Mothers (44 found)
Note: These stories are from Represent and its sister publication, YCteen, which is written by New York City public high school students.
Tayia went into care as a child, then was returned to her mother. She takes issue with how child welfare handled all of it and says what might have helped her. (full text)
Demetria's foster mom is loving and supportive but doesn't give Demetria the privacy or freedom that a teenager needs and that Demetria feels she has earned. (full text)
The author goes into care for five months with little explanation. He copes by narrowing his vision down to doing well in school and trying not to worry about what he can't control. (full text)
Alexus reviews The Florida Project, which follows a 6-year-old girl living in a motel with her fun but irresponsible mother. Alexus sees parallels with her own childhood. (full text)
Elvia's mom dies when she's a senior in high school. In despair, she shuts down, but heals with the help of therapy, writing, and caring friends and mentors. (full text)
E.F. looks back on her mother's abuse and her own fighting at school. She is placed with her grandmother at age 11, goes to therapy, and learns to handle her own feelings. (full text)
When D. Morrison becomes depressed, her mother is unsympathetic and scornful. D. finds good therapists and learns not to make herself vulnerable to her mom and to accept her limits. (full text)
Z. Oliveras runs away and is pregnant at age 13. Her mother is abusive and unsupportive, so Z. turns herself into foster care before she has her baby. (full text)
Johileny must care for her dying mother, despite her own disability and a botched operation that landed her in a wheelchair. Still, she manages to graduate as valedictorian. (full text)
N.V. is let down repeatedly by her mom, before and after she goes into care. As a teen, she realizes she'll never get the mothering she longs for. (full text)
Trey goes into care at age 8. He never stops missing his mother and plans to sign himself out of care at 18 to reunite with her. (full text)
The author 's mom swings wildly from sweet to violent. The author wants her family but at 19, decides to opt for the benefits of foster care. (full text)
The author is jealous of her younger sister, who is their mom's favorite. When their mom's abuse sends them into care, the author realizes she and her sister are each other's family. (full text)
After being repeatedly disappointed by his mother, C.F. ultimately finds other, more caring adults to open up to. (full text)
The author's mom abuses her, and she goes into care. She finally gets a loving foster mom, but then her biological mom wants her back. (full text)
Sharlene chooses to go into care when her mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia. She gets a good foster mom, but she acts out and has to move. (full text)
A young mother grows to trust her foster parents and let them love her son. (full text)
Leah endures 20 different foster care placements, all bad, until she moves in with Beatriz and Frankie at age 14. Beatriz teaches Leah about trust, self-respect, and love. (full text)
Samantha's foster mother sends her mixed signals, and Samantha is not sure how much she can count on her support after she ages out of care. (full text)
Camilla's biological mother is uncooperative with foster care staff. Camilla must figure out how to draw boundaries to maintain a relationship. (full text)
Hollie's mother dies from her alcoholism about a year before Hollie has a son. Hollie is determined to be a better mother herself. (full text)
Due to a painful childhood, Erica suffers from bipolar and borderline personality disorder. She sabotages her therapy treatments -- until she becomes pregnant. Erica stepped it up in therapy so she can be a good mother. (full text)
Hattie strives to change her negative ways of thinking. She reminds herself of her good qualities and does things she enjoys. (full text)
After her biological mother disappears, Lishoné has a hard time adjusting to her adoptive family. (full text)
After running away and going into foster care, Daniel is determined to repair his relationship with his mother. (full text)
Manny slowly develops a bond with his foster mom, who plans to adopt him. (full text)
Chaquana can never depend on her drug-addicted mother. She ends their conversations by saying “goodbye” instead of “I love you.” (full text)
After Jennifer’s mom gets involved with an abusive man, it takes years to repair the damage. (full text)
The writer feels ignored and abandoned by her mother, which leads her to cut. The support of others helps her stop. (full text)
After years in foster care, Erica and her mother reestablish a relationship by writing letters. (full text)
In her Dominican family, Dayan started helping her mother cook Latino specialities at age 9. (full text)
Lucas is here to tell the truth: there is no Santa Claus, puppies die, and parents don't trust their kids when they're out of sight. (full text)
The writer, whose mother was 16 when she gave birth to her, argues that the children of teen moms often don’t receive the support they need. (full text)
Artiqua's teenage dream of boyfriends, partying, and staying out late will never become a reality, so long as her mother has anything to say about it. (full text)
When the writer moves here from the Dominican Republic, she feels isolated. She misses her friends and grandmother. Kids make fun of her, and her mom neglects her. It takes a dramatic act to get her mom’s attention. (full text)
After the writer’s mom gets involved in an abusive relationship, she takes a bold step and moves to Atlanta to live with her father to escape her toxic home life. (full text)
When the writer’s mom is released from prison after nine years, it takes time for the two to adjust. Although the writer remains guarded, she is open to building a closer relationship. (full text)
When Jovani's supportive, loving mother unexpectedly dies, he deals with her painful absence by reflecting on the values and ideas she instilled in him. (full text)
When Alex's mom gets pregnant the both are overjoyed. But when the baby dies prematurely their relationship is challenged. (full text)
The author keeps giving her violent, abusive mom another chance, and her mom keeps letting her down. She finally resolves to separate and move forward on her own. (full text)
Johileny must care for her dying mother, despite her own disability and a botched operation that landed her in a wheelchair. (full text)
Isela is expected to babysit her brothers, cook, clean, and maintain her good grades. She becomes overwhelmed, but her mom is not sympathetic. (full text)
The writer’s mom is so focused on pushing her to excel in school and on her college admissions tests, she doesn’t see that the relationship has become reduced to yelling and lecturing. (full text)
Kicked out of the house by her mother, the writer goes to live with her father. Although life's not perfect, she realizes she shouldn't blame herself for a situation over which she had no control. (full text)