“We were told we were wasting our time, energy, and money. They. Were. Wrong.”
‘When I found out you had autism, I’d never heard of it. It didn’t matter—to me, you were amazing.’: Mom shares ode to autistic son
‘Mama, you GET to be the one. The one they run to when they fall, the one who calms their fears. The one who laughs at their jokes, cooks their favorite meals.’: Mom urges ‘you make it look easy’
“And at the end of the day, while they are snuggled safely in bed, you often lay there wondering just what you did wrong. But mama, their greatest dream is you. As they grow big and strong, they’ll look back at how their mama always seemed so strong. They’ll wonder how you did it and always made it look so easy.”
‘I’ve received comments that I shouldn’t share Christopher’s life online because he can’t give consent.’: Special needs mom urges ‘his life is worth living’
“If I hide him away, and if every other parent of a disabled child hides their child away, when is there going to be an opportunity to educate? Where is the inclusion? Where is the awareness and the representation of children like mine?”
Motherhood Doesn’t Come With A Handbook — You Were Meant To Write Your Own
“You read all the books. You buy all the things. You follow society’s carefully concocted recipe for a well-adjusted, happy, healthy child, and all is well in the world. Until it’s not.”
‘We went from barely knowing each other to ‘co-parenting’ a child who desperately needed stability. We consider ourselves ‘Sister Moms!’: Two foster families come together for support, advocacy
“Our friendship has allowed us to be each other’s support, to cry when things get tough, to encourage when one is feeling weary. We do our best to create memories for our kids that they can cherish forever.”
‘We will not ask our daughter to celebrate when she feels the pangs of grief, nor will we tell her to grieve when she feels like dancing.’: Adoptive mom talks giving kids choice to celebrate adoption anniversaries
“We’ll tell her the story of her adoption day for the 500th time. We’ll acknowledge how much her late birth father loved her, how much her birth mom loves her, and how much we love her. We’ll play her favorite music, probably a country playlist, and dance, because this year she chooses to celebrate.”
I Am Living With Incurable Breast Cancer, But I Have Never Felt More Alive
“When the likelihood of longevity of life got taken away from me, I realized how much I was wasting precious time and energy. How much I was wasting time worrying about what people thought of me and obsessing over every day problems.”
‘Postpartum depression isn’t real.’ ‘You’re spoiling them with too much attention.’ ‘Here, let me show you the right way to do it.’: Mom reacts to unsolicited parenting advice
“Every single child is different, every single way to parent is different. What worked for you will not work for everyone. What you were told to do at one time is probably not the way any longer.”
‘What if I get this wrong? I’m not the only one asking these questions. That’s how I know I’m getting at least a little bit right.’: Mom shares importance of perspective in parenting
“I’m doing the work. It starts with the questions, it evolves with experience, and it changes with growth. Perspective is the lesson.”
‘Love doesn’t ever start at 100. It starts at zero, and then it builds.’: Mother shares how love for her children has blossomed over time
“That’s the crazy thing about having a baby: They teach us all over again how to love and how to grow; how to get to know and how to adapt.”