Lesson Three - Personal Childhood Web

This week in our class, Fundamentals of Early Childhood, we have been looking at children and the relationships that nurture them.  In order to help me think about the relationships that nurtured me as a child, I have been asked to post my Personal Childhood Web.  This web will highlight five people who were significant in my care and who nurtured and loved me in different ways.

Honey and I, the day after my birth, June 14, 1962

Judy "Honey" Belyeu: Honey is my mother.  I began calling her Honey as a small child because I heard other people using that name as an endearment.  Today her grandchildren and close friends use this name as well.  My parents divorced when I was a baby and Honey raised me with assistance from her parents.  She was 18 years old when I was born, but with the help of her family was able to complete college in three years so that she could provide for us.  Honey grew up in the 40s and 50s in Monroeville, Al, neighbors of the author, Harper Lee.   She was exposed to the racist, segregationist mindset portrayed in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (Lee, 1960) from birth, yet was able to leave that behind and raise me to be tolerant and appreciative of differences.   I have worked successfully in the field of Early Intervention due to her influence and example.  She loves me despite my flaws and I am so grateful for her support, which to this day she gives freely.   It is easy to take for granted a family's love and support.   I often did in my teens and twenties.  Maturity has taught me to be grateful for the bond that we have and for all that she has given me.

Gracie and I in Calloway Gardens, Ga, circa 1963

Grace Bradley Williams: "Gracie" to me, was my maternal grandmother.  I lived with her and my grandfather on and off for my first three years of life, while my mother completed her undergraduate degree.  My mother was an only child and therefore I was an only grandchild.  To say I was spoiled by my grandmother would be an understatement.  My favorite example is that she established the tradition of giving me a gift on her birthday, because it was my half- birthday (she was born on December 13, I was born on June 13).  Gracie was a wonderful cook.  My grandparents owned a cafe in Monroeville in the late 1940s. It makes my mouth water to hear my mother talk about the food they served and Gracie would prepare these dishes for our family on a weekly basis.  She taught me to bake which inspired my love of cooking. Gracie was very fashionable and made sure that I was well clothed as well.  I do still love beautiful clothes, but have curbed my shopping habit of late.  While she was not thrilled with having a pregnant teenage daughter, she came around after my birth and provided invaluable support to my mother and me until her health failed.  Then we were able to complete the cycle by caring for her until her passing.

Grandaddy and I in his recliner where we ate oranges

James Hiram Williams: "Grandaddy" to me, was my  maternal grandfather.  Grandaddy was the only male figure in my life until age 6.  He was a very hard worker and so I did not spend as much time with him.  Our special routine consisted of my climbing up in his lap and sharing an orange while we watched the Lawrence Welk Show.  He passed away of cancer when I was 11 years old, but I still think about him every time I take the first bite of an orange. He was in on the spoiling as much as my grandmother.  The only time I was ever spanked was by him, because I would not stop spitting watermelon seeds on the floor.  I know he did not spank me hard, but I put up such a fuss that he never spanked me again.  A few days before he passed away, he asked my mom to go buy me a new china doll for my collection.  This was his way of showing his love for me until the very end.

June and Leldon Jones, 2013

June Jones: June is my "other mother".  When I started elementary school I needed after-school care and my mother found the Jones for me.  I stayed with them after school and in the summer from first through ninth grade, and even on occasion beyond, even though I was old enough to be home alone.  June was married and had two daughters, Kaye and Lynn. Kaye and I share a birthday and she is a year younger.  Lynn is three years older.  This family taught me how to interact with others in that way that siblings teach each other.  My mother never re-married, so they were my model for a healthy, loving marriage.  June did all the things my mother did not; cooked, took us kids to the creek and the barn and the pool.  Summers were the best.  We would stay out all day riding bikes and playing with other kids in the neighborhood.  I was exposed to a different protestant religion through them as well.  My mother did not attend church and so I went to the Methodist church with my grandparents on holidays and special occasions. With the Jones' I attended the Church of Christ vacation bible school and occasionally Sunday or Wednesday services.

Leldon Jones: Leldon really is the primary father figure in my life.  My grandfather was always working and busy. Leldon was a postman would let us drive his three-wheeled U.S. Postal vehicle around the block when he came home at lunch. He taught me about growing your own food and gave me an appreciation for fresh caught fried bass and quail.  He is kind and good and loved dearly by all who know him.  I always thought he looked like Dean Martin and would kid him about it.  There are no words to sufficiently express my gratitude for their continued love and support.