Written by Molly McGregor
Every week at Charlford House, I have the privilege of leading Parenting in Recovery workshops with mothers who are bravely rebuilding their lives after addiction. These women are doing the hard work, not just of getting sober, but of healing the deep wounds in their relationships with their children and with themselves.
Being a mom in early recovery comes with unique challenges: guilt over the past, fear of not being enough, strained or broken trust with their children, and the emotional weight of trying to parent while still learning to care for themselves. Co-parenting challenges are also common. Many women are navigating shared custody, dealing with an unsupportive or actively using co-parent, or trying to protect their children from unhealthy dynamics while staying focused on their own recovery.
Our workshops provide a safe space for moms to explore these struggles with honesty, vulnerability, and hope. We do this through a mix of spiritual and practical activities. Some examples of what we do:
Guided meditations to connect with our higher selves and visualize the kind of mothers we want to become
Writing letters to our children as a way to process grief, guilt, or reconnection
Worksheets and handouts with parenting tools rooted in empathy, boundaries, and self-awareness
Activities that apply the 12 Steps to motherhood -like accepting powerlessness, making living amends, and practicing honesty, patience, and humility in parenting
Spiritual practices like gratitude, surrender, setting intentions, and daily affirmations
Honest sharing and deep listening, where each mom is heard without judgment
And most of all, supporting one another as a sisterhood of mothers on the same path
Mothers often share powerful moments in our sessions - stories of reconnecting with their children in ways they didn’t know would be possible again. Some talk about hearing “I love you” from their child for the first time in a long time, or their child expressing pride in them. Others describe a simple hug, playfulness, or a meaningful conversation that shows the healing has begun.
In these workshops, healing happens. Little by little, trust is rebuilt. Confidence is restored. And each mother begins to see that she can be the parent her child needs - one day, one choice, one moment at a time.