Guest blog post by Mrs. Tanya Wilkins. Mrs. Wilkins mentors foster children, is a mother of three girls and is the wife of DCF Secretary David Wilkins.
You may remember your mother being there when you got home from school, giving you hugs and asking about your day. You may recall the time when she stayed up late to talk when you couldn’t understand why your so-called friend didn’t invite you to their party or when you didn’t make the basketball team. So many of you are so blessed to have had a mother who gives you unconditional love and was there for you through thick and thin. If you experienced these beautiful times with your mother, please give her a call or visit with fresh flowers or big hugs to say a special thank you and tell her how much you love her! Don’t take your wonderful mother for granted because those mothers are not always the norm.
Then there are many that may find Mothers Day a very painful day. You may have grown up with a wonderful mother, but maybe you cannot have a child of your own, so you wait month after month to once again be disappointed to realize that your hopes and dreams of being a mother are diminishing. Your mother may have passed, or you remember your mother with a physical or mental illness that left her unable to care for you. Or your mother neglected or abused you for reasons that you will never understand. Please take the time for yourself to heal – spend time with a counselor and work through your painful experiences so that you can move forward with your life and learn to love yourself and others in a healthy way.
On Mother’s Day, it is imperative for us to remember the many abused or neglected children who have escaped a horrific parent or caregiver that they thought they could love and trust. There are so many ways that we can help these innocent and vulnerable children that find themselves with no one. These are not “bad” children; they are precious children that have had bad things happen in their lives. These children hope that they will have someone that will open their hearts and their homes and love them “no matter what.” They dream of a life where they have that one person who believes in them – believes that they will be successful and help them overcome the odds that are against them.
If you feel your heart break when you hear of a little boy or girl that doesn’t have a mommy or daddy, please pause to think of what you can do to make a difference in the child’s life. There are many ways to help, from mentoring at a local children’s organization or school, to fostering or adopting Florida’s wonderful children. Even businesses can get involved through Partners for Promise – simple things like a haircut donated from a hair stylist or an on-the-job learning opportunity mean so much to the kids. More than 1,000 Florida businesses are already helping!
Together, we can change lives … one mommy, daddy, mentor and volunteer at a time. Happy Mother’s Day!
