Resources
to Help You Keep Your Baby
(under construction - more to come!)
 Single
Parent Support
Advocacy, Action and Legal HelpFor
the Grandparents of Your Baby For
the Father of Your Baby Alternatives
to Adoption
Single Parent
Support
A Mother's Song: Taking
the Crisis out of Pregnancy. "I'm pregnant!"
- If you are planning on bringing a life into the world then you
are a mother already. Your child needs you. Don't give up hope.
Learn how you can keep and nurture your own child.
girlMom!
girlMom is about empowerment. girlMom is about defying
social stereotypes, and fighting for our rights as mothers. Founded
by hipMama editors Ariel
Gore and Bee Lavender, girlMom is now being edited by 18-year-old
mother Allison Crews, and promoted through small, grassroots organizations,
including the Coalition for the Empowerment of Teen Parents.
Future plans for girlMom include an infant supply exchange program,
and a "Young Mother Resource Guide."
Parenting
Y ouths the site dedicated to youth pregnancy and
parenting. "This site has been set up because as a young parent
myself I know how hard it is to find the support that we all need."
Single
Parent Central. "Information and resources
for single parent families. Content for custodial and noncustodial
single moms and dads . If you visit the site and use
its Recommend-It(r) feature to tell your friends you will be entered
to win $10,000."
Confronting
the Myths of Single Parenting, article by Loanda
Cullen, M.A. The myths about single parenting can be confronted
with the TRUTH!
CYBERMOM.
Resources for parenting. A great website put together by
a single mother who shows us that IT CAN BE DONE!
The
Young Mommies Help Site. "supporting, connecting,
and informing young mothers so that they can better face the challenges
of parenting".
Single
Young Moms Mailing List. "provided to offer
single young (25 and under) moms, who are striving to give themselves
and their children the very best, a place to meet new people and
share experiences, advice and friendship to others who are in
similar situations"
Pregnancy
Centers Online Often pregnancy centers can help
you find financial and medical assistance and information to help
you to keep your baby. Beware of those that pressure you into
adoption -- they may do it because of money or because they see
it as "saving" a baby from abortion or an "unchristian"
single mother.
BOOK:
The Single Mother's Survival Guide by Patrice Karst (Publisher:
Crossing Press. ISBN: 1580910637 ) "Single moms haven't had
many books to turn to in times of distress. Most parenting guides
either moralize to her or ignore her altogether. Patrice Karst
has righted that wrong with The Single Mother's Survival Guide.
The book is obviously designed to console--and fast--the poor
mom who has once again dragged the baby into the bathroom with
her because she literally cannot get a moment alone. Flip open
to any page and you'll find earthy bits of inspiration, with a
consistently (but not sickeningly) positive slant on childcare,
dating, and other facts of single-mom life. Karst never loses
her tenacious hold on the realities of parenting: on her list
of "Reasons to Be Happy About Being a Single Mom," the
first one is "because it's happening." It's a treat
to read a book so completely on the side of the mom."
Young
Mothers' Rights PLEASE JOIN IN OUR FIGHT TO KEEP YOUNG
MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN TOGETHER!! WE HAVE THE PLAN, WILL YOU
HELP US BUILD ON IT?
Resources
For Teen Parents from "One
Young Parent"
Most
Loving Option: For mothers considering adoption. "We
are here to offer that much-neglected Third Option when a young
woman finds herself in a "crisis" pregnancy. Abortion
(although we will support your choice of termination) or Adoption
are not your only choices! "
Moms
& Mentors (Victoria, BC) "Moms & Mentors
believe that young parents and their families deserve respect
and friendship, access to parent information and opportunities
to build confidence as young parents. Supportive relationships
for healthy parenting and families! Build Community & Social
Support With Young Parents."
Places to Stay:
Co-Abode:
Co-abode.com also offers single moms a way to stay in the family
home by sharing its expense with another single-mom family. Moms
without a home can find an appropriate housemate through the service,
enabling them to afford a larger and more comfortable home together.
"Grandma's House."
houses up to 10 young women and their babies. Open to women
up to age 19 and they can stay with their babies up until the
babies are 1 year old. They help them with school and career
choices and daycare for the babies. They are currently working
on opening a facility for Moms with toddlers as they see a need
for continued mentoring of these young women. A place
they can come to if they are overwhelmed or in a bad situation
for themselves or their children. Contact: Grandma's House
of Central Oregon, Inc., P.O. Box 6372, Bend, Oregon 97708 (Woody
Medeiros, Executive Director 541-383-3515)
"Momma's
House" MOMMAS is a home for young mothers aged 17
to 21 years and their babies. For approximately two years, the
young mothers at MOMMAS house continue education or vocational
experience interrupted by pregnancy. With guidance and direction,
the young mothers can learn to support themselves and their children
independently.
Advocacy, Action, Legal,
and Political Help
PARENT'S
GUIDE TO THE "SYSTEM, by Cheryl
Barnes . Online book, also available for $9.95 in hard-copy.
Know your rights and don't let the system abuse them!
Paula Werme,
Attorney at Law, Practice Emphasis on Defense of Child Abuse/Neglect.
If you are a single parent, Child Protection Agencies may consider
you guilty until you are proven innocent. "Spurred on by ever-increasing
budgets, Child Protective Agencies across the United States are
ever on the lookout for new cases, despite indications that real
cases of child abuse are falling." One of our colleagues
lost her children when a woman who wanted them wrongfully accused
her of child abuse. She was unable to afford legal defence
against the CPA "social wrecker" who took her children and gave
them to the predatory adopter. Be aware of your rights.
Fact
sheets for Teen Parents . Information sheets sponsored
by Family Court Services, Legal Advocates for Children and Youth
(LACY), and the Santa Clara Children's Shelter. Covers topics
such as welfare, child custody, consent requirements, grandparents
rights, etc.
Ontario Coalition
Against Poverty.
For the Grandparents
of Your Baby
A
Special Message for Baby's Grandparents.
By Diane Turski, mother who lost her son to infant
adoption in 1968, and knows first-hand the unending pain of
losing a child to adoption. Diane's parents now realize that
if they had been told the truth about the lifelong adverse effects
of adoption, they would have raised their grandson within his
own family where he rightfully belonged. This article is a "must
read" for all parents who truly care about the future of
their daughters and of their grandchildren.
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Generations United
"focuses solely on promoting intergenerational strategies,
programs, and policies."
For
Grandparents
AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons).
Lots of support, information, ideas, advocacy, and resources for
grandparents.
Foundation
For Grandparenting
"Every Time A Child Is Born, A Grandparent Is Born Too"
For the Father
of Your Baby
Bootcamp
For New Dads -
"Bootcamp for New Dads provides programs teaching men to
be dads."
National
Center for Fathering - Offers practical tips for dads,
humor and information on services available.
National
Fatherhood Initiative - NFI's mission is to improve the
well-being of children by increasing the number of children growing
up with loving, committed and responsible fathers.
The
Support Needs of Teenage Fathers (a research study by
Harald Breiding-Buss, Tyler Guise, Tony Scanlan, Terry Voice -
September 2003). Explodes the myth that teen fathers don't want
to care for and raise their children.
Father's
World - Resources for fathers of all ages.
"So
You're Going To Be A Dad" (Part 1) by Angela Giles
Klocke. Don't miss Part
2 either.
If you know of any
more resources that you can recommend for this page, please email
then to beba_online@yahoo.com
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Considering
adoption? Don't feel you have any other options? We're here to help!
