Young mother finds answers

Struggling to make ends meet, unexpectedly pregnant, and alone, Stephanie found herself searching for help. At 20 years old, Stephanie was unsure how to raise a child since she had been part of the “system” herself from a young age. She was now unemployed and wondering how she would be able to financially, emotionally, and physically take care of her child.

While searching for the answers to these questions, Stephanie found a parenting class at Catholic Charities of Idaho called Love and Logic. This course taught Stephanie how to provide a healthy environment for her child. While it would still be months before Stephanie’s baby was born, she now had a support group, a reference point for quality parenting, and a place she knew she could go for additional support.

The parenting classes teach coping skills as well as natural consequences, so mistakes can be learned from a young age, rather than repeating mistakes later in life when the cost is much higher.

Loss of work, lack of money, and poor housing situations have been directly linked to an increase in child abuse. With the hard economic times upon us, we have seen a dramatic increase in need for our family strengthening services. Creating support groups, modeling appropriate parenting techniques, and creating a safe place in our Family Strengthening Center are part of our approach to ending child abuse.
 

Back to Top