As a little kid, I learned that it is important to not fear confrontation.

When I was younger I

had a fear of confrontation, a fear that I still struggle with to this day. This fear of conflict caused
me into trouble when I was younger. On one occasion when I was in the 3rd grade, I said
something foolish. I don’t remember what it was exactly that I said, however the fact that to this
day I do not remember what it was I said, speaks to how insignificant the comment was.
However, in my head, I somehow built this minor statement up to being the equivalent of
cussing the teacher out. Another classmate who had heard the statement decided to mention
the statement to the teacher. As a result, I got a warning from my teacher and was warned that
they were going to mention the incident to my parents at my next parent-teacher conference.
Terrified out of my mind, I decided that I had to tell my parents that I had done something wrong.
My stupid nine or ten-year-old self decided that the best decision was to tell them I had done
something wrong, but not tell them the specifics of what I had done. I did this because in my
mind whatever it was I had said was so horrible that it could not be repeated. This ended up
scaring my parents to the point that I ended up being grounded for close to a month. I remained
grounded until my parents finally spoke to the teacher and realized I hadn’t done anything that
bad, and ended my punishment. This would make a good source for a coming-of-age story
because it represents an event in my life that affected my personality immensely. This allows for
a source of compelling drama that can be adapted into a story.
When it comes to changing this highly embarrassing story there were a few particular
details that I would like to focus on and add. The first thing I would like to focus on would be the
emotions I felt at the time. Specifically, feelings of anxiety and fear I felt when admitting I had
made a mistake. Additionally, I would dedicate some time to detailing what It was I said and why
it made me so nervous. Of course, I would have to make up what it was I had said as I don’t
remember the details. Despite this slight lie on my part, this admission would make the story
better. Furthermore, I would change the ending to involve more choice on my part. Instead of
my parents finding out what I said and releasing me from the punishment as a result, my
release from the punishment would come as a direct result of me admitting what I had said.
Also, I would add some backstory to explain why I said what I said. I would specify exactly what
happened the teacher did to annoy me. In all of these ways, I would adapt my life story in a way
that is interesting for a reader.