Emily Richey is a graduate of Pace University NYC. She has written and edited for multiple online platforms, including Love What Matters. She spends her free time petting stray cats.
‘How could a mom let this happen?’ She clung to the social worker with snot on her face. She couldn’t look at me.’: Foster mother pens open letter to bio mom, ‘I’m cheering for you always’
“They imagine your home being a toxic environment. They imagine your children wanting nothing to do with you. The reality is, for the first 24 hours, we mostly talked about how much she loves you.”
‘I feel like I’m betraying my mom.’ We drowned the first year. I stepmom-ed so hard, it almost broke me.’: Woman describes becoming a blended family, ‘My job is just to love them’
“I needed to take a step back. I had been trying so hard to help my stepchildren go through the healing process, I jumped into the mom role way too quickly. It wasn’t my job to fill the void.”
‘Is he your son?’ I nodded and waited for the disbelief. He just smiled. ‘I could tell. You look like best friends.’: Woman documents foster care journey, ‘Family runs deeper than blood’
“I remember the night he came home. I barely knew a handful of words. He had been told not to call me mom because I was not blood-related. It was not easy, but we grew together.”
‘Calvin will be a little brother.’ They said, ‘You mean BIG brother?’ We assumed we’d get a newborn. Then we read her story.’: Couple adopts older child, ‘The sibling bond amazes us’
“She flexed her muscles. ‘Do you think they know how strong I am?’ She asked if I would take her picture and send it to her foster family, so they could see how strong she’s become.”
‘I held my baby. ‘It will be difficult to have more.’ 3 months later, I had a positive test.’: Mom of 3 becomes foster parent, ‘This is where we’re supposed to be’
“The delivery was terrifying. I remember seeing bags of blood brought into the room. The doctor told me, ‘This will DEFINITELY be your last time carrying a baby.’ But I knew my family was complete.”
‘You think I’m a monster.’ What they’d been through was horrifying. Mom cried, the tears where you can’t breathe.’: Foster mom fights for reunification, ‘Their mom is the bravest person I’ve met’
“I saw their eyes when others asked them why they had a white mom, their faces as they kept justifying their family for the rest of their lives. ‘Of course the boys will always have a place with me, but this isn’t the end. You have to fight.’”
‘Don’t get too attached. I’m going to get her back.’ I was naive. As I sat with her, the tears began to flow.’: Mom of 5 loves foster daughter ‘in all the ways I love my own’
“I had a dream I was holding a new baby like she was my own, but I didn’t give birth to her. I woke up and saw a picture of a newborn on Facebook. I knew it was her.”
‘Oh God, they can’t lose another mom.’ I found a volleyball-sized growth. I was already their second adoption.’: Woman says adopted kids ‘loved me through’ cancer
“I started to feel ‘off.’ By March, I could hardly get out of bed. They had experienced the loss of not one, but two moms already. Instead of falling apart, they stepped up.”
‘Could I be his family?’ I couldn’t stand how he was still waiting. Sometimes I’d just cry for him. He needed a family.’: Single woman pursues special needs adoption
“There was something about him that stuck out. I read his profile, saved his picture, and sent it to my best friend. ‘Look how precious this boy is!’ I went on with my day. But to be honest, I never really moved on.”
‘At 2 years old, they called me ‘Mommy.’ No one ever doubted I was their REAL mother. I wasn’t ready for them to know the truth.’: Mom of blended family says ‘at the end of the day, love is what matters’
“They would ask me about their pregnancies. We shrugged our shoulders and moved on. I was scared to tell them. I questioned if they would understand or not.”