SAFIRE Mama's Day Series: "Babies need love, moms do too"

[This post is part of a Mama’s Day Series by The Strong Families Initiative. To follow all of the Mama's Day events, visit us on Facebook and Twitter.]

By Ratema Uch, SAFIRE Participant

As we get closer and closer to Mothers Day ACRJ's SAFIRE youth program will be honoring the mothers in our community who don't always get a lot of love, but deserve all the respect that we can give them. For the rest of the week check out our SAFIRE Mama's Day Blogs leading up to the Young Families Day Celebration on Saturday, May 7th in SF's Civic Center Plaza.

Here's my piece honoring the young mothers in our community:

Respect corrupted by the judgmental thoughts of others. A strong woman who works hard to feed her child during an age when many of her friends are busy with experimentation and a carefree lifestyle does not deserve this type of judgment. A strong woman who beats the odds through success despite her expected downfall. Nothing can hold this woman back from her dreams, she can have it all - a family and a successful career.

Should this woman lose the respect of others? No. It’s plausible that the young mother did not choose to bear a child during this stage of her life, but staring into the eyes of her newborn child makes every judgment irrelevant.

Young mothers have been categorized and stereotyped. But their struggles and character are no different than those of you and me.

The Spring 2011 Session of SAFIRE has taught me one of the most important lessons in life, “Babies need love, moms do too” so don’t forget to appreciate every mother's of every age today.