I am killing two birds with one stone today (my mom used that expression a lot). I get to talk about where I came from and my roots (part of my celebration for life). Then, I forever have wanted to express to some people how hurtful it is when you correct others grammar.
In this computer age very few people could be online and having a wonderful time if they had to be perfect on grammar. I now delete someone that rudely corrects me or Arnold's on grammar mistakes. I will gladly change something if you message me in private and let me know with a friendly reminder that I have used your instead of you re or you're. Or even you instead of your, a big keystroke mistake for me. If anyone of my friends or customers that love me dearly and would never want to hurt my feelings care to edit this post please do so and I will re post with the corrected post. I will even give you credit if you so desire.
I grew up in Newport. In a poor and caring neighborhood. It was on 2nd and Park. Now called, "Mansion Hill". Our gas and electric was often turned off and my grandmother often bailed us out of debt. Odd thing is I didn't know I was poor until I was in my thirties. All of us kids started working in one form or another when we were under 10 years old. We baby sat, we worked at race tracks and carnivals. We sold cotton candy and ice balls. When I was 15 years old I went to Kings Island (just opening in 1972) and taught their workers how to get the most out of making a cotton candy. See I was really good at putting air in it and making them beautiful. The Gold Medal Company asked me to do that and as pay, me and my sister got to spend the day there.
When I was 14 years old my brother and sisters all moved out. Three of them and all 2 years apart. My mom worked on a steam table in a restaurant and my dad had many jobs. My job was to finish or make dinner before my mom got home at 8pm. It wasn't daily but it was often. My mom always told me what to cook or how to finish something off. As I stated, I didn't know I was poor until I was in my thirties. I think one reason for that was because my mom was an awesome cook. That is where I started learning.
I come from a hard working family. That was important. To learn the skills to earn a living and take care of yourself. Welfare was unheard of and food stamps were not going to be an option in our family. Never. We were expected to do our homework and to pass. We were expected to get jobs and if someone chose to go to college that would have been okay, as long as we worked to do it. My parents didn't have the money to give us. If we did it, it was up to us. I did go to Cosmetology school and I did graduate. I made more money working in a restaurant so decided to do that instead.
When I was 26 I decided I would be a waitress forever. I made enough money at it and it was what I knew. I didn't need to go to college. I was raising a kid on my own and was doing well. I did get married a few years later (then became single again and married again) and I did go to computer school for a few semesters. When I got promoted to Assistant Manager at Arnold's I asked my teacher if I should take the job, it was paying $10.00 per hour or if I should hold out and finish school. He told me I would probably never make that kind of money in computers. I wonder if I was a bad student or if that was the best advice he could ever give me.
My point is this. I never needed grammar to add up a customers check or to hug my son or to cook dinner. I never needed grammar to love my friends and family. I never needed grammar to have good credit and work my ass off and work my way up to owning Arnold's. I never needed grammar to play scrabble with my mom, my sisters or our next door neighbor. I never needed to learn grammar to succeed in my world. So now I am thrown into a delightful world of computers where people get to read my poor grammar. If it had to be perfect I wouldn't know many of you. I didn't have time to learn it then and I sure as hell don't have time to learn it now. Scrabble anyone?
