“I know judging gazes find us in the grocery store parking lot, as his head rests on my shoulder and his legs dangle well below my waist. ‘Will this be the last time?’ I will throw out my back if that’s what it takes.”
‘He is too big to be carried around.’ The world thinks I’m babying him. Yet I’m afraid it’ll be the last time.’: Mom says she’ll be grateful for every ‘YES,’ despite what others may say
‘She’s the kid you see biting her parents. You think, ‘Thank god she’s not mine.’ I would not purchase again.’: Mom ‘salutes’ parents with ‘feral’ children
“When you tell her to stop running, she hears, ‘Run faster, knock down a shelf of sanitary pads, and bounce into someone with a drink spilling it all over them.’ I try, I do. She’s just the Blair witch.”
‘We ‘couldn’t handle’ being foster parents. We had just packed up our house and were moving in a week. ‘Do you have room for a placement?’: Family seeking adoption welcomes foster baby, ‘There is never a perfect time’
“We found out we were pregnant with our 4th child. We were very surprised! So many people tried to talk us out of renewing our license. I felt like I ‘couldn’t handle it.’ Then, we got a call. ‘Can you take him?’ I am willing to risk a broken heart.”
‘In my head I screamed, ‘No! No!’ You don’t know what it’s like to only be left with a bloody photo.’: Woman grieves infertility journey and tubal pregnancy loss, ‘I want people to feel less alone’
“I shouted, ‘No! That’s not an option. My baby HAS to be okay.’ While high on Oxycontin I realized why people become drug addicts. I went to bed not knowing if I’d wake up.”
‘He cried by the door. He was hoping we’d take him back. Our anxiety levels were through the roof.’’: Mom shares international adoption journey, ‘We can’t imagine life without them’
“It’s like meeting a movie star you’ve dreamed about. ‘Why aren’t we on a plane to see our son?’ Our flight was cancelled, causing us to miss the next two. We could miss our court date. We tried to prepare for the trauma looming ahead.”
‘Are you ready to let her go? Babies sometimes need permission to go.’ I was so focused on bringing her home, I was shocked.’: Couple accept Trisomy 13 diagnosis, ‘Our angel had a short mission on Earth’
“’Some babies with this condition didn’t live past 7 days.’ I was heartbroken. I started thinking of my father. It was his first grandchild, and he probably couldn’t meet her. My sister was coming in 12 days, and she might not make it in time. I told my husband, ‘I’m not going home without our baby.’ I was so focused on bringing her home, her words shocked me.”
‘How long has he been like this?’ I yelled. His temperature read 105. ‘You can’t have him,’ I said to death. ‘Not again.’: Bereaved mom describes parenting after loss during pandemic
“The doctor came in, ‘We need to run some tests.’ He doesn’t know. She died inside of ME! I was the one who could have saved her. Do you know how hard it is needing to prove to the world I can keep my children alive? ‘Please stay. Please stay,’ I whispered.”
‘The police came, and my mother hid my brother. ‘Where is he?’ I couldn’t leave. I had to protect them.’: Woman survives abuse, abandonment as she helps raise 4 special needs siblings
“My step-father would hide food and I wasn’t allowed to sit with them. Then I got pregnant at 17. I had to run and hide wherever I found a good place, and sometimes it was too late. I had to protect my brothers.”
‘To the Mama writing a school intent letter for her children, you don’t need to justify your decision to anyone.’: Mom reminds us ‘there is no right answer’ for back-to-school concerns
“I know you feel like there is no real right answer. I know the what-if’s seem paralyzing and all-consuming right now. You don’t need to justify your decision to anyone. They don’t pay your bills, sister!”
‘She wouldn’t take a bottle or sippy cup. The nurse said, ‘That can’t be right.’ Something was wrong. This was my fault.’: Mom advocates for daughter with rare Chung-Jansen Syndrome, ‘Listen to your instincts’
“A voice inside my head was telling me something was up. She wouldn’t eat and couldn’t roll over. The doctor said, ‘She has barely grown in 4 months.’ I felt a wave of grief. I knew I had to advocate for her.”