Single mother drops out of university to provide for her children

A single mother who had to drop out of university this year in order to give her three young children the well-deserved care they need is pleading with delinquent parents to pledge during this Child Month to play significant roles in the lives of their offspring.

Collette Lewis, a resident of Caymanas Estate, St Catherine, said she had to make a difficult choice between pursuing her career goal as a criminologist and providing for the needs of her children.

“I weighed the options and decided that my responsibility to my children came first and so I just had to put my education on hold because I could not afford to see my children going hungry or being absent from school,” she said.

When Lewis got accepted to the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean last year to pursue her Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and criminal justice, she was very excited.

“When I got accepted I said to myself and my three children, who are 14, 12 and five, that I am going to make them proud and ensure that they too get a good education,” she shared with The Sunday Gleaner.

“Two of my friends overseas who had offered to assist me with the tuition failed me and so I could not go back to university for the second semester which started in January.”

Working at a call centre, she said her pay was not sufficient to pay the tuition and take care of her children.

DREAM TO HELP REDUCE CRIME

“It was always my dream from high school to be a criminologist so that I can improve the lives of others and assist my country in whatever way possible to reduce the crime rate,” she explained.

A very disappointed Lewis, who was on the verge of tears last week, said although she has no money at the moment to continue her studies, she is optimistic that she will realise her dream one day.

“I remind myself daily that I must not be discouraged, that I must be strong through it all because there is a God there with me to push me along,” she shared.

Lewis said she loves her children dearly and wants the very best for them, noting that as a single parent it is not easy taking care of three children on her own because cost of living is very high, but she does the very best she can for them.

“I show them love, talk with them, ensure that their basic needs are met and they are properly fed. I teach them to have good manners, to be kind, loving and honest and I help them with their homework and ensure that they go to school and church,” she said.

“We here in Jamaica celebrate Child Month every year but there should be more programmes to teach parents and guardians good parenting skills, especially how they should communicate with their children.”

Child Month celebrations this year are being observed under the theme ‘Children Need our Love and Protection … Get Involved’.

‘GET INVOLVED’

Lewis noted that many parents and guardians were very abusive to children. It is disgraceful, she said, to see parents flogging their children mercilessly, using foul languages at them and actually treating them as if they were not human beings.

“Child abuse is rampant in this country and that is one of the reasons for the crime and violence in this society. The abuses in the homes often lead to the children becoming angry and violent at all times because they are not being shown love in many homes,” Lewis said.

Commenting on the theme for Child Month, Lewis is calling on all law-abiding citizens to “get involved” and notify the authorities immediately when they see cases of child abuse.

She disclosed that although she grew up in a loving home, as a child she witnessed many children being abused, even by women, which inspired her to purse criminology to help stem the violence in the country.

“I am not letting go of my goal to complete my degree but in the meantime, I will play my part to educate others that ‘children learn what they live’,” she said.

Lewis uses her spare time to help the children in her community with their homework, to motivate them and counsel them to do the right things at all times. She also assists young adults in the community with filling out job applications and helps them to get in touch with job agencies because she is aware that idleness can get people into serious trouble.

“I will always fight against child abuse and be an advocate in educating adults on the trauma of child abuse which can be physical, emotional and sexual,” she said.

Lewis is desirous to get some pamphlets on child abuse to distribute in her community. She can be contacted by email at koolpooh2015@gmail.com.

“Giving up is not an option for me in relation to my dream to be a criminologist because I am optimistic that some day soon I will accomplish that goal,” Lewis sad with confidence.

MOTHER’S DAY FILLED WITH LOVE

In the meantime, Lewis intends to enjoy Mother’s Day with her three children – Dacia Bennett, 14; Dimetri Taylor, 12; and Savannah Tait, five – sharing a day filled with love, contentment and joy, and being pampered by them.

“I will start the day with morning worship with my children, thanking God for His blessings,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

“It will be a day of relaxation at home for me. My 14-year-old daughter says ‘mommy, I am going to cook a special dinner for you on Mother’s Day’ and I am looking forward to enjoying that special meal.”

“My son says ‘mom, I don’t have any money to buy a gift for you but I have written a poem thanking you for loving us and taking great care of us’. My five-year-old daughter says she loves me dearly and is going to be a good girl on Mother’s Day so that I don’t have to tell her to behave herself,” Lewis said, smiling broadly.

Anyone wishing to help Lewis can call her at 876-213-4880.

editorial@gleanerjm.com