Mom is Learning to Stand on Her Own

"The four of us and our packed car arrived at PCHAS a year ago on October 12. I will never forget the feeling I had of leaving their dad, of making a path to a better future for our three young children."

Rebecca had her first child at age 18 and never finished high school. “The years went by, filled with moving from town to town, finding a job that paid okay until I could find another one,” she says. “I was always struggling with relationships, until I met my soulmate. We married seven years ago.”

At that time Rebecca worked in a nursing home. She loved taking care of the elderly. She continued working as three children were born in six years. Between her low income and growing family, she turned 40 feeling that she “couldn’t do good enough” as a mother.

The pressures of a growing family began to wear on her husband, too. He had distanced himself from his traumatic upbringing, but never fully recovered. Small frustrations became burdens. They triggered behaviors that were not safe. Rebecca says:

"I knew I had to leave with our babies, but I couldn’t find childcare while trying to find a job at the same time. I was honestly terrified at 42 to step out and become a single mom. I did it, though, with the help of PCHAS. Going inside our new home for the first time and knowing we’d be there for the next year made me feel like the heaviest weight was just lifted from my shoulders."

Rebecca found hope in PCHAS’ Single Parent Family Program. Like all our programs, it focuses on the client’s own goals. The staff, including Jessica Howard (pictured), are helping Rebecca study to earn her GED. They teach her about planning ahead for meals, saving time and budgeting money. “I’ve even learned about car maintenance,” she adds, “which is important when you’re a single parent and really depend on that car.”

Financially, she focuses on working and saving as much as possible to build a nest egg for her little ones. Emotionally, she is emotionally stable and optimistic again. “I get moral support from other moms in the same situation. I finally have experienced just a small part of what I am capable of. PCHAS is teaching me that I can stand on my own.”

This residential program operates in Houston, San Antonio and Waxahachie, Texas, as well as Farmington, Missouri. To apply for the Single Parent Family Program, call us at 800-888-1904 or write to info@pchas.org.