05x09 - The Lewis Family

[bunniefuu]

Tonight on "supernanny"...

Hi.

Our most emotional episode ever.

We're happy you're here.

Dwight and antoinette lewis

Planned to spend their lives together...

I'll be right back, okay?

But then dwight found out he was terminally ill.

I guess daddy's supposed to be invincible.

He wanted his family to learn how to cope.

Okay. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

But before jo arrived, dwight passed away.

I wasn't supposed to be by myself.

Now numb with grief,

Antoinette struggles to raise her two small children alone...

Come on. Mama don't want to fight with you right now, okay? [Cries]

And is overwhelmed about what to do next.

Mommy's a little sad, that's all.

She wants to know

How to help her children remember their father...

Mama, where's daddy? Where did I tell you daddy was?

In the sky.

And why this happened to her.

If you're angry, turn around and say, "I'm angry!" I'm angry!

Why?! I have to do this all by myself.

It's not fair!

Tonight, jo will help mom rebuild her shattered life.

We had our whole lives planned out,

And... And now I have to create a new plan.

♪♪♪

So I'm here in claremont, california.

I'm ready to take a look at the family that needs my help.

Hi, I'm antoinette lewis.

I'm years old.

My husband is dwight lewis. He's years old.

We have two children--

Our daughter selah, who's years old... [Crying]

And our son christian, months.

Hey, big guy.

How you doing?

Hi.

[Antoinette] when I married dwight,

We expected to raise our family

And grow old together.

You tickling daddy?

Are you gonna tickle me?

Yeah, dad, I'll tickle you.

Okay. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

We found out december ,

That my husband has gastric cancer.

Okay, don't press too hard on daddy's stomach, okay?

I had a period of time

Where, you know, I could just play with them

And now I can't do it out of fear of, you know,

Of nearly getting kicked in the stomach,

Which is absolutely, dreadfully painful.

So I made him a promise that I was gonna be the happy person

That, you know, that he married.

So I'll be right back, okay?

Okay. Okay.

[Selah] bye. Thank you.

I want to welcome you to the memorial service

Of the celebration of the life of dwight lewis.

Well, I just recently buried my husband dwight.

My kids, as well as all the other children around,

Grew up referring to him as "uncle dwight."

Uncle dwight was our first babysitter.

He so naturally took us away from our tired mothers' arms,

Made us laugh

And made sure we were wanted, loved and special.

I will always remember dwight lewis.

He was my friend.

[Selah crying]

Come on. Mama don't want to fight with you right now, okay? [Cries]

It's only been a couple of weeks,

So i-i don't really have a lot of time

To grieve and--and shut down.

What, are you crying? Not today.

You sad? Today's a good day.

[Antoinette] now I'm facing many concerns

Regarding raising our children.

And I have two babies.

Okay, here we go.

I have really big shoes to fill,

And I don't know if I can do it.

As a single mother,

How do I raise christian to be a strong man?

No. Da--ah, ah, ah!

Don't feed him with a drumstick, okay?

Some of my main concerns with selah

Is explaining to her that daddy's not sleeping.

Daddy's actually passed away.

Daddy see it. You gonna let daddy see it?

Daddy sees everything, you know.

And then there's the concerns about her future

Without a father being present.

Selah, why would you do that?

I would like your assistance with establishing a routine.

Mommy's a little sad, that's all.

You're not sad. Yeah, just a little bit.

I need your help.

Please.

Bear in there, antoinette,

Because I am gonna put you on the right track

With making you feel like you can manage

And raise your children the way you and dwight wanted to.

♪♪♪

[Gasps] hi!

Hello. Oh, I'm so glad you're here.

Oh, my god. Hi.

Meeting antoinette was such a beautiful experience.

She just gave me such a lovely warm embrace.

I think I squeezed her to death. [Laughs]

I was just so relieved to see her.

Hi, selah. This is selah. Hello.

Hi. This is jo.

Hi, selah. And how are you?

Oh, thank you. Lovely hug.

This is not a normal observation day for me

Where I go in and I step back

And objectively look at a family.

There's no way.

I'm hoping that I can really help her

With whatever she needs.

This is christian.

Hi, christian. Hello.

[Selah] hi. Tickle, tickle.

My condolences.

My absolute condolences.

Thank you so much. And it's an absolute pleasure for me to be here.

I really appreciate it. Yes.

Come here.

I'm so happy you're here.

This is, um, our kitchen.

