| TN-80 (II) A 30 year-old single mother of three living with her mother in Williamson County. [The author's household includes herself, her mother and her three children ages eleven, ten and six.] 1. HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT Interviewer: All "R’s". My parents did all "K’s" [referring to household members]. Alright, we’ll go on to the next page here. The first questions are about household support. How do you maintain your household on a daily basis? For example, resources that you may use that make your household run. Author: Umm, [small laugh]. Interviewer: Like ways that you put food on the table, paying bills, paying rent. Author: Oh, umm— Interviewer: That was a little confusing to start out. Author: (laugh) Umm, well umm, I get food stamps to help with the groceries. My mother eats separate. I umm, provide for my children. Interviewer: You provide for your children as far as— Author: As far as grocery-wise. Interviewer: Through the food stamps? Author: Ya. Umm, I get Family’s First, for now. Interviewer: For now? Is that supposed to stop? Author: Umm, yes. Interviewer: When is that supposed to happen? Author: I think my last month is uhh, February? Interviewer: So, how long have you been on that? Author: About 18 months. Interviewer: How about paying bills? Author: Uh, my mother umm, pays all the electricity. And with Families First, I’ll give her so much. Just to be helping out. Interviewer: Is there a particular amount—rent amount that you pay her? Author: Umm, I usually give her about $60. Interviewer: And remember that these figures or anything that I would write down is not for anyone in the office to know. Author: Right. Interviewer: Alright, so paying rent, paying bills—anything else that you can think of? Author: Umm, no. I don’t get child support. Interviewer: Okay, no child support. And as far as family and everything, mom is your sole helper. Author: Yes, she’s the one. [laughs] Interviewer: How much time do you have to supervise your children? Author: Um, pretty much all the time. [nervous laugh)] Just not from the time they go to school and come home. And like today, all day. Interviewer: So, any help from outside resources with childcare besides family or friends? Author: No. Interviewer: Okay. We’re through with those questions—how about, compared to two years ago, supporting your household today is: much harder, harder, unchanged, easier, much easier. Author: I would say “B”, harder. Interviewer: What about it seems harder? Author: Lately just the things that happened—it’s just the—it’s been really a difficult year. Interviewer: Things have happened in your personal life? Author: Uhh, yes. Interviewer: Umm, financial, relational— Author: Financial, mainly financial things. Interviewer: Things having to do with—was there some resource that was helping before that is not helping now? Author: No, well, well two years ago I had a job. Interviewer: So that added a paycheck there. Author: Yes. That made it a lot easier. I had a vehicle then. Interviewer: What happened to your car? Author: Umm, I had an accident and it totaled it. Interviewer: Umm, so insurance didn’t help with that or anything? Author: No, I didn’t have insurance. I couldn’t afford to make the payments. Interviewer: So when it was totaled it was just a “done deal”. Author: Ya. Interviewer: Wow. Two years ago were you with your mom, is that right? Author: Yes, I was. Yes. We, uhh, moved out, uhh, last year 'cause I got an apartment and uhh, my ex- husband came over and destroyed the kitchen and we had to move out of that apartment and then we got another apartment and—tried to make things work, you know, with my ex-husband 'cause he was getting help with his problems and the kids wanted to give him a second chance, and we tried to give him a second chance, and it didn’t work so we moved back up here with my mother and that’s when everything just started going down. Interviewer: So the wreck was after that. Author: Ya. Interviewer: That was a whole bunch of stuff right in a row, wasn’t it? Author: Oh yeah. Interviewer: Okay, anything else that you can think of that I might have missed on this page? Author: No. Compared to two years ago, supporting my household today is harder. 