“I viewed infertility as a problem to be solved. ‘If you choose to adopt, your child will always have two sets of parents and families. You’re just going to have to deal with it.’ So much for a spoonful of sugar with our medicine. I scribbled out ‘adoption’ as a choice.”
‘Just keep trying!’ My biological clock was ticking. Adoption was dead last on my list. I had NO desire to ‘share’ my child with anyone else.’: Couple pursues adoption after infertility, ‘They mended my heart’
‘You’re a MONSTER.’ I felt like I needed to ‘win’ her love. But my dad never let me down.’: Childhood abuse survivor adopted, ‘I FINALLY feel loved’
“My dad NEVER let me down. He never promised anything he couldn’t keep. When you think about it, I had my adoptive parents my whole life. They just couldn’t call me theirs until it was legal to do so.”
‘Two brothers are being moved. Can you take them?’ I couldn’t get over the what-ifs. What if I fall in love with them? What if my heart is broken?’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘Our lives are forever changed’
“I kept saying ‘when we become foster parents’ and Tristan was still in the ‘if.’ I was starting to feel like this was never going to happen. Then we got a call about two brothers. With a doubt, God had called us to foster care.”
‘He took his skates off and said, ‘You spent the whole time on your phone doing your job. You didn’t even watch me.’ I was shocked.’: Mom learns important lesson about screen time, ‘Little eyes are watching’
“For the next 5 minutes, he scolded me. A full role-reversal. The child scolding the parent for technology time.”
‘When he needs me, he can reach out that cute little hand and mine will be right there, ready for him. Steady for him.’: Special needs mom shares ode to brave son with extra chromosome, ‘I hold his hands, but he holds my heart’
“Every step he takes is a mountain climbed, every word he signs or says is a dream realized, every milestone met, a prayer answered. He is the bravest person I know.”
‘I used to wonder why in the world parents would legally change their child’s name. Yet here I am, absolutely delighted.’: Mom explains legal name change for daughter with Down syndrome
“You see, 8 years ago on the day she was born, we had a different name and a different daughter in mind. She is like nothing I imagined, yet everything I hoped for.”
‘I could feel in my soul something was off about this pregnancy. ‘We can’t find anything worrisome.’ They were missing something, and I knew it.’: Couple uproot themselves for son’s Angelman Syndrome diagnosis, ‘He is our little angel’
‘I could feel in my soul something was off about this pregnancy. ‘We can’t find anything worrisome.’ They were missing something, and I knew it.’: Couple uproot themselves for son’s Angelman Syndrome diagnosis, ‘He is our little angel’
‘What about the birth parents?’ We were gaining HER, too. We had no morning sickness or ultrasounds. THIS was the plan.’: Mom shares adoption journey, ‘She’s brought more joy than we ever thought possible’
“When we finally saw her, I was in awe. We couldn’t just gloss over the trauma our newborn felt. Adoption is full of celebration for the love of a child, but it is also full of pain, loss, and grief.”
‘Would you be open to picking up a 2-day-old baby girl?’ I’ll never forget my husband’s response. ‘I think this is the baby we’ve been praying for.’: Pregnant mom opens heart to fostering, adopts after ‘humbling’ 798 days
“If you asked me if I’d care for a newborn while 30 weeks pregnant, I’d have thought you were crazy. I’d sit at night, feeding our foster daughter while feeling our little girl wiggling around in my belly. We’d been praying for her years before she was even born.”
‘Dad and I are still friends.’ It was absolutely gut-wrenching. We were determined to beat the statistics. We could still be great parents together.’: Mom shares co-parenting journey, ‘We’re one family, full of love’
“I was devastated at the thought of being just another set of young parents who couldn’t make it work. We were still raising a child together. Four adults opened their hearts to ensure this little boy never felt like he was missing out.”
