Jann in TX Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 My middle dd is 15 weeks along... not the best timing, not the best circumstance-- but still a baby-- my first grandchild literally due on Christmas day. Insert LONG story with LOTS of drama. Short version: My dd is almost 27 yrs old (how did time fly-- seems like yesterday I was on these boards asking about Chemistry texts...). DD is pro-choice-- and she chose LIFE! (Baby-daddy and even the women dd works with all pushed her hard for an 'a'). Baby-daddy is now considering staying in the picture--not sure to what extent. DD says she is mentally prepared to do it alone-- but she CANNOT AFFORD to. She is just now getting started in her career and plans on making a change to teaching in a PS this fall (childcare and her student loan would come out to half of her take home pay)... she lives about an hour away-- no other outside support near by. She has almost zero experience caring for a newborn (well she was 9 when her little sister was born and she was a big help...but has not held/touched a baby since!)... If anyone has words of wisdom they can share please do-- here or by PM. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Congratulations, Jann! Babies come in all ways and are blessings no matter how they do. Your dd is lucky to have you. She will be fine and the baby will be fine. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Congratulations!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Congratulations! I've had friends that have been there but not myself. My situation was nothing like that but I remember it still being hard with the first who wouldn't sleep and was so cranky and fighting a bit of PPD. I'd offer as much help as you can manage (monetarily/services/in person)and see what she takes you up on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaBelle Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Grand babies are the best. Congratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Trust that she'll figure it out. We all had to at some point. Congratulations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 (edited) An extremely small number of first-time parents have *any* experience with newborns. It's tough... but we figure it out. I'm hopeful that she might qualify for some subsidies, fee reductions, loan deferment, etc as a single parent. As a Canadian, that would be normal for us, but I'm not sure what's normal where you are. For you, I suggest that you find a way to drastically increase your gas budget. Gloss over the idea that travelling to see them once or twice a week is actually quite difficult and not cheap. Get used to saying, "It's no trouble." and give her the impression that you have found a variety of reasons (other than being desperately in love with the baby) to be in her neck of the woods. Perhaps get yourself set up to stay overnight one day of the week so you can help for two days. (And, because I don't know you, but I do know *me* -- and *I* would have this problem... make sure you help from the passenger's seat? She doesn't need your leadership. Even though you already know a lot about babies: she is going to be 'trial and erroring' for *years* right in front of your nose. That's hard. Work at your commitment to biting your tongue and doing mostly the manual labour and concretely helpful things (like dishes) and providing emotional support with a strong backbone of 'I trust your developing competence. I don't need to instruct you.') Edited June 30, 2019 by bolt. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 She will be ok. If a 17 and 19yo can figure this out (me and dh), your dd can, too. You're going to see her grow in ways you cannot imagine. Congrats to you! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Many congratulations! Babies are to be celebrated, and I know your grandchild will be a blessing to all of you. From here on out, just show exuberant enthusiasm for your dd's choice--your love and support will help her figure out the logistics. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Took a moment to figure out the code. 🙂 Sorry about all the naysayers. And yay, she stood her ground and decided what she thought was right for her. Congratulations!!! Like a previous poster said, offer support, excitement and enthusiasm. Support can come in many forms other than financial. And yeah, we all figure out how to do the baby thing. So much easier today with online resources - or perhaps more overwhelming? I don't know. Either way, there is help available and some things come intuitively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 She will do just fine and figure it out. You can support her in ways that work for you. Not every grandparent can be free childcare or provide extra funds or be on call. That's totally ok and doesn't mean you love your daughter or grandchild less. It's totally fine to provide the level of support that works for you. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I know that in our state child support can be directly deducted from the non-custodial parent's pay. I'd get that set up asap if I was in your dd's place. Can she look for a job in an ISD closer to where you live or is she stuck for the next school year? IMHO, she's 26 and she'll be okay if she can get her financial ducks in a row. