“You picked on her. You were extra rough and rambunctious as a toddler. You were jealous. It was hard. I made it a point to explain…over and over again… if you were on the same side, at least you’d always have a friend. I’m awestruck when I see you protecting her from harm.”
‘You didn’t like your sister. ‘Meh, at least she won’t be here long.’ I worried about how we would ever navigate this growing chasm between you.’: Mom thankful for growing bond between siblings, ‘What a privilege it is to watch this friendship blossom’
‘The wedding was canceled. He was on the couch, moping. ‘Have you planned anything special for the day?’: Couple surprised after canceled wedding, ‘We will forever remember this as the day they got hitched!’
“He said, ‘A bunch of random a-holes are honking their horns in the parking lot.’ I shrugged, ‘Maybe you should go check it out.’ As he stepped out, he began to cry.”
‘I quickly pick up my phone and have a peek at Zoom. I was scammed by my 5-year old. It looked like he was listening.’: Mom hilariously pranked by 5-year-old, ‘Today’s home school session was mildly unsupervised’
“Today’s home school session was mildly unsupervised. He had his sisters iPad, propped up and situated perfectly in front of his iPad’s camera lenses. A picture of him sitting at the desk looking slightly amused. Scammed by a 5-year-old. I AM DEAD.”
‘I heard him say to his sister Ellie, ‘I’m going to save these for you. We can all have chocolate for my birthday!’ I swelled with pride.’: Mom explains why teaching kids to share is a ‘priority’
“Today my son woke up to birthday presents. Right away, he gave out his chocolate to his siblings and his mommy and daddy. Next, he gave his sisters a balloon for their bedroom. We have never FORCED them to share. We’ve just always modeled it.”
‘You will want to remember how it felt to wake up and ask, ‘What did I do yesterday? Did I shower? Did it rain?’: Woman says ‘remember these strange days when the horror wears off’
“I want you to remember this, because years from now, a lifetime from now, when we’re leaving somewhere, saying goodbye, when I’m hugging you tight and tighter still, and we both laugh, and yet I don’t let go—you will know why.”
‘You shouldn’t own a nice truck like that if you’re asking for help with medical funds.’ They don’t know about the 8 appointments a week.’: Mom to two medically complex children says ‘we are not going to stop our lives’
“Sophia often passes out. Her lips turn pure white and she vomits for 30 minutes. She injures herself, others, and pets. Her brother performs injurious behaviors too. It is a daily struggle with feelings being hurt and many tears shed. Everyone always says, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’ It’s simple. I do it because it’s what is best for Sophia and Grason. We are not going to stop our lives.”
‘Dear Little Sister, you may have been the ‘lucky one’ back then, but I’m the lucky one now.’: Woman shares appreciation letter for little sister, ‘You taught me to live and love’
“When you were born, they told me, ‘Keep an eye out to your little sister.’ You know, the regular big sister stuff any parent says to calm the storm. But through all the stolen stuffed animals and favorite t-shirts, what I never, ever saw coming was the way the tables would turn.”
‘I don’t know why I feel this way, but maybe I am your birth mom.’ Could I handle another heartache?’: Adoptive mom says ‘watching another woman birth your child is a one in a million miracle’
“I said, ‘This isn’t happening. This is a false alarm.’ I had a tough decision to make. Do I go with our soon-to-be daughter, or do I stay with our expectant mom? She reassured me, ‘You are supposed to be with your baby.’ These types of mothers are part of the miracle.”
‘What happens to my girl when society realizes it’s not ‘cute’ anymore? How do I make people see the beauty I see?’: Mom to daughter with autism urges us to challenge our idea of beauty
“When she was 2, she didn’t talk. She said one word, ‘Hi,’ over and over. I was worried, but most agreed it was so cute. At 4, she stuffed food in her mouth messily. Gosh, it was cute. At 6, she was diagnosed. Everyone agreed she was still cute, but followed with smiles of pity. Now, she’s 11. She picks her nose, sits with her legs wide open. She has body odor, speech delays, and drools. What happens to my girl when society decides it’s not ‘cute’ anymore?”
‘I think your father hurt your baby brother. He is being life-flighted.’ I never got to say how sorry I was. I never got to say goodbye.’: Woman adopts sisters from foster care after father jailed for killing 5-year-old brother
“Was it an accident? Would he be okay? I knew the worst was yet to come. The decision had to be made to remove him from life support at just 5 years old while state decided to pursue adoption for my sisters. I was asked, ‘Do YOU still want to foster them?’ And just like that, my plans changed.”
