My son Louie has been a good kid ever since he was small. He rarely complained about anything. He was one of those toddlers that clings to the mother. Wherever I went he was there. Summers when I was outside playing spades, my son was curious so he kept pestering me until I taught him how to play. When we were short, my son would fill in.
As he got older, Louie loved basketball. He filled … Read More
Art by Emily Dinan
In November 1999, ACS sent me to Women Connect, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program affiliated with Lincoln Hospital to deal with my drinking problem. It turned out to be the beginning of a new life for me.
I was blessed with Ms. Angela Torres, my substance abuse counselor. Now I’ve been clean for five years. Last month, I was even hired as a parent advocate at Children’s Village, … Read More
In November 1999, I went to Women Connect, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program affiliated with Lincoln Hospital, to deal with my drinking problem. It turned out to be the beginning of a new life for me.
I was blessed with meeting Ms. Angela Torres, my substance abuse counselor. Now I’ve been clean for five years. To find out how other parents get help with their addictions and get their kids home, … Read More
When I applied to become a parent advocate at a foster agency in New York City, I feared I wasn’t ready. I was on public assistance and had never held a 9-to-5 job. But I knew that parents dealing with the foster care system needed support and tough love from people like me—parents who were once in their shoes.
My own two girls had gone into foster care because I was drinking. For about three years … Read More
In rehab, everyone would intro- duce themselves like, “I’m so- and-so and I’m an addict,” but I didn’t believe I was an alcoholic, so I would say,
“I’m Rosita,” and that would be that.
Then one day the director of my rehab group asked me, “Do you love your children?”
“Yes, I do, very much,” I told him.
“No, you don’t,” he replied.
“How can you stand there and tell me I don’t love my chil- dren?”
“Because if you did … Read More