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Congratulations! If I've learned nothing else in life, I've learned that most of life is actually lived in the unplanned... no matter how much we thought we were setting things up to go perfectly (for ourselves and our children). It's a constant readjusting and doing the best we can in the midst of it all, and filling in the gaps with love. It's amazing how things generally sort themselves out. It might not be easy all the time, but it will still be beautiful. She's lucky she has you for a mom. On the practical side, there are a lot of federal and local programs that can help. She should look into WIC. My dh and I did that when I first became pregnant, and it was a huge help for us. They gave us coupons that we could exchange for a lot of groceries every month while I was pregnant or nursing. (Actually, I'm not even certain if that program exists anymore, but I'm pretty sure it did a few years ago, anyway.) We also had community programs where I could get additional food help. If you have a flexible schedule, you might offer the gift of staying there two nights/week or something to help, or even for the first few weeks. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Yay! Congratulations. Grandbabies are the best. Do your best to help any way you can and maybe direct her to services that might help. As a single mother she will probably qualify for WIC, maybe food stamps and AFDC. A social worker at one of those places might be able to refer her to other services. Of course, she will be eligible for child support. Have you guys consider the possibility of her moving closer so that maybe you could provide childcare if possible? I know it seems overwhelming right now but you guys will figure it out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 (edited) Congratulations, Grandma! And good job being positive and supportive. DD sounds very practical. But she should not go into this with the thought of "going it alone." At least financially. Baby-daddy, regardless of his opinions on this, is in fact a daddy, and responsible for child support whether or not he stays involved. I highly recommend she make this clear to him and start by listing his name on the birth certificate. Doing this now can save problems down the road. Babies and toddlers and teens cost money. Edited June 30, 2019 by linders 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Congratulations!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 7 hours ago, KidsHappen said: Yay! Congratulations. Grandbabies are the best. Do your best to help any way you can and maybe direct her to services that might help. As a single mother she will probably qualify for WIC, maybe food stamps and AFDC. A social worker at one of those places might be able to refer her to other services. Of course, she will be eligible for child support. Have you guys consider the possibility of her moving closer so that maybe you could provide childcare if possible? I know it seems overwhelming right now but you guys will figure it out. I was going to suggest that also. I babysit my grands. It is harder and i don't do it full time, but it does help my daughter out tremendously. How involved do you think the other grandparents will want to be? They may also be willing to help with childcare. Congratulations!!! So glad you're daughter has chosen life. My daughter is pregnant with #4 (also very bad timing) on Dec. 29th. Hugs. I know what it's like to be excited and worried at the same time. I wish I could say I was the elated mom when my dd told us she was preggy again.... sigh. It's hard when we're caught off guard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) Congratulations! And what a courageous young lady she is! Hoping she will find lots of good support as she walks this path. Love the above suggestions about looking at WIC and single parent helps. I know that the crisis pregnancy centers / pregnancy resource centers in our city provide tangible physical supports in the form of donated cribs, baby clothes, and other baby equipment FREE to moms up through baby's first birthday. They also often parenting classes and informational helps and resources. PS -- And, our DS#2 was born on New Year's Day, so that made the holidays that year very interesting, as he *could* have been born 1 week earlier on Christmas Day. (:D A joyous and precious gift, whenever these little ones arrive! Edited July 1, 2019 by Lori D. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 She chose life! What an incredible daughter you have🌺 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Congrats, Jann! ❤️ My parents were 17 and 18 and dirt poor when they had my brother--and he turned out not only fine but awesome! I'm super happy for what seemed like a bad situation at the time. I likely wouldn't be here at all if it hadn't been for that circumstance. 🙂 It'll work out. Glad she has you in her corner. Definitely she should apply for WIC and SNAP. A local pregnancy center can help with that and other material assistance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 4 hours ago, PrincessMommy said: I was going to suggest that also (moving closer). I babysit my grands. It is harder and i don't do it full time, but it does help my daughter out tremendously. How involved do you think the other grandparents will want to be? They may also be willing to help with childcare. DD may need to move depending on if she gets a teaching job this fall... but most likely it will not be any closer to me (I'm in the boonies!). I also work full time teaching Monday -Thursday so I can't help too much with child care. Other grandparents are in poor health and live 5 hours away. DD may come stay with us right after baby comes during her maternity leave... Adoption is out of the question-- DD is madly in love with this little one already. I know things will work out-- there are just going to be LOTS of adjustments. If she takes a full time teaching job she will not qualify for any services such as WIC... there are no provisions in her student loan for deferring payments....she will need the baby's father to