Great Thanksgiving Listen

00:02 My name is Emma Walters. I am 16 years old. Today is November 29, 2022. I'm speaking with my mother, Monica Bennett. I'm recording this interview in Alexandria, Indiana. Describe yourself as a child is my first question. Like as a teenager?

00:46 As a teenager mostly obviously went to school after school five days a week I had gymnastics including Saturdays. So other than school gymnastics and occasionally hanging out with friends lived on a farm so we'd go out and take care of like goats and rabbits and that's about it.

01:18 I didn't realize Monica lived on a farm.

01:21 Yeah.

01:22 How do you wish your childhood had been different?

01:30 Not switching schools like starting out at for example I went to Frankton and early childhood went to North Anderson. So would rather have just been at one school instead of switching like in my teenage years, probably a little more outgoing. I was kind of antisocial. Probably a little bit different.

01:55 Has it changed? Has it?

01:57 No, not at all.

02:02 When I ask you what a notable memory you have is what's one of the first things you think of A.

02:11 State gymnastics tournament where I won a couple gold medals and finished like third.

02:17 Did you enjoy your time when you did gymnastics?

02:21 Yes, it kept me busy.

02:23 Do you wish you had done it for. Kept up with it?

02:27 I did it all the way through high school so I didn't stop until I graduated and then I didn't go to college. So I didn't take a scholarship and.

02:37 Go never had any interest in teaching it.

02:40 I did actually When I was 16 I taught it for probably like a year until I took another job that made paid more money.

02:54 What are you proudest of in your life?

02:57 Proudest of my children.

03:00 That's a lie.

03:03 No, the fact that for the most part when the my sons were little did the single parent thing and then got remarried and for several years they had a good childhood and now I'm more proud of being able to be self sufficient and not have to depend on someone by able to where I'm at in my career, economically. Yes.

03:35 Speaking of career, are you satisfied with the career path you have chosen?

03:43 Yes, other than I don't make enough money to retire yet.

03:46 You don't wish you had another one or pursued a college degree or anything?

03:52 No, I don't think that would have. I didn't like office environments and I honestly don't like being that social where I would have to have a degree in something that I would have to deal with people.

04:08 I guess that's fair. How do you see your future? What do you see for yourself in the Coming years?

04:19 Well, I would hope to retire in the next 10 years. So a lot of work between now and then. Getting Emma through college, getting her out on her own, and then deciding if I want to continue to live in this area or go somewhere else.

04:44 What's your current opinion? You think you'd rather leave or stay?

04:50 Probably stay.

04:52 Really? You always talk about wanting to live down in Tennessee.

04:58 The housing market is out of control anymore.

05:00 Okay. If the housing market was fine, would you rather live down there, you think.

05:07 Once you retire, if Emma will move down there with me.

05:14 You proud of me?

05:17 Very proud of you.

05:19 What are you proud of, though?

05:21 Proud of? That you take pride in your work. As far as I have never had to nag you about schoolwork or doing what you're supposed to do. You just take pride in your own self and your own work, which makes parenting a teenage daughter much easier. You have a good selection of friends. I don't worry about that. At least as far as I know I can trust you to do things without having to track you. Unless you don't answer your phone.

06:05 Name a name. Caitlin.

06:07 No. And you're responsible. You're self conscious on things such as your expenditures. And you don't just blow money and expect people to give you things.

06:24 I have been kind of. Recently, I've been trying. Really?

06:27 Not really. Not compared to what most teenagers spend, that you don't necessarily give a crap what other people think of you.

06:42 Got it from you.

06:44 You're gonna do what you want to do. And if somebody don't like it, then you don't care. Your eclectic.

06:55 You're naming like 50 different things.

06:56 I know your. Your eclectic style. For example, your decor choices.

07:03 You like my loafer hanging from the ceiling? Yeah, I think that's the most weird one.

07:08 Um, no, the tree.

07:11 Really?

07:12 The tree hanging from the ceiling.

07:13 I really like that tree. Um.

07:19 That'S about the most I can think of right now.

07:22 On the opposite side of the scale, what do you wish about me was different?

07:30 At one point I would have said your hair. But now I don't have to worry about taking you to get your hair done. Maybe a little nicer sometimes. At least to me.

07:50 To be fair, you did raise me with the. The jokes of, like, physical harm. Exactly Right there is my point.

08:02 But you were never physically harmed.

