Noah Norris + Mom: The Great Listen

00:02 Hey there, my name is Noah I'm 17 years old. Today is November 30, 2023. I'm speaking with Tama Janes, who is my mom. We're recording in my kitchen. And can you tell me what your life was like growing up?

00:22 Lots of fun.

00:24 Can you elaborate on that?

00:27 Sure. I grew up in Fairfield and I had an older brother who was about a year older than me. And we did everything together. We rode motorcycles, we played baseball. Yeah. Had a great childhood.

00:48 Glad to hear that. Glad to hear that. What kind of jobs did you do when you were my age? When you were 17?

00:54 When I was 17, I was working full time at Walmart in Fairfield. Not full time, sorry, felt like full time. I was working a part time job at Walmart. I worked at my junior and senior year of high school.

01:11 What made you choose Walmart?

01:13 It was good pay at the time because this was late 80s, early 90s and it was close to home and Walmart was like a very cool place back then.

01:29 I understand, I understand. Can you tell me about how many times you moved houses?

01:37 Wow. I am 51. So if I counted up how many times I've moved houses since I've been on this earth, I've probably moved about 14 to 15 times.

01:58 We've got a good track record.

02:00 We do, yeah. Just in the last 25 years, we've moved about 11 times.

02:10 I've been here for what, like no more than like six or seven, right? No, like seven or eight.

02:21 You've been you talking about in Alabama?

02:23 Just in total.

02:24 Oh, for the moves. Yeah, I mean that sounds about right.

02:31 Started in Bama, trekked all the way.

02:34 To Texas, moved a couple times in Texas and then moved back here and then moved a couple times since being back here. So yeah, it's what it's, you know, it's just in our DNA, I guess.

02:49 We just like to move well, we.

02:52 See opportunities and we don't mind, you know, trying to capitalize on those opportunities. Plus, you know, when work takes you to a different state, you gotta go and then. Yeah, it's the thing.

03:08 What was minimum wage like when you were 17?

03:12 Oh God, I don't even think I remember. I just know I worked about 20, 25 hours a week and I got a fat check.

03:21 Cause it's 7:25 now.

03:25 Minimum wage?

03:27 Yeah.

03:28 Should be higher than that.

03:30 Oh, I don't know. Cause I don't check.

03:32 Well, ever since COVID people can't afford to pay just minimum wage. They gotta pay more than that. So I don't know. I mean, it could have been. It could have been 7:25 back in the day. And it felt like $20 an hour because I was 17, living at home and didn't have expenses. I had lots of play money.

03:53 Oh, yeah, I feel that. I really feel that. As a matter of fact, I mean, I just bought two pairs of shoes in the past two days. Yeah.

04:06 You buy your Nike kicks?

04:07 Oh, yeah. Bought me some dunks. Bought me some.

04:11 Some panda dunks.

04:12 No, not pandas.

04:13 Okay.

04:14 Too basic.

04:15 What? I thought they were fire. Right now.

04:18 They're pretty cool. But I got me some. I don't even know what to call them.

04:24 What color are they?

04:25 I got some white and black ones that kind of fade into navy blue, and then got some white ones with a little secondary red color to them. Should come in pretty soon. They look really nice. I'm excited.

04:42 Fantastic.

04:45 Well, would you prefer today's taxes and wages or the past taxes and wages and like, interest rates and inflation, I.

04:57 Mean, obviously passed, but I mean, if you got a budget and stick with it, you can make any amount of inflow and outflow work. If you can stay in that budget, even though interest rates are high and they stink right now.

05:15 Oh, yeah. I don't even know what they are.

05:20 Well, I mean, it depends on if you're buying, like, a new car, a used car house. I mean, it's different for each, you know, commodity.

05:28 But what would make you want to choose the past or. You just basically said that, didn't you?

05:36 Well, I mean, yeah, things were more affordable and growing up, when I was your age, things were. I mean, they were simpler to me. You know, less choices wasn't a bad thing. I mean, some people think less choices are bad, but to me, you know, it brought clarity. So it was easy to work in smaller parameters.

06:01 Yeah, you could get like a whole meal, like a burger, a fry drink, and a milkshake for what, like, 25, 30 cents?

06:08 I don't know if I'm that old.

06:12 That'S just watching the movies, but I.

06:15 Do remember, like, filling up, being up in the country, riding motorcycles. And we'd go up to the little convenience store and I'd fill up my dirt bike for like 95 cents for a gallon.

06:28 That's nice.

06:29 Yeah, it was nice.

06:32 So I wish it was like that right now.

06:34 Facts. Me too. Me too.

06:37 Keep just going up and down, up and down.

06:39 Yeah, it does.

06:41 Roller coaster prices. Well, if you could live in any time period, when would you live? And why would you go for the future? Or way back in the past or just stay right here.

06:58 80S. 80s were just fun. Being born in 72 and then being a teenager in the 80s was. It was the best. Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, all the things that made life fun. Yeah, it be. I. I wouldn't change a thing. I was born in 72. I was meant to be born in 72.

07:20 What kind of music did you listen to?