help some financially ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Wow, that's a harder situation than I thought. If she doesn't have a job lined up for this fall, I doubt she'll be hired. She'd only be able to work until Winter Break and then she'd be out for 3 months and they'd have to hire a long term sub. Can she keep her current job? Does it pay enough to cover living expenses and child care? If not, can she find any work at all near you and move home? What would happen if she defaults on her student loans? She'll need to run the numbers for various scenarios to see if any of them are financially feasible. I think you'll also have to think about how much you can help her and in what way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) congratulations she will be fine. My mother was widowed at 20 with three children. Edited July 1, 2019 by Melissa in Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 6 hours ago, Jann in TX said: DD may need to move depending on if she gets a teaching job this fall... but most likely it will not be any closer to me (I'm in the boonies!). I also work full time teaching Monday -Thursday so I can't help too much with child care. Other grandparents are in poor health and live 5 hours away. DD may come stay with us right after baby comes during her maternity leave... Adoption is out of the question-- DD is madly in love with this little one already. I know things will work out-- there are just going to be LOTS of adjustments. If she takes a full time teaching job she will not qualify for any services such as WIC... there are no provisions in her student loan for deferring payments....she will need the baby's father to help some financially ... Are you sure about WIC? The income levels are relatively high. We qualified when dh was working construction full time at one point while looking for a job in his field. My college roomate qualified when her dh was working as a civil engineer. We had savings, so I didn't apply, but really wish in retrospect that I had. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Congratulations, Jann, to you and your daughter. Every baby is a precious gift. So glad that your daughter and your grandbaby will have love and support from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 She may need to get in touch with the crisis pregnancy center in her area. They know how to access the services that she’ll need and she should feel no shame in getting them. It is ok for her to ask for and accept help including WIC, food stamps, subsidized child care, etc. also many churches have programs including child care on a sliding scale. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) She probably qualifies for wic, now though. edit: looks like pregnant women aren’t eligible like I thought. edit 2: on further research pregnant women—at least in my state—are eligible. Edited July 1, 2019 by freesia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 It's quite possible she'd qualify for assistance, even with a full-time teaching job. Many new teachers don't break $30k for a few years. She should just go ahead and meet with a social worker; she can get started with WIC now. (And she might qualify for Medicaid during her pregnancy.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) If she is a church goer or one who went in the past, she can go back to it if she is inclined. They should welcome her and help her spiritually and emotionally even if they can’t do much for her physical needs. yes, there may be some judgy people but by and large my congregation has been very loving to people who walk an atypical path. ( I know there are many single parents around, but some congregations judge that negatively, while others accept people where they are and view babies as blessings no matter when/where/how the baby is concieved.) She may want to ask co workers or friends for recommendations because sadly, some churches are the type to kick a person while they’re Down. Edited July 1, 2019 by fairfarmhand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 13 hours ago, chiguirre said: Wow, that's a harder situation than I thought. If she doesn't have a job lined up for this fall, I doubt she'll be hired. She'd only be able to work until Winter Break and then she'd be out for 3 months and they'd have to hire a long term sub. Can she keep her current job? Does it pay enough to cover living expenses and child care? If not, can she find any work at all near you and move home? What would happen if she defaults on her student loans? She'll need to run the numbers for various scenarios to see if any of them are financially feasible. I think you'll also have to think about how much you can help her and in what way. She is currently working towards 'alternate certification' and is almost at (within days) to the point of being able to accept a teaching job while completing the course requirements. She has an English degree and a Master's in cognitive and applied linguistics (ESL and dyslexic specialties). With 2 years classroom experience she can move on to becoming a certified dyslexic/reading specialist in a PS or (what she really wants) she can move into teaching at the University level where she would like to work on curriculum. Maternity leave is 6 weeks here-- not 3 months. If baby comes on time she will need only 4 weeks off- due to holiday break- not hard for districts to find a long term (retired English teacher) sub. (she was in the sub pool a few years ago...). When she interviews the district is NOT allowed to ask if she is pregnant-- this is the LAW. She is not showing very much. If she defaults on her student loans then DH and I will have to pay as DH co-signed for her. We are already supporting her