Cindy's Story
When Cindy dropped her three-year-old son Jagger off at neighbourhood daycare, he would spend the whole time pacing. He was fearful and spoke in one-word sentences. Within three hours, Cindy would have to return to pick him up. Cindy, who had been visiting a CUPS Women’s Health Clinic for the past five years, decided to take Jagger out of daycare and enroll him in the CUPS Child Development Centre.
Supporting positive interactions
Because she has a criminal record, Cindy was surprised when she was invited to get involved in classroom activities as a volunteer. Soon, she was making bannock with Jagger and his classmates and attending fieldtrips and outings. She and Jagger’s teacher kept each other updated on the little boy’s progress, which was promising. After a winter break, Cindy realized Jagger was truly excited to go to school. “We went away to Fort St. John for Christmas and I could really tell that Jagger was relieved and happy to be going back to the Child Development Centre,” she says.
Breaking negative cycles
Cindy completed the CUPS Nurturing Parenting program, which gave her insight into her own history. She began to understand how adversity affects children, and how being taken from her birth mother and raised in a strict and abusive home had affected her. Cindy learned to interact with Jagger in new and positive ways. “The best part was learning that it is okay to freely love your child,” she says.