“She would contact her workers monthly asking if they had found her a family yet. She was desperate for a family to love her and call her own.”
‘We are at capacity, babe.’ Two months later, Mike asked if I’d gotten her info. We’d never adopted a teen before, we were terrified.’: Family of 11 shares foster care, adoption journey
Dear Mom Of A Big Kid, They Still Need You
“It’s easy to assume the older they get the less they need you. They just need you differently.”
I Thought Once My Kids Were Older I’d Have All Sorts Of Time—And Yet Somehow I Sit Here, Exhausted To My Core
“They need me in ways that are more exhausting to my mind and my heart and my soul. Still, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
‘We drove to McDonalds at 8:30 p.m. She hadn’t eaten in 8 hours, nothing sounded good. Depression will do that.’: Mom shares heartache parenting daughter with depression mirroring her own
“I was grateful for the darkness on the drive home so she couldn’t see the tears streaming down my face. The radio loud so she couldn’t hear the sobs I was choking back.”
Parenting Teenagers Is Hard, And Lonely
“I know you question whether you’re doing it right. Are you saying the right thing? Stepping in enough? Backing off just enough to let your teen handle it alone and reap some natural consequences? Truth is, we’re all out here struggling.”
‘I was getting ready to go on a date when she sat on my bedroom floor. She said, ‘I hate my body.’ I cancelled my Uber.’: Mom supports transgender daughter, ‘We wrapped ourselves in rainbows and celebrated’
“As we moved into her transition, we didn’t cry, we wept. We didn’t forget, we grieved. And for all that is holy in this world, we did not reject her OR her choices.”
Your Kids Don’t Need Perfection, They Just Need You
“They don’t care whether your hair is a mess, if you’re not the best baker in the world, or if you can’t string together anything more than boxed mac-n-cheese.”
‘They’re just better at being best friends,’ my daughter interjected. We’re still a family, just not a couple.’: Mom shares parenting journey through divorce
“’I’m done. I don’t want to be his wife anymore.’ I knew I couldn’t be a wife to him anymore, but I was so scared of losing my best friend.”
‘How did I make those decisions?’ Like so many times before, I was so confused and broken.’: Mom with bipolar disorder shares mental health journey
“I will never forget the doctor’s words, ‘We think Brooke should be hospitalized.’ My daughter gave me the courage to be authentic and not view a diagnosis as a cloak of shame.”
My Husband Left Me After 15 Years Of Marriage, And I Forgive Him
“Learning to love myself again was essential to us being okay, and I knew it. We learned how ‘hard’ could be rewarding for us all.”