Once Clouded by Shame, Now a Place to Thrive: Parenting
Posted on October 21st, 2007 in Parenting
In the 1960s, things began to change at St. Agnes, as society changed. The big house was shut, and St. Agnes ran two smaller homes: one for girls keeping their babies, one for girls giving them up. “They felt it wasn’t a good idea to mix the two â” it caused too much tension,” said Lorna Little, the current executive director of St. Agnes.
Today the pendulum has made a full swing. . . .
Many of the girls have never known a capable parent.
Jeanette Horton, a nurse, runs a prenatal course for the pregnant residents. “You should not be having people around you smoking,” Ms. Horton told them during a health lesson. “It’s not good for the baby.”
“My mom does it all the time,” one girl said.
“But then she’ll put out the cigarette when she realizes,” Ms. Horton said.
“No,” the girl said. “My mother says, ‘It’s my car, I can smoke.’ ”
Leave a Reply