Young mother proud of sons and herself
“I was really young when I had my boys. I got pregnant at 12, and I was 15 when I had the second one. Basically, I was raising my babies while I was still a baby. I raised them while going to school. It was pretty damn tough. But I think I did a good job.
“We have a whole library at home, and I read every single book to them. We had encyclopedias, and every day I would tell them to learn a new word, that they would probably need to know it one day. I’ve always loved to study and to learn. I tried to teach them that knowledge is the most important thing. It’s something that nobody can ever take away from you. Just read and learn as much as you can, from anybody.
“I’m so proud of my boys. My youngest one is 15 and my oldest is 18. He graduated with honors from Lee High School, in the top 10%, and he’s going to UTI [Universal Technical Institute]. He has big plans. He wants to retire when he’s really young. He says, ‘Mom, I’m going to give you the life that you deserve.’
“While it was really challenging raising my boys on my own, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. It’s so sad to see little kids being taken away from parents or parents giving up their kids. Like, you gave birth to that child. How can you give up so easily?
“I didn’t give up. And look what great young men my boys have turned out to be. I couldn’t be more proud of them. And I’m proud of myself. For being 31, I think I’ve accomplished a lot.”
— Brenda Avila
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