“My jaw dropped when I saw your little face. ‘Why did you give me a baby who seems like my own?’ It didn’t seem fair to have to give you back. This was only supposed to be a seven-day thing.”
‘MOM, why did you say no!? We want that kid to come here!’ We fell in love. and it wasn’t hard or forced or even on purpose.’: Mom’s long foster journey leads to adoption, ‘It wasn’t a dream anymore. This was real’
‘They asked, ‘Where’s your real Mom? She didn’t want you? Is there something wrong with you?’ Everywhere I went, I stuck out like a sore thumb.’: Transracial adoptee says ‘it’s okay to grieve the loss of your birth family’
“I wasn’t white enough, but I also wasn’t black enough. I’d be in line checking out with my mom when cashiers would remind me to put down the grocery dividers between us. It was a constant reminder others didn’t see me as belonging to my parents. Every birthday, I wondered if my birth mother thought about me. Every holiday, I wondered if she missed me.”
‘A friend broke up with him after he was outed to her as trans.’: Mom of 11-year-old trans son shares ‘frightening’ story
“The child’s parent who dropped her off chastised me (out of earshot of the kids) for having a pride flag outside my house and asked me to ‘not talk about inappropriate matters with his daughter.’ My heart literally couldn’t handle it.”
‘I don’t know how to tell you.’ He looked fearfully at her twin. My body turned into a science experiment.’: Preemie twin diagnosed with Down syndrome, ‘We truly are the lucky few’
“The nurse said, ‘Ariel is perfect too.’ I looked at her tiny 3-pound body covered in wires. She was starving.”
‘We take the backseat. Our job never ends. We give every bit of who we are and stare at reflections, searching for a small part of who we once were.’: Mom urges ‘you’re motherf**king superwoman’
“We live repetitive groundhog days. We argue with tiny people who think they know better. We cook meals that aren’t up to their satisfaction, and bend over backwards until we collapse. We may not get ‘paid’ for our job, but it’s 24/7. Our lives consist of putting everyone else first.”
‘She started with, ‘So the good news is…’ My heart sunk. When they took her away we were a mess.’: Baby with Down syndrome diagnosed with congenital heart failure, ‘She is a miracle’
“I sat in my car crying in the parking lot. ‘She’s going to need surgery.’ I mourned the loss of the child I thought I was carrying.”
‘You look great now, but you’d look even better at 102 lbs.’ I’m terrified of my sweet, innocent little girl hearing the lies I’ve heard.’: Woman reinvents 10-year challenge, ‘Your body is a gift’
“I sent a message to the friend who had to deal with my food and weight issues up close and personal for years. ‘Thank you for all you did for me, and stickking with me.’ She simply responded, ‘Your weight has always been the least interesting thing about you.'”
‘Get to the hospital now.’ I had a front-row seat to her pain. We opened the nursery door cautiously.’: Couple finally adopts their ‘tiny fighter,’ ‘My heart grew bigger’
“She decided to parent. We closed the nursery door again. My heart was broken and we were exhausted. The baby is not yours until papers are signed.”
‘I feel it deep in my bones. I don’t know who I’ll be on the other side. I hope she’s someone I can live with.’: Woman feels change in times of protests and Covid-19, ‘It’s scary but full of hope’
“These hands know when it’s time to write a new page. I am learning to listen to my body. I am me, but I’m not me.”
‘There’s nothing left we can do.’ My knees went weak when I saw them. Their skin was almost see-through.’: Young mom gives birth to twin micro preemies, ‘They are thriving’
“My blood pressure was so high, they were surprised I hadn’t had a stroke. It was time for them to come out. As a single mother watching both kids fight for their lives, I was lost.”