“‘You’re the ONLY home in the county who can take all 3.’ No pressure, right? After a few volleys, we told each other these kids don’t have anyone else.”

‘We have 3 kids who were taken away from their mother.’ We went from zero to 3, INSTANTLY. I can’t believe we said yes.’: LGBTQ couple fosters 3 siblings, ‘Loving them is easy’

‘A mother has chosen you.’ It didn’t feel real. As painful as it was, I’d do it all over again.’: Couple adopts after ‘gut-wrenching’ disrupted adoption, ‘Everything led us to this moment’
“We finally felt like becoming parents was in our foreseeable future. For 3 days, we lived in her NICU room and slept on the tiny couch together. But her birth mother chose to keep her. Our hearts SHATTERED.”

‘We’re going to miss you. Will you visit us one day?’ It was time to take them home to their parents, for good. As I drove away, the tears came flooding.’: Single foster dad shares emotional reunification journey
“You love them through the nightmares and trauma. You hold them when their parents don’t show up. You love them so dearly, because holding back would be so much less than they deserve. When I return the child I’ve nurtured as my own, I must trust their parents will be the best they can be. If not, I will always be there waiting, with open arms and an open heart.”

‘Come spend Christmas with us!’ I always joke I hit the jackpot in the ex-wife department. She NEVER makes me feel like less of a parent. They’re the other half of our kick*ss parenting team.’: Mom shares first Christmas spent ‘as one big, happy, blended family’
“While I love to be dramatic and say we spent Christmas with my husband’s ex-wife and her husband, I will say we spent Christmas as one big, happy, blended family. And it was seriously one of the best Christmas Days I have ever had.”

‘What do we do now?!’ We NEVER thought kids would be in the cards, but here we were with TWINS!’: LGBTQ couple inspired to become parents after mom’s passing, have twins through surrogacy
“I got a text on our honeymoon: ‘You should call Mom.’ My heart started to pound. She made us realize it was time to start a family. We never thought we’d see the day we’d want CHILDREN, let alone TWO!”

‘I’m hurt you’d date my ex!’ She tried to pin abuse on us. We called their phone. No one answered.’: Blended family forced to leave kids details journey, ‘We can’t wait to be together again’
“His son never wanted to see us again. He loves video games and changed his name to ‘leaving.’ He was hurting and did not know how to express it. When we called their phone, no one answered.”

‘Hey, do you know how to wrap presents? This is my first Christmas.’ He’d grown up an orphan, no family whatsoever. ‘I want my children to experience the moments I never could.’: Man shares act of kindness for stranger in Walmart
“‘Follow me,’ I said. We walked out of Walmart together, both crying and overwhelmed with emotion.”

‘You never leave. You ruin EVERYTHING. To some people, you’re just ‘a feeling.’ But I KNOW you’re the d*mn devil.’: ‘Husband with wife suffering from anxiety says ‘I’ll be there to remind her she ISN’T alone’
“I can’t simply say to my wife, who’s curled up in the fetal position, shaking and crying, trying to dodge your incoming blows, ‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ She knows that. But I love her harder than you’ll EVER hit her.”

‘Is there something we can do?’ We watched his heartbeat fade. We weren’t supposed to meet this way.’: Couple battling miscarriages welcome rainbow baby, ‘We’ll NEVER forget them’
“I told him, ‘I’m so sorry.’ It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I hated that I failed him. I screamed at God, ‘Give me my baby back!’ This isn’t what I wanted for either of us.“

‘We have an 11-year-old with identity issues. Would you be able to take him in?’ We said yes to 30 days from now. Then we received a call: ‘Can he move in today?’: LGBT couple adopt 4 children from foster care
“‘Am I too young? Am I good enough?’ The fear set in. Soon, he arrived at our house with nothing but two trash bags, his life packed away in them. His shoes were too small, his clothes barely fit. The days of bouncing from home to home would finally be over.”