PERFECTION NOT REQUIRED - 3 CLIENT SNAPSHOTS

“This is absolutely the wrong time.”

Carrie was on the verge of a breakup with her boyfriend. Their communication had deteriorated to a new low. She had just returned – once again – to college to work on her degree, after many ‘starts’ and ‘stops’. She came to her appointment at the center feeling generally down about herself.

“This is absolutely the wrong time for this to happen,” she said. As she began to unpack all the things that made her feel unready, all the things that scared her, the same word emerged repeatedly – Confidence. She didn’t feel confident about much of anything.

Maya had strong reservations about her pregnancy. Her baby was also conceived in a difficult relationship. She was still financially dependent on her parents. She was way too young at 19. Her family would be ‘so upset’ with her. They might even kick her out. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to be a mom,” she lamented. Still, she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of having an abortion. “I know I’ll regret it,” she said.

Sophie came to us in a state of emotional exhaustion, having fled abuse with baby in tow. She walked through our doors in need of formula for her baby, food for herself, clothing for both of them, and a safe place to begin planning how she would move forward.

Each of these women ultimately chose hope over fear. . . Each of them was feeling depleted, ill-prepared and ill-equipped. What they all have in common is that, like so many of our clients, they eventually embrace the caring support we have to offer them, made available through the generosity of our donors.

Today, Carrie is in the second trimester of her pregnancy. She and her baby’s father are forging a plan together, and their communication has improved because of their desire to provide a positive environment for their baby. Carrie is participating in pregnancy and parenting education, life coaching and maternal support groups. She is learning that confidence is actually something that can be gained, a skill that can be strengthened.

Maya is the mother of a vivacious daughter: “She keeps me running!” Maya works full time in child development and is making plans to marry a young man who ‘treats me like I deserve’.

Sophie has relocated to avoid further abuse. She has achieved financial independence working full-time in human services. A voracious reader, she is continually seeking to improve her parenting skills as she raises her two-year-old daughter.

Each of these women began their journeys thinking they were incapable of moving through the challenges of motherhood. Each has ultimately seized the opportunities for personal growth that come with the job. Was it the wrong time to become a mom? Or, are we witnessing the greatness that motherhood embraced reveals?