Kid in the Corner An Interview with Kat Mische Elle
Francine, please share with us your story of strength and hope. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and I lived there with my mom and my sister. My dad left when I was about three and a half years old, and my sister was about six weeks old. So, it was just the three of us. There was mental illness on both sides of the family. My mom struggled with mental illness pretty much throughout my entire life. She had a lot of ups and downs. My dad was mostly absent, and my sister struggled from the time she was born with various mental health issues as well. As I went through my elementary school years, it became apparent to me that I had to be the good child. Because I was the calm one in the family, I was expected to always have good grades, to not cause problems, and to be the one who didn’t disturb anything. It was a lot of pressure, but I lived up to it as best I could. I did well in school. I was a ballet dancer at that time, and I held it together. My mom struggled 112
I N S P I RE D S U CC ESS MAGAZINE | SP RING / SUMME R 2022
being a single parent. My sister gave her all kinds of trouble. These were certainly painful and difficult times for all of us. I remember being so sad that I lived in what I thought was such a broken family. I thought all the families around me were, you know, ‘perfect’. That’s how I visualized them. And they all lived their happy lives. I struggled because I didn’t have that. I remember talking to my aunt who was a psychologist, and she said, “You will be part of a happy family someday. You’ll just be in a different position in the family. You’ll be the mom.” I held on to that. I wanted to be a mom in a happier family and give my kids a different childhood than I had. As an adult years later, I had a great job at American Express, but I never felt like I was really living my passion. I thought, “I’m working hard for a company. But what am I doing for the world?” So, I decided at that point that I really wanted to be an early childhood educator. I wanted to be able to help shape children from their earliest ages in the most positive ways. I wanted to be the person I needed when I was younger.
Photo courtesy of KB Woods Studio
FRANCINE SUMNER
