“One of us dared say it out loud: ‘I want to pursue foster care.’ ‘What?!? Me too.’ Not someday, then. Together. I saw it from our agency’s placement desk and stepped into the kitchen. ‘Two-day-old baby girl ready to be discharged tomorrow, yes or no?’ Yes. Yes. Yes! We never looked back.”
“I remember thinking how strange it was that parents who lived in rich, powerful neighborhoods with top-rated schools felt the need to pull their special needs child out and home school. It made no sense. Until it happened to me.”
“He’s coached me through my hardest days. He’s cheered me on through labor pains. For all the shared chores, for all the date nights we keep. For all the kids’ giggles, being my best friend, and supporting me every day. My life is so much better.”
“15 weeks pregnant, my OB left a voicemail. Something was different in her voice. ‘It’s questionable you’ll make it through surgery alive.’ I was carrying an undetected twin. I had two options: die or let one of my twins die.”
“It’s probably not a big deal.’ The team was stumped. They decided to do an ultrasound just for good measure. Our world was shattered in that moment.”
“She asked me to lay back. ‘Hold on,’ I said, ‘Let me grab my phone so I can record this for my husband.’ I settled in, hit the record button. I knew pretty quickly that something was off. I could feel the tennis ball size lump rising in my throat.”
“We have kids. Our lives get messy and busy. Somedays, when we talk to each other, we get distracted mid-conversation by our kids, our phones, and just life. Sometimes I don’t feel heard. But yesterday, he came home with a pan.”
“Many kids and adults will try to hush her as she grows up. But as long as she has a few teachers who believe in her for the girl she is, with those leadership skills, she just might change the world.”
“I wish I could say I’m the perfect mother. But the truth is… I’m not. Not even close.”
“Can we stop shaming parents for having a break from their kids while they spend quality time with their grandparents?”
