Walking the Journey
With your support, this mom never gave up
Jennifer was referred to Healthy Families after becoming pregnant at age 16. She was struggling to stay in school, living with her grandparents, and unsure of how she would build a life to support her baby. How would she overcome the challenges of becoming a parent at such a young age? But you were there; your generosity made the difference. Jennifer found the support she needed from a Family Support Specialist (FSS) through HumanKind’s Healthy Families program.
When Jennifer first met with her FSS, she was overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do next. She shared that attending high school as a pregnant teenager brought on a lot of judgement and she was being bullied. Immediately, the FSS was able to help enroll her in school online.
Because of you, the Family Support Specialist was able to come alongside her and help ease some of her greatest worries. Together they identified her biggest challenges, set goals, and used the SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) framework to create a plan. The first goal was to save enough money to prepare for her baby. Staying in school online allowed her to get a part-time job, and with that plan she met her goal.
After giving birth, Jennifer worked with her FSS on smaller goals around caring for her baby. She committed to breastfeeding, bonding with her baby, focused on development milestones, and even introduced potty-training at 15 months! Her FSS shared, “Mom paid attention to the cues baby would give, and their communication would always flow back and forth.” During this time, Jennifer stuck to some other goals too. She graduated from high school and saved enough money to buy her first car.
With every goal met, Jennifer’s confidence in herself grew and she continued to build a healthy and stable life for her and her baby. Along the way she moved out on her own, sought help and began to co-parent with the father, landed a better job, and even began to let herself dream. Jennifer smiled at her FSS and shared that she wanted to own a hair salon. Referring back to all that she had already accomplished, the FSS encouraged her to make it a new goal.
When asked what was stopping her, Jennifer replied that “Things like that don’t happen to people like me.” Because of you, she had someone to walk with her to overcome her obstacle and push forward to make things better for her family.
And now Jennifer is just weeks away from graduating from cosmetology school. Isn’t it amazing what we can accomplish when someone walks the journey at our side? Feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and a bit lost are realities of life, but learning to overcome these challenges — that is empowering and life-changing.
Because of you, Jennifer had someone to walk with her every step of the way.
Thank you for making sure this young mom had the support she needed. Without you, she might not have been able to make a plan and achieve her goals. Right now there are people, who much like Jennifer, need someone to walk with them through a crisis. Because of you and your support, help and resources are ready and waiting for a mother in need.
Learn more about the Healthy Families program at HumanKind by visiting here.