My husband had a thing

For stainless steel and kitchen gadgets.

Mom was showing me around the house and she mentioned

The task that dwight hadn't got around to completing

Before he passed away.

In fact, he didn't finish his project.

We actually have a stainless steel hood range

That he hasn't put up yet.right.

We had some many plans--

You know, how we wanted the kitchen

And just lots of things that, you know, dwight was handling.

This is, um, the main bathroom.

[Jo] while mom was showing me around the house,

She actually mentioned that she's not too sure

How much selah really understands

About her father's death.

She asks for him quite a bit.

And what do you-- what do you say?

Well, we--we've discussed daddy.

Mom. We've discussed the fact that he--that he's--

That he's passed away and that he's in heaven.

And she talks to him,

And, um, and that he watches over her

And he'll be with her always,

But I don't know if she quite comprehends that.

You know, like she'll ask me, "when is he coming home?" Mama.

Mama, where's daddy?

See? "Where's daddy?" Where's daddy?

Where did I tell you daddy was? Where is he? In the sky.

He's in the sky, in heaven. That's right.

I did take her to the services...yeah.

'Cause I wanted her to see him,

And, um, she saw him,

And she said, "daddy's sleeping."

Death is a different concept according to the child's age,

And I really do want to keep it very simple with selah

Because she's only .

Got you! I got you.

Ready? Yeah! Aha.

Oh, no. [Jo groans]

Hold on to jo jo's neck. That's it. Very tightly.

Ready? Ba-dum.

Where are we going?

♪ Da dum da dum da dum da dum da dum ♪

During eight intense months before dwight passed away,

Mom spent a lot of time devoted to dad,

And I certainly feel that

That time has had an impact on selah,

Because it's left her slightly playing up a little bit.

[Screams] okay, it's not the end of the world.

Yes, it is. It's not the end of the world.

Take these. It's not the end of the world, okay?

No!

Selah. Stop!

Just take-- stop that, mommy.

It's completely understandable that mom's exhausted.

She's grieving.

No. [Crying]

[Jo] but I also realize

That it's been challenging for her to discipline.

[Selah] I want none of these.

[Crying]

Actually, what she's doing right now

Is typical of every / year old--

Needing the boundaries put firmly in place.

Really, it's about mom learning to discipline

For the first time properly,

On top of the fact that this whole family are grieving.

[Screaming]

Coming up on "supernanny"...

I really just want to be in bed

And pull the covers over my head.

Jo pulls mom through a difficult time.

I wasn't supposed to be by myself.

And later,mom's pent-up emotion comes pouring out...

I finally got it.

I got what a relationship is supposed to be.

I got what a teamwork was supposed to be.

We were team lewis.

When "supernanny" returns.

It's only been two weeks

Since this lady has buried her husband,

And when I observe, I'm gonna be looking for ways

That I can immediately help this family.

[Crying] mom! Mom! [Jo] antoinette...

Mom! [Speaking indistinctly]

[Jo] you know, as the day went on,

Selah was becoming increasingly difficult,

And it did take it's toll on mom.

Have you found yourself in a pattern

Of--of not really going out much.

I haven't been going out a lot, no.

It's--i mean, I'm getting better.

I have a double stroller. You do know the importance of it.

[Clicks tongue] yeah.

[Sighs]

Oh, I'm so sorry. For what?

[Clicks tongue] just-- for feeling?

[Sighs] I wasn't supposed to be by myself,

And I'm just not doing it very well.

I'm not doing it very well.

I'm doing probably the bare minimum of everything.

It's so much stuff I have to deal with, you know?

I've got to turn in his car.

I got to--it's such a laundry list of stuff.

So you're like, "if I just don't do it,

Maybe I can just stop everything in time?" Yeah.

I really just want to be in bed

And pull the covers over my head.

That's really what I want to do.

[Jo] it's normal behavior for a person who's grieving

To slightly withdraw from the world,

But with two kids, I mean, mom just can't do that,

So I'm gonna help her pull through this.

I-i think I'm supposed to be out more.

I-i think I'm supposed to be...

[Sighs] more active.

I felt that one thing I could do

Was to help mom get out just a little bit

So she could reconnect with her friends

Who could support her.

Antoinette? [Antoinette] yes?

When was the--when was the last time the kids ate?

It's what time now? It's just gone :.

Oh. See, I've kind of lost track of time today.

[Jo] after being cooped up in the house all day,

It started to get really late, and the kids hadn't even eaten.

