For my project I have decided to do a case study on a family that I have been working with since 2010. Her daughter is a student in my class. Head Start is relationship based program, and we work with the whole family to obtain goals and move them forward in their lives. I will be sharing information about the mother, child, our relationship, and what we are doing to reach the goals that she has set for herself.
This will be a case study of this one teen mother and her child. I am hoping to gain some insight into working with teen parents and being better able to help them reach their goals.
Mother: The mother that I am working with is 18 years old. She is currently living with her mother and siblings. She is working on completing her high school education which was put on hold when she gave birth to her daughter.
Baby: The child is now two years of age, and thriving. The child has recently started receiving speech services, one of the
goals that I have for the family is that they continue to take the child
to speech. I support her by asking about the classes, how she feels about
them, and also staying in contact with the child's speech therapist. Based on the research that I used in my literature review last semester children of teen parents are at a higher risk for development delays. Because teen parent is still developing and learning about themselves, it is difficult for them to meet the needs of their child.
Our relationship: The relationship that I have with this mother is one of a mentor. We discuss many things about her life, goals, and relationships with other people. Since the start of our work together, we have grown into this comfortable relationship. In the beginning of our relationship it was very rocky. The mother had expressed to me that she was nervous about having someone help her so intimately with her child because she "does not like being told what to do." I found this to be very typical of a teenager and wanting to be independent.
Goals: The mother has set a goal of completing her high school education. She would like to either get her GED or complete an online program to get her high school diploma.
Research: As I had discussed in my paper last term, completion of high school is very important for young parents. In order for them to move forward in their lives and provide for their children they need to complete at least a high school level education.
Limitations: One limitation that I find with this case study is the time I get to spend with the mother. I would like to be able to spend time with her outside of the center, and be able to help her in a more physical way of going with her and helping her complete each step of this process. I have learned that because of her implusivity, it is difficult to keep her focused on one goal at a time.
It sounds like you have a long road ahead, but this sounds like a wonderful and worthwhile project. Hopefully setting these goals and working together will make a huge difference for this family! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you may have a mentor type relationship with this mother. What wonderful aspirations you have for her and her daughter. I wish you the best of luck on your endeavors!
ReplyDeleteWow, I look forward to learning about your relationship with this young mother and family. Unfortunatly, extended family living arrangements can effect child rearing. Although it is usually unintential, the mother(or father) feel that their rights or parenting is not heard. I really want to learn about this family.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your paper last semester, I was wondering how your project was going! Many younger parents are not given validation for their parenting and your help with this family will make a difference. Helping this family to look at long term goals will be a huge undertaking, but will have major impact on their lives. Good luck with everything! I am very interested in hearing how things are progressing!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting project. I hope that you are able to make a lot of progress with this. It is great to be able to support someone in that situation
ReplyDeleteAs a new, 30 year old mom, I can't even imagine being a mom at 16. There are days now that I feel like i can't do it.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your blog it reminded me of my childhood. When I was about 10 my mom and dad brought my 17 year old cousin and her newborn son to come live with us. I watched her struggle everyday with not only her son but her personal life, her education, and her overall well being. I think it is wonderful that you have opened this up for her, I wish my cousin had an opportunity like this.
Question: does the mother know you are doing this case study based on her?
Heather, what does the research say about child outcomes for babies of adolescent mothers living with their mother's parents? I knew this literature many years ago, because it was the subject of my doctoral research, but I am not up-to-date. My question is also, are recommendations made based on research findings, or case-by-case?
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