Most people have fell in love with my sons not because of their disability but because of who they are. They are the most unique people ever and they make you fall in love with their view of the world.

From a single mom in Gallup of two boys, 9 and 10 years old, both with autism.
I have two boys both been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They are intellectually and developmentally challenged and they have grown into great children and will have a great journey ahead into growing into adults; because they view the world differently rather than how normal people see this world. I am a single parent and having two children with Autism is an everyday challenge, especially the simple things. At the ages of 9 and 10 most children are independent and able to express their full thoughts and emotions. Unfortunately (my sons) are speech limited and need the utmost supervision for simple daily tasks. They do not understand danger as most children and the simplest thing as eating a different food or going to bed on time is such an accomplishment. Small things they are able to do on their own is the best feeling ever, even if it's flushing the toilet on their own. (10 yr old's) verbal communication is limited and (9 yr old) is non verbal.

So the challenge of having to think for your child has its good days and bad days. Some parents wish their child would be quiet for five minutes during a car ride. Yet, I wish for my child to tell me everything they think, feel and what is on their mind. There are things people take for granted that other people wish and hope to have. Mine is to have children who can speak and think in a beautiful way; luckily as a role model I am doing the best I can to mold my children in a way they are who they are and I advocate to help other people understand and be aware. I have learned a lot from having children with developmental disabilities and  I do my best to help the next person who might experience the same.

I advocate and support individuals with​
disabilities and I promote and program called Project Search here in Gallup, New Mexico who does help high school  students with disabilities learn job experience and soon be able to obtain their own jobs. I research and look up resources for my children. My kinship has become stronger with the trial and errors we face everyday especially as a single parent. I want to show my children that I will always be there to help no matter the circumstances. I want to show them strength, communication, understanding, caring and most importantly fun. Even though things are difficult and worse on some days we can embrace the difference with activities and awareness.

​Most people have fell in love with my sons not because of their disability but because of who they are. They are the most unique people ever and they make you fall in love with their view of the world, they touch your heart. If we can change the view of disability and show the uniqueness things can change for the better.

Programs like the kinship can improve and change lives because it helps spread awareness. People are dealing with some kind of similar hardship and have no voice or knowledge. When I first was informed of Autism I didn't know what it was and I want to help people know that it happens and it will be okay. We have to keep a strong kinship because it's what we are and how we look at things. We are stronger than what people think and more support can change a lot of things in the world. There is more I can say and share but I can do it all in one time, we all have a story and it's best to share our experiences and stories to help someone out there who is lost.  ​
I would love to get her a traditional outfit to take pictures in so she can see herself when she gets older and say "wow that was me!" I want to be able to give her the joy of life that I wanted for myself.

​From a single mom who because of COVID, had to be alone and separated from her extended family, and from her newborn for the first month of life.
The ideal kinship family team could help support my daughter (which is part navajo, seminal creek, and part mexican) by helping us go a long way. I am only 17 years old right now. I had my daughter when I was 16 and got pregnant at 15, I am also a single mom, her dad isn't around as much, and we only get $200 a month which goes to diapers and her needs. She also goes to a daycare which is free for me right now until I am 18. Things I would love to do with her this summer would be going to parks, having a picnic, or even taking her to have fun instead of staying home on weekends. Also I would love to get her a traditional outfit to take pictures in so she can see herself when she gets older and say "wow that was me!"

I haven't been able to get a job yet because I am still in school and trying to graduate early. I am currently attending high school and college for dual credit, I am supposed to be in the class of 2022 but I am going to be done with high school in december. From there im going to go on with my life to better myself and my daughter. But i would love to get her anything she needs that could benefit herself to start understanding words or even begin to walk. But for now with covid it's been hard to get money or even funding.

To continue on, I had lost some precious time with my daughter. When we got released from the hospital me and mom didn't know we had come home with covid from the hospital. We were fine for the first 4-6 days. At the beginning I just kept complaining to my mom that i couldn't taste or smell any of the food I was eating, and after that came the chills. I was covered in about 5 blankets and it felt so cold when really it was just the right temperature. Then my mom went to work and came back saying she doesn't feel good, after that we decided to get tested for covid. At the time we had my dad, my two sisters and my niece living with us. When we got tested they left that day to go stay with our cousins and aunt. Also my baby's father came back to see his daughter. I just started breastfeeding, and after having a baby my body was just in pain and I was so sore. After we got tested I had to make the decision to give up my baby to let her father take care of her while I had covid. The doctor told me that since I was breastfeeding which is very good and my breast milk would protect my baby from covid, I just decided to give her to her dad.

