Melinda is married and was working as an LMSW when she welcomed her baby daughter to their family. That’s when everything changed:
My husband and I waited until we were sure we would be economically stable to start a family. Our plan was that my husband would work virtually while also watching the baby, while I would continue to work full time as a social worker, helping others navigate mental health crises and associated economic resource needs.
Summer arrived. Nothing went as we had planned. My husband’s employer increased his in-person expectations when I was one month away from the end of my maternity leave. Since my husband would no longer be able to watch our daughter, we had to make a new plan.
My job requires recurrent, mandated overtime and rotating shifts. I calculated childcare costs for that versus my salary and went, “Uh-oh.” I would not be able to return to work and afford care for my baby. I had no choice but to quit, meaning I would both lose my income and not qualify for government financial assistance programs. I’ve often wondered: how many moms and dads go through this with their first child?
I want to return to being a social worker. I initially became interested in social work when I was teaching theater and providing core subject tutoring (reading, math, science, social studies) at a group home for abused and neglected children. I loved helping them meet both their emotional and academic goals, as I am also a domestic violence survivor.
At the time, I was not aware of any of the helpful services, shelters, therapy, etc. that could have assisted me during that difficult time. I wrote poetry to process my trauma. When I learned later on that there were a lot of people with similar experiences, I had my poems published as a collection in Metaphoria.
It has been difficult to find jobs that pay enough, given my child care needs, but I also struggle to pay my bills now. Having a child should not destroy a family’s ability to pay for basic necessities. The truth is, no amount of mutual aid groups or supplies from local nonprofits can perform the function that the Child Tax Credit can: direct cash to pay for my child’s needs.
Every person deserves rights to the resources that help them reach goals that give them a safe, fulfilling life. Anger about the lack of accessibility of resources and the violation of people’s rights definitely fuels my work.
My daughter is 10 months old now. We also have a cat. I still love theatre and dance. I like to write poetry, bake, repurpose things others would throw out and use them for arts and crafts projects, read and play video games.