Hello - My name is Livingstone Godfrey Stephens but mostly people call me Sonny. I am the proud single father of my six year old son Aslan. I have been a single parent for going on five years and I can tell you it hasn’t all been easy, life has its ups and downs. My son is a special needs child having been diagnosed with ADHD and FAS and requiring me to stretch my support circle. I was very fortunate to find the support in the community with daycare and school and with my family. In our first year together my son and I had to travel to the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. We received a referral from our dentist but my poor boy had to wait 9 months, in pain, before his surgery. I tried to hold back tears as my boy went under the anesthetic but once he was in surgery I had to call my mom to calm myself down but it took a nurse and I an hour to calm my son when he awoke. The result of the surgery was the pulling of the last of Aslan’s baby teeth, 15 in all, but the real outcome was to have my boy no longer in pain. The changes were noticeable in daycare, in his wanting to learn and do new things, and starting to talk more and speak clearer. We were very fortunate to not have to go through this experience alone, having the support of professionals and our family.
Aslan started attending Kindergarten in the morning and preschool in the afternoon to start getting him ready to be in school all day. This was a tough transition for both of us but was made easier with the support of Roosevelt School and the early childhood educators at Westview Child Care Centre. We attended the parent/tot drop-in, The Hub, at Roosevelt School and through them started attending the Tauhx Gadx Men’s Group. The group was great for both of us; Aslan got to spend more time around other people and their children and I got to sit in circle with other men that were facing many of the same challenges I was. We spend time with Elder Charlie Carlick, discussing topics such as respect, courage, wisdom, celebration, and humility. See, life has its ups and downs but there’s help out there for single parents. Don’t be afraid to ask for it, we don’t have to do everything by ourselves, we are not alone. Aslan is now going into Grade One, his adult teeth are coming in so sometimes I keep him home. Each challenge we face together, our relationship gets stronger, we learn from our off days, and we keep moving forward. My son and I are doing good to this day and we are very thankful to our community, our family, and our friends. Thanks for letting me share our story - God bless .