"She had four babies by the time she was 20 and raised us mostly on her own, on a waitress's tips. We often relied on food stamps, public housing, and Medicaid to get by. The kind of safety nets people love to debate until they are the ones who need them. Still, somehow, she never let us feel small or ashamed. My mom had a remarkable ability to create abundance out of scarcity."
"Motherhood did not magically make me calmer or more patient. It made everything sharper. Louder. More urgent. When you're a parent, you realize very quickly that patience does not pay the electric bill. Gratitude does not fix a broken healthcare system. And being "resilient" is often just a nicer word for being forced to tolerate things that should not be this hard."
Her mother raised four children by age 20 on a waitress's tips and relied on food stamps, public housing, and Medicaid while keeping the family proud. The family practiced a daily "good deed of the day," giving money, helping neighbors, and opening their home to children in need. Those lessons taught fighting through compassion and stepping up when systems fail. As a parent now, the speaker manages school logistics, finances, and advocates for neurodivergent children in a district with a $20 million deficit. Motherhood sharpened urgency and showed that gratitude and resilience cannot replace needed structural supports.
Read at Scary Mommy
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