It was August 2nd, 2010, 10:30 p.m. It was 103 degrees and my two children were dirty and sweaty from playing outside. I was running thewater for their bath when the doorbell rang: “Bling-blang, bling-blang.” My 10-year-old son ran to the door and then quickly ran back to the bathroom. “Mommy! Mommy! ACS is at the door.”
“That isn’t even funny to joke about,” I said.
“No mom, really they are … Read More
One day last fall I went to an anger management class. It was in a neighborhood where I used to get high. It didn’t even go through my mind that this could be a trigger for me. I believed I was strong but I was not.
At the time, I was consumed by feeling powerless and alone. My son, Brandan, had been in foster care for about a year. ACS took him when I was jailed … Read More
art by Amir Soliman
My son was taken from me straight from the hospital because he was born positive tox. At first, I saw him weekly with my older daughter, who was 7. I would whisper in his ear, “Mommy loves you, and you’re coming home soon.” He was so little I had to give him something that would help him connect to me.
But I felt very disconnected. So three times I asked for … Read More
I had always thought I was a good mother even though I used drugs. I gave my daughter, Barbie, food, clothes and a home. I gave her love, too, by holding her and kissing her and playing with her. I would look in amazement at how beautiful she was growing.
But even though all this was true, part of me was kidding myself. When I used drugs, the chemicals altered my mood. I wouldn’t … Read More
One night I met a man who treated me so nice. He was light skinned, with beautiful brown eyes, and he always called me beautiful. All my life I’d felt ugly because I have dark skin and got teased for it. Then I got hit by a car. The accident left me with a serious limp. When my hip hurt, he liked to pick me up and carry me. I felt like a queen.
But after … Read More
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