Since this is my first kid I want the best for her, her health and keeping her safe was the only thing I thought of at the time. After she left I still gave her breast milk, I pumped as much milk as I could and I put it at the front door for her dad to pick up. I did this everyday, I would set an alarm at midnight and every two hours 
after so I could pump and make sure to get enough milk as possible for her. The hardest part was not the pain my body was in, but it was not able to hold my newborn baby, i couldn't kiss her, i couldn't hear her cry at night, i felt lost, i felt like depressed without my baby next to me i couldn't even feed her or even give her, her first bath. As a new mom I wanted every moment with her, to bring her home, which I did do, but keeping her near me was all i wanted, but i couldn't have it.

My recovery on covid wasn't as bad as my parents had it, my mom was the first one to go to the hospital, she had to go into the ICU for about a week, after she came home, a day later my dad was rushed to the hospital, which he had went into the ICU. With both of my parents going to the hospital it made it longer for me to see my baby. It didn't feel like home. When I gave up my baby to her dad was at the end of april of 2020, I didn't get to see her until after she turned a month old which was in may, but i didn't even get to have her back in my arms until the middle of June of 2020. After i got her back it was like she didn't know who i was, she just cried like she wasn't comfortable with me. As the days and months went on i started to feel closer to her, she then knew who i was, she knew i was her mom, but there will always be that part of me that knows i missed a month of her life as a newborn, it made me feel like i was a bad mom, i kept questioning myself and asking "did i make the right choice?." But as I learned that being a mom isn't easy, you're not just worrying about yourself now but you're not worrying about 2 people instead of 1.

​Being able to teach her new things or even see her to start crawling, or try to help her walk is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I have learned that, being a mother means taking care of yourself and others, it means that you ask for help when you need it, and honestly I've asked for help more when having her than I ever did before. Ever since losing her that first month i don't want to ever leave her for a long period of time again, i want to see her go to school, birthdays, play sports, graduating high school. I want to be able to give her the joy of life that I wanted for myself. I want to be able to give her everything I didn't get to have while growing up. I want her to know that her mother can handle it, that she can do anything everything is possible. I want to be able to live on my own, to be able to take her whenever she wants, eat whatever she wants, I want to be able to live on our own and try to get out of this town and live somewhere that is promised a tomorrow, because a tomorrow isn't always promised, but i want to make it possible. i Just want to be able to go, and do whatever with her, whatever she wants, or whatever she needs i want to be able to do.
In a perfect world and a place inside my dreams, I envision having my mother and my father alive once again. In my children's eyes most importantly they see that I belong to them, I am THEIR mom

​From a single mom who has lost many family and friends due to COVID but also made it through many hardships, including separations, high-risk pregnancy, extra healthcare family needs, and family land disputes that drove a wedge between family members from before COVID.
In a perfect world and a place inside my dreams, I envision having my mother and my father alive once again. That I would have the love and support of all my older siblings. That this pandemic didn't strip my family of my uncles, aunties, cousins and even close friends. That with the events of last year 2020 that we could have had the opportunity to leave our homes to visit others, go to work, or to feel safe while out in public places. I wish that my child's father didn't leave us at the beginning of a scary and uncertain time. That I could find a stable job to support my kids and myself. That I had positive people who I could call friends in my life to turn to. That COVID-19 never happened.

​That I didn't have to worry about travel expenses for my daughter's medical care. That all of her care didn't just fall all on me (in need of respite). That I could find someone to love me and be in strong relationship with. I want to not be let down by others anymore. I want to surround myself with others who are like me, who are caring and kindhearted.  I want to have confidence, to be strong, to have no doubt, to have kind words spoken to me and my kids. I don't want to feel like I'm alone anymore.

Looking back at hard times, I never thought that it was or still is a lot to go through. Even as I sit here and write this, I am amazed at how well I continue to handle it all. With this new year, I have obtained my own vehicle and have somehow managed to kept up with finances on my own. I've done a lot of home
improvements with the help of my son, we  have gotten our COVID-19 vaccines, and I am actively looking for employment at this time. ​My goals are to continue fixing my vehicle, keeping up with bills, and to spend some time with my kids away from the house. I always have it in mind to get away with them for a day or two because we sure need that soon. My biggest dream and goal at the moment is to return to school and obtain a college degree. My main focus is on my kids and myself. I need to be here for them, to make lasting memories, to see them thrive, to see them grow, and for them to be happy. They are just kids and all I want for them is to see that I can and will always find a way to make everything that seems impossible happen. I am a single mom but in their eyes they see a superhero but most importantly they see that I belong to them, I am THEIR mom.  

I am blessed to have found support from Navajo Family Voices. I felt as if my words and my thoughts do matter to someone out there. I find this important and find it useful as far as knowing that there are other families out there who utilize help like this and who are going through tough times like myself. I would like to see more information on how to connect to resources in my community, to have more information on organized events (online and in person), and the idea of a support group of other parents (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly meetings via internet or if possible, in person). Thank You so much for taking the time to read this.
For the longest time I never had kinship support growing up and I always thought it was okay not to support your family. I didn't understand it until I became a parent and I didn't learn with my first child.

