What’s supposed to be a room full of single mothers, sharing and relieving the stresses of their week, is empty. The support group provides an opportunity for expecting and single mothers at Florida A&M University to talk, vent and socialize with other mothers who share similar life experiences.
Attendance is continuously low at the support group.
Yolanda K. H. Bogan, director of the Office of Counseling Services, explained that the group is relatively new and suggested that these single mothers may simply not have the time to attend something outside of their normal life schedule.
“As women we don’t take care of ourselves,” Bogan said. “If it’s not a required activity we don’t do it.”
Jazmyne Marion, a third-year business student from Tallahassee, said she could relate to a lack of time for self-reflection.
Her day typically starts at six in the morning leaving her child at daycare. She then has classes from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., followed by work from 2 – 8 p.m.
Marion then picks up her child at 9 p.m. and goes home to cook dinner and put her child to bed.
Free time is a rare treat for her, and Marion said the support group is definitely something that she would attend, to remind her of others who endure the same struggles.
“This is the life I live everyday,” Marion said.