About The Stepford Child

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I was born a Stepford Child – or so my mother tells me.  As a baby I craved routine and thrived on it.  I always loved school – the routine, bells, books, paper, pencils, rules and order.  I never ditched one day or even one class period in all my 13 years of education.  I was a rule-follower and teachers pet.  Yet, even through all this, I always cried at the beginning of every school year.  You see, a child of Stepford hates change.  Change in all forms.  I hated not knowing who my teacher was, where I would sit, and what the new year would be like.  My mother tells me that I used to go into ‘fits’ as soon as we found out who my new teacher was.  She also like to tell people (including me) that whenever a project or paper was assigned I had to go to the library THAT DAY in order to get it done.  I don’t deny any of my Stepfordisms and you will read about many of them on this blog.

The curious thing is that there are many non-Stepford things about me as well.  My room is in a constant disaray.  I just can’t seem to keep it clean.  One year, my mother told me that I had to make my bed everyday.  So I slept on top of the covers for over a year.  That way my bed was made, I was obeying the rules, but I was doing it my way.  Also, children in Stepford don’t have erratic emotions, but I, unfortunately, was born with an over-abundance of emotions.  Yelling, or crying, or laughing were not unusual sounds to hear come out of my mouth.  I try to control them as best I can.

It is really no surprise to me that I became a teacher.  My desk is a mess, but I have the entire year planned and make my copies one term at a time.  I like to have an orderly classroom and get frustrated when assemblies and absences mess up my well-laid plans.  I get to travel to far off places and meet lots of different people.

It isn’t the Stepford side of me or the non-Stepford side of me that makes me who I am.  It is the clash between the two that is the most interesting.  Enjoy!