Mother Together Supports Victims of Domestic Violence

When I launched my new brand under the name Mother Together, I knew that this name could have many different interpretations to many people.

I wanted it to reflect my desire to reduce the isolation many mothers feel in the early years. I wanted mothers to feel that there was at least one other mother out there willing to help. I wanted every consultation to be based on a connection between myself and another family. It isn’t just business. I have always wanted relationships to be at the center of my business model. You and me, we can Mother Together through some of these challenges.

But what of those mothers whose problems are much greater than a baby that doesn’t sleep well or a stubborn potty trainee?

2020 has been hard for most of us, with childcare challenges, schooling from home, furloughs, business suffering, financial strain, isolation, cancelled plans, illness, and limited access to our normal lines of support: our friends and families. But those challenges are magnified and multiplied for families enduring domestic violence.

While the numbers are still coming in, psychologists and sociologists are confidently speculating that the rates of domestic violence in 2020 will be startlingly higher than in recent years. As early as April, just a month into the pandemic, reports of domestic violence were up by more than 25% over pre-lockdown rates. The conditions created by the pandemic have also allowed domestic violence the opportunity to flourish. Simply spending more time around abusers leads to an increase, but even those who were not abusive prior to the lockdown have, in some families, succumbed to the stress and lash out emotionally and physically on those closest to them. Even for children who are not on the receiving end of abuse, witnessing abuse in their homes will have lasting damage that we cannot begin to understand.

I probably don’t need to illustrate in detail for you to imagine the suffering that many families are enduring as we enter the ninth month of shutdowns and social distancing.

My heart aches for the children. This is obviously a problem that is far beyond my paygrade. That won’t stop me from playing a small role in supporting families.

We are midway through October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month and for every October, I will be donating a portion of my sales to a local organization that supports victims of domestic violence. This year, 10% of sales will go to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. My goal is to be able to make a $500 donation, even if I have to increase the portion of sales that I donate.

Please help me get there by sharing Mother Together with friends and family, purchasing a gift card for a friend, gifting a consultation to a family welcoming a baby, or just reposting.

Let’s Mother Together this October.

If you are or think you may be a victim of abuse and need support for yourself and your family, please don’t wait.

National Domestic Violence Hotline- www.thehotline.org | 1-800-799-7233(SAFE) | 1-800-787-3224