One Mother's story...
I have always been a goal oriented person. I have always set the standards high for myself. Even in my lowest lows, I have always been goal driven. For the last two years my goal has been to make a better life for myself and my son…….
Growing up was difficult, most of my goals revolved around survival mode. I was born into a poor family. It was not the nice family that you think of… My mother was an alcoholic. She was really not much of a mother at all. I took care of my baby brother from the time that he was born. My mother left me to be the parent.
I started using drugs and alcohol at the age of 11. I thought it was normal…. My use started as a social thing, but soon got out of control, and I got heavy into it. I never thought I had a problem and never even heard the term “addiction”. I dropped out of school, and did not really care about anything. My goal became to get more drugs and alcohol.
I became pregnant when I was 19 years old. My focus in life changed. I quit doing drugs for 10 months until I had my baby boy. My son is the light of my life. He is a great kid, and since he was born, I have always wanted to make a better life for him.
My son and I moved a total of 11 times in two years before we were accepted into the Lydia Place Program. We both needed the structure that the program provided. The program and the staff helped keep me accountable and offered support when I needed it, whether I was sharing good news or bad, day or night, there was always someone there to listen.
In the Lydia Place Program I created many goals for myself and my son. One of my goals was to improve my parenting skills. I got frustrated easily and would talk to my son in a loud tone. With the help of Lydia Place staff I was given the tools to change my tone when I got frustrated. I am now able to speak with him in a calm tone, give him choices and re-direct his actions. I am now a better parent.
When I got my housing voucher and my time at Lydia Place was coming to an end, I was denied from different housing options 22 times in 10 days. I was feeling low but I knew I had to stay positive. Staff encouraged me and had faith in me, knowing I would eventually find someone that would provide me with my own place. Lydia Place gave me an extension until I was able to secure permanent housing…..
My journey has been long… It has been a bumpy road to get to the independence that I now have. I have learned from my mistakes and live every day to the fullest.
Today I have achieved my goals. I am now living in a permanent home. I can assure my son that we will not be leaving anytime soon, which is amazing. I have been clean and sober for two years, and I take my recovery very seriously. I am going to Bellingham Technical College and participating in the IBEST program for automotive Technology. I have graduated from the Drug Court Program and I am well on my way to a better life.
Lydia Place through a child's eyes...
My name is Tiffanie and I was 9 years old when I came to
Lydia Place with my mother and my 1 yr old brother. We moved there in August of 2007. Life for me before Lydia Place was really
sucky I was often a mom to my brother and other kids rather than feeling like a
kid myself.
It was hard for me at first coming to Lydia Place because
I couldn’t take care of my brother like I was used to in the kids group and I
had to go to bed early at night. We also
couldn’t eat in our bedrooms (although everybody broke that rule!). The rooms were really small and I wished it
was more like a mansion.
Living at Lydia Place was sometimes good and sometimes
bad. Some of my bad memories were when
one kid got angry at another and threw a chair at him in group, that scared me,
also sometimes the groups weren’t as fun for me because I was the only older
girl in group and wished there were more kids my age there. Having to deal with the little kids was
annoying at times. I had fun in the kid’s group where the workers
and staff played like kids. I also
remember and liked the family night groups and one of my favorite nights was
doing ginger bread houses around Christmas time with my mom and brother.
My family now lives in an apartment and still works with
Lydia Place through the Supportive Service program. It’s not the best place because sometimes I
don’t always feel safe. The things that
do make me feel safe now are being with my friends and family and the people
who love me. It also doesn’t have any
place where the kids can play or a playground.
I have made a few friends here and still have some of my friends I met
at Lydia Place that live here too. I
don’t really get to do the follow up groups at Lydia Place because I’m usually
at my dad’s but did get to go to the family bowling nights which were fun. I’m more grown up now and am part of my
schools news paper. I act kind of dorky
and will do almost anything and everything for my friends. I’m hyper and like to email and text a lot to
my friends too. Someday I hope to be an
author, a vet or a teacher. I like to
write, like animals and think teachers look cool and get to hang out in the
teacher’s lounge. My mom thinks I’d make
a good auctioneer because I can talk really fast.
I’m glad I lived at Lydia Place because if we didn’t live
there my mom would have come out of treatment and gone straight back to doing
the same things over and over again. Probably because she wouldn’t have had a
safe place to go. Lydia Place is a place
that helps woman and children get their lives back on track and gives them a
new start, like my family.
Lastly I just want to say thanks to my mom and I’m proud
of her for doing the program. Also
thanks to the staff- you do a good job especially putting up with the little
kids and moms (mainly the moms). Thanks to all of you for supporting this
program.