COLUMBUS, Ohio — A baby does not come with a manual.
Raising a child is a hard job, and Nadlin Antwi says, doing it on your own is even harder.
For the last 10 weeks, Antwi has been leading a group of 12 single mothers in Columbus, and educating them on how to be a better parent in the nonprofit, One More Time’s first Single Moms Community Program in Central Ohio.
“These women are strong women they are single mamas who are out here taking care of their babies on their own and they are learning the right way and the positive parenting to take care of their children,” Antwi said.
The mothers range in age from 15 to 50. Their children include babies and teenagers.
Antwi uses the state-sponsored, Positive Parenting Program as a curriculum.
“We do different skills, classes. We did a cooking class, a resume building class, we have done so many different things because ultimately we want the mamas to be successful but I think the core of the program is the mamas getting together and bonding and talking about things they had in common and their struggles and also their successes and that is amazing because that is what is really gonna take them out of there,” Antwi said.
After signing up to teach the class, Antwi found out her daughter, Kaitlin, was expecting a baby as a single mom.
“I wanted to make an impact in her life as well as other mamas going through the same things,” she said.
Kaitlin was able to take part in the class.
“It feels good because yes I have my mom but knowing I have other ladies going through the same things as me feels good,” she said.
The mothers can help themselves through the highs and lows of parenting.
“I suffered from post-partum depression, post-partum complications, I was in the hospital for a week and I was just sad but this class helped me,” Kaitlin said.
Many of the women in the class are working to overcome challenges.
“Eviction, I had mommas facing court issues, criminal stuff going on because they were living in their cars and sleeping in parking lots, I have a lot of mammas going through financial difficulties, not having access to gas childcare because they don’t have an address so they can’t apply for benefits,” Antwi said.
The program is important because Antwi said it can be hard to ask for help.
“You’ll ask for help and you’ll be directed oh here is jobs and family services but nobody tells you how to fill out the application or nobody tells you if you do it this way you are going to be denied there is so much more, there is a gap we have to fill,” she said.
After graduation from the program on Saturday, Antwi plans to check in with the mothers every 30 days.