But we also know they put their lives in receivership. They will not have control - a faceless system will dictate where they live, and where the babies go to stay while mom is in school (if mom still wants to go). I'm sure they'll survive, and they'll love their children, but they cashed in their dreams too early, before they realized they had dreams for their children, too. Even if the community they plan works out, can it build a better life for their children? The community they came from didn't, and didn't give them the tools to lift up their own eyes.
This. There are a tremendous number of girls in this area who are or were teenage single mothers. The majority of them have no work prospects other than fast food and most of them are on some sort of public assistance. I'm not saying everyone needs to get a PhD or become a neurosurgeon, but it's damned hard to live your whole life on minimum wage and no insurance.
For some reason, often the girls I see who go back to school and make a life for themselves are the inner-city ones, not the suburban types you would think. The inner-city girls are more likely to be the ones you'll hear saying, "I don't want my kids to come up like I did."
Re: You're aging these mothers by two years
This. There are a tremendous number of girls in this area who are or were teenage single mothers. The majority of them have no work prospects other than fast food and most of them are on some sort of public assistance. I'm not saying everyone needs to get a PhD or become a neurosurgeon, but it's damned hard to live your whole life on minimum wage and no insurance.
For some reason, often the girls I see who go back to school and make a life for themselves are the inner-city ones, not the suburban types you would think. The inner-city girls are more likely to be the ones you'll hear saying, "I don't want my kids to come up like I did."