I mean, there was no set schedule really.

Mom decided to give the kids a bath

And then she sat them down to eat,

And I thought, that's rather late actually.

[Antoinette] I'm taking care of them. I'm feeding them.

I'm bathing them.

Is it structured? No.

[Jo] when the children had been put to bed,

Mom was absolutely depleted,

And I just really wanted to go home

And give this woman a chance to get some sleep

So that I could come back tomorrow and talk to her

About what she needed from me

And what I knew I could do for her to help her.

Want a big hug?

[Antoinette] I really feel

That she was placed in my life to help me,

And I'm gonna utilize everything that she has to offer.

[Sighs]

I really need her help,

And I'm so glad she's here to help me.

Let's start off with saying

That you and I have been brought together

By a very special man in your life.

Yes.

And in his honor,

We are going to discuss...

And talk about the things

That I feel right now

Would benefit you.

What I've noticed is that,

With the children, there isn't any set routine.

Okay?

The importance of a routine

Is to create structure

And a framework

That allow healthy eating patterns,

Sleeping patterns,

Play, creativity, nurture.

And together, what we're going to do

Is to create a routine to give the kids that.

Okay. It's okay to recognize

That you don't have the answers right now. No, I don't.

But it doesn't mean that you can't start that laundry list

That you have spinning around in your head.

I'm gonna help you do that.

I'm gonna help you start to recognize

Where it can wait, where it can't wait.

Let's talk about how we keep dwight's legacy going.

As your kids start to grow up

From the toddler years,

You'll be able to tell them so many stories.

And what we're gonna do is put a system in place. Okay.

You'll build those memories, that legacy.

You'll create traditions.

That's how you keep

Dwight's memory and spirit alive.

The one huge...

Situation here

Is that you are dealing with the loss of your husband

And the children's father.

I can't fill that hole.

Biologically, dwight...

Is christian and selah's father,

But you have men in your life

Who will be a presence and an influence

In your children's lives...

Okay. Who were very close to dwight.

Yes. And you will be a mom who will do exactly

What the pair of you would have done together.

That's what I want.

This is all about you, okay? Okay.

Because your kids need you and you need you.

Okay. [Sighs]

So where do we start? Come here. Give me a hug.

Give me a hug.

Oh.

Coming up on "supernanny"...

Antoinette? Jo surprises mom...

We're going to the park, 'cause we're gonna take care

Of some necessary business. And helps her release

All the anger she has bottled up inside...

I'm angry! Why?!

Because he left me,

And I have to do this all by myself.

It's not fair!

When "supernanny" returns.

You know, I was eager to get working with antoinette,

But I knew first off, I had to work with her

In releasing some stuff.

Antoinette?

We're going to the park,

'Cause we're gonna take care of some necessary business.okay.

You've got the kids over at the neighbors, right? Yes.

All right, so let's go.

[Antoinette] I thought we were just gonna enjoy

The outdoor weather,

But I should have known better.

Jo had something else in mind.

[Jo] mom's going through the process of--of grief,

And at the moment, she's extremely angry,

Because it's too frightening to think

If you did let go to your feelings,

Would you lose control?

We're in this park.

We got no kids around us.

We got nothing to think of right now at this moment

But what's necessary.

And what's necessary is for you to get a load off your chest

That you've just been suppressing,

Suppressing, suppressing.

All those things that you're angry with.

If you're angry, turn around and say, "I'm angry!" I'm angry!

Why?! Because he left me.

Then say it! Get it off your chest, girl!

I'm angry because he left me,

And I have to do this all by myself.

It's not fair! That's right.

Why is it not fair?

'Cause we-- I finally got it.

I got what a relationship is supposed to be.

I got what a teamwork was supposed to be.

We were team lewis.

We had our whole lives planned out,

And...

And now I have to create a new plan...

Without him.

[Sobbing]

God.

[Sobbing]

[Sighs]

I waited so long

To get married

And to have kids,

And why couldn't I have had more time?

Why couldn't I have had more time?

I feel like my life...

[Sniffles] was stolen from me.

[Sobbing]

[Jo] it was a good thing we went to the park today.

She needed that emotional outlet

To get that anger off her chest

And to release the feelings

That she's been bottling up

Since dwight passed away.

We've sat in this park.

We shout,

Cry,

Scream.

We're still here.

And the sun is still shining.

I bet you feel better for it.

I actually do. [Sighs]

I do feel better.

