As a 17-year-old senior in high school, I have already lost both of my fathers. I lost my stepdad in eighth grade due to a motorcycle accident. I lost my Father just this summer, due to suicide. After he passed, I felt angry that I had a father taken each summer of the year I was going to be graduating. That each death made us more financially unstable because neither had life insurance. I felt very unmotivated to do anything for the next couple of weeks. All I could think about was my little brother who was only 15 at the time. Rex didn’t have life insurance and a mound of medical bills due to the accident so, I have had a job since I was 15 trying to help out my mom with my brother and bills. I went to the courthouse to get special approval for a work pass. Fortunately, I ranked first in my class. allowing them to sign off on my pass. I remember having extra money to use for myself on things I wanted or to go out and eat with friends.
Now, with both fathers gone, and no life insurance I had to work extra to keep up with the bills and prepare for upcoming college expenses. Extra spending money became non-existent, and I begged my mom to look into getting life insurance. I didn’t want this to happen to me for the third time. Currently, I have 4 jobs to help provide for my family. I babysit and umpire throughout the week and weekends, I have a full-time job working at Dollar Tree, and throughout summer, I work for a flower shop, and then an elderly lady in her garden. Unfortunately, I rarely have the freedom to hang out with friends or even a second to relax. While trying to maintain my work schedule, I also maintain my 4.0 grade point average. I found myself pulling all-nighters to get my homework done after getting home late due to work. I need to make sure I can receive the maximum amount for merit.
Through these trials and tribulations, I remember that everything happens for a reason. Although I now have to stay closer to home for college due to finances, I know my setbacks have helped me be a much stronger person. If I could advise anyone, but especially those with children, please get life insurance. I should be enjoying my senior year with friends, not grieving the loss of my father while panicking that I need to keep working so that I can afford to go to college to get my special education teaching license due to my parents not getting life insurance. I have a birth defect that makes getting insurance difficult but when I turn 18 on March 1st, I am finding a policy that works for me. I don’t want my family to have the pain of my loss and the burden of giving me my final resting place.