“He turned around, holding a very sleepy toddler. ‘Is that him?’ I choked back tears, trying not to run toward the child that would make us moms.”
‘Will you take in 3 sisters?’ We had NO experience. They came in like a whirlwind. I panicked.’: Foster mom describes ups and downs, ‘I’d make the same choice over and over’
‘Some of us thrive under pressure, but some of us collapse. Everyone has their reasons. They aren’t in your life to be like you.’: Woman discusses the importance of diverse friendships, ‘Don’t let yourself be the reason one fails’
“They aren’t in your life to be more like you. They are in your life to be them and to serve the purpose on your path they are intended to. Not a single part of friendship is about control.”
‘My little boy can’t say ‘I love you.’ I get hurt a lot. My friends live unrelatable lives.’: Mom of son with autism says ‘thank you for helping me recognize your beauty’
“Many humans sleepwalk through their lives. I feel the wild euphoria of my child putting on a sock.”
‘Are you giving up?’ He replied, ‘You aren’t getting pregnant!’ I surrendered my idea of family.’: Couple pursues adoption after infertility battle, ‘Our hearts completely changed’
“My heart sunk. ‘Wait, but what about me?’ I was ecstatic to help this little one go home, but my life had shifted and I wasn’t ready to go back.”
‘I was POSITIVE their parental rights should be taken away. Then I saw the toughest exterior break. I wept for her.’: Foster mom advocates for bio moms, ‘They’re often dealt bad cards’
“We had a sweet little boy enter our family. As I listened to his parents’ stories, my heart softened. Instead of seeing them as monsters, I saw them as people.”
‘I could never give them back! It would be too hard.’ It’s not about the ending, it’s about the middle.’: Mom who lost infant daughter shares thoughts on foster care, ‘Loss is part of life’
“Honestly, I’ve asked myself the very same thing. Now I understand. As a family, we have to have boundaries. We had to make the difficult decision to have him moved.”
‘Our foster son had been left all alone, hungry and parentless, to fend for himself. I don’t know what it’s like to go hungry, but I can give him a seat at our table.’: Foster mom talks food insecurity
“With GeQwan’s love for cooking, we’ve spent numerous hours in the kitchen trying to connect. Sometimes, in between chopping and sautéing, he would let a little scrap of his life fall on the counter between us. I don’t know what it’s like to go hungry, but I can give him a seat at our table, and let him know he is enough.”
‘After watching the Disney movie, our 8-year-old daughter couldn’t sleep. My heart ached for her.’: Parents encourage daughter’s empathy, ‘We will not toughen her up’
“At 2 a.m. this morning, as my daughter snuggled into me, I told her stories about bunnies, fields of flowers… Nothing worked. We are protective about what our tender-hearted children see. We are cautious. When I was 9, I watched a movie that traumatized me around the same age. We will not toughen her up.”
Your Worth Is Not Determined By Your Appearance: A Guide To Self-Love During The Pandemic
“I’ve gained 30 pounds during quarantine. I can’t button my pants anymore. It’s hard to look in the mirror. And I’ve been stuck at my home with nothing but my thoughts and my new adult body.”
I Don’t Go To Church, But I Live A Life Of Love
“Growing up, I didn’t get much from Church and Sunday school, other than boredom. After 40 years, something dormant inside me woke up.”