We all have the opportunity to influence people around us. In our mentor and volunteer training we emphasize that it starts with us believing that our moms can succeed and it is our responsibility to show them we believe and see their potential to thrive. When you believe in a young mom, even before she believes in herself, it creates hope and gives her permission to succeed because it assures her that even if she fails the first time, we will be there.
Not that long ago, Samantha, a young mom, was navigating through some behavioral challenges with her daughter at school. Because of the emotional support & the community’s willingness to share personal experiences and possible solutions, Samantha influenced her daughter in an amazing positive way. The issue was really she wanted more time with Mom and knew if she acted out a.k.a hit, bit, or screamed, Mom would be called and she would get to go home. Makes perfect sense… The belief we have in Samantha as an amazing mom propped her up & gave her strength to stand strong while learning more about her child’s personality. The next time the school called, Samantha went but instead of taking her home like little one wanted, she pulled her aside, had a talk with her about her expectations and sat in the classroom with her the rest of the day. TOTAL GAME CHANGER! After that, Samantha found small ways to spend extra special time with her girl. Her little one understood that bad behavior would no longer get her the desired outcome of more time with mom. She stopped acting out almost immediately. She was given permission to succeed through clear expectations, direct communication and reinforcing the positive changes. The wonderful Hearts for Moms community rallied around and committed to Samantha, believing in her and encouraging her, which in turn she passed on to her daughter giving her permission to succeed.
