I never prepared for this – watching my daughter, my baby, face such a difficult decision. I knew I couldn’t make it for her, nor did I want to. I didn’t want to influence her because, in the end, the choice was hers to live with. Still, it tore me apart. 

She was an adult, capable of making her own choices. But I still felt her weight, unable to carry it for her.

As a single mother, while she was growing up, I sacrificed so much to give her the best. I gave up dreams, made her my priority, and I did it all willingly because she was my world. I didn’t want her to go through the same struggles. Selfishly, I didn’t want my sacrifices to be in vain. I wanted her to have more freedom, more opportunities. Parenting is hard. Single parenting is even tougher. I know that first-hand. And as much as I would have supported her, I didn’t want her to be another single mother struggling to do it on her own. I wanted her to be able to put herself first. 

But then there’s the other side. When she was born, she became my purpose. She lit up my world. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. I knew she would make a wonderful mother and have that same feeling of complete love. I pictured a baby, a grandchild, who I knew would be loved. It would become her world and her purpose, just like she was mine. It would be my reward for the struggles and sacrifices I had made. I fought with that thought – was I hoping she would go through with the pregnancy because I wanted her to feel the same fulfilment I had? Or was I hoping she wouldn’t because I knew how hard it would be?

But beyond my own feelings, there was the reality she faced. There was the procedure itself. Would she be okay? Was she at risk? It’s such a big decision – how could she know it was the right one? Her hormones were on a rollercoaster. She was emotionally drained. How could she make such a decision? I felt useless, unsure of how to help her. What should I say? What should I do? I needed advice, too.

The practical help we needed was available; there was help in finding a clinic and funding the procedure – things you never think you’ll need until you do. And I was so grateful those resources were there. But what about emotional support? Where do you turn? It’s a minefield – there are legal issues, beliefs and biases. How do you find someone to talk to? Someone who won’t judge, who won’t bring their own beliefs and biases into it. This wasn’t just a medical procedure; it was a life-altering moment, and my daughter needed more than just access to care. She needed support to process it all. Thankfully, we eventually found a person who listened without judgment, but why is that so hard to find?

I don’t know if I did the right thing or handled it the right way. But I hope I was there for her. I hope she felt that. I hope she found comfort in knowing she didn’t have to go through it alone. My husband, not her father, was there for both of us, every step of the way. And I can’t help but be grateful for that too, because what if she had been alone? What if she felt she couldn’t talk to us? What if she had no one to talk to? What if she had been scared and sad with no one to turn to?

Too many women face this alone, and that breaks my heart. No one should have to make this choice in silence, fear, or shame.

Sign the petition created by My Voice My Choice Org to support safe and accessible abortion across the EU.

This article was sent to The Third Eye to publish on behalf of a mother who’s hoping to raise awareness around a situation too many experience.

The post Beyond the Choice appeared first on The Third Eye.

The Willingness Team and Betapsi once again curated a spectacular event that members of The Third Eye team were lucky enough to join. Clayton Seguna, Betapsi President, started off the day by welcoming everyone to the conference, introducing Betapsi, and thanking all the collaborators for making the event possible. Following that, Matthew Bartolo elaborated on the importance of discussing family, especially in 2021.

“We are breaking away from what should be, and moving onto what could be.”

Matthew Bartolo

Adding to this comment, Matthew not only described how we are breaking away from the norms set by society on what relationships and families should be but also how we are celebrating this change.

The role of family in gender transitions

In her keynote speech, Ruth Micallef set the pace of the entire conference by taking us through the transition process of her son. By being transparent Ruth allowed us to better understand all the aspects of this journey, from the hardships she and her son went through, to the fulfilment they received for going through them.

“You grieve the loss of your daughter until you can celebrate the birth of your son.”

Ruth Micallef

She finished off by narrating the progress they have made as a family, and how they now face new challenges such as the usual problems that come with teenagers.

Case review

Following the keynote speech, the willingness team presented a case review which encouraged a discussion on possible ways forward to deal with the issues a couple had as described by the case itself. 

The review dealt with Saviour and Felicity, a couple who decided to seek help after Saviour was experiencing sleeping difficulties. The discussion was led by Danica Cassar who went into detail about the issues the couple was facing and highlighted other contributing factors in the case, such as each individual’s background. After the stage was set, a variety of input was given by people involved in the case such as Dr Candace Adams, and by participants alike, who continued to add their own insights into the case. Some of the suggestions were to look into things like financial stressors and even the couple’s intimacy.

The case study was wrapped up with each speaker giving final comments in their respective area, from health to relationship psychology.

Same-sex parenting

After a series of workshops, Noel and Chris from TwoPapasMalta described their life together as a family. They recounted every step of the way from when how they met, to the day they got married in 2016, and even when they were amongst the few same-sex couples to adopt from Portugal in 2019.

“Our objective is to promote awareness about same-sex families and to inspire others who might eventually embark on the adoption journey.”

Noel and Chris

Noel and Chris gave a variety of insights about the adoption process and continued to elaborate on how their family functions very similarly to a heterosexual one, without the need to distinguish between a male or female role within the household.

Conclusion

Matthew Bartolo brought an end to the conference by celebrating the 94 attendees present at the conference, stating that the online nature of the event made it particularly unique from the other ones. He wrapped everything up by providing more information about the newly released Family Clinic “where all families are welcome”.

The Third Eye would like to congratulate everyone behind 360° for hosting such a captivating conference, and look forward to whatever they have in store for the future.

Check out last year’s conference!

The post Everything you missed from the Family 360° conference appeared first on The Third Eye.

What is 360°?

The concept of 360° was launched in 2014 between Betapsi Malta and Willingness Team as an approach whereby different relevant and current topics are tackled from a multidisciplinary point of view from professionals in numerous fields, including psychology, health, education, social work, youth work, medicine, law, criminology, religion, sociology, philosophy, and various others.

This initiative helps to eliminate certain taboos that have been around on various topics such as addiction, children, sex, families, sexualities, and many more! Individuals with different professions will give their insight and experience on each of the topics. With the help of these discussions, the audience will be able to tackle case studies and look at the world from a broader perspective.

Family 360 HYBRID on Campus

Before the annual conference, the Willingness Team hosts a workshop where you get a taste of what the conference will be talking about. Check out last year’s workshop!

A case study will be discussed and the professionals from the Willingness Team will be tackling the case from different perspectives together with the audience, bringing the 360° multidisciplinary approach to life!

If you are interested in attending, today is the last chance to sign up!

• Date: 24th February
• Time: 12:00PM
• Venue: Online

Family 360° HYBRID Conference: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Family 360° is back, with bigger topics and broader perspectives! This will also be their first HYBRID conference. A HYBRID conference means that local and international participants will get together to discuss the topic at hand.

If you are curious about the type of topics that will be discussed, check out our last year’s article where The Third Eye covered the Sex 360° conference.

Yesterday, 360° launched their full programme! Dr Charlie Azzopardi, Prof Jean Calleja Agius, Dr Candace Adams and Christopher Vella Galea together with Noel Vella Galea (AKA TwoPapas) are some of the speakers for this event!

If you are interested in attending, today is the last chance to sign up!

• Date: 6th March
• Time: 8AM till 5PM
• Venue: Willingness Team Hub

We hope to see you all there!

The post A discussion on the Family with 360° | A multidisciplinary approach appeared first on The Third Eye.