I didn't realize how much of my own emotions

I had bottled up and kind of shelved.

It felt good to be sad.

It felt good to acknowledge that I was angry.

Jo made that okay for me.

She made it okay...

For me to grieve.

That was one of the toughest things

I've ever done in my life.

[Sighs]

But you feel good after you've done it.

I definitely did. Yeah.

You know, once mom had released all that pent-up emotion,

I knew that we needed to work on the kids.

It was important that we establish a routine.

What we're gonna start off with first

Is creating the cornerstones

Of your routine,

So sleep,

Feeding, playing,

The times the kids go to bed

And the times that they get up.

So what time do we have christian getting up?

About :. :, Okay.

Having a routine, that could free some time up for her.

It would give her the stability and the framework

That would very much serve her and her family.

Oh, I like it. I really like it.

Mom had spent so much of her time

Devoted to dwight before he passed away.

I knew that it was important that we establish

A refresher course on baby care tips,

And the first one was how to give a bottle

To -month-old christian.

Just look at the milk.

The more you raise it, the more you fill,

So you don't allow any air pockets,

So the less bubbles you can create in that bottle,

The less he's swallowing.

Oh, okay. That's it. You've got it.

When you get to the end,

Sometimes they get a little bit fidgety,

And they don't want any more, sometimes I tap on the bottle,

And they look and they're listening

And they're looking at your finger tapping,

And naturally they just keep sucking.

The second step was how to burp a baby properly.

You know, like this kind of feeling.

It's like that. You might-- won't be hurting him. Okay.

You know, that-- right, rub here between

Will really help bring it up.

[Coos, burps] there we go.

And finally, I gave her some tips on how to make formula.

What I would like you to do is to make the bottles up

And then put them in the fridge,

Because there's so much time faffing around makin' 'em up,

And you can warm it up in-- in a hot saucepan of water.

She's given me an incredible amount of advice,

And it's working.

It's working.

No doubt the child care tips have come in handy for her,

But since dwight's passed away,

There have been so many chores now that have stacked up

That it's overwhelming for mom right now.

[Antoinette] the mail, the bills, everything--

I've just kind of, like, left it.

It's overwhelming.

You'll write down your list

Onto our little washing rags here.okay.

I came up with a simple way of helping her prioritize

What needs to be sorted right now.

Okay.and the things that you're not ready to do right now,

You'll throw in one basket.

And the things that you think, you know what?

I'm gonna get that done over the next couple of weeks,

You put in this one,

And you will do it when you're ready to do it.okay.

So, uh, thank-you cards. Is that something you want to get done

Over the next couple of weeks?

Do you feel like you want to get it done? I started--i started on it,

And then it became really emotional for me.

So let's leave it.okay.

I have to figure out what to do with the cars,

'Cause I don't need two cars.

But dwight's is kind of cool.[Laughs]

Dwight's is cool. [Laughing]

[Jo] mom was very pleased to see the laundry baskets.

It was like a load literally off of her mind.

Writing it down, throwing it into the baskets,

Get a little bit of organization going on up here

Gives her a little bit more clarity.

[Antoinette] I've got to change the names on the utilities.

[Jo] when dwight was alive,

He dealt with all the bills and house management,

And quite frankly, this is the first thing

That mom's gonna have to learn to deal with by herself

Just to keep her head above water.

School for the kids are not...

It's nice to have it written down,

So now it's in those two baskets.

I know where it is,

And, you know, and I can pick it up or not pick it up.

Jo's given me a tool to just deal with it just in doses,

Small doses, and that's what I'm gonna try to do.

Coming up on "supernanny,"

Mom reaches out for the support she needs...

Will you guys help me raise my children?

And the response overwhelms her...

Oh, god.

When "supernanny returns."

♪♪♪

[Jo laughs] [antoinette] hi!

[Selah] hi, jo!

[Jo] mom's really making progress

With her parenting techniques.

However, she's still worried

About keeping dwight's memory alive

And worried that the kids

Are not gonna have a male role model around.

[Knock on door]

Who's at the door?

We'll see. Get to it. I don't know.

Who is it?

[Jo] I wanted to show mom that she already has men in her life.

Hi! Oh, my god.

[Jo] rollin, who is a very dear friend

And actually introduced dwight and antoinette together,

And ron, who's a very close neighbor.

It's not the case of trying to replace dwight,

But actually having people around, close friends,

You know, of dwight, who loved him dearly.

