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We're the Keenan's. If you had met my husband Russell and I as children, you probably would have predicted pretty dismal lives for us. I grew up in a home where drug use and mental disorders were normal and therefore comfortable to me. Russell's dad was very abusive to his mom and he witnessed this brutality until he was 5 years old when his mom left his dad and took her sons with her.
We didn't have ideal role models growing up.
Generally, it is said that you parent your children the way you were parented, whether you mean to or not. I was determined not to have my children go through the same struggles I did and I was going to do whatever it took. As you might guess, we Keenan's are not finacially well off, and therefore our ability to access resources is very limited.
When I found the flier for Early Head Start in the bathroom of my local fire department I was so excited! This was the exact program I needed. I called as soon as I got home to get on the waitlist. I waited. And waited. It was very frustrating to have to wait so long for these services. Eventually my name came to the top of the list and my son Orion was enrolled in the Early Head Start home visiting program at Children's Home Society in Auburn, WA. It was so comforting to be encouraged by people who were skilled in child developement, telling me that I was doing the right things with my son to ensure that he felt secure and loved. These vital human needs were things I had to work really hard to acquire in my life due in part to the way I was raised. I thank Head Start from the bottom of my heart for giving me the confidence and support I needed to give my children the best upbringing I could possibly give them.
I love Early Head Start and Head Start for the way they so passionately care about their children and families. It's sad that the waitlist is so long to enter the program. If more Head Start programs were opened, it would really be beneficial to our children and communities. Many parents are in the same type of situations that we were and have similar struggles in fighting the way they were raised. If we had available to all parents the type of support and encouragement I receive in the Head Start program, the sky would be the limit for all of our children. Hope might be restored to those that have long forgotten that feeling.
Those people that would have predicted a miserable life for Russell and me would have been excruciatingly wrong. Thanks in large part to Head Start, we have the drive and resources to overcome our difficulties. We're both in school right now. Our children Orion, a 3 year old boy and Nova, a 1 year old girl, are as beautiful and smart and sweet as you could ever ask for children to be. And most importantly, they know they're loved and secure.
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