My mom was a child. She married at 17 and proceeded to have 5 kids within 8 years. She grew up with us and Dad treated us all like we were kids. It was difficult growing up in our house because I was the youngest of the five but then we always had two additional foster kids younger than me. Somewhere in the midst of all those kids I realized if I took an interest in the things Mom liked to do then I got to spend time with her without sharing her with any of the other kids. So every Saturday morning I would put the dishes away from the previous evenings supper if they hadn't been put away the previous evening. Clean out the one side of the sink and sit in it while my Mom baked all the cakes and pies that would see us through the week. We all joke about me sitting in the sink every Saturday but they all agree I'm as good a baker as Mom. I learned other things by doing the same thing. I actually volunteered to help with the laundry. We never had a dryer so Mom hung cloths out on the wash line for nine people every Monday. I found I'd get more time with her if I helped gather the wash and sort it and if I went out to the wash line and handed the pins to her. Eventually that didn't work anymore cause I got big enough to reach the wash line myself. I find out now, from my brother and sisters, that they never learned some of the things from Mom that I did. Believe me I was not a nice child, because I was the youngest I was also the loudest and the smallest. Because I was the smallest I could get in under all the big kids reach, grab what was being handed out and run with it. I always did manage to get something extra for my brother too since he was much slower than the others. I also got the majority of the smacks for being bad. My Mom did the best she could under the circumstances. Mom spent a lot of time in her bedroom on her knees and for some of us it paid off. Eventually my parents did divorce, Mom grew up. It was rough going for a time since I refused to stop talking to both sides of the family and both sides were angry and thought I was being disloyal to the other. Mom came around first. When I had my baby girl, Mom was there to reassure me Samantha was alive in the delivery room, and she was there to help when I almost died afterwards, she was there to baby-sit when I decided to go back to work and she was there when the money got REAL tight when I decided to open my own company. Mom continues to be here when I need her to baby-sit, help house clean, take us out for a restaurant meal, give me a day off, or just listen. My Mom's still alive and I hope I let her know how much she really means to me and I wonder if I tell her often enough that I love her. Even though Mom is not perfect, she's perfect to me. I love you Mom. Pamela P. Kramer PPK Enterprises 888-770-0682/215-679-0682 Fax: 215-679-9171 www.ppkenter.com info@ppkenter.com Member: NAFE, AEBE Dun & Bradstreet Rated Certified with: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; City of Philadelphia W-DBE Certification No. 0551052GC Registered with: DoD; CCR; SPIN; TPIN; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; State of New Jersey, and State of Delaware; PRO-Net; Defense Logistics Agency; City of Philadelphia; PennDOT (INDNJC)