Family

Motherhood

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  A Family that Sticks Together

  Mother: Ashley O
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  Smile

  Mother: Melissa H

  It hinders me a lot to know that as a little girl I was raped and beaten. I never wanted a daughter, and I know I can’t make that judgment, but God gave me a daughter. And he probably gave her to me to make me stronger but it doesn’t. It makes me weaker because I’m so overprotective of her. It’s like I don’t let her do this, I don’t let her do that. And she gets mad like she doesn’t understand. She doesn’t understand. 

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  Hiding food

  Mother: Janelle R

  Certain food I have to leave in the room because if I don’t [people in the house will] eat it… they’ll go into stuff and they’ll eat stuff. Like my mom’s boyfriend’s friend, he lives here. And he also gets food stamps but I get more than him so when his food is gone he eats my food. And when somebody comes and asks you, “could I have some food?” and you have it, you wanna give it to them. But then you wanna say no, because what if my kids don’t have food to eat the next day? I hate [hiding my food], I really do. But I have to do it because I want to make sure they have something to eat.

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  Love

  Mother: Angela S
• 
  Mother and daughter

  Mother: Angelica R
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  Providing what they need

  Mother: Marinette R

  I try my best. Sometimes they get me angry because they, you know all their friends have this and that and they’re like mommy, I want this, mommy, I want that. It’s hard when you can’t get them things and I try to explain to them that one day I’m going to be all right.

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  Gale and Alfonso

  Mother: Gale G
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  Mother and son

  Mother: Christina K
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  Mother and son

  Mother: Myra Y
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  feet

  Mother: Tangela F

  My daughter weighed six pounds, nine ounces at birth.  It was just an unbelievable day. Then when I saw the footprints, it just made me think, "Wow. This is really it." It just made me so happy.

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  Swimming

  Mother: Sherry R
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  On the Steps

  Mother: Victoria D
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  'Take care of me, Mommy'

  Mother: Angela M
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  A young man

  Mother: Angela M

  I make him wear a tie and shoes to school, just to teach him how to be a young man.  A lot of times I don't make him wear it because the other kids don't, but at least once a week I make him wear his tie and his pants and his shoes.  I make him go to school like a gentleman.