From mom of a 6 year old in the Navajo Eastern Agency area.
For the longest time I never had kinship support growing up and I always thought it was okay not to support your family. In Native culture that sometimes I guess was never taught, you just were left alone to deal with it.  You either overcame it or stayed there mentally. I didn't understand it until I became a parent and I didn't learn with my first child.  As I got older I came to realize that having kinship support from your spouse or family member is important.  Having that love and support when you're feeling down helps you become stronger and rebuilds you mentally and shows you that you can pass any obstacles you face.  Where I realized I was lacking in my own family was not being there for my kids, not hearing their voice.  I was too busy working and didn't give time for my kids.  Later I understand that being there for your children gives them support emotionally and mentally.  Having open conversation and expressing your thoughts.  I got help through programs from PMS, Headstart, local clinics and online sites like this, gave me the support and guidance that i am not alone and things can get better and fixed.  The first step in
doing that starts from the parent. Not being  afraid to ask for help and reaching out to others.

Programs you provide among our people, especially myself, have helped and remind me to be strong.  Knowing that there is legal support for me at reach gives me a peace of mind that I can call and they can help me set up an appointment with an attorney. At one point, I came across this website and didn't know that they did food drives which help my people in my community.  Some of the people in my area don't know that programs like this exist and in return I try to help my community know there are resources out there.  In this program, I have read some good advice from other families that have brought my family but seeing that I am not the only one struggling. Also that setting up covid information has helped my family understand the knowledge about the virus and where to get help. I want to say thank you for your website, I find it very helpful for my family. ​
To have kinship again would really help me emotionally spiritually and physical would mean so much because as a single family we miss that all the most
My ideal of kinship I look to is that with COVID and all the hardships we are facing now that my family be able to come back together an focus on our healing as one. That right now we are not able to do that with so many worries an concerns. The high addiction of alcohol be over with that’s why family plays a big role in the healing of that the stress the stories of our elders able to be shared of how we can get through these hardships. Especially for me going through all this as a single mother. Choosing to give to my kids alone because the affects of alcohol taking over an ruining a
lot I did not want my kids being exposed to it. So to have kinship again would really help me emotionally spiritually and physical would mean so much because as a single family we miss that all the most. 

The lesson I am learning from this now is helping me so much as I am able to tell my story which is relief that there is help with telling our story. That so many other families that are affected in some way are able to seek help even if it’s just venting and being able to share my story. Thank you. 
The importance of Kinship to me is very vital as it plays a role model to the younger generation, that is how they learn ke’ (clanship) and our Navajo culture

From a law enforcement Shiprock mom, reflecting on the actions, bonds and responsibilities she experiences in every day life, her COVID worries, and the role of kinship in learning Navajo culture.
We have devoted our time in teaching our 5 year old son our native language, our Navajo culture and the importance of having long hair as well as the lesson plans that were provide for him. There has been times where their paternal grandparents have had to watch them all day and that I very much appreciate. My mother and father in law both speak the Navajo language to my kids and to me that is important. They are often told how to do things in the Navajo language or how to say certain things in the Navajo Language. As a mother I work full time and taking online courses with San Juan College. I stay up late up to the early mornings to do my assignments while everyone is asleep. I wake up early to get my kids up for school and their dad leaves for work. We sit and do online school all day and my 2 year old usually joins in with my 5 year old son. We are very busy but we manage in the midst of this pandemic to still be here and see our kids be successful in their education.

There’s been times we were anxious and afraid that we were going to contract the virus and bring it home to our kids, as First Responders we didn’t know what we were going to head into as we attended to calls or helping those who needed help. It has been very stressful for us be we are thankful and stayed in prayer to Our Creator for the protection and
to keep blessing us with life. The importance of Kinship to me is very vital as it plays a role model to the younger generation, that is how they learn ke’ (clanship) and our Navajo culture. I have taught my 15 year old daughter how to make blue mush with cedar ash and its now my 5 year old son’s favorite. I explain to him its our Native food. When we are not busy with anything we go for a drive or we go for a walk/run as a family. We go and visit their grandparents because they see that family time is important to them. Just the feeling of being with their mom, dad and grandparents is nurturing to them.

Teach your children our culture and to speak our Navajo Language, be proud of them even. When they make little mistakes encourage them to do better. Communicate with them and be with them when you can. Your teachings and love is what your child/children want, Parent (s). A program like yours is what a lot of families are looking for. A program where they can get the help they need that focuses on family, no matter the situation. A program that will support them and show them how they can improve their family needs without having to exceed their financial situation. We are thankful for programs like such to help the Navajo families across the Navajo Reservation. Ahe’hee’.