“I fed my toddler crackers and watched TV because I couldn’t function. I could NOT parent. The ‘’mommy juice’ culture became a slippery slope.”
‘You’re under arrest.’ My HUSBAND called the police on me. I woke up in the back of a cop car.’: Woman gets sober, delivers rainbow baby, ‘I can’t live my best life while drinking’
‘If you keep eating, we’ll have to buy you maternity clothes.’ I felt disgusted. Everything I hated about myself was because of food.’: Woman raises eating disorder awareness, ‘Don’t turn a blind eye’
“I scrambled to anchor myself and settled on the one thing I could control. Food. The high I felt stepping on those scales, malnourished, with fragile wrists, was like no other to me. It was an addiction.”
‘I’m calling about 2 brothers.’ They were dumped off with a trash bag. We weren’t prepared for more than one.’: Couple foster siblings, ‘We don’t want them to be statistics’
“We became parents immediately. I realized I should have listened a little harder during the ‘Parenting Through Trauma’ section.”
‘My mug shot was on the news. ‘I’ve been using drugs and I’m in trouble. I don’t want to live.’ The nurse said, ‘You’re in the right place.’: Woman overcomes addiction, ‘I help people like me’
“I contemplated if I was in love with the pills and white powder he seemed to always have or if I loved him. Any loyalty I had eventually shifted to the drugs.”
‘I just ate a really big breakfast.’ It was a lie. I was starving, but I convinced myself I had it under control.’: Woman recovers from anorexia, ‘I love the person I am’
“I had a problem. But I had no idea how to ask for help. I sobbed when my mom placed dinner in front of me. ‘We’re going to the doctor.’ I was terrified, but I wasn’t so alone anymore.”
‘We can have one more. Only ONE.’ That’s all I needed to hear. We had 8 kids within the next month.’: Couple adopts four kids from foster care, ‘My heart was changed’
“My son yelled from the back of our 12 passenger van, ‘So when does he move in?’ I was shocked. ‘Mom, he doesn’t have a family!’ It took one visit to decide.”
‘Enough. Let’s take a break.’ Having kids wasn’t just a silly dream. I KNEW this was it.’: Woman details infertility and embryo adoption journey, ‘She’s a gift’
“The night before, we had snow. We never have snow that early. It felt like a reminder all things are possible. ‘We have a match!’ Everything was falling into place.”
‘I want a divorce.’ My husband’s wedding band was sitting on the doorstep. I needed to escape the disaster that was my life.’: Single mom begins co-parenting journey after divorce, finds love again
“My ex-husband is a welcome guest in our home and one of my closest friends. Whenever I tell people this, I get a skeptical look followed by, ‘So how does your husband feel about it?’ It does get a little weird at times, like when I accidentally call them the wrong name.”
‘I threw my hands up. ‘God, if you make me do foster care, I’ll scream!’ We haven’t stopped changing diapers since.’: Woman becomes foster parent, ‘It’s about giving’
“I wrote our honest list: ‘We are NOT baby people. I am so over that phase.’ One stormy night, a baby was dropped off. I’m 1000 percent sure God was laughing.”
‘My baby is supposed to be with you.’ I thought it was a scam. She had every right to keep him.’: Couple battling infertility pursue open adoption, ‘It’s been so beautiful’
“I told my husband, ‘I’m almost out of hope.’ Then an expectant mother reached out to us. It didn’t seem real. I should have felt relief and joy, but what if she changed her mind?”
