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I have never been much of a “beach read” type of woman but I would like to share a wonderful book that I did read this summer. The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is a heart-breaking tale of “a bad mother trying to be good.” It is a work of fiction,…
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Hopeful Beginning’s Teen Parenting Program and how you can discern if this program is for you and your school, community, or church. First of all, it is important for you to speak with the teachers, social workers, and nurses at your school to look at the numbers of students who are pregnant and…
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Hopeful Beginnings can help you if your baby is in the NICU at the hospital after birth. For those of you who don’t know, the NICU is the neonatal intensive care for babies who are ill that have just been born. Hopeful Beginnings is very helpful for mothers that have their babies…
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First and foremost, I am proud of you. Starting counseling no matter what takes bravery. It can be very difficult for people to seek help for a variety of reasons. This can be related to a lack of a support system, cultural or societal norms still stigmatizing mental illness and counseling, lack of…
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Talking with teenagers could be its own university level major of study. Communication with adolescents is a delicate balance that requires a lot of patience and persistence. As the teen parenting social worker here for Hopeful Beginnings, I like to believe I have earned my degree in teenage communication. Working in the local…
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If you do not take care of yourself, then no one understands that you need to be cared for. No one can read our minds as to what we need. What does self-care really mean? It is like putting on your oxygen mask before you put your child’s oxygen mask on an airplane….
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Hi, my name is Gianna and I have been the teen parenting program intern since August of 2021. I am a Master’s student studying school social work student at Dominican University after graduating with a B.A. in Psychology from Concordia University Chicago in May of 2021. My college experience was anything but average,…
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Motherhood is many things. It is joy, it is laughter, it is sadness, and it can even be resentment, as many mothers feel underappreciated and overworked. It is an experience like no other; it is certainly the hardest job I have ever been given. This week, we take time to honor motherhood in…
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Getting ready for your new role as a mom First of all, with early pregnancy, you may not feel pregnant yet, but your little one or ones are definitely going through major growth and development changes. Therefore, you want to be careful to read books about your new journey of being a parent,…
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Social work chose me at an early age. I was probably “pre-disposed” to being interested in the field of social services as I was adopted soon after birth and was educated by my parents regarding the crucial professionals that helped facilitate that process. My parents also emphasized the importance of the investment of…
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