“He didn’t have any idea what to do with a little girl. I tucked the papers away and forgot about them. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Being rejected by the same woman twice in your life is a hard pill to swallow.”
‘I was on mother number 3. She cut off contact. ‘Were you in Terre Haute, IN in 1967?’ My heart was racing.’: Adoptee finds father after 50 years, ‘Our relationship is magical’
‘I expected him to tell me, ‘Yeah, I’ve noticed. You’ve got to do something about that anxiety.’ He didn’t though.’: Mom grateful for husband’s love when sharing insecurities
“My husband and I had a day date this past weekend. I predicted he would say something like, ‘Why don’t you try to get a better routine going, be a bit more organized, and plan more?’ He didn’t, though. And then, he went a step further.”
‘Is there more than one?’ He said, ‘It’s TRIPLETS!’ The worst was happening. I rode in the ambulance in fear.’: After multiple losses, family welcomes adopted son on ‘Double Rainbow Day’
“It was like a dark cloud was overhead. ‘Should we try one more time? Is it too dangerous?’ I started praying for a sign. And boy did I get one. We took a shaky step. Then another. And another.”
‘Tonight, I saw a post that said, ‘What would women do without us?’ Everything. We would do absolutely everything.’: Woman urges ‘don’t ever forget what you’re capable of’
“Today, I mowed my yard with my almost-two-year-old on my hip.”
‘Is your Internet not working either?’ I spit my coffee out. Um, excuse me, what? My head was literally spinning.’: Mom shares hilarious first virtual day of school, ‘You are not in this alone’
“I hear both my husband’s and my phone start pinging like crazy and knocks on the door. I had to choose to either laugh or cry. It was the first day of virtual learning.”
‘They commented, ‘Should have aborted,’ on my photo. He is living in a world where he’s so othered, people think he should not be breathing.’: Special needs mom responds to ableist bullies
“One day, I hope when the world sees my son, they see Anderson. One day, I hope they see his humanity.”
‘I was relaxing by the pool, scrolling through my phone, when my heart stopped. My son was considered a ‘curse.’: Mom adopts boy with Spina Bifida, ‘We are the blessed ones to have him’
“He was sent to live in an orphanage. At only 4 years old, they were preparing him for an Adult Mental Institution. We had no idea what his name was. We didn’t even know his birthday. Every time that phone rang, I ran to it. I was on pins and needles.”
‘You’re too young to foster a teen.’ Everyone around us told us to say no. We already had 5 little kids.’: Foster mom says ‘every kid deserves to know they are loved’
“My 11-year-old son with autism said to her, ‘Will you remember me when you leave? I don’t want you to forget me. I won’t have anyone to play with at school.’ He told her he loved her. It isn’t easy. Sometimes it seems like the trauma won. But she will never have too much ‘baggage’ to be loved. I’m so glad we said YES.”
‘Why are there only four people?’ ‘I’m not in the picture, I’m in heaven.’ A part of me knew it was true, even then.’: Mom shares emotional grief journey after 14-year-old son killed in car crash
“He was everyone’s greatest cheerleader, and his teammates and coaches loved him for it. I had an overwhelming feeling to appreciate that exact moment in time. ‘The traffic is actually not too bad.’ That was the last moment I remember.”
‘I hope you’ll take time to get to know their strengths and weaknesses. That will make it so much easier for me to let them go.’: K-5 teacher urges middle school teachers, ‘Your students will always be OUR students.’
“I was already worrying about the next school year. Some of my students, I fell in love with right away. Others, it took a little more time. Will you give them that time? When you struggle with them, maybe it will help if you think of all the teachers who loved them for years. If you need help, I’ll be here.”