in part-- we CANNOT afford to take on any more of her debt. Rent in our part of central Texas is skyrocketing... There is no way her current job can support her and baby. She was needing to leave it anyways (not a good fit and NOT full time) because DH and I need to withdraw our financial support as soon as possible. There is one school district that is hiring that is driving distance from our house. It would not be ideal (LONG story short dd and I are better if we do not live in the same house) but it could work out for the first year... I'm not sure my marriage could survive it though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 2 hours ago, alisoncooks said: It's quite possible she'd qualify for assistance, even with a full-time teaching job. Many new teachers don't break $30k for a few years. She should just go ahead and meet with a social worker; she can get started with WIC now. (And she might qualify for Medicaid during her pregnancy.) Starting pay for her level would be in the $42,000 range-- so no WIC. The local districts have teachers reporting the first week in August-- so she will need to wait to see if she gets hired before applying for WIC or other services. She now has multiple districts contacting her for interviews (her masters/ experience teaching at a dyslexic center are in demand)... those districts are a bit further from me... Infant daycare is $1000-1500 per month (majority are at $1500) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippiemamato3 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 41 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said: If she is a church goer or one who went in the past, she can go back to it if she is inclined. They should welcome her and help her spiritually and emotionally even if they can’t do much for her physical needs. yes, there may be some judgy people but by and large my congregation has been very loving to young people who have made mistakes. She may want to ask co workers or friends for recommendations because sadly, some churches are the type to kick a person while they’re Down. This woman is in her late 20s, highly educated and has nothing to be ashamed of. She is going to do just fine! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 I'm a little shocked that the scenario of a 27yo woman expecting a baby is being interpreted as if she's 16 with a irresponsible teen Baby Daddy, unable to find work and support or learn how to be a mother, accepted into a church as a young person who has made a mistake, needing to move home for her mom to help...this does not make any sense to me. I mean, I know she's not married or where she wants to be with her career, but 27 is no spring chicken. Not quite middle aged or old, but three years from 30 is definitely an adult. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 47 minutes ago, Jann in TX said: She is currently working towards 'alternate certification' and is almost at (within days) to the point of being able to accept a teaching job while completing the course requirements. She has an English degree and a Master's in cognitive and applied linguistics (ESL and dyslexic specialties). With 2 years classroom experience she can move on to becoming a certified dyslexic/reading specialist in a PS or (what she really wants) she can move into teaching at the University level where she would like to work on curriculum. Maternity leave is 6 weeks here-- not 3 months. If baby comes on time she will need only 4 weeks off- due to holiday break- not hard for districts to find a long term (retired English teacher) sub. (she was in the sub pool a few years ago...). When she interviews the district is NOT allowed to ask if she is pregnant-- this is the LAW. She is not showing very much. If she defaults on her student loans then DH and I will have to pay as DH co-signed for her. We are already supporting her in part-- we CANNOT afford to take on any more of her debt. Rent in our part of central Texas is skyrocketing... There is no way her current job can support her and baby. She was needing to leave it anyways (not a good fit and NOT full time) because DH and I need to withdraw our financial support as soon as possible. There is one school district that is hiring that is driving distance from our house. It would not be ideal (LONG story short dd and I are better if we do not live in the same house) but it could work out for the first year... I'm not sure my marriage could survive it though! If she gets paid for 6 weeks, that's great. Unpaid family leave is up to 14 weeks if she needs to take more to meet the minimum age requirements for daycare. Someone mentioned VIPKids and given her ESL background, that might be an excellent way for her to make more money this fall. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 47 minutes ago, hippiemamato3 said: This woman is in her late 20s, highly educated and has nothing to be ashamed of. She is going to do just fine! Sorry. Poor phrasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 I am sorry about the cosigned loans. I hope she is able to keep up payments. I tell everyone NOT to cosign loans for college, especially if you are really unable to cover it if push comes to shove. It's a great way to ruin a relationship with an adult child. Parents - please take note. I know more than one parent-adult child relationship hurt by the fall out of cosigned college related loans and inability or lack of willingness to pay. Stick to federal student loan limits. If a parent wants to take out a loan and be responsible for payment and can afford to do so, that's another matter. Really this is a 27 year old with a good education and prospects. So much different than a 16 year old getting pregnant. If being hands