There are a lot of reasons why I needed Florence Crittenton. I was a pregnant teenager, but maybe that doesn’t tell you the whole story. I made a lot of mistakes, I had a lot of changes to make if I was going to be a healthy, loving mom to my daughter.

Before I came to Florence Crittenton I couldn’t trust adults. I just didn’t trust people. I think it was because I had 6 different dads and they kept leaving. Every time they left I thought it was my fault.

After a while I started trusting the staff at Florence Crittenton –especially my case manager and my therapist. I realized how much Florence Crittenton has to offer and I decided to work harder.

I had a lot of opportunities to change my life before going to Florence Crittenton, but I didn’t take advantage of them. When I became pregnant, I knew something had to change. A baby would not fit into my old lifestyle. She was too important.

I want to be a mother to my child, not a friend. I hope and pray that I can teach her that school is so important. I missed a lot of school when I was growing up. I’m working on getting my high school diploma right now. It’s hard, but I’m Bella’s role model and I want an education.

I want my daughter to grow up with rules, to know that she is safe and loved and that I am paying attention to her. That I am connected to her and that I care what she is doing, where she is, where she is going, who her friends are, who she is and who she wants to be. I didn’t have that. Florence Crittenton didn’t have to teach me to love my daughter, but they have taught me how to be a good parent. Not only to my daughter, but to myself.

Thank you Florence Crittenton for helping me. I’ve never had so many true friendships in my life.