2. CHILD WELL-BEING Interviewer: Alright, well let’s move on to the next. Okay, these next questions have to do with your children and their well-being. How are your children doing in terms of physical health? Author: Physical, good. Interviewer: They get checkups and everything? Author: Ya. Ya. Interviewer: And they just kind of always check out okay. Author: Ya. Interviewer: Great. How do you feel about their safety? Author: Umm, safety is good. Interviewer: Umm, where you live and everything, you feel safe about them there? Author: Umm, ya. Interviewer: With your housing, you feel like it’s a safe environment? Author: Umm, yes it’s a good neighborhood. Interviewer: Good. Author: It’s a good place— Interviewer: Good. Author: —to have children. Interviewer: That’s wonderful. Umm, how do you feel about them in terms of academics, their schoolwork? Author: Um, good, good and fair. Interviewer: There’s some of them who do better than others? Author: Ya. Interviewer: So, let’s say like, Robert, how’s he doing? Author: Robert, he’s ADD. He kind of struggles. It’s hard to get his attention to do homework and stuff, but he does do a B/C average. Interviewer: So, do you feel like his attention is similar at home as it is at school? Author: Ya. Interviewer: So, it’s pretty consistent across the board that he’s having an attention problem. Author: Ya. Interviewer: Okay, umm, how about Rebecca? Author: Umm, Rebecca, she’s umm, fair. She, uhh, kind of has the, uhh, "A," "B," "C," "F" in there. Interviewer: So, she gets a variety of grades that depend on what her interests are or talents? Author: Ya, she struggles with reading. Reading is a little difficult, I guess—for her to understand what she reads. And that’s the only area that she’s really having a hard time in. Interviewer: How do you feel about, like help for her in school, do you feel like she has enough help to get better with that or— Author: Uhh, I think that between me and her teacher, that away—but umm, as far as if I think there could be more help. I think she needs help. I think there needs to be, you know like, I think teachers need to uhh, you know, express to you as a parent. I think they need to express, like, they think your child needs to go to a tutor and give you a list of tutors to take your child to. I think in that way, but hopefully, she’ll be able to do this without the tutor. Interviewer: Umm hmm, okay. How about Ryan? Author: Ryan is in kindergarten. He’s doing good. Interviewer: Just kind of starting out and doing good right off the bat. Author: (Laughs) Ya. He’s taking his time doing his class work as his teacher expressed on his report card—I think a kindergartner, that’s normal. [laughs] Interviewer: They have a hard time getting into the discipline of things once they’re at school after being at home and getting to do what they want! How about their behavior at school? Author: Good, no problems. Uhh— Interviewer: With Robert, do you ever find that when he starts having trouble paying attention that he gets in trouble more, like because he’s trying to fidget of find something to entertain himself? Author: Umm—not, he used to and he’s taking medication for that now. Interviewer: And you feel like the resources to get that medication, you are hooked up with the right folks to get that? Author: Yes, yes. Interviewer: Great. How about Rebecca? Author: Rebecca’s behavior is good in school, umm, she talks, but I think it’s a girl thing. [laughs] Interviewer: I remember that problem. How about Ryan? Author: Ryan, he’s just uhh, he’s no problem. [laughs] Really, I mean, maybe he gets in trouble as a kindergartner for little things, but nothing kind of—severe. Interviewer: Well, compared to two years ago, the general well being of my children is much worse, worse, unchanged, better, much better? Author: Umm, I’m gonna say—better. Interviewer: Okay, what do you think, what do you attribute that to? Author: Uhh, they’re performance in school, umm— Interviewer: You think umm, does it have to do with Dad in their life before and not now? Author: Ya, dad was in their life two years ago. Uhh, they hardly see him now. Interviewer: So, was that kind of disruptive when he was around? Kind of kept things up and down? Author: Ya. Interviewer: Made things harder maybe? Author: Ya. Interviewer: Gotcha. Think of any other things that made their overall well-being better? Author: It’s pretty much good now. Compared to two years ago, the general well-being of my children is better. 3. BASIC NEEDS Interviewer: Okay. Alright, let’s go on to the next one. These are about basic needs. So, how well is your family meeting it’s basic needs, like in regard to food? Author: Food is good. Clothing is kind of hard to do clothing. Umm, my mother basically gets their clothing. Interviewer: Okay, does she like shop out regular stores, does she do second hand stuff? Author: Wal-Mart is the biggest clothing for the family. [laughs] Uhh, we do go to Graceworks. Interviewer: And Graceworks, tell me what that is. Author: Umm, it’s like a second hand store. Interviewer: Is that through a church? Author: Yes. Interviewer: Just back to the food just for a second, do you feel like you are able to get enough nutritional things, like do you have to be less nutritional because of money? Author: Umm, it’s nutritional, I mean we have a variety—kind of have to fix things