Warrior Mom; Amanda

Amanda's Story

 

Amanda faced many obstacles during her early years. Her childhood was anything but a fairytale and included pretty much everything that you can think of in which a childhood is ruined. Because of this, she dropped out of school before graduating high school. Despite not completing high school, she was doing very well in early adulthood. Though her job as a waitress was not ideal, it paid the bills well. She drove a nice car, always lived in nice places, and took care of herself. She had appeared to overcome the demons that no child should be given. Amanda was defying statistics by surviving what would destroy most.

A few years later things changed. She succumbed to drug use. Almost immediately her life was crumbling due to a meth habit. She lost her car, quit job after job, cut off most ties with friends, and no longer had a place of her own. Amanda lied to everyone, but friends and family knew the truth. She had quickly become the statistic that she had once defied; just another life ruined due to a tragic childhood….just another life taken hostage by meth.

Then suddenly a miracle happened. She conceived a baby. Amanda instantly quit all drugs…just like that. She didn’t go to treatment, no one intervened, and no one helped. Her son was the only cure that she needed for her addiction. Her son was more important than drugs. People who have once battled drugs or known someone who had know how amazing this is. Drug users don’t just quit. It’s not that easy. Only it was for Amanda. She just quit. She knew that she didn’t want that life for her son. She broke the cycle.

Within a few years, Amada (and her fiance) cleaned up their lives more than anyone would have guessed. Amanda got her GED, got a great paying job with benefits at a hospital. Her fiance got a job at a corrections center. They eventually owned two cars, saved to buy a house, and cleaned up all the mistakes that their drug habit had caused. They both (especially Amanda) changed their lives 100% for their son. To know Amanda now, you would never have guessed the person that she was a few years ago.

For a related story, check out Ava's Story

Warrior Mom; Christy

Christy's Story

 

My childhood was somewhat hard. Not the worst a child can face, but not ideal either. My parents divorced when I was very young and my mom left us. We weren’t starving but there was no extra money whatsoever. My dad often told me that I needed to go to college to have a better life. I was determined to do this. I wanted a better life for my children. I wanted them to have a stable family with both parents. I wanted them to never worry about money like I did at a very young age.

My dreams seemed to be going in the direction I planned. I succeeded in school both with grades and extracurricular activities. I had been accepted to every college I applied for and received enough scholarships to pay my tuition. Then one day I just gave up. Nothing dramatic happened and I still don’t know why, but I gave everything up. I went to work as a waitress and just kind of got by, living paycheck to paycheck. I had no direction, barely any stability, and just wasn’t making responsible decisions in general.

At age 24, I got pregnant with my oldest daughter…with a guy I had been dating a month. He seemed excited and ready to be a dad so I wasn’t too worried. Together we made enough money to raise a child with so things seemed okay. At 5 months pregnant, he decided to call me from work to tell me that he was in love with his ex and could I move out. Fabulous. My days of being a single mom had begun.

With no college degree, no great job, and nothing saved up, my daughter and I struggled to get by. At different moments of my daughter’s first year, I was homeless, carless, and literally without a dime to my name. There were times that there wasn’t much in my cupboards beyond some bread. My daughter’s first Christmas was heartbreaking. Though she was only 8 months old, I was depressed that I couldn’t get her anything. This was the life I promised myself that I would never do to my children. Here we were, living worse than the life I did.

A few days later, I signed up for college. I knew it was the only way out of this mess my daughter hadn’t been asked to be born unto. Long story short, I finished my bachelor’s degree, eventually married a wonderful man and had another child, and finally give both girls the life I promised myself I would give them. College, working, and being a single mom to a young girl was not easy. I cried a lot and slept a little. But I did it for my daughter. I could have given up. I could have lived off welfare and worked minimum wage jobs for the rest of my life, but I refused to give my daughter THAT childhood. Because of that, I consider myself a warrior mom. I have battled for a better life for my children.

Warrior Story written by Christy in her own words

     Check out my co-founders story @  Warrior Mom; Kimbra