Nancy's Story

“I was determined not to enjoy my life. That all changed when I met my houseparents,” Nancy confesses. Today, that same support and care help her enjoy life again. That wasn't Nancy's story when she first came to Mount Dora Children's Home.

The oldest of three, Nancy believed it was her responsibility to protect her two little sisters from her parent's heated arguments. Every day, she listened to the yelling, the accusations and the threats without truly understanding what was happening to her family. Every day, she found new games to play with her sisters to distract them while their family fell apart. At night, she would cry into her pillow, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

When her parents announced their divorce, Nancy believed it was her fault. If only she had been a better child, done a better job watching her sisters, not complained about her chores and made better grades her parents would stay together. As a result, Nancy grew up fast ... too fast.

"I don't remember having much of a childhood," she says. "After the divorce, my Mom worked all the time. So, it was up to me to clean the house, cook, get my sisters ready for school, give them their baths, go to the corner store and do the laundry."

Her anger was slowly stewing under the surface while she did everything possible to make her Mom happy. "It was never enough." Eventually, Nancy stopped trying and their relationship crumbled. Her grades began to suffer, her attitude worsened and her outlook on life was bleak.

Then, Nancy came to Mount Dora Children's Home. Here she was encouraged to recapture her childhood and learn how to enjoy growing up. Her naturally cheerful personality soon resurfaced, her grades improved and a positive self-worth is, through weekly counseling, returning. Today, she understands her innocence in the divorce of her parents.

Any given afternoon, beyond her bedroom door, music thumps in the background as Nancy spends time playing. When you enter that room, laughter greets you as she and Heather, her roommate, talk about boys, school and life in general. She flashes a dazzling smile, knowing a bright future awaits her as she embraces a new peace found here.

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