they will all eat. You know, Rebecca and Ryan, they’re no problem because they’ll eat anything, and then Robert, he’s the picky eater. He don’t eat the vegetables. He’ll eat corn and that’s it. He could live off the hot dog and bologna! [laugh]—and barbeques chips! [laughs] Interviewer: [Laughs] Okay. Author: But as far as healthy, they all eat fruit, umm, I guess it’s not a problem? Interviewer: Okay. Housing. I know you said you live with your mom. Is that your mom’s house? Author: Umm, it’s her boyfriend’s house. Umm, he don’t live there, but— Interviewer: Okay, so does she rent from him, or does he let her live there? Author: Umm, he lets her live there right now. Interviewer: And you said that you felt good about where it is and the quality and that kind of thing? Author: Right. Interviewer: What other things, how do you feel about medical care? Author: Umm, we all have Tenn Care, umm— Interviewer: Do you feel like that meets the kids' needs doctor-wise? Author: Ya, doctor-wise. We found a good doctor in Franklin that is real good. mm, now myself now [laughs] it’s kind of really, it’s hard to find a doctor that accepts TennCare in Franklin. Interviewer: I see. The kid’s doctor specifically does children and you have to go to somebody else? Author: Ya, and that’s hard in Franklin. Interviewer: Do you go to a surrounding town? Author: Umm, no, umm, I usually don’t call one unless I’m really ill and so I hardly ever really need a doctor. Now a female doctor, that’s a different thing. I haven’t really found one that I like—they’re kind of hard to find that accept TennCare too. Interviewer: Okay. How about in regard to, you mentioned that you had a car wreck before. Were you on TennCare at that time? Author: Yes. Interviewer: Was that through the ER? Author: Yes, that was through the ER. Interviewer: So, you felt like you got good care? Author: Umm, ya. Interviewer: Okay, how about basic needs as far as education? We’ve touched a little bit on education but do you feel like your school is good? Author: Yes, they go to a good school. Interviewer: Good. How about in regard to an education for yourself? Author: Umm, I umm, before umm, after my divorce when I got on Families First, I got my GED. Interviewer: Oh, good for you. Author: And uhh, I went and done that. Done my jobs and umm, I lost my job. [nervous laugh] My youngest one, it was a year ago, I think, ya, it was a year ago. I lost my job because my youngest one broke his leg. My daughter broke her arm and my ex-husband was causing all his normal problems, so— Interviewer: Did that have something to do with them getting hurt? Author: Uh, now, uhh, no normal kid things. My little one broke his leg because my oldest one was trying to ride him on the back of the bike and his ankle got caught. Interviewer: Ouch! Author: And my daughter, umm, they were standing on the bumper of the car and bouncing, you know, while it was parked, and she fell and broke her little wrist or—it wasn’t a major break. It was like a little fracture. Normal kid things. Interviewer: Right, so those things had made it so that you couldn’t concentrate on your job or couldn’t be there? Author: I couldn’t be there umm, like I wanted, umm, it’s kind of hard to have the time. Ryan, the littlest one, was in daycare and it was kind of hard for him to be at daycare with a broken leg. Interviewer: Mmm. Author: Especially at toddler age. Well, it really wasn’t toddler. I guess it was four, 'cause it was right around when he was, or maybe he was five. It was kind of in between the four and five because I think he had just turned his birthday and I had just started to go back to work, umm, and he broke his leg, and they have a point system where I worked to where you’ve got so many points and then you lose your job. And so—[laughs]. That was kind of hard there. Interviewer: Ya, sounds like it. What kinds of things do you feel like help you meet these kinds of needs like for clothing and housing and education? Author: Uhh, a good job. [laughs] Interviewer: Okay, so a good job would help? Author: A job that would pay you a decent—you know, you would work for what you get, umm— Interviewer: So, does that means that some jobs that you have had or that you look at, you just feel like I’d never make a living working those jobs? Author: Uhh, you live paycheck to paycheck, and hard, umm, especially, umm, hard as a single parent to find a good job. To find the job that’s got, you know, the hours that you can work with and still have time for your kids. Umm, I worked at Lowe’s. Umm Lowe’s was a good job except the hours that you had to work. One night two to ten. Next day you’d have to be there to pen up the store. Different things like that. Interviewer: I switched pages here because I’m going to make some notes on the page about