The Man He is Today

Reflection: This project was unique for me. I went at least two days with my laptop being in complete Arabic and not understanding what across my screen until I got it fixed. I know that this has limited me to having my interview completed and polished on time, but I have found a way to still get what was needed to be done. My objective for this project was to tell this story of my dad and how he was raised which made him into the man he is today.

The Man He is Today

“My childhood was different than a lot of my friends when I was growing up,” my father says. Martin J. Harris was born into a huge family from West Oak Lane, Philadelphia. He lived with his parents, six siblings with him being the youngest (which makes 7 of them in total), and his cousin along with his aunt. At the age of 14, he lost his parents due to a tragic accident. “I think that with me losing my parents at a young age made me realize that I had to grow up faster than my friends and my peers around me”. My father then had to grow up under the rules of his older sister and followed her guidance as if she was his mother. “I give my sister a lot of respect and credit for the times she raised me and my other siblings, later on, ” he says. His sister became his hero and that is someone my father definitely looks up to and has the utmost respect for. Growing up is one of the toughest times for a child and when you have to grow up faster, it makes you see the world differently. You become wiser and mature faster than your peers which set you apart from them.

At the age of 22, my father graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He was the first out of his siblings to graduate from college and earned his bachelors and masters degree. “What kept me motivated to achieve the goals I have was to stay positive and saying I can do this instead of saying I can’t”. After c, later on, married his college sweetheart Kim Ford. Later on, they had two new additions to their family: Madison and Martin J. Harris II. “I never wanted a big family,” my father says. “I think that coming from a huge family like I did and being the youngest, I would never have a big family because there was limited attention I received while growing up and when my parents got to me they were tired”. My father definitely gives my brother and I his full attention when we are around him. He is very involved in our lives and I will say that my father and I definitely has a close connection. “ I always wanted to have a strong relationship with my children,” he says. “ I know that having this bond with my children will benefit them as they grow up knowing that I could not have this type of bond with my parents”. My father is always tentative in his presence with being in my brother and I’s life. He always supports me whether that is coming to my basketball game or being the ear I need to talk to. Learning from experiences growing up makes you realize the target that is on your back to become successful and achieve your goals when sometimes you have a different start than others. It also gives you a chance to become the hero to those who look up to you and be there for them knowing that it will benefit them.

“I wish that I had a brother closer to my age while growing up,” my father says. Before he answered I asked him if there is anything he could change about his childhood what would it be. “Throughout all of the experiences of my growing up, I would never change the people I have experienced them with”. This stuck with me throughout the interview because us humans are always going to have situations and lessons we have to go through because that is a part of growing up, but the people that have seen us with the issues as we are growing up and has been there for us, we can never change that. “Those are relationships that have grew strong with me and will never change”.”It will always be a fine memory in my mind and that is something that’s there forever.” he says. My father is continuing to be the strong, faithful, and loving brother, father, and husband he has always been for my family and I. His childhood has definitely molded him into the man he is today for the better because he took his situations and setbacks as targets and goals he wanted to accomplish which made his successful. “Anything is accomplishable during the roughest times in life, it’s either you take on the challenges and achieve them or you drown in the hardships”. -Martin J.Harris