Parenting Behaviors and Attitudes: Mr. Richard Tarrence
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Full Length Interview
Home Is Where I Make It Oral History Project: Tarrence, Richard
Interviewees
Richard Tarrence
Timestamp
(18:52-20:45)
Description
“There is no question that my upbringing and my background is a solid rock in my life. I mean, my mother’s words of wisdom, my father—very gentle people. Very loving and honest people, and they had a drive and a stick-to-it-iveness that I inherited obviously. I’ve never been one to waver a lot. You see that from my job histories; I stay on one job, pretty loyal to that. I just taught my kids to maintain a course, to not fight back in anger, but to fight back if threatened or injured or something like that. Try to teach them to think and not, you know, not to hate. You know, to understand where your challenges are coming from, to understand who you are as a human being. They are very aware of their blackness; they love who they are. They’ve been able to survive, and they’ve been able to survive through times when I was very hurt by it, but I couldn’t show them that side of it. You know, I could only show them the side that each day brings a new horizon; that they needed to continue and be who they are. I think that served me in good stead. I’ve always been able to do what I wanted to do and achieve what I wanted to achieve. There were moments I wanted to lash out and you know, just go off, and you can’t do that. I think trying to help instill that.”
Date
5-17-2002
Keywords
parenting attitudes and behaviors, Black families, Maine
Recommended Citation
Talbot-Ross, Rachel, "Parenting Behaviors and Attitudes: Mr. Richard Tarrence" (2002). Series 1: Family - Recordings. 9.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/we-exist-exhibit-audio/9
Comments
Age at Time of Interview: 57
Born 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio
Duration of Residence in Maine: Moved to Maine in October 1975