“Our baby had his first open-heart surgery at 3 days old. The timing couldn’t have been worse for adopting someone else. We began the process shortly before heading back to the hospital. Every child deserves a chance.”
‘I saw a 5-year-old being transferred to an institution. ‘We might not get him in time.’ He HAD to be ours.’: Couple adopts special-needs children, ‘Every heart needs a home’
‘She’s sending me away. She says I’m a bad kid. Why doesn’t anybody love me?’ I held his little hand, crying hard. ‘Will you adopt me?’: Woman adopts boy from foster care, ‘He’s the missing piece we didn’t know we needed’
“It was a chilly fall night when Zack called. ‘My mom is out of control. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do.’ He was hiding in the driveway. I jumped into the car. ‘Nobody wants me bec—’ We quickly interjected, ‘Nope, it doesn’t matter what happened. We want you. We love you. And you always belong here, no matter what.’ In that moment, we knew he was ours.”
‘I submitted a refund request for the trip we planned for a year. My son said, ‘Well, I guess I’ll never get a prom.’: Mom reminds us kids are affected by the pandemic too
“’I just really wanted to go to Europe, I’ve wanted to go my whole life.’ This is what I said to my husband. He was laid off from his job and then didn’t work all summer. ‘Mom, I am so mad.’”
‘Mom, what political party are we?’ I told her how I lean, to which she responded, ‘Therefore, I am too.’ Oh, my love, no.’: Mom tells daughter ‘I will love and respect whoever you become’
“You are not a republican or a democrat or an independent or anything else because I am. You are uniquely you, and I will love you and respect whoever you become.”
‘He hates his teacher threatening him to send the principal’s office. It doesn’t work because I’m too soft and tired.’: Mom learns important lesson from son, ‘their innocence is worth keeping a little bit longer’
“He said to it, ‘It’s okay little guy, you’ll be safe here.’ He scooped it up and brought it to me. I realized even though we weren’t ‘schooling’ together, we were both learning.”
‘I feel like a hot mess mom all the time. My children laugh in the face of danger, yours are gentle. While their house is tidy, I turn a blind eye to the bathroom.’: Mom reminds us ‘you’re doing the best you can’
“I’m simply doing the best I can, and that’s just going to have to be enough.”
‘My mom was unable to come to my house to get my kids ready for school. I am so thankful.’: Single mom says ‘I never really sit down’
“I’m used to juggling my schedule to take care of ‘kid stuff.’ Today, though, things were different. I had my shower, makeup, and hair done before I even had to wake my oldest two boys up for school. So, I sat down.”
‘Late to work, I left my dogs behind with full bladders. I spilled my coffee. On my shirt. Three times. My ‘great day’ lasted until the sun came up.’: Widow says ‘survival looks good on you, kid’
“You know what they say: ‘When you plan your spouse’s funeral, you can pretty much do anything.’ I had one of those mornings. Despite all of it, I am surviving. I don’t think we remind each other enough that we’re proud just for making it through the day.”
‘We stopped to watch the construction crew. ‘Wow, what a COOL job!’ They screamed for joy. I pray they never put down others, and always see the value in hard work.’: Parents teach kids all jobs are ‘extremely valuable’
“As the cement mixed, we talked about how important this job is. ‘Almost every building, sidewalk, or road is made of cement. Without strong foundations, things fall or fail.’ I don’t know what they’ll grow up to be, but my prayer is they love the work they do. And I pray they do it with great pride and care.”
‘Your voice kept getting louder, your face angry. ‘Why do mornings always go like this?’ I was ready to get in the car…almost.’: Mother writes touching note from daughter’s perspective
“I heard you say my whole name and snap at me. You said you were sorry. ‘Can we EVER get out of this house on time?’ I wasn’t trying to make us late.”