“I’ve seen trauma, tears, and sorrow on this path, but I’ve also seen beautiful scenery along the way. Without the bumps in the road, we wouldn’t cherish the good days like we do now.”
‘I have deep scars all over. Most are not visible, but they’re there.’: Mom shares journey to embracing emotional scars
‘How many kids do you have?’ For years, this question was a trigger. Like lemon juice in a fresh wound, it stung.’: Birthmother shares adoption grief, making peace with others’ opinions
“Now I allow the other person an opportunity to hear a new perspective, gain a new depth of understanding, or judge me based on what little information they’ve amassed. Either way, I’m a mama to three girls, but one of them doesn’t live with me.”
‘My. Son. Died. I can’t run from that. But I run so no one else has to run this race.’: Mom shares the intensity of grief after losing son to overdose
“Grief is the most arduous race anyone will ever run. You can do this, and I’ll run by your side.”
‘We are at capacity, babe.’ Two months later, Mike asked if I’d gotten her info. We’d never adopted a teen before, we were terrified.’: Family of 11 shares foster care, adoption journey
“She would contact her workers monthly asking if they had found her a family yet. She was desperate for a family to love her and call her own.”
‘Hair loss, depression, anxiety, mood swings, tears, a healing body—it all can await us after bringing life into this world.’: Mom talks about life postpartum, ‘It’s worth any amount of hair’
“We’re all thrown out into the open ocean of motherhood just trying to stay afloat and make our way back to shore alive…but no matter how big those waves are, the open ocean of motherhood is the most beautiful, humbling, and awe-inspiring creation there is.”
‘It’s not a big deal. He’ll grow out of it,’ the nurse practitioner told me. I fought with the hospital to admit him immediately.’: Mom of two special needs boys shares accepting diagnoses
“The excitement and determination were swept away with grief. This incurable disease is marked by developmental delays, atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum, difficulty controlling muscles… and death.”
‘These two boys have entirely different stories, yet they are so fiercely meant to be bros.’: Mom reflects on adoptive son’s journey
“Some days he asks about his birth mom; other days I remind him how much she loves him. Some days he tells people he’s adopted; other days he wonders why he wasn’t born from my tummy.”
To My Special Needs Child: I Knew Our Lives Would Never Look The Same As Anyone Else’s, But We Picked Up The Pieces
“I know how to love different, how to embrace different, how to see all the different and know that it is beautiful. But most importantly, I know how to love a special little baby with my whole heart, and give him the life full of adventure he deserves.”
‘I don’t need to run on fumes. I need to recognize I’m human and ask for help.’: Special needs mom shares son’s sweet reminder after rough day
“‘Anything you want to thank God for?’ Without even a whisper, he simply looked up at me and pointed. ‘Me? You want to thank God for me?’ He nodded with a sweet smile. He wanted to thank God for me. The one who thought she was an utter failure of a mom that day.”
‘Wait! It’s on us today.’: Mom to medically-complex children shares acts of kindness that changed her life
“One kind act can change someone’s entire day. One considerate thing can shift someone’s perspective on life. So be kind, be loving, and be present.”