Sherrah Hill, a mother of six, didn’t think a simple promise to her kids — that she would buy them ice cream with toppings to celebrate their good grades — could stress her out so much. But then she stood in one of the aisles of her local grocery store in South Florida, staring at a package of sprinkles priced at $8.
“Inside, I was dying because I was like, ‘How do I tell my kids that I can’t afford to get sprinkles for their ice cream?’” Hill said.
These are the realities that some mothers are facing as they grapple with the rising cost of many things in their lives, including consumer goods, food and the average price of gas.
But the tradeoffs run deeper than sweet treats. Recent survey data from No Kid Hungry, which works to end childhood hunger, shows that more than 2 in 5 mothers (43 percent) say they worry about whether they can consistently provide their children with healthy meals.
Other survey findings show 24 percent of all moms say they took on debt in the past 12 months, 23 percent say they worked extra hours or took on additional work, and 20 percent skipped a meal or ate less so their children could eat. Those figures are more pronounced for mothers who identify as lower income: 35 percent of those moms say they delayed payments, asked family and friends for help (33 percent) or accessed community support like food pantries (35 percent).
“What stood out to me the most is this idea of moms making tough sacrifices for their children’s well-being,” said Lillian Singh, senior vice president of Family Economic Mobility for Share Our Strength, which leads No Kid Hungry.
In Washington state, Ashleigh Ligon is trying to stretch her dollar. But it’s hard. She has five biological children and an adult son through marriage who has developmental disabilities and autism. She and her husband also have two sets of twins and a 7-year-old son who is allergic to several common foods, including peanuts, dairy and eggs. She can’t just buy him pre-packaged meat because most of it has seasoning on it. That means opting for fresh meats — and paying more for that.
“I have to buy him fresh chicken and fresh meat, fresh ground beef. The price of that is huge,” she said. “There’s times where my children want more and I have to feed them more rice or more starch or things that aren’t as nutritious to make sure that they’re full. I can’t necessarily give them as much meat as I would like.”
Ligon receives assistance through the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps 1 in 8 low-income Americans feed themselves and their families. Last year, Republicans in Congress cut $186 billion from the program over 10 years — the largest cut in its 60-year existence. Emerging data on the impact of new work requirements shows a drop in enrollment across the country.
“It is overwhelming. I think after what happened at the end of last year, where benefits were cut off, I think it’s really built a lot of uncertainty about it,” Ligon, 42, said.
In Hastings, Nebraska, Sierra Edmisten, a single mom of four, waits for her kids to finish their meals to determine what she’ll have.
“It’s not necessarily not eating at that point, but it’s waiting to eat,” she said. “I’d much rather have the full nutritious meal going to them first, and I’ll find something else around the house to have afterwards.”
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is executive director and CEO of MomsRising, a network of more than a million moms nationwide advocating for family policies. She recently testified during a “Moms Pay the Price” hearing hosted by the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Mamas’ Caucus, calling on Congress to reverse federal funding cuts to areas including nutrition, healthcare and childcare.
Rowe-Finkbeiner noted that only 13 members of Congress have become mothers while serving in Congress and because of that, “it’s clear that they don’t understand what’s happening with their own constituents in America.” She added: “Traditionally, SNAP has had bipartisan support. But right now, we have out of touch Republican leaders who are looking at numbers and not the negative impact on people’s lives, in our economy overall.”
Edmisten used to be enrolled in safety net programs that helped offset the low wages she made caring for young children in a daycare and older people in hospice care. The 31-year-old has since transitioned to a better-paying job as a community organizer and that has allowed her to breathe a little easier.
That has started to feel precarious again. She’s rethinking meals and picking cheaper cuts of meat to cut down the grocery bill. She looks for food specials on bulk leftovers, which makes food planning for the week tricky. She finds herself calculating how her kids’ sports practices will impact how often she fills up her gas tank.
“If prices keep rising, what do I have to do next? It gets you back into that survival mindset a bit,” she said.
Hill, who is a full-time nanny, worries about what could happen if she faces an emergency expense.
“I’m paycheck to paycheck,” the 42-year-old said. “By the time I get my paycheck, I’m already negative because it’s already accounted for.”
Rowe-Finkbeiner called out the hypocrisy of the Trump administration supporting such cuts while claiming it wants more people to have babies. She mentioned reports last year of the administration considering motherhood medals.
“You can’t eat a motherhood medal. A motherhood medal doesn’t get you access to a doctor. A motherhood medal certainly doesn’t do childcare because the majority of moms have to go to work to put food on the table and a roof over their kids’ heads,” she said.
Still, the No Kid Hungry survey data shows more than 3 out of 4 moms say they remain optimistic about their children’s future.
Singh, from Share Our Strength, said her work brings her in close contact with community organizations across the country that help mothers. She has witnessed their collective power rise as they navigate a policy landscape that has cut supports or made them more unsustainable. They are more committed than ever in helping each other succeed.
“Moms oftentimes dream in threes,” she said. “They dream for themselves. They dream for their children, and they dream for their communities.”
Edmisten, who is running for city council in Hastings, said affordability is among the issues she’s talking about with potential voters. Her lived experiences are shaping those conversations.
Ligon, who is disabled, does advocacy work in her community. She said she gets joy from helping other parents learn to advocate for themselves through parent leadership workshops.
“I feel like there’s so many people walking around with fear and uncertainty — and I’m one of them — but I do a pretty good job of keeping it in and keeping myself logical and analytical. And so I think being able to be there for other parents, and being able to see other parents in like complete despair, and then have some hope” she said. “I think that makes such a big impact.”
This Mother’s Day, Ligon plans to watch her 9-year-old play basketball, then maybe have a picnic at the local park. Edmisten intends to watch her 8-year-old play flag football. Hill doesn’t have big plans, but she expects to hang out at home with her children.
“We can’t afford to do anything,” she said. “I’m going to enjoy being around them.”