Today I have an interesting interview to include with chapter 1 of my blog-to-book project: Life After High School: Secrets To A Successful Life By Those Who Have Had Twenty Years To Think About It or What They Didn’t Teach Us Gen Xers In High School. If you missed the last post, click here, otherwise, you can start at the beginning here.
Jamie Serowicz
(Formerly Jamie Whitney)
Burlington, WA
My Life In High School
Who were you in High School and how did you feel about it?
I was a kid that didn’t really fit in anywhere. I was “friends” with a lot of people, but only had a few people that I regularly associated with. It was a lonely experience, but made me a stronger person in the end, and realize that I only need a small handful of people around me at any given time.
What did you think your life would become when you graduated?
Not what it has turned into, that’s for sure. I thought I’d have a great life. It took me 15 years after graduating to get my act together and be a good mom and person.
My Life After High School
What happened in your life to you, for you, and by you in the last twenty years (how have you used your time and who have you become)?
I had my first child one year after graduation. It made me realize that I was now responsible for someone else. I didn’t really have a good time of it. I married my son’s father and got divorced 18 months later. I struggled financially for years, trying to work and raise my child. After my divorce, I met a great guy, Aaron, and got pregnant right away. I made the decision that I was not in a place to be a single mom to two small kids, so I put the baby up for adoption. In retrospect, it was the best decision in my life to that point.
Aaron and I stayed together off and on for the next few years and even had another child, Kellen. We never married, but did put a plan in place that Aaron would raise Kellen if we did end up splitting up. Needless to say, we did. Kellen was 2 when they moved to Spokane. I’m still involved in his life, and Aaron and I are great friends now.
Obviously, I do not get to see Kellen as much so I would like, but we talk often. After Aaron and Kellen moved, I met and married another man. He was not a good guy in the end, and I ended up divorcing him after 6 years together. I’ve since gotten my life back on track, and have married the best man yet. We have a relationship where there is never any fighting. We talk through any problems that come up. My oldest, Parker, graduated from high school in June, and has moved to Idaho to go to school!
My Life Lessons
What were the major life lessons and wisdom that you gained during your journey over the last 20 years?
Time heals all wounds, it’s hard to be a single parent, and there is someone out there for everyone.
Letter To My High School Self
If you could write your 18-year-old self (or however old you were when you graduated) a letter, and send it back in time, what would you say? What lessons, wisdom, encouragement, or warnings would you give yourself?
Life gets better. No matter how much you might struggle, you’ll end up happy.
Tomorrow I have an interview coming with another AHS class of 1996 classmate, Adrian Kraft.
Are you from Generation X? I want to hear what you think! Please comment below and participate in the conversation about What They Didn’t Teach Us Gen Xers In High School. What do you wish someone told you when you were eighteen?
