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THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD
As we celebrate motherhood in the month of May, we would like to share with you stories from the mothers we serve. Through our programs, we serve families of all shapes and sizes. Some are two parent families, some are single parent families and others are families who are working towards reunification.
Supporting Today's Parents
In Supporting Today's Parents (STP), we provide home visiting services, and mail a monthly newsletter (containing information on child development) for three years to more than 2,000 families annually. Rene is one of the moms we visit. She is a single mother of a two month old daughter. The father of the child is involved, but does not live with Rene and their baby. Rene is struggling, but is determined to be the best mother she can be. "I love my daughter, and I am excited about learning new things to do with her. Right now, even though I like being a mom, it is hard. I am looking for a new job, I need to find affordable and good child care, and I want to do all I can for the development of my baby." Rene goes on to say that she is "very interested in infant massage and other child development material." Rene's case worker, Gina, visits Rene on a monthly basis and refers her to many different activities that are offered at Family Resource Centers (for a listing of activities, visit our web site at www.rosaliemanor.org). "Not only does Rene follow up on the resources I give her, she finds activities and information on her own," states Gina.
The majority of the families we serve in STP are parents of one child, but that is not always the case. One mother, Jessica, is a single mother of four. While Jessica also enjoys motherhood she describes it as "very difficult." Three of the four children are in school, and one of her children is seriously delayed. "I keep going because I love my children, but it is frustrating. Trying to make a living is very hard. I was working toward my GED, but because of child care problems, I had to stop for now. My daughter takes specific medication, and I can't find a child care center who can give it to her. Until I find child care, I can't go any further. Right now, I get food stamps, WIC and medical assistance. I get $673 every month for my four kids and myself, and it is hard to live on that." Stories like Jessica's are not uncommon, but Jessica's case worker, Jodi, is optimistic about Jessica's future. "Jessica is always smiling, does a great job raising her children, and is an excellent role model. She always follows up on referrals I make, and rarely misses an appointment with me."
Family Intervention Program
One of the most difficult parenting situations can be the one in which the mother is working towards regaining her children from a foster home. This is a situation the Family Intervention Program (FIP) case workers deal with on a daily basis. Vicki Mohorich, program manager states "we help our families work for family unification, but that is sometimes difficult to achieve." Patty is one of the mothers involved in FIP. Through FIP Patty receives home visits and group services. Patty's three children are living in a foster home, and she is frustrated with the situation. "It is hard for me to have my kids calling the foster parent, 'mom.' It is also hard missing my baby's first step, first words, and other events in my kid's lives." Through our group services, Patty sees her children at Rosalie Manor, and she also has other supervised visits, but sometimes that can be more difficult. "Even though I see my kids, I don't know everything that is happening. Sometimes my State case worker thinks I know something about my kids, and I don't, and that makes me upset because I want to know what is happening with them. I know I am not a good mother now, but I am trying hard to be one."
No matter what the situation, motherhood is not an easy task, and everyone seems to struggle with the same issues; balancing work and family, time management, child care, household budgeting, and stress. Being a mom takes balance, patience, a lot of love and understanding, and sometimes additional help. We congratulate all the moms we serve, for their persistence, diligence and commitment to making them the best parent they can be.