Charlotte was a pretty easy child to raise. She was a happy baby and spent a lot of her time entertaining herself in her swing or jumper. During her toddler years she was sort of an "outdoor girl," going out to get wood or going ice fishing because she was too young to go to head start. I don't remember her throwing fits or wanting to get her way as much as the boys did. Charlotte was always busy because she had an older brother and her cousin Jenny to hang out with. I never had to worry too much as long as I knew she was with the "bigger kids." She also liked spending time with her grandmother, Exenia Fitka, because Exenia had a lot of patience with kids and she let Charlotte "help" her with stuff like making bread, washing dishes and cleaning up. Exenia also taught Charlotte how to sew. So Charlotte was at her grandma's house a lot.

During her school days she always liked doing her homework and competing in school sports and other activities. Charlotte always enjoyed school. I never had to look for her at curfew time because she always knew when she was expected to be home. I've never pushed chores very much, but she usually does what she is asked. She usually grumbles loudly but it blows over.

I thought I would have a lot of problems with Charlotte during her teenage years, but she is pretty easy to communicate with and she lets us know when she is down. She usually understands that even though things are really tough right now, they usually get better. But like all teenagers, Charlotte sometimes does what we tell her not to do.

Now that Charlotte is almost done with high school, I'm glad she set her own high standards throughout her school years and tried her best at everything she wanted to do because it will help her when she goes into the world on her own. Overall Charlotte is a fun person to have around because she usually has a sense of humor and a great appreciation for life itself.

As her parents, Ray and I tried to give her a lot of support when she decided what she wanted to do, and encouragement when times were tough. That seemed to work out okay around here.