They'll be able to tell,

You know, selah and christian stories about their dad

And be very much a male presence

In selah and christian's life.

I really believe that, you know,

Daughters and sons require a male presence

To shape them as young adults

And will you guys help me raise my children? Absolutely.

Absolutely. That's what friends are for.

[Rollin] we're looking forward very much

To being part of her life.

It's important to us, you know?

Dwight was our friend, as well as antoinette.

Oh, god.

[Sniffles] oh.

You okay, mama? Yes, I'm okay.

Are you crying?

[Jo] mom seemed really overwhelmed

With the men's willingness to help,

And so what I thought I would do is explain to them

About a little chore that needed fixing

That mom had told me about on the first day I met her.

You said to me

That there was something in that kitchen

That has not been done. You mean the-- the range hood?

The range hood. Yeah. That's a really big project.

Really? Well, why don't we go ahead and tackle that,

And see if we can, uh, take care of that little problem for you.

[Gasps] wow. [Laughs] okay.

[Jo] whilst the men worked on the range hood,

I took mom and the kids out to the park

For the first time since I've arrived.

Whee!

Watch this.

Pull this off and...

Pick it up. Yeah, right there. All right.

Oh, there's--oh, that's where it's turning.

Show me how you go down the slide. Come show me.

Whee! Oh, wow!

Great job, selah!

[Sighs]

[Jo] when we came back from the park,

I was eager to show mom that dwight's friends

Are more than willing to help out with tasks

That dwight would have done.

No way! You got it all the way done!

Dwight would be so proud.

This is awesome!

There was a-a tremendous amount of joy, I think, for her

In knowing that her friends were gonna be here to go ahead

And do something that she was so anxious to see done.

[Antoinette] I can't replace dwight,

But I can surround my children with strong male images

That they can draw on

That can help shape who they are as individuals.

Oh! [Laughs]

[Jo] so now that mom knows where help is,

I want to help her keep dwight's light burning

With fond memories,

So I made a picture book for selah.

[Antoinette] selah.

Look at all the pictures.

Wow!

But this one here-- that's daddy!

And she's like, "that's daddy!"

You know, and she was so excited--"wow! Wow! Wow!"

Who is that?daddy.

What's that old one doing?

They've got photo albums with photos in there,

But they're so precious.

I'm more--very cautious of the fact

That year olds don't really understand the importance.

This is a great photo, but it gets sticky

Or get ripped, whereas now selah has her own special little book

That she can take to bed with her or in the car with her

Or anywhere she wants to with her.

And that's the day we got married.

I call that his "gq" picture.

Daddy was very handsome.

The next thing I did to help record

The celebration of dwight's life

Was to introduce her to the video legacies.

I have...

A video recorder.

Oh, okay. When I first met you,

You said to me, "I'm so scared.

"I'm scared that I'm gonna forget.

"I'm scared that these kids

Are not gonna know who their father was."

If there's gonna be legacy, if there's gonna be memories,

If there's gonna be anything

That reminds them of their father,

They're gonna receive it from me.

You're going

To tell those magnificent stories,

And it's going to be recorded on here.

Being able to create this video legacy

Really allows mom to tell stories

And for her to really capture through her storytelling

The essence of who dwight was.

And you very much

Are gonna keep his spirit alive.

I'm going away for three days,

So while I'm gone, cry and laugh... [Selah] mama, the baby.

Have some fun with the kids.okay.

It's gonna be really difficult for me

To go away for a few days,

But I guess no time is a good time really,

And they're gonna have to learn to do this without me.

Okay, it's gonna be... Aw.

The longest three days of my life, but okay.

[Antoinette] even though she won't physically be with me

Over the next three days,

I'm pretty sure that I will hear jo speaking to me in my head

Every time I do something.

[Jo] I pray antoinette will do really well,

And if she doesn't,

Then I'm gonna be back there straight away.

Coming up on "supernanny,"

Mom remembers the night her husband proposed.

And then I get this call from dwight,

And dwight says, "look, I need to see you.

I need to see you right away. I need to see you right now."

And I'm driving to his house,

And I'm thinking, oh, this is it.

And later, jo gives mom an unforgettable surprise...

Oh, my god.

[Laughs]

When "supernanny" returns.

After three days away, I am very excited

To show antoinette the progress that she's made

From the first time I met her to now.

Are you ready to take a look at this dvd?

[Laughs] yes. Yes.

