“We assumed his game of beach volleyball with our son wore him out, and he was tired and laid down for a quick rest. Little did we know those moments after his shower, he lay on the bathroom floor of our rental house; alone.”
‘MOM! Something is wrong with Dad, he’s on the floor!’ My 14-year-old son was frantic. Only 30 minutes prior, we were laughing about the fact my husband didn’t meet us at the pool.’
‘Mothers don’t shower often. Especially new mothers. When we say this stuff, we are met with horror. But it is the truth.’
“I remember finally getting the energy to shower, a place where I’d feel so tired that I’d read the shower bottles and stare into space while the water hit my back. I was a zombie. My husband came in and said, ‘It’s time to feed him,’ and I cried.”
‘I heard rumbling uncharacteristic of the bathroom. Shouting ensued. I burst in to discover my son had hurled a suitcase into the shower at his sister.’
“I heard a frantic screaming from upstairs. My daughter had gone into the bathroom to use the toilet. This provoked the unbridled anger of her brother. Infuriated, he stood and peed on her in retribution.”
‘Me: Kids, I’m going to go take a quick shower. Child: Can I have a snack? Me: No, I’m going to make dinner. Another child: Can you help me find my pink dragon with glittery wings?’
“Yet another child: Can I tell you about this new game that’s coming out that I really want for Christmas? Me: Yes, after my shower. Walks upstairs. Children follow. Child: How MANY pieces of candy can I have after dinner? Yet another child: So I can get that game for Christmas? Steps out of shower.”
‘We brought our newborn home from the hospital and she was showered with attention and gifts. When we brought our 1-year old foster son home, he was not.’
“People did not come banging on the door to see him and hold him for the first time. People did not ‘Oooh and Ahhh’ over him. When we first told family we were adopting, we were greeted with….’That’s scary!’ ‘Are you sure?'”
‘Maybe, just maybe, if you wait it out and let your child recover before taking them out, you will protect a child that has been through hell and back. Just wait until the cold is over. I beg of you.’
“That’s when she walked up. A darling little girl who wanted to play with Jude. My heart melted as he looked up and smiled at her. In that moment, she let out the wettest, most mucous-y sounding cough right in his face. I was horrified.”
‘Today I yelled. My kids tromped dirt all through my freshly cleaned hardwood and filled our sparkling, sanitized tub with a thick coating of brown. Friends, I yelled. I did.’
“And then I looked at my blue-eyed, dirty-headed baby girl just smiling from ear to ear.”
‘For the woman who is mourning the loss of a pregnancy that nobody else knew about.’ These are the reasons we cry in the shower
“For the woman who gives to her family all day- everyday and just. Needs. A. Break.”
“I went to a baby shower. I wanted to say, this love is hard, but I didn’t.”
“Every mother there had their own bags under their eyes packed with sleeplessness and exhaustion. But all they could say is ‘you’re going to experience the greatest love you’ve ever known.'”
