Search Results for: they will not win

As a parent who has had children in foster care, the word “testifying”usually brings to my mind fearful situations where one’s future is in the hands of some powerful person, usually a judge. But when I was asked to testify in front of the United States Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families about my experiences getting help through Parents Anonymous, I was quick to respond with a resounding “Yes!” I wanted to tell … Read More

July 4, 2004 was one of the best days of my life. I was sitting in a cell in a prison in upstate New York, thinking about all the things I’d beenthrough in the past five years. It was a hot summer day and all of my friends were going on visits. I was thinking, “Man, I need a visit.” Truthfully, I was stressed out.

Around 9:15 the officer announced, “Inmate Fair, … Read More

When I was growing up, I learned about different styles of parenting by comparing other parents to mine. When I became a babysitter as a teen, I saw that in some homes, things ran on schedule, with clear bedtimes and meal times. I liked that. Later, as an adult, I liked that my day at my job was organized, so with my children I began scheduling a daily routine.

I also found … Read More

Translated from Spanish

Ever since my son was little, I hoped to be able to travel to Mexico with my new family. I wanted Jason to know his grandparents and the place where I was born and lived until I was 12 years old.

It was necessary for me to come to the United States to work and help support my mother and younger brothers. In Mexico, the salaries are very … Read More

I rolled the meth pipe between my fingers and watched the smoke as it moved toward my lips. I looked around the bathroom I had secretlybeen getting high in despite my enormous eight-and-a-half month pregnant belly. My boyfriend, Mike, had torn all my things off the walls the last time he had beat me in there, and I’d decided to redecorate.

As I climbed on the counter to put up an aquatic … Read More