Pages 184 and 185 show us Deborahâs relationship with her young children, Alfred and LaTonya, and the the lengths sheâs goes to to make sure they are provided for and safe. She works twos jobs, day and night, taking an hour long commute to one, and using her dinner break to put the kids to bed at the other. I had to simply admire the dedication she had to her family and what she would do for them, especially since her mother died when she was so young.
This source talks about what can happen to a girl who grows up without a mother and thereâs lots of parallels to Deborah. First, it talks about reaching out to extended family for support and finding female role models. Deborah really did both of these with Bobetteďżź and in a way Bobette could have been like a mother figure to her. More importantly, it says how theyâll grow stronger and become more resilient. This is clearly Deborah. Deborah works around the clock and is really the only one of her siblings that didnât end up in jail or on the streets. But then this begs the question, if growing up without a parent makes someone grow stronger, why is Deborah the only one who showed this strength and resilience.
Not everyone is lucky enough to grow up with both parents. Or either parents, for that matter. Though no child will simply fail to survive b
