True Stories: Martha Part V

“That’s Me. That’s My Story”

I ask Martha if she knows that many heroes are quiet heroes? I tell her she is a hero for being a better parent than her own.  I ask her if A Stepping Stone has helped with that? To my surprise (which I hope I shielded from her), she hesitates and I think she is going to say no.

“I talk to my husband at home about what I have learned here.  I tell him how we should ask things and talk with our children.  I see my second son is shy like me and I tell him to not be shy like me and to ask the teachers for help.”

When Mrs. Fran had asked the Stepping Stone parents what they’d thought of the video all those many weeks ago, Martha had kept silent so very long, she said she wanted to speak up and so she finally did.

A quiet pause comes to our little table in the childcare room where Martha’s two year old has come to sit on her lap.  I am a little restless on my little chair.

Martha collects her thoughts again and says, “I just wanted my mom to be with me so I wouldn’t feel scared all the time. I wanted to feel protected. But I didn’t have that opportunity.  I want my kids to have that opportunity.”  Well, that’s it isn’t it?  That’s why A Stepping Stone is here.

Whether A Stepping Stone had any impact on Martha’s decision to be a better parent than her own or not, what we do give these amazing young adults is a safe venue to fulfill those impassioned commitments to be the best parent they can be, many times in spite of their own childhood experiences. A Stepping Stone provides many learning opportunities that honor where our parents are now and gently nudge them to what we know will make a better life for them and their own children.

Thank you for supporting A Stepping Stone Foundation.  You make us better. Martha makes us better. What more can we ask from a community?

This is not the end. This is the beginning.