By Mary Beth Swanson, Executive Director.I met “Jessica” when she was 21, and pregnant with her second child. She was addicted to methamphetamines. Her older child, a 2 year old daughter, had already been placed in foster care, and Jessica was fighting as hard as she could to get and stay sober during this pregnancy.
Fast forward a few months and Jessica gave birth to a baby girl after staying sober throughout her pregnancy. She was working with the County to meet the goals of her treatment plan, and had actually had her older daughter returned to her.
I wish that there was a happy ending from here, in which Jessica gets a job that pays a living wage; she finds stable housing and a reliable vehicle; and, she has healthy family and friends surrounding and supporting her.
But, I am afraid that is not how this story ends. Jessica was a victim of sexual abuse throughout the vast majority of her childhood. Her family was known throughout the community for its deep roots in the methamphetamine culture of Fort Collins. Her mother, also an addict with a long history of domestic violence and abuse, was currently in prison for drug crimes. Jessica herself had been in and out of foster care her entire childhood.
Sadly, because Jessica was still carrying the deep scars of trauma and abuse, all she really knew was the escape of substances. Without any strong female role models showing her how to parent, and with limited job prospects due to never completing high school, the stress of raising two small children alone led to a relapse. What if we could rewrite Jessica’s story from the time she was a young child? What if she spoke up about her abuse and was heard, truly heard?
What if instead of moving in and out of foster care placements and growing up without one single stable adult, Jessica had been given the opportunity to be safe, to heal her traumatic wounds, to learn that she was a person of value? Would the cycle of child abuse, poverty, and substance abuse have been broken? What if things were different for Jessica’s two young children? I believe they can be different, and this is why I believe so strongly in the work of the Child Advocacy Center. It is a place for children to be heard, and for families to take their first steps towards healing. I believe that our house is a haven, and that when we –the staff, the board, and the agencies that surround these children– stand together, we can make a difference one voice, one story, and one child at a time.
