Sheila* is a strong, loving mom and a fierce advocate for her young sons. She has persevered through trauma while continuing to grow as a person and a parent. When her oldest son started at Kidspace as a very young infant, they were living in House of Ruth’s supportive housing for mothers and children who are survivors of domestic violence. At first Sheila was reluctant to put her 4 month-old son in daycare. She held a very strong bond and attachment with her baby, and she had difficulty trusting Kidspace staff. The distrust came from witnessing negative situations when she was working at a daycare in the past.
There have been moments where Kidspace staff has had the opportunity to connect with Sheila and honor her parenting in ways she had not experienced before. Other people in her life told Sheila she was holding her baby too much and that she was spoiling him. Our staff was able to affirm that she was absolutely doing the best thing possible for her baby.
Today Sheila’s first child is three years old, and she has another infant son. Over the past three years, we have seen Sheila’s children thrive as she has developed strong relationships with Kidspace teachers and staff. Sheila has regularly taken advantage of parent and child development trainings offered by our partner agencies. She has always been an excellent advocate for her children — ready to speak her mind and provide feedback to teachers. With staff support, Sheila has grown in her ability to appreciate different points-of-views and in her desire to work together with her children’s teachers to meet their needs.
Sheila has taken her advocacy skills to the next level — serving as the president of Kidspace’s parent committee and being a voice for other parents at local childcare policy council meetings. Sheila has volunteered her time in the midst of working and raising her children. The onset of the pandemic affected her 9 to 5 pm employment, and she recently made the choice to purchase an ice cream truck! The decision has proven to be wise, as she has been working socially distanced parties and finding success during these unusual times.
We are honored to support Sheila on her parenting journey, and to support the growth and development of her wonderful boys.
*Name has been changed.