employment. Author: Umm, Plus Mark was where I worked for my second job which is the one I lost. It was a good job. Interviewer: So, the Lowe’s was bad hours and the Plus Mark you were fired, because of all the extenuating circumstances that were going on. Author: Ya. You know you had to take off to doctor’s appointments— Interviewer: I’m going to just kind of “bookmark” that and go back in a little while and talk more about jobs. Umm, what kind of things interfere with meeting your family’s needs? Sounds like one would be not having a job right now. Author: Not having a job, umm, no vehicle—basically about it. Interviewer: As far as benefits that you receive, do you feel like that’s enough help? Or like, it’s really not enough help? Author: Umm, the food stamps is enough. Umm, umm, the cash benefit—I mean it helps, but you only get that certain amount for that whole month. It’s hard to stretch, you know, that certain amount for that month, because you really have to stretch [laughs]. Umm, let’s see, I get $200, I want to say $240 per month. Ya, that’s hard to stretch, really hard to stretch [laugh] because you know, the kids need stuff for school like stuff to wear. I mean I don’t, I’m the type of person, that if I need something, I’m gonna put off me to give to kids. I mean, I put off anything. If it costs me money, you know, I don’t get it. If—me and Rebecca, we wear the same size shoe. Interviewer: Okay, that comes in handy. Author: Ya, 'cause if she gets a new pair, I know I’m getting her old ones. Interviewer: Right. Author: I mean, that’s just—I guess it’s a parent thing. Interviewer: And when you think about meeting those basic needs, compared to two years ago, it is much worse, worse, unchanged, better or much better? Author: Worse. Two years ago I had a job. Compared to two years ago, my family's ability to meet its basic needs is worse. 4. HOUSING Interviewer: Let’s go over the housing questions. How well is your household meeting its basic needs? Author: Good. Interviewer: Anything about size or anything like that—kids have enough rooms? Author: Umm, Robert and Ryan share a room. Me and Becca share a room and the[n] my mother has her room. Interviewer: Okay, and the physical condition of the house? Looks really good! Looks comfortable. Author: Good. Interviewer: And the safety of the neighborhood? Author: Umm, it’s a good neighborhood. Interviewer: Sounds like you have a dog out there that will at least let you know when someone’s coming? Author: Yes, he lets you know if we got a visitor. Interviewer: Lets see. About work and school—about how close it is to these things? Author: The school is in walking distance. They can ride their bikes. Interviewer: And, I think you had mentioned at one point about where your dad lives in Columbia and that that’s not too bad? Author: No. Interviewer: Any other family? Author: Umm, my grandmother lives, well one of my, well, my Dad’s mother lives in Columbia also. There are some aunts and cousins that live in Columbia. Interviewer: So, compared to two years ago, your housing is— Author: Uhh, better! Compared to two years ago, my housing is better. 5. EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING Interviewer: Alright, these next ones are about emotional well-being. What feelings have you been experiencing the most lately? Author: Umm, stress here and there. I guess just the usual stress. Interviewer: What kinds of things do you feel like, cause you stress? Author: Umm, not having a vehicle. Not having a job right now. Having to rely on someone else to take me everywhere I need to go. Not being able to provide like I should. Interviewer: That’s interesting that you use the word "should". So it feels like “I’m the Mom, I should be doing this?" Author: Yes. Interviewer: I imagine that adds a lot of weight and pressure. Author: It does, yes. Interviewer: How do you feel like those feelings influence your parenting? Author: Umm, hard at this point—it’s hard at times—with the stress it gets in the way of the pain at times. Interviewer: So, where you’re just thinking about all the details and all the things that you could do, but you’re kind of tired a lot of the time? Author: Yes. Interviewer: Okay, so have you sought any help for any of these feelings? Author: Uhh, not like I should. [laughs] Interviewer: So, do you know places that you can get help? Like if you decided one day, “ I am going to get help for some of this. I am going to get counseling.”, would you know what direction to go in? Author: Uhh, not really [laughs]. I know “Mental Health” as far as mental health help, but I really don’t know. Interviewer: And, just as a side note, you know that you are welcome to come to our office at any time. Author: Right, right. Well, Mental Health and DHS [Department of Human Services]. Interviewer: And actually, DHS and Family Services Counseling are totally separate and—I’m getting side tracked. Author: That’s alright. Interviewer: I just don’t want you to feel like you don’t have a way to get help, so just know that you can always call me and I’m separate from DHS. Um, so compared to two years ago, my emotional well-being is— Author: Uhh, unchanged. Ya, I’m gonna stick with unchanged. Interviewer: Okay, so it’s just pretty consistent that you just stay in a feeling of kind of stuck and not having a lot of power? Author: Ya. Right, right, right, right. Compared to two years ago, my emotional well-being is unchanged. 