Dani McCann

It was such a joy to follow Dani around for an afternoon. Believe it or not, I used to babysit her, and now here she is-- a mother of two beautiful children, named Abby and Preston.

Motherhood can be exhausting-- I wouldn't know personally, but from what I've seen I can only imagine. But what about taking care of two children, alone? Dani works really hard to provide for her family. She receives very little monetary assistance (other than food stamps and WIC), child support isn't consistent or dependable, and therefore she can't afford to send two children off to daycare while she earns a living. Her family is really supportive, though. Her father stays at her apartment almost every night to watch over the little ones while she starts her shifts at 5pm.  If she has to run errands, it's just easiest to grocery shop after the kids have gone to bed and she knows that they have someone there to take care of them. Her sisters also help out a lot, and with all of the support that she receives from her family, she's able to balance the responsibilities of being a single mother.

Dani is such a wonderful, strong mother. I wish you could have been with me during this afternoon adventure-- she is so patient, so caring and loving, and it's obvious that the kids adore her. To be honest, they seem much more happy than most kids I encounter, and I believe that is because their mom has built such a loving home for them.

Abby likes to wear her Halloween costume—a princess dress—all of the time while she’s at home. 

It was surprising how happy Preston was, being woken up from his nap. He was playing peek-a-boo behind the curtain in his room just one minute after being picked up.

Bath time! The kids really enjoyed being in the tub. Abby was trying to climb up on the support bar, but mom told her to be a good influence for her brother. Abby is a very good listener—and mom as right, because he was only two steps behind. As grandpa says, “monkey see, monkey do.”

Surprisingly, I did not ask them to pose for this photo. They kept hamming it up for the camera—so smiley. Wish you could have heard their laughter!

Preston babbled as he pointed to the photo. Not sure what he was trying to get across to us, but again, his expressions are priceless.

Bath time is over—let’s get dressed!

Abby decided that it would be a good idea to cut a huge chunk of her hair off recently. Can’t say I didn’t do that as a child. J So on one side, it’s uneven. 

Getting ready to go to the laundromat. 

The kids are right by her side as she loads the laundry. 

It’s a fun place! But, when you spend over an hour there, the kids get antsy and want to find things to do. Of course, there are a lot of options—if you want to spend more money.

"Insert Money"

The “toy room”. But can you really call it a toy room if there are no toys in it? There were a few colored bins, and so Abby entertained herself by stacking them, but that gets dull pretty fast.

Candy helps to pass the time… 

 

Games. Of course they want to play, but how much money would you burn through in an hour?

They find ways to entertain themselves. Lots of room to run around and many things to climb on...

Or you can entertain them by giving rides J You have to love how much the two of them get along. It’s so sweet.

Mom’s always on top of the little details to make sure the kids are taken care of.

How much does Preston weigh?

Abby thinks she’s strong enough to carry Preston.

Grandpa is usually around to help out with the little details and make sure the kids are taken care of—and to keep Dani company too. They are very close.

 

When mom ran out to put a few things in the car, they both ran to the door. It’s so sweet how much they love her, and miss her even if she’s only gone for a minute—and it’s so easy to see that they are her entire world.

Like mother, like daughter…

Taking care of the details, and once in a while having to stop to help the kids go to the bathroom, keep them from crushing their fingers in the machines, or figure out where they are hiding.

Suppertime at Burger King. Tonight is their paternal grandmother’s evening to see and take care of the kids, so they don’t have a ton of time until they have to run out to drop them off. Grandma works at 7am, so Dani's dad will go to pick up the kids really early in the morning. 

Abby wanted to play, but also got scared once she was up there. Even though Dani tried to tell her how to get down, she still begged for mom to help her down.

Anything for the kids!

Dani grew up in a single parent home. Her dad raised her, and her mom has 4 other children of her own. One of Dani's sisters is only 6 months old, so Abby's auntie is younger than she is. Another sister, Sunny, is 5 years old, and Abby and her are best friends (although they only see each other on occasion since Sunny lives in Montana). A few years ago, when Dani's mom was unable to care for her children for several months, Dani became the temporary guardian for her half-siblings. She moved into their home and cared for them, plus her own baby. She was 19-20. At that point, Abby and Preston's dad was in the picture. He got married only a few months after they broke up, and the whole situation can be very confusing for the kids, given that they don't see him very often.

Dani is such a strong, wonderful mother. It was fun to spend time with her again, see how much she has matured, and to be blessed by her role as a mother.