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. She told us that she wanted be a good mother but didn't know how.

Well, we decided to help her by asking her to help us in the classroom. She wasn't working at the time, so we knew she had the time. She was delighted. Over time, as we nurtured her, she learned new ways to nurture her daughter. We showed her how to prepare healthy inexpensive meals, we got her finger-painting (and foot-painting as well!), playing at the water table with the children, cleaning out the sand table, playing tag at the park, and mopping up everyday spills - just to show her how ordinary and messy and "okay" it all was. After a few months, she felt "mended" and decided to move on...found a good job, a new apartment and started living a healthier lifestyle. Years later, I ran into her and the child on the street...both of them looked amazing, she was a whole new woman and the daughter was a laughing, healthy - and very caring - child. The bond between them was tangible and lovely.

So this experience reminds me that there IS a way to thrive beyond the damage...as you say, it takes a village to rear a child, perhaps it also takes a village to mend and nurture each other through the rest of the journey as well.

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