07:25 Little bit of everything. Yeah, you too? I'm trying to think. It depends on the age. My first cassette tape was of the Beach Boys and I just loved playing that. When I turned 16, driving around with my sunroof and Help me Rhonda Help, help me Rhonda Help me Rhonda Help me Rhonda Beach Boys were the bomb. Yeah. Then kind of graduated to other stuff like U2 and James Taylor when I got a little bit older.

08:04 Yeah, I see where I get my love for music from then.

08:07 Oh yeah. Music makes life funner and easier.

08:12 Oh yeah. It's a great thing to be enveloped in.

08:15 It really is. It's healthy.

08:17 It really is.

08:18 The right music. The right music that has good life giving energy in it.

08:24 Sure, sure. We'll go with that.

08:27 Yeah.

08:30 Well, do you like your current job?

08:33 I mean, sorta. I mean, yeah. So I'm officially a licensed massage therapist and I love being that even though I've been on a bit of a sabbatical for a few months. But I love having a degree from UAB in marketing and I am going to see what business opportunities that opens up this next year as well. So yeah, I like being me.

09:02 Do you know what you wanted to do when you were younger? Like elementary and middle school? Did you see yourself being a massage therapist?

09:10 No, no. I didn't really think too much of it at the time. I was just busy in the moment being. Being the kid I was during elementary school and middle school. I didn't really have dreams of the future and that wasn't a bad thing. I mean I just really enjoyed my life in the moment. So.

09:31 If you could live in any economic class, which one would it be and why? I think this answer might be obvious for some, but I mean.

09:42 Ew, whatever class that I've got enough to take care of my needs and share with others. So I won't really say a class. I think it would be a hybrid if. Yeah, I think it'd be a hybrid if a couple classes.

10:03 I gotcha. What do you like about being a moment?

10:09 Oh, everything. I was meant to be a mom.

10:12 What are some of the tough things about being a mom, raising four boys.

10:17 I mean, there's that. You know, I didn't think I'd have four boys. I thought we'd have a boy and girl and be done. God had other plans. I mean, y'all are. Y'all have been such a joy. And I've often said my four felt like somebody else's, too, because for the most part, y'all all just had a respectful, thankful attitude growing up, and it just. It was easy to parent you guys. So challenging, just feeding all y'all. I mean, cooking all the time. I mean, if it was a bowl of cereal, it was still on me to have it prepped, bought, and sitting in front of you in certain seasons of life. I think that might be why I'm a little burned out on cooking right now. But no regurgits. I loved every second of being a mom of you four.

11:19 Let's get down to the nitty gritty.

11:21 Okay, gritty, let's go.

11:22 Who was your favorite son?

11:26 If I'm being honest, I loved y'all all the same, all the time, but I liked y'all differently at different intervals.

11:35 Hey, Santa loves all his helpers, doesn't it? No favorites.

11:39 No, I didn't have favorites. Y'all each have had easier seasons of parenting. You.

11:46 Oh, yeah.

11:46 And, you know, little blips on the radar of the hard stuff, but mostly good. So I'm thankful for that.

11:57 Well, if you could change anything from the past, would you do anything or just leave it all it is?

12:06 Oh, yeah. I'd brush my teeth more. I would have less cavities as a kid, Less of these old school gray feelings in my mouth. Honestly, there's not many regrets I have in life. And even though I've failed forward in life, I still wouldn't change any of that. But honestly, that's a true childhood regret.

12:36 I mean, would you, like, invest in Apple if you knew it was a thing? Or, like, you know, like, start looking into football, betting on people and betting on injuries and stuff? If you knew, I would have.

12:49 Yeah. No, I would Invested in stocks more. Especially like Chick Fil A. Oh, yeah, Apple, right? Yeah.

12:58 I knew a guy posted notes. I mean, posting that's. I mean, expect the unexpected, right? You wouldn't think something like that would blow up back then, but look at it now, right?

13:09 Cause post it notes wasn't a thing. When I was your age, right.

13:13 I knew a guy that had a bunch of stocks in Apple. About two weeks before the iPhone released, he took all his stocks out that was the saddest moment of his life when he found out that he lost a lot of money from that.

13:32 That's gonna be a painful memory for him his whole life.

13:35 Oh, yeah.

13:37 Yeah.

13:38 But I don't know how he's doing now. Could be doing really well or could be, you know, like living in a dirt castle or something.

13:47 Could be. But I try not to focus on things in the past I can't change. I process the grief or the pain if it's one of those moments, and then move on. Just kind of. Yeah. Try and keep my mind on the quarter. The head side of the quarter. I mean, the tail side's real, but, I mean, you know, where your mind goes affects everything.

14:14 Mm. That's what my. I have a buddy that's told me a saying before. It's called C'est la vie. His name's Emery Brooks. It's Emery. I love Emery.

14:27 Shout out to Emery.

14:28 It means that is life, you know?

14:32 Yeah.

14:32 It's just the way things go.

14:34 Yeah. Facts.

14:36 Shouldn't worry about the things you can't control.

14:39 I wish I could have told Younger me to be more chillaxed in that area, for sure.

14:44 Mm.

14:45 But a lot of that's just me growing in my faith as well, my trust in God, which helps me chillax more now. But there's that.

14:56 I feel that. Well, thank you so much for doing this with me, Mom. I love you.

15:00 You're welcome. I love you, too. Hey, teacher.