I have been making some new friends recently. They are good friends, easy to get along with and love to dance and laugh. They range from 9 to 14 months in age. They are the sunshine in my day and bring joy to my heart! The people that are really remarkable though, are the mothers of my new Little Friends.
For the past few months, I have been volunteering at the Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Centre and I have come in contact with many amazing women. These women are truly the warriors of our society. There are some remarkable stories, some heart-breaking stories, and other stories that reassure me miracles are real and are happening today. We have women of all ages coming through the Centre, ages 13 to 40. Its hard not to love these girls when they are crying in our arms, scared about what to do next. No matter how rough-around-the-edges they can be. They come in looking for help, looking for comfort, looking for reassurance. Like I said, it's difficult not to love these girls. They are the broken, the poor, and the widows (kind of) of our society that the Bible has given us charge over. So when they come in looking for hope, it's Jesus they find, although most don't realize it. When I go in every week, my prayer is that I could be a light to at least one of the women who so desperately need it to navigate through the darkness.
Being a mom is a tough job. I have been realizing this more and more as I have watched my friends with their kids, and the moms of my Little Friends. And I look at what my own mom did with us four kids. I truly have a deep respect for mothers of every kind. What I cannot even imagine though, is raising a child ... no wait, let me back up: What I cannot even imagine though, is deciding to carry a baby to term and keeping it knowing full well that you have little to no support system. Boyfriend? Nadda, he ran. Either that or he was rootin' for the shmashorshion, which you obviously could not do. After all that, you still have this kid to raise. You do your best to teach this screaming, snot-nosed little rascal how to share his crayons, play nice with other kids, and always say please and thank-you. I guess what I'm saying, is that although the Sexual Revolution did give us girls the right to wear pants and go to work and all that jazz, it has also created a butt-load more issues to navigate through. Single parenting being only the start.
Here's a brief summary of what I've learned of mothering:
1) When Junior's fussing, sometimes a simple cuddle and soft whisper will put 'em right back to sleep.
2) Kids will mimic pretty much everything!
3) Your 5-month-old doesn't understand when you ask him nicely not to spit up on his new sleeper, and will only get upset when you start yelling for no apparent reason.
4) Kids learn by experiencing. Sometimes the messes they make (that drive you bonkers!) are just them learning about stuff ... like gravity, or that the red juice on the white couch makes a pretty pink colour.
5) Leashes are not actually a bad thing.
6) Pretending to be a sneaky fox is a great version of the "Quiet Game"!
7) When everyone else smells urine and feces coming from your kid's butt, all you can smell are roses (apparently mother's get used to the smell of their own kids? Gross.)
8) Don't bother doing crafts with a 9 month old. Period.
9) Your life is not your own. You now eat, sleep, and breath for someone else. Get used to it.
10) Dance!
In addition to all that I've become fairly well-versed on the child-welfare system in BC, as well as the qualifications for low-income housing. I used to hold some rather judgmental views on the people who would take advantage of "The System" but I see things in a bit of a different light now.
I could've been me.
I could've been you. Or someone you know.
These young, single moms are teaching me so much. I bet they don't even know. I feel like my time at the Centre is so insignificant, I don't know of what use I could actually be. Some days all I do is dance with a 9 month old while her mom talks with another volunteer. But I know what I'm doing has some significance, I just don't know what.
This experience has redefined Girl Power for me.
-chelsea.
For the past few months, I have been volunteering at the Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Centre and I have come in contact with many amazing women. These women are truly the warriors of our society. There are some remarkable stories, some heart-breaking stories, and other stories that reassure me miracles are real and are happening today. We have women of all ages coming through the Centre, ages 13 to 40. Its hard not to love these girls when they are crying in our arms, scared about what to do next. No matter how rough-around-the-edges they can be. They come in looking for help, looking for comfort, looking for reassurance. Like I said, it's difficult not to love these girls. They are the broken, the poor, and the widows (kind of) of our society that the Bible has given us charge over. So when they come in looking for hope, it's Jesus they find, although most don't realize it. When I go in every week, my prayer is that I could be a light to at least one of the women who so desperately need it to navigate through the darkness.
Being a mom is a tough job. I have been realizing this more and more as I have watched my friends with their kids, and the moms of my Little Friends. And I look at what my own mom did with us four kids. I truly have a deep respect for mothers of every kind. What I cannot even imagine though, is raising a child ... no wait, let me back up: What I cannot even imagine though, is deciding to carry a baby to term and keeping it knowing full well that you have little to no support system. Boyfriend? Nadda, he ran. Either that or he was rootin' for the shmashorshion, which you obviously could not do. After all that, you still have this kid to raise. You do your best to teach this screaming, snot-nosed little rascal how to share his crayons, play nice with other kids, and always say please and thank-you. I guess what I'm saying, is that although the Sexual Revolution did give us girls the right to wear pants and go to work and all that jazz, it has also created a butt-load more issues to navigate through. Single parenting being only the start.
Here's a brief summary of what I've learned of mothering:
1) When Junior's fussing, sometimes a simple cuddle and soft whisper will put 'em right back to sleep.
2) Kids will mimic pretty much everything!
3) Your 5-month-old doesn't understand when you ask him nicely not to spit up on his new sleeper, and will only get upset when you start yelling for no apparent reason.
4) Kids learn by experiencing. Sometimes the messes they make (that drive you bonkers!) are just them learning about stuff ... like gravity, or that the red juice on the white couch makes a pretty pink colour.
5) Leashes are not actually a bad thing.
6) Pretending to be a sneaky fox is a great version of the "Quiet Game"!
7) When everyone else smells urine and feces coming from your kid's butt, all you can smell are roses (apparently mother's get used to the smell of their own kids? Gross.)
8) Don't bother doing crafts with a 9 month old. Period.
9) Your life is not your own. You now eat, sleep, and breath for someone else. Get used to it.
10) Dance!
In addition to all that I've become fairly well-versed on the child-welfare system in BC, as well as the qualifications for low-income housing. I used to hold some rather judgmental views on the people who would take advantage of "The System" but I see things in a bit of a different light now.
I could've been me.
I could've been you. Or someone you know.
These young, single moms are teaching me so much. I bet they don't even know. I feel like my time at the Centre is so insignificant, I don't know of what use I could actually be. Some days all I do is dance with a 9 month old while her mom talks with another volunteer. But I know what I'm doing has some significance, I just don't know what.
This experience has redefined Girl Power for me.
-chelsea.
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