AIB

Ashlee Brophy

Section 06    

Sept. 11, 2007  

Compare/Contrast

The Worry Wart 

            “Mom please don’t go!” I yelled as my mother, Lynn, was about to leave on her trip for work. “Can you say you’re sick?” I asked in an innocent child’s voice.            

 I was twelve years old and in the seventh grade when my mother realized something was wrong. She started to notice a difference in my reactions when she would have to leave to go out of town for work or if I had to stay somewhere without her. Going to school, a friend’s house, or even going to a family member’s house was a bigger struggle than usual. I was, as you could say, diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at age 12. It affected me to the point where I wouldn’t want to go to school or even let my mom be apart from me.

My mom works for the Air National Guard and has to travel occasionally. The worst was when my mom would have to leave, especially if it was out of town and was a long period of time. My biggest fear and I don’t know why, was that my mom was going to die in a plane crash when she would go on one of her trips. I also feared something would happen to her when she would drop me off to stay over at my friend’s house, or anytime I didn’t know where she was.            

I never liked when my mom would leave, so the day she told me she had to go to Alabama for six weeks I thought I was going to hit the floor. I didn’t believe her at first; I thought she was just messing with my head like all parents do; I was wrong. The worst part of it was that I was the last person to find out. My mother thought it would be better to tell me closer to when she had to leave, so I didn’t have to worry about it. At the time I was very upset, but when I look back on it, I realize that that was the best way to handle the situation. I just couldn’t believe that she was going to be gone that long. My mind was racing and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I started to worry already about the possibilities and what I was going to do for a month and a half without her.            

My mom had it all planned out for me. Since it was summer, I was going to be staying with my grandma for the six weeks, switching from my house in Lakeside to her house in Morgan Park. My mom came up with a great idea; I would get a present at the end of each week from a hidden bag that she had already put together for me. There was a total of seven presents and my grandma would give one to me each week with a little note my mom wrote for me. Even with this I wasn’t satisfied; I didn’t want her to leave me for that long.            

 The night before she left I kept begging her not to go. “Please stay!” I yelled. “I don’t want you to go.” I couldn’t believe what happened next. My mother caved and said I’ll take you with me. I didn’t think I was allowed since it was for work, but she said it would be fine. I was on cloud nine and thought it was too good to be true. I immediately grabbed a suitcase and started packing; I had the biggest smile on my face.            

 I got to experience my first plane ride on that trip and realized that I didn’t really have anything to worry about. I wasn’t scared of the plane myself; I love riding in planes. I was just scared for what might happen to her because I’m not there to know what is happening or what could happen. 

I had my anxiety disorder until ninth grade and it slowly went away after that. I realized that I didn’t have to continually worry about little things anymore. I feel that this experience really helped me understand that I had no reason to worry, especially about her being gone. It was comforting knowing that everything would be fine even if we weren’t together. My mom even went on a two week trip to Germany a half a year later and I was fine with the fact that she had to go. I was very impressed with myself and my lack of worry. Now all I worry about are common day things; for instance, homework, work, money, etc. It’s a weight off of my shoulders and I’ve been free of excessive worry for six and a half years.