You are? No. [Laughs]

Yes, no. No, yes. Hmm? Hmm?

Oh, I think I did okay, but I'm not sure.

All right, so let's take at look at the first clip.

Come on. Mama don't want to fight with you right now, okay?

Okay?

Selah, it's not important.

Don't worry about the tape.

[Crying]

It's gonna be thatkind of day.

[Sighs] I just--

I just never expected to do all this by myself.

How does that feel watching that? [Sighs] it was emotional,

Because I'm--i'm looking at that, and I look exhausted.

I look worn out and kind of out of it.

And I really, you know, thought

I was handling it a lot better.

I can see the grief. I can see the sadness.

Let's carry on. Okay.

[Antoinette] whew.

Oh, my goodness. Look at that.

Front row seat.

Here you go...

As I'm pushing you,

I want you to push your legs out.

Straighten them out. Out and then bend them in.

Hey, look at him looking at us swing.

Mommy. Good job.

Mommy loves it when you listen to her, okay?

Don't you feel good? I feel good.

I feel good, too. That's great.

Okay, so we had a good day today.

So you get some rest, okay?

And tomorrow, we do it all over again.

I did it, honey.

You would be so proud.

Unbelievable. Oh, wow.

Seriously, antoinette, I salute you.

That was you. I know.

That was you. That was me.

You have got your kids listening to you.

You have them on a schedule

Where they're going to bed at the right time... Yeah.

Eating, encouragement, playing--

You got some focus. You got things in order. Mm-hmm.

I feel really good.

So we're gonna take a look at the naughty chair.

Oh.

Pick up the brown--

I know you're not painting on the rug.

I know you just didn't do that. [Crying]

Go sit in the chair. [Crying]

[Crying]

Mommy?

Yeah, you can get up. Go ahead.

So I'm just gonna break this down for you

With the naughty chair, okay?

You know, there's a reason why each step is there.

I forgot to hug her and tell her--

Have her apologize and hug her, right? Yeah. Exactly.

I didn't--i didn't follow through on that.yeah.

But hey, I mean, seriously,

It's just a matter of remembering that.

When we think about what we have achieved,

You're gonna get that like that, as well, you know?

All right, let's take a look

At the next piece of footage here. Okay.

We are gonna be looking at video legacy.

Your father and I had been dating

For about five months or so,

So I remember getting home,

Changing clothes,

Then I get this call from dwight,

And dwight says, "look, I need to see you.

I need to see you right away. I need to see you right now."

And I'm driving to his house,

And I'm thinking, oh, this is it.

It's over. We're not gonna be together anymore.

It's just not meant to be.

And I get there, and he says,

"You know, I've never...

Had anything like this

"That--that's been all in my life all the time like that,

"And now I can't live without it,

So will you be my wife?"

I was like, "absolutely."

[Laughs]

Look at you.

So tell me, how did it feel doing the video legacy?

You know, at first, it felt a little strange, you know?yeah.

But--but i-i-i like the idea. I like it a lot. And of course,

Selah is gonna grow up and christian,

And they're gonna want to hear the stories--

"Again, mommy, again! Again!" Mm-hmm.

So the beginning of this is uncomfortable,

Or kind of weird that it felt,

Will be something that you'll become very used to.

Let me just take you back very briefly

To two weeks ago... Okay.

And none of this was going on--full stop.

None of this.

You know, you should be so proud

Of yourself right now, antoinette.

[Sniffles] I am proud.

[Sighs] oh, my god.

There's--there's--there's-- there's very few times

That I'm lost for words. [Laughs]

That--that's unbelievable.

Oh, it's because-- it really is.

It's because of you.

So today... Mm-hmm. Today.

Today, I think I'll surprise you.

I've been going with you all along. I'm ready.exactly.

Just--just keep going. All right.

Good. That's what we'll do.

Amazing. Amazing! Mm.

Coming up on "supernanny"...

Let's take a look at this.

Dwight lewis-- my good friend--

No doubt he would like to be here

Seeing you two kids growing up.

[Narrator] dwight's closest friends

Record memories for his children...

Selah, when you were born, he was so excited,

He went out and bought dresses.

[Narrator] and the entire neighborhood

Expresses their support for antoinette...

Oh, my god.

[Laughs]

When "supernanny returns."

On our last day together, I had two surprises for mom.

The first was two video legacies

That I'd ask dwight's friends to record.

Let's take a look at this.

This message is for... Oh, my god.

