When Charli MacVicar’s two-year-old daughter stopped eating, she did not know what to do.
Pregnant with her son Benjamin and unwell at the time, the Bridge of Don mum was struggling to cope.
While getting support from the perinatal mental health team, Mrs MacVicar, was encouraged to get some extra help from the local family support charity, Home-Start.
After an initial meeting with a Home-Start manager, a volunteer started coming in each week to help offer an “extra pair of hands”.
Soon after this, the family met the “loveliest of volunteers”, Carol.
Through her help and support, Mrs MacVicar said her daughter Jessica’s eating habits improved rapidly as did her mental health and confidence as a mum.
Volunteer’s support countered the feeling of failing my daughter
“The biggest thing Carol did actually wasn’t even in terms of Jess eating or not eating,” she said.
“She really helped bring my anxiety down. She helped me feel so much less stressed about it.
“When you’re a mum and your kid is struggling with something the place you go to of ‘I must be doing something wrong. I’m failing my daughter here.’
“It was just countering that having this woman standing with me and saying ‘no you’re not doing anything wrong’.”
The family were supported through Home-Start’s Recipe for Life project. It helps families with practical cooking skills, advice on food budgeting, shopping and healthy living.
With Carol helping to bring recipe ideas and food, Jessica started to help Mrs MacVicar prepare the meals.
She is now three-years-old and loves to cook with her mum.
Mrs MacVicar, 31, added: “I absolutely love cooking with her, she’s just really interested and wants to help.
“It’s just fun. It’s a thing we get to do together and share together.
“Now, she’s eating and she’s happy. She’ll now more willingly try things.”
From ‘surviving to enjoying life’
Having had an “amazing experience” with Home-Start, Mrs MacVicar is encouraging others in similar situations to get support.
“I was just about coping,” she added. “I could manage but it makes life so much easier when someone can give you that help and support.
“It brings the stress down for everybody and makes life more enjoyable again. You’re not just scraping by saying I can get through another day.
“It takes me from surviving to actually enjoying doing things with my kids and that makes a world of difference.”
The Aberdeen charity’s healthy eating project is now due to double in size.
Thanks to a donation from Anasuria Operating Company (AOC), another 20 families in the city will be able to receive support from the Recipe for Life project.
Home-Start Recipe for Life
Chief executive of Home-Start Aberdeen, Eleanor McEwan, said it is estimated one in five children in Aberdeen are now living in poverty.
“There are many parents out there with little or no practical cooking experience who want to make changes but don’t know where to start,” she said.
“Through Recipe for Life, we can help parents build their cooking skills and confidence and gain a better understanding of how to improve their family’s diet.
“The nutrition children receive in their early years can affect the rest of their lives.”
Richard Beattie, Chief executive of AOC, said: “Our business is fully aligned with the charity’s aim to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment in which to grow and thrive, something we all want for our children.
“We hope that Anasuria Operating Company’s support plays a small but important part to help address some of the broader social issues that affect families in the Aberdeen area.”
Conversation