February is Parent Leadership Month, and we are celebrating parents across South Carolina who work to improve the lives of their families, neighbors and communities every day.
Tamia Anthony is mom to Karsyn and Kayden. She lives in Norway, South Carolina, and recently graduated college to start her career as a community health worker.
Tamia has navigated motherhood with the incredible support of home visiting program Nurse-Family Partnership implemented by Family Solutions, a program of the South Carolina Office of Rural Health and a funded partner of Children’s Trust.
Tamia recently shared some of the joy and wisdom of her parenting journey with us.
What parenting advice would you give your younger self?
Give yourself some grace and be gentle with yourself. We often get caught up in trying to be the ‘perfect’ parent instead of just enjoying our babies. Setting realistic goals for you and baby is a huge one! Baby will eventually adapt to a good sleeping schedule, and you will too – it all takes time. Lastly, there will be hard moments, but the good will outweigh the ‘bad.’ You got this, mama!
How has Nurse-Family Partnership helped you as a parent?
Being a part of NFP has helped me tremendously pre and postpartum – from knowing what milestones my babies should be at, to knowing different parenting techniques to deal with certain things. It also taught me how to advocate for myself and baby. I have grown so much as a person and parent, thanks to NFP.
What’s your favorite game or activity to play with your children?
My favorite activity to play with my oldest is letting her point out pictures in her book and she tells me what it is. With my youngest, our favorite activity together is tummy time and him blowing bubbles! They also enjoy playing with each other.
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Children’s Trust administers the federal investment in home visiting for South Carolina – the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Nurse-Family Partnership is one of three evidence-based home visiting models that Children’s Trust supports. Learn more about home visiting.
