Ronda wright

I talk to my younger self and say “you should've been more prepared when making the decision to start a family.” I believe the stigmas that surround being a single parent imply that your kids are not well behaved or that they will end up as a statistic.

I don't let the single parent stigma get in the way.

Something I learned from the pandemic is to pay more attention to self care and to be more interactive with my kids. I took time to reflect, as we return to normal times I will remember this. One of the hardest things overall being a single parent is the challenge I had with not having transportation. I could not get to my childcare providers or easily get my basic needs done. I never owned a car until last year. There were times that it was hard affording Uber, Lyft or the bus. I have had times that my kids had emergencies and I just couldn't easily make it to them. I live in Moreland and they attend Mercer, one of the farthest schools from where I live.

I have dreams of being a homeowner, I was employed but had to quit due to my twin boys, age 10 not doing well with virtual school. I had been a school secretary for five years. One thing I worry about is not enough support for our young males. During the pandemic it was hard not having activities for my sons. It helped me to see that I need to increase my network and level of involvement and that our black boys need more support in our community.