raised in, but we moved to the United States. I have become the product of a father who doesn’t think women should worship her husband, and what I have learned in school. After going to the school job fair, I knew I was going to be an HVAC technician. I was anxious to get home and tell my mom I wanted to be an HVAC technician. I wasn’t even in the door when I was shouting to her. She came running down the stairs to make sure I was okay, and my grandmother was right behind her. I told mom what I wanted to do when I graduated high school. Grandma hid a smile, but mom went ballistic. She saw my grandmother’s smile and told her I would be an HVAC technician when monkeys fly. I watched grandma closely and saw her walk over to the curtains. She was peering outside as if she was looking for something. Mom asked what she was doing, and said she had just washed the curtains. Grandma told her she was looking for flying monkeys. Mom was not happy with grandma’s answer. She told me my father would never allow it, but mom was wrong. Dad smiled and told me it would be nice to have an HVAC technician in the family. He could save some money on his HVAC system.