“It gave me kind of a great comfort to know that my daughter had another adult that she could be getting information from, or guidance,” shares Theresa Doherty, explaining the great impact Empowerteen and Dr. Paula Pilcher played in her parenting life. “Having another adult that they can really connect with and trust…it’s worth its weight in gold.”
Doherty has raised her daughter, Annie, as a single parent from the age of four on up. Parenting is a difficult course to navigate whichever way you flip it, but Annie’s involvement with Empowerteen only offered invaluable support to Doherty. “I think it makes a big difference what parents do with their children while they’re young,” Doherty explains. She had always wanted children, and even more so, she always wanted to be the best parent she could be. This led her to flip open her computer and guzzle down books with information on children and childhood. “There’s no perfect recipe on how to raise a child,” she admits.
“Annie started with her first summer retreat, and then after school classes in 2017,” Doherty recaps, tracing back her daughter’s involvement with Empowerteen. While the retreats, classes, and other events are designed for the children, Doherty still played her own role. “I was usually the taxi driver,” she says with good humor. Doherty not only supported her daughter by making sure she was able to attend every event, but she also gained insight into Dr. Pilcher’s programs and grew a deep sense of trust and appreciation for the organization. “I have complete and total trust and respect in Dr. Pilcher as a professional and somebody who really enjoys working with kids.”
Over the years, Doherty has seen time and time again the positive impact Empowerteen has had on her daughter, but specifically she’s experienced her parent-to-child relationship evolve. “I’m sure kids had a lot to say about their parents– they’re teenagers, right?” Doherty teasingly comments. “I’m sure Dr. Pilcher was able to help the kids figure out strategies for stepping through their relationships with their parents.” While Doherty wasn’t actively involved with those conversations and strategies, she saw the impact of them through her daughter and their relationship.
“I was trying to make decisions on my own, and do the best I can,” Doherty opens up, expressing the anxieties that follow single parenting. “In raising a child you don’t know, maybe until years and years in the future, how it turns out.” Doherty expressed that she was relieved that her daughter found a bond in Dr. Pilcher and other Empowerteen employees. “I’m in there slugging it out on my own as a single parent, but I also knew that she was participating in a really great program.”
Doherty’s daughter is now attending college in Massachusetts, and she finds herself with a lot more open time. “I’m spending more time kind of going back to being creative– doing things I might have done as a kid,” she shares, specifically mentioning her desire to get back into playing the piano. Even though her daughter is now grown, Doherty will always be her mom first, and her advice to other parents is to utilize the resources offered. Parenting is complicated, but no one has to do it alone. “This type of program– anybody and everybody could benefit from it as a teenager.”
WRITTEN BY: Grace Bland, Empowerteen Journalism Intern
Thinking about signing your 11-18 year old up for Empowerteen? Click Here to check out the events we have coming up and get your teen signed up!
Interested in learning about 1-on-1 services with Dr. Paula Pilcher? Click Here to learn more!