All of you guys-- selah, christian, antoinette.

The first video legacy

Was from a much-loved family friend named don.

I want to talk a little bit about my friend.

Selah, when you were born, he was so excited,

He went out and bought dresses.

I mean, not just play dresses--

Sunday dresses and sundresses.

We're talking gown-type dresses. Yes.

You weren't even... [Scoffs] a month old.

And to christian,

When your dad got ill,they gave him six months to live.

It was assumed that he wouldn't be around

To see you born.

Well, fella, he was determined

To hold you in his arms and caress his son.

You guys were the apple of his eye.

You gave him joy.

Gosh.

Dwight lewis my good friend--

No doubt he would like to be here

Seeing you two kids growing up.

There's no question about that.

But he never felt shorted.

He never felt that god took something away from him.

Rather, he felt that god had given him an amazing gift.

He got the woman of his dreams,

He got to see the birth of his daughter,

And a few months before god took him home,

He got to see the birth of his son.

He considered himself a very, very blessed man.

As you, selah and christian, grow up,

You know, you will always have a bit of your dad

Shining through you.

There she is, doing her own video camera for the kids,

And now she has two additional pieces to add.

It's your keepsake box,

So that you can start putting your memories in there.

Okay.

[Antoinette] I felt a sense of relief

That they are gonna know about their father.

He's not gonna be, you know, some picture,

Some entity that they can't connect with.

Through all these stories that people have given me,

They will know their father.

I really love it.

[Jo] and for my second surprise,

I took this whole family to the park

Where I had a big surprise laid out for them.

A party is not a party

Unless you have those that are close to you, right,

And those that care and those that support you?yeah.

So here they are.

Just then, I had all of mom's friends and family members...

Oh, my god. Come out from around the corner.

Oh. [Laughs]

Oh, my god. [Laughs]

They're all here. Mm-hmm.

[Selah] but that's my balloon.

They're the people who care and love you and your family.

Oh, this is so great. And they're here to celebrate today.

Yay.

I love you, too.

Oh, my god. Hi, rollin.

Hey. Oh, my. How you doing? I thought I'd surprise you.

Surprise. I guess so!

Aah!

[Laughing]

Today, I bring you

In front of your community

So they can show you

How much you mean to them.

[Jo] dwight was very much a loved person,

And each and every one of her neighbors

Wanted to contribute,

Wanted to show her that they cared.

I'm going to be a listening ear

Whenever you need to talk.

I would love to clean your house. Oh, my god!

Our pledge to you is to keep the cars clean.

I'm pledging to cook for you.

I want to offer my babysitting services.

So we're gonna do a family vacation.

We set up the dwight lewis memorial fund, okay? Whoa.

Oh, my god.

Oh, my.

[Jo] each one of those neighbors

Came forth in being able to contribute

A large piece of their time

In being able to support

And lend that helping hand to antoinette.

Can I first and foremost say

That it has been an absolute honor for myself

To meet antoinette and her family.

This woman, over a period of two weeks,

Has just shown an amazing--

An amazing strength.

She really has.

I know dwight

Was certainly a man with a plan,

And I know, antoinette, that he would be--

He would be so proud of you.

I believe that there's so much more of this lady

That we've not even discovered yet.

I love you, jo.

It was nice to leave her today

With her neighborhood.

You know, it's nice to leave her

With the friends who love her dearly

Who are there to support her.

Today, she turned around and she said to me,

"It's gonna be all right."

That's a difference... Big difference.

I love you, jo. You take care, darling, all right?

You take care of yourself.

[Antoinette] jo has given me confidence,

Given me the ability to just be a better parent,

A better mother.

Can you give me a hug?

Thank you, jo.

I will never, ever forget you.

Oh, yeah!

[Jo] she understands

That only time will make things a little bit easier,

But the rest, she's taken ownership of,

And she's got that underneath her belt.

Bye-bye, everybody. Take care. Enjoy. Bye-bye. [Antoinette] bye, jo!

Thank you.bye-bye.

Bye.

♪♪♪

[Antoinette] cheese! Cheese.

It would've helped some.

[Laughing]

Ooh, you make me-- you make laugh.

So we'll try that tomorrow in front of you.

I'm calling on jesus, 'cause I need help with this one.

I wish this camera had, like, some kind of smell,

Kind of like... Oh.

No, you don't want to smell. Thing here.

Then you could feel, like, what we're feeling in the house here.

He's ripe.