Despite all the things that can be hard when being a house mom at a maternity home, there are plenty of things that leave us full of joy and laughter. I feel as these though these things should fall into a category called : “You know you are a house parent at a maternity home when…”
This past week we have had a few fun ones. Take, for instance, a hair straightener. A teenage girl’s best friend when it comes to the hair world. We have awesome donors who supplied our house with brand new hair products for our girls to use…and that our resident has done! Now combine a brand new straightener…being used within proximity to our newly installed commercial grade fire system…and you guessed it. 5:50 pm on a Wednesday and we have fire alarms going off, fire doors slamming shut, security companies calling, and all three kids on the verge of a meltdown. Once we determined that there was no fire, we then concluded that straightening one’s hair at the plug just beneath the smoke detector probably wasn’t the best idea. We all had a good laugh, and we assured our resident it wasn’t a cruel prank we had just played on her. I’m confident that won’t be the last time we call of alarms due to teen girls doing their hair.
Our second entry under “You know you are a house parent at a maternity home when..” finishes with “…you can’t keep enough cottage cheese stocked in the house!” It makes me giggle each time I think about it, a giggle of joy and love for my job. Who would have though such a silly thing would be the thing that I am writing about. I remember the days when all I craved while pregnant were Papa John’s Parmesan Garlic breadsticks! I look forward to my growing list of some of the most unique “cravings” that happen with our residents.
It’s nice to sit back on a Sunday night before what could be a busy and hectic week starts and remember the moments that made me laugh this last week. We have had a such a great time the last two weeks with our newest teen mom and her baby, and we so look forward to the weeks to come. We still covet your prayers and your encouragement. We know, as a staff, we are only able to do this job because of the constant prayer, support, and giving of so many. We love you from the bottom of our hearts.
Amanda Shaheen
The Sparrow’s Nest House Mom