Parent Stories
Nurture the Next programs help change the trajectory of children’s lives. The following stories reflect just a few of the hundreds of families we work with every year across Tennessee.
Ashley’s Story: Ending the cycle of hardship
Ashley’s home life growing up was filled with turmoil. Her father was absent, belittling and cruel. She was hesitant to trust anyone. Without a support system, Ashley and her kids found themselves moving month after month from hotels to spare rooms, unable to stay in one place for long. Feeling defeated and scared with no one to turn to, Ashley joined Healthy Family and that’s when she was assigned a home visitor. She worked to earn Ashley’s trust. Ashley had no good role models about how to be a good parent, so when it came to disciplining her own kids, she just wanted to do better than her father. Her home visitor was open and honest about what would work and what wouldn’t and shared a list of positive verbal phrases she could say to her kids to reinforce positive behaviors and strengthen their bond. Ashley couldn’t believe how well this was working. Ashley finally trusted her home visitor not to judge her but to work with her to achieve her goals. Ashley and her kids are in stable housing now and she’s even making time to volunteer at Nurture the Next events to connect to other parents and build a broader community of support.
James and Brittany’s Story: Strengthening their bond
James and Brittany became interested in developing their parenting skills after the birth of their second child. They each remember their own parents as quick to yell, threaten, or hit. James shared that he would often avoid his father and even began to fear him as a child. They both decided they didn’t want their kids to remember them this way. Now, they focus on creating a home that feels safe. The alternative forms of discipline that their home visitor covered during home visits was exactly the information they needed to stop the cycle of violence and strengthen their relationships with their children.
Nurture the Next home visitors meet weekly with new parents to ensure a child’s environment is nurturing. Teaching moms and dads about positive discipline, parenting with empathy, and toys and tools to keep baby’s development on track.
Courtney’s Story: Gaining Independence
Courtney was distrustful of receiving support at first and tried to raise her daughter on her own even though she had been homeless since October. In rural East Tennessee, her home visitor empowered her and supported her as she set a goal of finding safe and stable housing. After a few short months, this mom was able to get back on her feet and find a place of her own to raise her daughter. Now Courtney can focus on advocating on behalf of her daughter who has specialized medical needs.
Nurture the Next home visitors help parents identify their strengths and empower them by using goal setting to achieve independence. Through positive support and connecting them to tangible resources families build stable homes for their children to grow up in.
Brandy’s Story: Mental Health Addressed
When Audrey was born, Brandy wasn’t expecting to struggle or feel distant from her new baby. It was hard for her to adjust to taking care of a newborn and she struggled to find herself again. It was her Nurture the Next home visitor that first identified she might be experiencing postpartum depression. With the support of her husband, Daniel, and her home visitor, Brandy accomplished her dream of becoming a Certified Medical Assistant and is happy to be contributing financially to her family again. Brandy and Daniel are committed to building the best life for Audrey and creating a happy, loving home where she will feel adored and valued.
Nurture the Next home visitors screen every family for postpartum depression, if needed they connect moms to available resources. They also help each family baby proof their home and educate them about safe practices for newborns all while helping them identify positive coping skills to deal with the stress of parenting.