“When you tell her to stop running, she hears, ‘Run faster, knock down a shelf of sanitary pads, and bounce into someone with a drink spilling it all over them.’ I try, I do. She’s just the Blair witch.”
‘She’s the kid you see biting her parents. You think, ‘Thank god she’s not mine.’ I would not purchase again.’: Mom ‘salutes’ parents with ‘feral’ children
‘We ‘couldn’t handle’ being foster parents. We had just packed up our house and were moving in a week. ‘Do you have room for a placement?’: Family seeking adoption welcomes foster baby, ‘There is never a perfect time’
“We found out we were pregnant with our 4th child. We were very surprised! So many people tried to talk us out of renewing our license. I felt like I ‘couldn’t handle it.’ Then, we got a call. ‘Can you take him?’ I am willing to risk a broken heart.”
‘Go to bed mad sometimes. It WILL get boring. But continue to fight for each other.’: Woman pens list of important things to remember when you are married, ‘Love is never easy, but damn is it worth it’
“Don’t ever assume your partner feels loved.”
‘In my head I screamed, ‘No! No!’ You don’t know what it’s like to only be left with a bloody photo.’: Woman grieves infertility journey and tubal pregnancy loss, ‘I want people to feel less alone’
“I shouted, ‘No! That’s not an option. My baby HAS to be okay.’ While high on Oxycontin I realized why people become drug addicts. I went to bed not knowing if I’d wake up.”
‘He cried by the door. He was hoping we’d take him back. Our anxiety levels were through the roof.’’: Mom shares international adoption journey, ‘We can’t imagine life without them’
“It’s like meeting a movie star you’ve dreamed about. ‘Why aren’t we on a plane to see our son?’ Our flight was cancelled, causing us to miss the next two. We could miss our court date. We tried to prepare for the trauma looming ahead.”
‘My parents broke the news. ‘You were adopted at age 2.’ For the first time, I understood my parents had left me behind, forever.’: Adoptee overcomes addiction, ‘I needed to fall in love with myself again’
“I felt unloved. I tried to prove my worth and acted out to get attention from loved ones. At 14, I started experimenting with drugs. I continued on a rampage until I found heroin at age 15 with the help of an older boyfriend. ‘Please let me come home,’ I begged. I tried to stop many times. Then, one day, I found out I was pregnant. That little heartbeat was the sound of a chapter of my life closing forever.”
‘Are you ready to let her go? Babies sometimes need permission to go.’ I was so focused on bringing her home, I was shocked.’: Couple accept Trisomy 13 diagnosis, ‘Our angel had a short mission on Earth’
“’Some babies with this condition didn’t live past 7 days.’ I was heartbroken. I started thinking of my father. It was his first grandchild, and he probably couldn’t meet her. My sister was coming in 12 days, and she might not make it in time. I told my husband, ‘I’m not going home without our baby.’ I was so focused on bringing her home, her words shocked me.”
‘How long has he been like this?’ I yelled. His temperature read 105. ‘You can’t have him,’ I said to death. ‘Not again.’: Bereaved mom describes parenting after loss during pandemic
“The doctor came in, ‘We need to run some tests.’ He doesn’t know. She died inside of ME! I was the one who could have saved her. Do you know how hard it is needing to prove to the world I can keep my children alive? ‘Please stay. Please stay,’ I whispered.”
‘The police came, and my mother hid my brother. ‘Where is he?’ I couldn’t leave. I had to protect them.’: Woman survives abuse, abandonment as she helps raise 4 special needs siblings
“My step-father would hide food and I wasn’t allowed to sit with them. Then I got pregnant at 17. I had to run and hide wherever I found a good place, and sometimes it was too late. I had to protect my brothers.”
‘Please give me a miracle. Turn me into a girl overnight.’ I kept it a secret. I was on a train headed for a dead end.’: Transgender teen embraces identity after life-long battle, ‘I am finally me’
“My family began deteriorating. My parents separated. My mom went from a healthy, loving parent to an alcoholic who couldn’t care for herself. She disappeared, temporarily, and then forever. I accepted I would have to continue living in fear and shame.”