From Surviving to Thriving: A Manual For Single Mothers Ready For The Gift of Change

From Surviving to Thriving: A Manual For Single Mothers Ready For The Gift of Change

In this book I want to talk with single mothers who are where I used to be with four children, one with special needs. I spent 6 months in a homeless shelter finding out I was pregnant with #4. I had a ex husband who took advantage of my lowly state, took me to court and I lost custody of my oldest two sons because I was poor and they labeled me unstable. . By then the shelter placed me in a nice 4 bedroom townhome in public housing project with central air. I had never had that before! My ex-husband had me served custody papers at my mother's funeral for my oldest two sons who spent their summers with him. He decided he was not bringing them back this particular time. When he found out I got evicted after a layoff he came off as offering to help keep our boys until I got resettled. He used that to take them permanently they never came back home to Ohio as my ex-husband had moved to TN. We had court dates he only showed up to the first one but I dragged my pregnant self to every one of them 50 minutes away and still lost. I had to pay child support even though I was in the projects with two other kids I was not getting help with. He remarried had great income. Way more than me on welfare. My sons and I have a great relationship they're still in TN. I am also now a successful community figure in philanthropy type work.. I work for a major hospital network. I have been a home owner for 6 years now. Driving my first brand new truck. It had 22 miles on it when I took it off the lot. My autistic son holds down a 4.0 GPA and goes to a school of Science and Medicine he is 15 now. My daughter before him is a sophomore in college doing very well.. And I have to mention she spent her 17th birthday in Italy and her 18th birthday in Spain. So life can change for the better. This takes work though. Both inner and outer work. Beliefs systems, you will challenge. I recall going to a food pantry and they forced us to sit through a short church sermon before we got our food bag. It was annoying and my son could not sit still that long when he was younger. He cried a lot in his stroller while we waited to get our food. And I had to walk to this place not far but in the heat OMG. I been on the busses in 10 degree snow trying to lug a stroller and this heavy baby in a snow suit after getting my daughter on school bus on my way to daycare then to work. I want to talk with mothers who like myself was just simply tired. Tired of living with barely nothing for yourselves and your children. Mothers who are tired of being stereo typed as low intelligence because you don't have a lot. Mothers who want to send their children outside to play safely without worrying about bullets flying in the middle of the day. On a warm beautiful day when kids should be outside. Mothers who want healthier lifestyles and healthier cooking options however live in food deserts where there is no access to large grocery store chains that sells better foods. Instead they just have corner convenient stores until they can get further up the road to grocery store which is not often. Mothers who are tired of disconnection notices, evictions and vehicle reposession when they work everyday. Most of all just simply not having any help any genuine support that wont be used against them later. Mothers who are tired of giving the government all their personal information. Mothers who want to be proud of the work they do everyday when they leave the house, Feel proud to pay their bills on time and in full. Mothers who know there is better and they want it and know there is enough success to go around in spite of what society puts in front of us to cause resistance to success if you are a Black American or identify as woman of any race. You are tired and ready for better. You're ready to sleep without your mind racing. I love you all! From one mother to another