Mahogany, Kentucky

Raising Mason, Raising My Voice

When people ask if I want another baby, I laugh. I was like, hold on—I need a pension, a 401(k), and life insurance before I even think about that.

Mahogany

So, I just have my one, and he is five going on forty-five. His name is Mason.

He’s thoughtful, observant, and already carrying the kind of wisdom that makes people pause. He’s a Strolling Thunder baby so he has been behind the podium—yes, that podium—so I tell folks, don’t mess with my baby. He’s seen what it looks like when parents speak up, and now I’m trying to help him find his own voice too.

Becoming a Powerhouse (By Necessity)

We recently moved to Kentucky for my job, which means new systems, new childcare settings, new people. I’m constantly learning how to advocate for Mason; what quality childcare really looks like, how cultural competency shows up (or doesn’t), and how much difference the right environment can make for a child.

Somewhere along the way I realized I’d become a little powerhouse. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. When you’re navigating systems that weren’t built with your child in mind, you learn fast.

I don’t want him growing up feeling scarcity in his bones. I want him to feel safe, secure, and worthy of the basics. Because those basics shape everything that comes after.

Mahogany

1 in 3 infants and toddlers live in families who struggle to make ends meet

When the Math Doesn’t Work

Here’s the part people don’t always see: everything goes up but income. Rent. Car payments. Insurance. That’s my whole check right there. There’s nothing left. And if I try to get a second job? I can’t, because then I need childcare for that job.

It’s a trap.

One day we were in the store, and Mason asked, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Mom, can you buy this, or are we broke?” I had said it a few times without thinking, and there it was—out in the open. It was then that I realized how much our kids absorb.

Why I Keep Going

I recently started my master’s program in social work. My goal is simple and huge at the same time: to be the person I needed, and to help build systems that actually work for families. That’s why sharing our story matters. Babies aren’t an abstract issue. They’re real kids, with real parents, living real lives.

And Mason? He still loves watching videos from when he was “one of the babies.” I tell him, that’s right—you mattered then, and you matter now.

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