on support or letting her move in doesn't work for you, that's totally ok. You can love on her and be supportive in whatever way works for you right now. There are programs and resources out there for her. Maybe she will consider a change of career path over time. Many people in education move on to greener pastures at some point. She has a master's degree and has options. Don't feel like you need to solve problems for her. She can figure it out and will ask for help if she needs it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Congratulations! She will figure it out. I think no baby experience is the norm more often than not these days. I was surprised at my dh's utter lack of baby/child knowledge, lol, but our two kids will be the same way. 4 hours ago, Jann in TX said: There is one school district that is hiring that is driving distance from our house. It would not be ideal (LONG story short dd and I are better if we do not live in the same house) but it could work out for the first year... I'm not sure my marriage could survive it though! Don't feel pressured to upend your life or take on too much. Of course you want to help her, but this is her baby to raise (and you are still raising your own!). Avoid having her move in if at all possible. Start as you mean to go on. Childcare and student loans are half of the take home pay for quite a lot of people, and the father should be contributing child support as well. If she's in a one bedroom or even a studio for her and baby, that's not the end of the world. Roommates, providing some chores and care for an older person in exchange for lower rent, she can consider all kinds of lesser-used possibilities. I have a fabulous mom who made it clear to us that she had raised children once and had no intention of doing it again, lol. Some grandparents provide lots of babysitting and even childcare and it's the right decision for them, but it's also A-OK to walk a different path. If it's not too late, she should keep the news off of social media for job hunting purposes. If she can get a foot in the door with a school district, she should absolutely do that even if she would get more benefits by waiting (my opinion, of course). On 6/30/2019 at 9:29 AM, bolt. said: I'm hopeful that she might qualify for some subsidies, fee reductions, loan deferment, etc as a single parent. As a Canadian, that would be normal for us, but I'm not sure what's normal where you are. In the states, you have to be in rather dire straits before getting any help from the government. Even WIC, which is specifically for women, infants, and children, has very low income requirements. Higher than other programs, yes, but still quite low - about 185 percent of federal poverty levels, which equates to making no more than $15 per hour at a full-time job for a family of two (mom and baby) or about $31,000 a year. https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdhhs/Income_Calculation_Reference_sheet_625406_7.pdf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 7 hours ago, Lang Syne Boardie said: I'm a little shocked that the scenario of a 27yo woman expecting a baby is being interpreted as if she's 16 with a irresponsible teen Baby Daddy, unable to find work and support or learn how to be a mother, accepted into a church as a young person who has made a mistake, needing to move home for her mom to help...this does not make any sense to me. I mean, I know she's not married or where she wants to be with her career, but 27 is no spring chicken. Not quite middle aged or old, but three years from 30 is definitely an adult. Yes, she is highly educated-- but that does not mean she is a mature and independent adult. There are also other (health related) issues at play here that I did not elaborate on. 7 hours ago, chiguirre said: If she gets paid for 6 weeks, that's great. Unpaid family leave is up to 14 weeks if she needs to take more to meet the minimum age requirements for daycare. Someone mentioned VIPKids and given her ESL background, that might be an excellent way for her to make more money this fall. She would most likely have ONE week paid leave if she can make it to baby without any sick days. She can take additional time off but not with pay. VIPKids is not for her. She has looked into it. DD currently has some private ESL students-- but that does not equate to much extra money compared to the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 If she lived closer, could she work part time during the summesr, while you watch the baby (assuming you don't teach over the summer) to bank some extra money towards childcare in the fall? she'd need full time care during the school year for the baby, but then maybe some free baby-sitting from grandma part time over the summer would help the budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 (edited) I have a second cousin who got pregnant at 19 or 20 after mucking about following Phish and other hippie bands for a few years after high school. Did not marry. Had the baby. Got a job in Cracker Barrel. Relied heavily on her mother and grandmother for babysitting, but also made use of her trusted friends for babysitting, especially trading babysitting. She decided Cracker Barrel wasn't going to cut it to make a life for her and her daughter. Went back and got her B.S. Applied and got into medical school. And just graduated and is starting her residency. During medical school she did find a partner, but help from friends was a vital part of her success. There will be lots of women at your daughter's PS who have babies and can be mentors and maybe babysitters. Nothing is impossible when you are a determined mom. Edited July 2, 2019 by Kalmia 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.