6. EMPLOYMENT Interviewer: Okay, and these next ones are about employment, and it sounds like that is one of the things that is stressful to you. Author: [Nodding affirmation] Interviewer: So, tell me about your last job, 'cause I know you’re not working right now, so just tell me about your last job. Author: My last job was at Plus Mart. Uhh, I liked it—it was good hours. The pay could be better 'cause it felt like I was living paycheck to paycheck. Which actually, I was. Interviewer: How about the benefits on that job? Author: Benefits were good. I didn’t have no problem with the benefits. Interviewer: And the hours? Author: The hours were good. The hours I couldn’t really complain. It was like 8-4, so that was good hours. Interviewer: So for a mom with kids in school, that works out well? Author: Yes. Interviewer: And how about, I know you had mentioned Lowe’s before. Author: Umm, ya, which I liked working at Lowe’s too, but I couldn’t work the hours and you know, be there for my kids like I needed to be. Interviewer: Okay, so that was the reason you stopped working at Lowe’s and Plus Mart? Author: Umm, Plus Mart my points got to the level where I was dismissed because that’s when, umm, Robert and Rebecca, I mean Ryan and Rebecca, they both got broken leg, the broken arm. My ex- husband caused trouble. Interviewer: And I remember talking a little bit about this before and I had asked you, was your husband—did he do any of the hurting to the kids? Author: No, no it was just childhood things. Interviewer: Well, kids go through a lot of that, don’t they? Author: Ya, they do. Interviewer: Alright, with Lowe’s did you feel like there was any training opportunities or ways that you might move up? Author: Umm, eventually after being there maybe a while you would probably move up if there was an opening, you know to another spot if you’d been there for awhile and your work record was good. Interviewer: Was there a chance like if you had been there for a long time that your hours would have changed? Author: Uhh, probably not. It probably would have stayed like where it’s every other, like you open one day and close the next, you know, work the middle shift one day. Interviewer: And, with Plus Mart, did you feel like there was training or advancement opportunities? Author: Umm, possibly, I’m not sure. I mean you could get a better job like if you were doing something you didn’t like to do and another job came available you could have a chance to get that job. Interviewer: Okay, so compared to two years ago, we’re saying we’re going to mark the scale does not apply to me, no job right now? Author: Right. Compared to two years ago, the wages and benefits of the job I have now are: scale does not apply. 7. FAMILY SERVICE COUNSELING Interviewer: Okay. And these questions are the ones that pertain to just Family Services Counseling. What, if anything, has changed for you as a result of your involvement with the Family Service Counseling program? That would be like when you met with Heather or meeting with me. Author: Uhh, it could have been a little more helpful if I didn’t have my kids. Interviewer: Okay, so that is kind of hard to talk about “real stuff” and your kids are right there, and they don’t need to hear all that stuff do they? Author: No. Interviewer: Can you think of ways that things might have changed with running your household or with your children’s behavior. Or with your kids there were you able to work through anything like parenting techniques? Author: Umm, ya. I did, I did. Interviewer: That’s good. And your job situation, did you have a job then? Author: Umm, yes. Interviewer: Okay. So, anything you can think about with Family Service Counseling that I haven’t asked you? Author: Umm, no. Interviewer: Alright. 8. BASIC FACTS Your community or neighborhood of residence: Williamson County Gender: Female Last year of school completed: GED: Yes Race: White Ethnicity: Does your partner, spouse or co-parent live in the household? No Do you currently receive any cash public assistance (TANF)? Yes Manner in which story was originally given: tape recorded |
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