“I have a choice. I can sit in this room and reflect on every moment I’ve missed, I can choke on despair. The other road is more difficult.”
‘Why do I feel inadequate? I was invited, requested. I’m the birth mom.’: Woman feels trepidation attending birth daughter’s graduation
It’s Hard Letting You Go—Please Be Patient With Me
“My once missing front tooth child with dirty knees is now ready to put on a cap and gown and fly. I gaze at you with wonder, as tears form and a smile parts my lips, for I know your future is nothing but bright.”
‘My sons see themselves in the pages of books we read. But what about everyone else?’: Mom starts inclusive ‘Kind Kids Book Club’
“My sons are knights on horseback, dinosaur keepers, doctors, pilots, sidekicks, heroes. What about different cultures and countries, strong girls and women, and people with disabilities? The little things matter.”
‘I was out of town when I got the call. ‘Pack your stuff! We have a baby coming! She was induced this morning!’: Single mom adopts son from brave birth mother after emotional journey
“It dawned on me I was sitting in a hospital room waiting on a 21-year-old I’d never met to progress past 3 centimeters. She was alone in her room telling no one, not even family, what she was doing. She was in the midst of a decision that would change at least three lives forever.”
‘What are you going to DO about it?’ mom asked. I wasn’t popular. But I DID know how kindness could look.’: Young woman creates ‘Let’s Be Kind Day’ for community
“I decided to have an event where we could all focus on one thing we have in common: the ability to be kind.”
‘Tell her,’ I whispered to my daughter as she pressed her body against mine. The cashier’s face lit up.’: Mom shares beautiful moment daughter learns ‘the power in raising others up’
“With a brilliant smile the cashier said, ‘You made my day.’ As I walked out of the store, holding my daughter’s hand, I stole a glance back at the young woman. Her energy was brighter now than it had been when we first entered her line. In this very moment, my daughter learned the power in raising others up.”
‘No boy? Their daddy is going to have a hard time when they are teens, watch out!’: Mom to four girls powerfully responds to gender remarks from strangers, urges ‘words matter’
“At first it didn’t bother me, the stares or the questions, but then it started to chip away at me. With each comment, my daughters would silently absorb a stranger making me feel less because we were a large family of girls. With each question, my daughters would internalize something they couldn’t yet grasp.”
‘We received the call. ‘You’re the chosen home for a girl and boy ages 1 and 2.’ DHS labeled their case ‘Shocking and Heinous.’: Mom candidly shares emotional sibling adoption journey
“They had been taken away from all they knew, too young to understand what was happening. Too young to ask why. They had no idea who we were and why they were in our home. It didn’t matter what color our skin was, how much money we had, or where we lived – it was about love. It was about fighting to give them a better future.”
‘He said, ‘You’re in the thick of it right now. One day you will be having coffee at the kitchen table in silence again. There’s an end.’: Mom to toddlers urges ‘I’m going to miss this’
“I looked down at my sweet smiling two-year-old, eyes following a bird in flight above. ‘But I’m going to miss this,’ I answered in a soft, quiet voice. Because gosh, I’m going to miss this.”
‘They asked, ‘Does she taste salty?’ Panic began to sink in.’: Mom says daughter’s cystic fibrosis is ‘a mama’s worst nightmare’
“If you kissed Alexis on the forehead and licked your lips, it would taste like the ocean. All the blood drained from my face.“