NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A mother and daughter are opening up about their story. With a strained relationship and concerns for their future, they turned to a program for help. They said what happened next changed their lives.
All around the home of Victoria Samuel and 13-year-old daughter Sophia are a bunch of favorite moments. One shelf was covered in sea shells.
"We went to Florida on a family vacation," Victoria said.
"She was dressing up all pretty!" Sophia said of her mom.
The two laughed over memories of the times Sophia tried to do her mom's lashes.
"She starts crying!" Sophia laughed. "Her eyes start watering. I can't do it!"
The favorite moments just carry so much importance after the last few years.
Sophia was in a fight at school with another girl.
"The guardian of the little girl was going to press charges, so they sent it to the court," Victoria remembered. "The court didn't want to see Sophia because she was so young to get any kind of record."
"When I would get mad and try to hold my feelings in, it would get so bunched up," Sophia said. "I would get so overwhelmed, and I'd just pop one time."
That's when Youth Villages entered the picture. Youth Villages is usually working to find families to adopt children in the foster care system or find a foster parent who can make a positive impact. Victoria and Sophia's situation was very different from that.
They met Kendreya Lee. She's a family specialist for an in-home Youth Villages program called Thrive. They work with families in situations where a child has often had a run in with the courts and could potentially be placed into the foster care system. Sometimes, it's because of things like anger issues seen at school.
"Our whole goal is to keep them in the home," Lee said, explaining she looked at Sophia's relationships and where she feels she needs boundaries. "Yes, y'all are focusing on my reaction, but not the why, the reason. When you hear someone out, that makes them more comfortable with being corrected. It's breaking down that barrier of 'hey, I'm a human too.'"
Victoria was hesitant about this, having been in the foster care system as a child herself.
"I just get nervous like, 'mmm, is somebody going to come and say I'm unfit?'" Victoria said.
Then, Sophia responded to Lee's work with her.
"What did you call her?" Victoria asked Sophia.
"My person!" Sophia smiled.
"[It was] trying to figure out what Sophia's triggers were and what made her so angry and why she was so angry," Victoria continued.
"It did change me in a positive way to where I'm able to control my feelings," Sophia said.
Victoria and Sophia have now been out of the program for about six months. They feel like they're communicating better, which is more time to focus on making new favorite moments.
For more on the Thrive program, visit here.
I'm so thankful Robb Coles highlighted the Kamer Davis clinic in Hermitage and the hardship that may force its closure. The clinic provides care for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities and there is no other place like it nearby. You can tell the staff is so passionate about the care they provide. I hope by shining the light on this, the right person can step in and make a difference.
- Carrie Sharp
