“It was supposed to be a happy day, but I had so many fears about something going wrong. I think Patrick did, too. Both of us sat in the courtroom holding each other’s hands. Jen had to keep reminding us everything was going to be okay.”
‘Her oldest son Patrick asked if I would adopt him and become his other parent forever. Of course, I said yes.’: LGBT woman shares journey through blended family, step-parent adoption
‘The world wants to tell me who to be, but I won’t stay quiet anymore.’: Autistic mom of autistic kids talks identity
“You don’t fully fit with other parents. And you don’t fully fit with autistic people either. It feels like you cannot be both.
‘It is worth it to give up a little bit of your life so someone else can live their life well.’: Woman shares selfless journey supporting moms in need
“They kept telling me I needed to let this mama sink or swim on her own. I knew I could never do that. I will always be there with my door open for young and afraid moms.”
We Wish Away The Tantrums, The Non-Stop Laundry, The Hardly Any Time To Ourselves—But One Day, It Will All Be Over
“But one day, it will all be over. And we’ll miss it—ALL OF IT.”
I Sleep In A Bed Full Of Kids Because One Day Soon, I’ll Wake To An Empty Bed
“On a regular morning, I wake up with a foot in my face, a head on my chest, and someone screaming in my ear or sitting on my head and saying, ‘Mommy wake up!’ Because our children won’t always want us around, to share a small space, to snuggle.”
‘I hope my daughter remembers all my f-bombs. You don’t hear that a lot, but it’s true.’: Mom shares memories, lessons she hopes her daughter holds onto
“I hope she knows nothing about being a mom came organically to me. But mommy tries so very hard.”
‘The dance of cutting kite strings while weaving ropes. Pushing away, but still needing.’: Mom shares emotional ups and downs of parenting teens
“16 is you being even more effortlessly you. Even if you can’t see it.”
Be Gentle, Adult Friendships Are Hard
“The societal image of female friendships is hanging out weekly, dropping everything for one another, remembering every special date, regular FaceTimes and phone calls and texts and life updates and get-togethers and celebrations and a million other things. And I can’t keep up.”
Dear Pandemic Baby: However Dark It Felt At Times, There Was Twice As Much Light Because Of You
“I never knew love like this, until I met you.”
‘I had so many questions: Would he ever hear my voice? Would he learn to talk? Would he live a normal life?’: Mom shares son’s hearing disorder journey, ‘We could not be more proud’
“We call him ‘Hearo Harrison’ because he has his own superpower—his magic ears.”