My children, my church and my sister are supportive daily to me.
Everyone which is supportive to me understands that my husband travels frequently and is away from our family for a long time.
My children are such blessings. When their father is on business trips, they support me by cleaning around the house and assisting with dinner. My two older children help their younger siblings get dressed, with homework and reading to them. My oldest daughter is absolutely wonderful with her younger brother who is autistic. They all do what they can to be supportive while I do my classwork.
My church family is very supportive. They sit with my family and help me with the children. If I need help with anything my husband would typically did around the house, someone at my church would assist me.
Even though my sister lives two hours away from me, she is a great support. We talk every day and she helps me think through tough situations. I can talk to her about my kids and converse about different techniques for raising my kids. If I need her physical presence, she does not mind getting on the road immediately.
It would be very difficult living without the supports in my life. Since I am the parent physically here taking care of the kids, it is essential I take care of my mental health. If I did not have these supports, my mental health would be in jeopardy. I need my supports to be able to focus on my schoolwork.
I imagine being blind as my challenge. A person close to me would have to decorate my home and teach me where everything is located. I would need a device or animal which would serve as my eyes when I leave the house. The community has braille on signs and building entrances I could use to establish my location. I would need to surround myself with positive people with who love me and would keep me encouraged emotionally.
Life would be extremely difficult without support. Since I am blind, I must have people around me that would tell me the truth about my environment daily. If I did not have the necessary supports, I would be even more vulnerable. My mental health would be compromised and I would be at great risk for becoming very depressed.
"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-
