To say motherhood was a surprise would have been an understatement for Ashley Yocham. MOTHERHOOD HAS brought a few surprises.
Fresh out of high school, and still a teenager, Ashley wasn’t sure at the time what lay before her.
Her original plans were to graduate early in order to get married.
“Kind of glad that didn’t work out,” she said, because she and her ex eventually split.
But she soon found another suitor, Luke Yocham, and they thought a while about marriage, once a few other things sorted themselves out.
“We were both still living with our parents,” Ashley recalled, “and I had never really had a job.”
Pregnancy changed that.
After learning she was pregnant with son Bryson — he was born in August 2011 — Ashley and Luke realized they needed to shift gears as they officially entered adulthood.
“We were wanting to be married before he was born, but it didn’t work out that way,” Ashley said. “He was about three months old when we were married.”
Luke had a job, but his earning potential was limited because he had never earned a high school diploma.
He enrolled in the Humboldt Virtual Education Program, allowing him to take online courses in order to graduate. Luke earned his diploma in 2012, and now works evenings at Gates Corporation.
Ashley decided to continue her schooling, too.
While she already worked part time at the Resource Center for Independent Living, Ashley, too, yearned for more.
She enrolled in 2013 at Allen Community College, and is completing her associate in general studies degree in early childhood education. She will graduate May 16.
Earning her degree meant careful scheduling of duties.
“It helps that my husband works the 3-to-11 shift at Gates,” she said. “That allows him to stay home with Bryson while I’m at school.”
Ashley’s job as a direct support worker at RCIL also provides enough flexibility, so she can work her 20 or so hours in the evenings.
“I’m essentially a personal care attendant,” she said. “They just changed the name of it.”
Ashley has two clients, one of whom allows her to bring Bryson along while she works.
“The other times, he stays with family,” she said. “We have lots of relatives around here.”
“Labor was a surprise,” she joked. “He came in at 8 pounds. I wasn’t expecting that.”
Mother and son enjoy spending their time together. They’ll occasionally go to the park. Special trips include going to Olathe to the soon-to-close Mall of the Great Plains, where a kiddy park has been a favorite stopping point.
After graduation, Ashley hopes to continue pursuing a career in human services.
“I really like working with the elderly, and with young children,” she said. “I hope to continue working with both.”
Young Bryson — who turns 4 in August — is your typical, blond-haired bundle of energy.
He, too, is going to school — preschool, that is.
“He’s never sure he wants to go, but he likes it once he gets there,” his mother said.
That’s not unlike his mother’s path to adulthood.
While there were several unknowns at the outset, she likes the view now that she’s here.
Yocham family’s journey filled with surprises
