More than just family

By Yareli A

Jenika is one and a half years old. When she was born, we were still in lockdown. At some point, I lost myself during the lockdown but when she was born, I had a special connection with her. I started taking care of her when she turned 3 months old.

Her company made me feel alive and good. Watching her grow up has been something I enjoy. I saw her take her first steps and say her first words, taught her how to eat on her own. I babysit her as much as I can because I enjoy her company; it brings me peace when I'm with her.

It makes me feel safe, like it fills a void that I never seem to know how to fill. Watching her grow up has made me realize a lot and it has also taught me many things. It has taught me how to appreciate the young moms because it is a huge responsibility. It's hard work taking care of a baby. Sometimes it can be too much, so I learned to appreciate all the young moms who do it on their own.

Every time I feel down or I feel overwhelmed, I ask my uncle if I can babysit her. When I go over, I play with her and I let her do my hair. We watch her favorite show Cocomelon. I take her on walks and let her run around outside. When I don’t see her for a long period of time, I do feel a wave of loneliness. She recently learned how to say my name, though before, she would call me mom. Sometimes she still does just because it’s hard to say my name. The feeling I get when she calls "mom" makes me feel happy.

Jenika has an older brother, Mateo, who is four and a half. He is also someone who really makes me feel happy when he's there with me and Jenika. It's always better since he's older; it is easier to talk to him and when I have no one to talk to, I tell him how I feel.

If I could consider people my heroes and bestfriends, it would be Jenika and Mateo because they saved me without knowing. They saved me by showing me a different type of happiness and making me feel at peace. They are like coming up for fresh air.

For the Warrior Times, this is Yareli Aviles.