“‘I just want you to know we are the family who adopted your son.’ She hadn’t gone a single day without thinking about him. I asked her if she could be here in 2 weeks.”
I Surprised My Son With His Biological Mom, Now We’re Part Of A Blissful Open Adoption
‘You don’t fit in. Old friends move on without you. They go to theme parks. You go to hospital rooms.’: Special needs mom pens ode to ‘the parents who feel like they don’t belong’
“When the people you used to be close with stop checking in. When it all starts to feel too heavy for you to carry. When you feel like you don’t belong. Take a step back and look at your life. You’re exactly where you need to be. No one could do it better or love them harder than you.”
‘The last time you saw me, you left me on the side of a bridge. Did you cry?’: Adoptee pens powerful letter to birth mom, ‘Thank you for giving me a better life’
“I often wonder what that day in February was like, the last day you saw me. Did you leave in the dead of night so you wouldn’t be caught? Did you wait until a stranger found me, or did you rush to leave, eager to forget? Because of you, I begged my parents to quit Chinese dance. Because of you, I laughed at Chinese jokes to show I wasn’t one of THEM. I was an outcast in the only world I knew and exiled from the world where I belonged.”
‘I got a call from my babysitter saying, ‘Your son fell and hit his head.’ I believed it.’: Mom shares powerful PSA after losing son to abusive babysitter, ‘Know who is watching your kids’
“Less than 30 minutes later, I got a second call about my other son, Ivan. When he got to the hospital, he had a big handprint on the side of his face and a 118-degree fever. He was fighting so hard, but we both knew it was time to let go. I was a single mom of 4 and I needed a babysitter. I trusted him with my kids.”
‘I’m a people pleaser. I help carry all your burdens. I overthink and over-analyze. I put my needs last.’: Woman urges ‘your desire to love isn’t bad, it’s your God-given talent’
“I’m not a small talker. I want to KNOW you. I want to know your hurts so I can help dress your wounds. I can tell if you’re having a bad day faster than a toddler throwing a tantrum over spilled milk. But can I be honest about it? It’s a lot of work, all this people pleasing.”
‘What if I can’t do this?’ I would wake up in the night, wracked with sobs. I leaped into the unknown.’: Mom says daughter with Down syndrome is ‘my greatest, most compassionate teacher’
“Her voice was full of pity. ‘One in nine.’ The electricity of paralyzing grief that overcame my body on that day is something I still have difficulty putting into words. But as I cradled her tiny body close for the first time, I felt a wave of peace.”
‘Your heart is abnormal.’ I sent emails for a month with no reply. I already fainted at work and threw up blood.’: Woman with congenital heart defect shares struggles, ‘Keep fighting, warriors’
“I was constantly having hot flashes. I ended up throwing up blood and fainted at work. ’Go to Urgent Care.’ They weren’t really sure what was causing my problems. I was constantly waiting in the doctor’s office to get bad news.”
‘I don’t look like your stereotypical pregnant woman. I won’t have that little bump. This isn’t the body I envisioned myself carrying in, but it so worthy.’: Expecting mom ‘thankful’ for unplanned pregnancy, ‘My weight stopped me from happiness’
“I used to think I would allow myself to get pregnant once I had lost all this weight. I blackmailed myself against the one thing I truly wanted in life. All my life, I’ve written off happiness because I wasn’t the ‘correct’ size.”
‘I’m scared he’s going to die.’ The receptionist cheerily asked me to choose some photos of our son. I couldn’t.’: Mom gives birth to baby born sleeping, ‘He’s a part of our family’
“I was preparing myself to hear the words, ‘I’m sorry but there’s no heartbeat.’ Rather, I was met with, ‘There’s your baby.’ There was so much joy in the room. Everything changed in a matter of minutes.”
‘I started to compare her to the other two and blame myself. Somehow, I was responsible.’: Mom talks importance of not comparing your children to others
“I did my best to breastfeed, and I gave them formula. I did my best to socialize them and teach them, and I let them watch TV and play on their iPads. By my third, I stopped caring.”
‘I wanted her approval. Ever since we met, she’s been amazing. We’re not a group of friends. We’re two sets of parents, killing the co-parenting game.’: Step-mom says co-parenting says is a ‘blessing’
“‘They are basically our family, so we might as well embrace it!’ Five days in to their visit, and it has been better than I expected, and so good for the soul. It has just felt so easy integrating our families. I look forward to making many more memories!”
‘I gasped in the CVS parking lot. The file read, ‘Child Reserved.’ My hands shook as I waited for my husband. I tried not to peek. Then, we saw the face that took our breath away.’: Couple adopt special needs child, ‘She has forever changed our hearts!’
“I called our agency and said, ‘YES! Tell us all you can.’ We were told she might not ever walk. The lower portion of her body had not properly formed in the womb. She was missing her sacrum and bottom 3 vertebrae. Her little intestines were blocked. ‘Can you be in India in four days?’ Something in us knew this precious girl was ours.”
