It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

No matter where we were in New York we found that New Yorkers wanted to help us half the time we did not even have to ask for help they just came up to us and helped! I think what people don’t understand is that life is like that if we allow it to and sometimes we have to take a step towards someone or even ask them for help. We have a tendency to not reach out but I promise if you do you will receive it!

The picture below is a New York gal who saw the five us trying to get the gate to open with our tickets for the subway and we were could not get that gate to open for us. She walked up to us and showed us how to do and then stayed right by each of us to assure that we got through the gate in order to catch the subway to our class!

In putting together the site for one-parent families I understood that I was going to need help that I could not do it alone though I tried but I failed. Then I was lucky enough to become involved Count Me In for women’s economic independence and I heard CEO  Nell Merlino say “No one can do it alone, we all need help and that is why we are here” To become part of their community has been nothing short of amazing! I know that this site/community will be huge for all one-parent families if they chose to reach out to the help that will be there for them.

In relation to my one-parent family in the beginning I thought “How am I going to be able to raise these kids alone” I would lay awake trying to figure it out at the start. Then I heard a statement by  First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton and she said “ It takes a village to raise a child” way back then I took those words to heart, You know what it was freeing to me because I realized what she said was true whether you are a one-parent family or a two-parent family it still takes a village to raise a child.

I had to create that village and I had to figure out what I needed then figure out who I could ask to help me make it happen. I needed some after school help my mom needed a little R&R from child watching so I asked around and found that the city actually had after school centers at each school and guess what they worked on a sliding scale! They also worked with me regarding payment since my paydays did not match the first of the month payment! They had so much fun at the center and for that moment in time it was so helpful to me and my children. Just like my New York trip on another subway ride we jumped on but we were not sure if we were going the right way so we were saying we better ask someone… just then one of the conductors (see picture below) came on board as well and he walked right up to us and asked where did we want to go. We told him and told us where to get off and which way to go and told us to have a great day!

That is what our community Parenting On Your Own is all about our website is going down because construction work is starting now! I am so excited about this entire process so I hope you keep checking back to see what other stories I have regarding my trip to New York and how it relates.

Have an awesome day and don’t forget it’s OK to ask for help and No On absolutely No One does it alone!

And, so it goes…