08:05 I will be okay. Oh, I thought you said I was never physically harming.

08:10 No.

08:10 Like I will harm you.

08:12 No.

08:15 If this was to be our very last conversation, like I was to die tomorrow in a car crash or on the way to festival of Trees as I'm gonna go. Is there anything you'd want to say to me?

08:28 Just know that you're loved and that I'm proud of you. And you probably didn't follow my driving advice.

08:39 What's that supposed to mean?

08:41 So I have good driving skills.

08:44 That's a lie.

08:50 And you will be thought of daily.

08:54 Multiple times a day, even more than red.

08:58 No, I won't be thinking.

09:01 Next question. Do you love. Do you love the cat or me? More.

09:08 Threats of physical violence here, you know, you.

09:15 How do you see my future going at the rate I'm going? How do you think I'll be when I'm older?

09:26 Honestly, I think you will go to college and for some reason I see you choosing the veterinary path. Hopefully you'll just go full blown and go be a vet, not a vet tech. Because you are perfectly capable of getting.

09:49 My dream.

09:52 Well, it could be your dream, but I think Yvette would be more towards your liking and give you the lifestyle you may like with animals and independence.

10:03 Yeah. What about like housing and stuff?

10:06 You think?

10:07 Where do you think it'll go?

10:10 I think you would live in a. Not necessarily a full rural setting like we live in now, but maybe on like an acre or two. I could see you having some animals and having like 15 outdoor cats.

10:27 That was my thought I was gonna ask you see, outdoor cats and probably a couple dogs.

10:34 Probably still have them. Chinchillas.

10:36 They'll be lasting.

10:40 Maybe a couple chickens running around. Chickens? Yeah.

10:44 You always want me to bring you eggs.

10:46 Yeah. The nursing home.

10:50 What about in like the world though? State, country, continent?

10:58 I think you'll still be in this area. I don't think you'll leave this area when it comes down to it.

11:03 In Indiana.

11:05 Yeah.

11:06 Kind of hard to choose to stay in Indiana. I feel like not much. Not much time.

11:13 Either that or I could see you maybe potentially as far as you want to go. Be like Tennessee. I would, but I don't know what kind of career you would have veterinary wise in Tennessee.

11:29 I feel like they have some.

11:31 They do. They're probably just a more a cat and dog type thing.

11:37 Yeah.

11:37 Not really any kind of other exotic animals.

11:44 How do you wish you had raised me differently? Not like the whole Emma thing, but like you yourself raised me.

11:56 Probably a more openly lovingly saying it verbally instead of our sarcastic love humor. Mm. But that's because that's just how I was, I guess. Well, I wasn't really raised that way either, so just more openly verbal about feelings, I guess.

12:23 That's what I was thinking too. When you were going on about that, I was like, hmm, I wonder who I got it from.

12:29 Yeah.

12:33 How would you like to be remembered?

12:40 Um, I have no idea how to answer that, I guess. Yeah, I have no clue on that.

13:01 Would you like to be remembered by many people or like, would you like to be known? What would you like to be like, known for? Like, loving, fun.

13:10 I'm just family oriented. Outside of my general kids and grandkids, I don't really have very many connections. So I really don't care. Other than how you guys view it, I guess. Don't bury me in the ground and come put flowers on my grave once a year and think of me then.

13:34 You don't even want a grave. Exactly.

13:36 That's what I'm saying. Don't do that. Some stuff like that, that's wasteful.

13:42 You kind of just want a Kate thing. Everyone, all the family.

13:46 Yeah. I want an organization.

13:48 You want a charity made in your name?

13:50 Yeah.

13:50 A form of Emma

13:52 Yeah.

13:57 I know you don't really have many hobbies besides outside work and housework, but is there hobbies you wish you could pursue if you had the time?

14:16 I guess it would be in the light if I had a different option of career type stuff I like, like home remodeling stuff. Like I could see that on the side or flip houses or. I know that people don't consider that a hobby really because I want to make money doing it.

14:37 But it would still be a hobby, you know? Like, you don't wish you played video games or read or made art instrument or anything?

14:48 No, I just play with my plants. That's about it.

14:52 Like little dolls. You hold up their stems.

14:54 No, no. I don't have much patience for things like that anymore. So I used to read.

15:05 Really?

15:06 A long time ago.

15:07 A lot.

15:09 Yeah.

15:11 But then I got lazy and I'd.

15:13 Rather have an audiobook.