Week Thirteen

Charles and Wendy’s relationship continued for the next three years.  Because of their shared child, and the failed relationship with the father of Wendy’s first child, she was determined to make this work.  Wendy had the fear of her children growing up having the feelings that Wendy has always felt toward Sierra and Dan.  Also, Wendy sees that her own father was absent and when her mother met Dan, the two were able to get married and make their relationship last for more than a decade already.  Much to her dismay, Charles never seemed to get better.  Wendy had begun working at a job at the local elementary school, working in the cafeteria.  The pay wasn’t great, but she had some government support to assist her financially.  Wendy became close with a girl named Samantha; Samantha was able to shed the light on Wendy’s relationship, and to give her the strength to leave her situation.

Wendy left Charles with even more insecurities than she had when they started dating.  Where would she live? How will she get by? Her mental stability began to slip away and once again Dan and Sierra had to intervene.  Wendy’s parents took the two children in over the next few years. At first Wendy was distant; luckily the boys were to remain with her parents until Wendy was able to find a permanent living situation and stability with her emotions.  Eventually Wendy began feeling better and started visiting her children a few times a week. Charles had not seen his child since his split from Wendy, but he does pay child support every now and then. When the dust settled, Wendy began considering her education. Thank goodness Dan made Wendy get her G.E.D; Wendy decided to begin working on an associate’s degree to get a better paying job, and one with more benefits.  Wendy was determined to bring her children back into a stable home, and to need minimal or no government assistance.  Wendy began attending the local community college at age 30, working toward a future job as a nurse. Her dream job was to be a nurse in helping children and also those with mental disabilities, since she has personal experience and wanted to work with children. Over the next two and a half years, Wendy juggled a full time job while being a full time student. This was a struggle for Wendy to juggle with both since she had to work by day and take classes at night.

Wendy often had the insecurities that she would never be able to complete her associate’s degree. This especially took a turn for the worse when she had to complete a course in anatomy and physiology before she could apply to be a part of the nursing program. She did not pass the first time, and almost left school fearing failure. However, it was her children and parents that encouraged her to continue on, and she thought about her future life with her children in a stable home. She passed the course the second time around, and continued to juggle work and school. Wendy got accepted into the nursing school at the community college and started to intern at a local hospital and rehabilitation center, which was another thing to add to her busy plate. Despite the exhaustion of work, classes, and being an intern at the hospital, Wendy was happy that she was working towards her dream. At the hospital she even got to work with children with disabilities, and bonded with the children that were treated there.

After a long two and a half years, Wendy graduated with her associate degree in registered nursing at the top of her class. She worked hard for this goal; despite the struggles she managed to climb to the top. After graduating with her degree, she began to look for work and to start her stable life with her children. Soon after graduation, she began work at the same hospital as her internship and even got a position in working with children. Her starting income was better than expected, and she started to work toward buying her first home. Her life seemed to be finally stabilizing, and her parents were considering awarding her sole custody of her children again.

Wendy started saving money little by little to buy a condo to live in with her children. Although she only made about $60,000 a year, she budgeted her money very carefully so she could afford the future life she wanted. Her friend Samantha helped her stay motivated and reminded her that Wendy’s children are counting on her. Samantha truly helped lift Wendy’s spirits up during her stressful job. Meanwhile, she continued to visit her children at her parent’s house as often as possible. Her children have finally started to warm up and accept Wendy as their mother again after the difficult transition period. Wendy was very worried about moving her kids to a different school, so she decided to stay in the area by her parents so they could remain at the same schools. About a year after she started her job at the hospital, Wendy decided to buy a condo a few roads down from her parents’ house. She decided to have her children stay at her place only on the weekends at first to help make the transition easier for them. This also helped Wendy work around her chaotic work hours. After school was out for the summer, Wendy’s parents decided to give her full custody of her children. While Wendy greatly appreciated the enormous help her parents gave her during her difficult time, she was delighted to finally have her family back together again after years of struggling and rebuilding.

Wendy and her children had a great summer together. Although her children were uneasy living with Wendy again at first, she was able to fully gain their trust again. During the summer, Wendy was able to afford to take her family on a vacation to the beach. She loved the feeling of being able to not only provide for her kids again, but also her ability to take them on fun trips which really helped her prove her investment in her family. After a long summer of rebuilding came to an end, Wendy found herself with more free time now that her kids were back in school. This down time allowed Wendy to reflect on the things that she was missing in her life. Wendy decided to join a gym, where she was able to take classes and really found herself enjoying yoga to wind down and release the stresses of working and being a full time single mom again. Over the next two years, Wendy realized that it was time for her to also focus on her social life since her children were often out and about hanging out with friends. Wendy made many friends at work, and even went out on a few dates. Although she decided at that time that it would be too soon to begin a serious relationship, she felt herself falling for a man named Chris who she met at the gym.

Since Wendy began to spend more time with Chris, she did not realize that her children began getting involved with underage drinking when they went out with friends. Wendy decided to put her relationship with Chris on hold so she could work on keeping her children out of trouble. Wendy thought that she had made herself a great example for her kids and she would not allow them to go down the same path she did when she was younger. She urged her children to attend some family counseling together, and with the help of a therapist, Wendy was able to help her children understand and accept her relationship with Chris. Although her children were more accepting, she and Chris still decided to take things slowly and decided they would not rush into marriage. Eventually Chris moved in with Wendy and her two kids which was a huge step in their relationship. It was now time for Wendy’s first child to go off to college. Wendy’s son was not really interested in a four year college, so he began to take classes at the local community college and got a job so he could afford to move out on his own. Wendy’s daughter was still living at home, so Wendy could keep a close eye on her. Her daughter behaved much like Wendy did when she was younger. However, unlike Sierra and Dan, Wendy was patient with her and continued family therapy with her. Wendy was now forty and had to deal with the fact that both of her children were gaining their full independence and were leaving her once again. Wendy invested her time in Chris and work and counseling to keep herself happy and out of depression. Finally, after 6 years together, Wendy and Chris decided to wed when she was 45. At this point in her life, Wendy was now financially stable, living with her new husband, and felt proud of the way she was able to turn her life around and set a great example for her children, that is until she received the news that her daughter was now pregnant at the age of 23.