Punishing the Single Mom

I tried to give my children the tools to become successful adults.  I have come to realize that my definition of "successful" has changed dramatically in the last few years.  I have many many things I want to say, but today I will focus on how a Single Mom is Punished.

Here's my story:  My daughter - Anne - is a beautiful young woman.  She has an awesome sense of humor, is intelligent and is able to roll with the punches when life is hard.  Three years ago she'd graduated from High School and was working at a local department store.  She met a young man and they hit it off.  That Summer they were inseparable, and had begun to talk about a lifetime together.  I was so happy and excited for her. 

In August she broke the news that she was pregnant.  Although I was not too happy, I thought everything would be great since she and her boyfriend were talking about marriage.  HA!  Was I wrong!  Within a week of breaking the news to us, she broke off her relationship with Andy.  In my opinion she was scared, and convinced herself that marriage was the worst idea ever. 

So, there we were with a pregnant teenage daughter.

Skip forward 3 years to today.  She receives $99 of child support from Andy for their child.  She works part time at a Children's Museum and she and her child live with my husband and I.  Each time she tries to get ahead either by getting a raise or a better paying job, the DHHS cuts her benefits.  Right now she has daycare for her child, and her child receives health insurance.  But if she makes $1 more, her daycare will be cut.  That's $500 a month.  She desperately wants to get a better job with benefits, but she can't afford to pay the cost of daycare.  Until her child goes to school, she basically is stuck making exactly what she is right this minute. 

I know there are people out there who do not want to get off welfare.  But for those people that are trying to do the right thing, I just wish they could get a little bit of help to get off the system and still be able to afford to live.  She can't afford an apartment on her own, she gets no food stamps, and she has not health insurance for herself.  The system is royally broken when someone who is doing everything right to try and not be a burden on society gets punished instead.