“Now I know where to go”: Catching Up with Guadalupe
Speaking with her now, Guadalupe is all smiles. In fact, Guadalupe glows with positivity and confidence.
But when she first came to Cope Family Center, she was newly single and consumed with anxiety about being a first-time mom. At the time, Guadalupe was being treated by a counselor for anxiety and depression, but her counselor felt she could use additional support. Guadalupe was referred to Cope Family Center, where she enrolled in the Home Visiting Program.
Working with her Home Visitor, Anahi, Guadalupe learned about her daughter’s development, built positive parenting skills, and became more confident in herself as a parent.
Now, seven months after graduating from the program, we caught up with Guadalupe and her daughter, Brisa, to see how they are doing. At almost six years old, Brisa is now in kindergarten, and according to Guadalupe, she is thriving.
Guadalupe also has another reason to glow: she is pregnant and expecting a baby girl, and she says that Brisa is very excited to be a big sister!
Guadalupe is also now married. Brisa’s father left when Guadalupe got pregnant with her, and after that experience, she didn’t think she would ever want to get married. But when she met Pablo, her now husband, she remembered Anahi talking to her about healthy relationships, and she made sure her new relationship was safe for her and her daughter. Pablo is kind, patient, and supportive, and he spends a lot of time with Brisa. He helps Brisa with homework and plays with her. Brisa even calls him dad.
Raised in Mexico, Guadalupe says the culture didn’t see the benefit of focusing on child development at home. The parenting culture was different, and the thinking was that they would learn at school.
Her dad worked a lot and didn’t play a very active role in parenting. She didn’t see much of him, and the two of them weren’t very close. She remembers he would yell a lot, and her heart would beat fast. She’s glad Brisa is growing up in a calm home without violence.
“Brisa is living the life that I would have wanted when I was little”.
The activities that Anahi taught during their home visits also encouraged Brisa’s development and helped prepare her for school. Brisa’s teacher was surprised that she was so advanced without even going to preschool. She is very smart and learning very fast. Brisa knows how to hold a pencil, write her name, and knows her ABCs.
Seeing how these developmental activities helped Brisa, Guadalupe is excited to apply what she learned in the program with her new baby. She continues to do activities with Brisa, including painting, which both love to do.
Guadalupe says she can see a big difference between Brisa’s development and her sister’s child. Without the same support that Guadalupe had, her sister didn’t have the same understanding of her child’s development or how to support it.
Working with Anahi has not only helped Guadalupe and Brisa, but has impacted the whole family. Guadalupe has shared the things she learned at Cope with her family, and her parents have been open to learning and adapting to the new culture. She says they have been able to move beyond the traditional ways and be more open minded about parenting and child development.
Guadalupe’s sister-in-law has a two-year-old, and Guadalupe talks to her about Cope. She shares things that she’s learned about what activities she can do with her child, and Guadalupe chose Christmas gifts this year that are “essential toys” for that age, including puzzles, crayons, and memory games.
Guadalupe has strong family support and is doing well, but she knows that Cope is here if she needs anything. “Now I know where to go”.
“If I didn’t come to Cope and join the Home Visiting program, it would have been more difficult for me and for Brisa. All the information that Anahi shared made such a difference.”
Guadalupe says that in working with Anahi for five years, they built trust, and she was able to share personal things. She says Anahi took the time to listen.
Anahi was excited to reconnect with Guadalupe and see how she and Brisa are doing. Anahi is very proud of Guadalupe. In all the time they worked together, Anahi says that Guadalupe put in so much effort and really put into practice what she was learning. She is also happy that Guadalupe found someone who is good for her. “I’m happy she’s happy. I’m glad she knows that we are here for her if she needs us.”