At the age of eleven, an event that I never thought would help me so much was when my mother joined the US National Guard Army. At this age, many changes had already occurred in my life. My mother had just gotten married and while she began her education I stayed at home with my stepfather. I'm not an only child, but because my two sisters are much older than me, I was raised most of my life as an only child. During the time when my mother joined the guard, I was not close to my sisters, so I remember how difficult it was for me when she was not there. Even though my stepfather was always there for me and did his best to provide for my needs, I still remember how upset and slightly resentful I felt the day my mother left for basic training. But now that I think back to where I was when my mother joined the Army and where I am now, I can see how strong the experience made me. I am able to recognize and take pride in the values ​​that I realize I may not have acquired if she had not followed through with this decision. The moments when I didn't always have my mother by my side are mainly responsible for my independence today. Basic training and Army Individual Training (AIT) lasted a total of six months during which I didn't get to see or talk to her as much as I would have liked. Without my mother to depend on, I learned at a young age to do and understand many things on my own. In addition to doing laundry and cooking most of the time, I had to hold myself accountable for school work, cleaning, rehearsing for piano recitals, and remembering when I practiced for soccer or karate. The independence I learned at a young age has carried with me until now and will likely continue to...... middle of paper...... older than my marching band, I've learned a little about more on how to successfully be a positive leader and earn the respect of others while in this position. I have gained more self-confidence thanks to the support of my mother and stepfather, and I have also noticed how much I enjoy being able to help others while taking on leadership roles. While I feel like I gained many great values ​​from my mother, I feel like this was one of the most significant. Although my mother's absence since she trained with the Guard was difficult for me at a young age, the experience definitely helped make me a stronger person. When my mother was away, my relationship with my stepfather became stronger and I also became even closer to my mother when she was available to spend time together. This experience has been and will continue to be significant in my life.