‘We received a call. ‘Do you want to adopt all 5 siblings?’ It was an instant, ‘YES!’ We told our babies they were finally safe, that we would never harm them.’: Mom of 4 adopts 5 siblings from foster care after miscarriage, twin loss, ‘They have healed my heart’
“We were pregnant with twins! The nurse said, ‘Slowly, his organs will stop working.’ His heart was last. He was so swollen, he couldn’t open his beautiful eyes. ‘I’m so proud of you, Eli. You’ve been such a fighter. You can let go.’ I looked around at all the nurses crying. ‘Oh God, it hurts so bad!’ His tiny foot jerked. I couldn’t see through my tears.”
‘My name is Brittany. My mom’s name was Malissa, but she died.’ My daughter stopped in her tracks. ‘Do you want to play with us?’: Mom shares touching moment, ‘We are going to be just fine’
“There was well over 15 feet between them, but my god did that moment feel like a hug. That weight, the one that’s been on my heart, it drained right out of me. Our kids are going to be just fine. They are going to be more than just fine.”
‘Complete strangers came to my rescue. They dove in the water, dug trenches, and scraped their knees.’: Woman touched by acts of kindness after losing treasured wedding ring in ocean
“I screamed and cried, and my friends and family came running. Tom, a very sweet man about to turn 60, told us he’d been metal detecting for 35 years. I believe the entire island knew our story, and him, before we left.”
‘Stop stressing about the uncertainties. Worry about that little heartbeat in that litte chest. It’s beating because we fought and overcame.’: Mom reassures ‘things will all work out in the end’
“Walk past the dirty dishes, the stack of bills, the toys scattered across the floors. Go straight to your child’s room and put your hand on their chest, feel their heart. In and out, in and out. Those little breaths and that little heart are your purpose. It’s beating because you overcame.”
‘I was burnt and forced to sleep on a toilet because I wet the bed. ‘Artreese, there’s someone here to meet you.’: Adoptee shares ‘emotional rollercoaster’ of growing up
“I was born with drugs and alcohol in my system and severely underweight. It just felt like I belonged to them. It was something in my eyes; I was made to be their daughter. ‘You’re so lucky you don’t have to deal with what we had to deal with.’ But I always felt like something was missing.”
‘Is 9 a.m. too early for Tequila? I’m slowly losing my mind. Maybe not so slowly, really.’: Mom speaks to difficulty of parenting during pandemic, says ‘maybe we’ve got to lose it a bit’
“Stuff is hitting the fan, and I’m out of wipes, candles, and Febreze; the mop is missing; and the vacuum isn’t working — at least that’s how it feels. Like I was/am totally and completely ill-prepared for the day-to-day. A day-to-day and hour-to-hour I cannot predict or plan for.”
‘I think this will break me.’ I lost 2 liters of blood. My reality is other women’s worst nightmare.’: Woman experiences multiple miscarriages, ‘I will survive anything’
“I am the woman other women say, ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘I can’t imagine’ to. I fainted at home and the ambulance had to be called. I don’t think I understood how strong I could be.”
‘We walked through the door. His first word was, ‘DADDY!’ He lived his whole life in foster care. Weeks later, we found out we were pregnant!’: Bereaved mom adopts boy from foster care, births 3 sons
“The social worker asked, ‘What ethnicities are you open to?’ We sent Jonah a video of us, a stuffed animal, and a security blanket with our scent so it would be familiar. Every night, he slept with the stuffed animal and blanket. He watched our video, over and over and over again. We just ‘knew’ he was meant to be ours!”
‘It’s sitting one on one with a child. Making sure they know you care, they’re heard, and they matter.’: Teacher talks reality of teaching, ‘if you think you know, think again’
“It’s giving so much it leaves you empty. It’s finding a way to refill your tank, because they will need you again tomorrow. It’s simply taking them by the hand and hoping you have instilled enough trust and lessons and love in them, that one day, they will let you go.”
‘We held hands all the way to the courtroom and tearfully told the judge we wanted a divorce.’: Mom finds new strength in co-parenting and blended family
“Things between the seven of us, however, have followed more the natural progression of your average blended family. Meaning we have been to hell and back. Thrice.”
‘It’s okay,’ we told her. She was left to wipe the tears. My heart hurt a little for her. I long to see joy within their eyes.’: Camp caregiver’s kindness and encourages girl to ‘face her monster’
“Despite the encouragement, applause, and prayers from her friends, she could not bring herself to do it. But as I walked away, I couldn’t help but wish she could have jumped. And, in that moment, it dawned on me. I think it fits with what we are all facing these days.”
I’m The Mom Whose Daughter Nearly Died Of The Flu—This Is Our Story
“After 93 days in the hospital, she was able to walk out.”
‘How can something this terrible exist?’ He had a fever for 105 days. This is our new reality.’: After son’s Sanfilippo Syndrome diagnosis, family raises money for cure, ‘Time is precious’
“Carter went from speaking two-word sentences to having his vocabulary drop to less than ten words. ‘He’s 3 and not potty trained?’ I laughed, ‘Oh, you know boys.’ Our sweet, joyful little boy did a complete 180 before our very eyes.”