“I always just wanted a normal life, but my life has been anything but normal. I was a smart kid with good grades in band, track, and dance. Somewhere along the line I got mixed in with the wrong crowd and I found out quickly that I am an alcoholic. When I was nineteen I found myself married to another alcoholic and cheated on and abandon with a new baby, I had no support, I was all alone with this new little baby looking at me for all the answers. I had so much fun with him, he is so special to me. He was an exceptionally well behaved child so I used to judge other parents when their kids misbehaved.”
“I ended up staying with his dad because I though it was the right thing for our child. On his fourth birthday I found out I was pregnant. I had another boy and at just a few weeks old he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. It was like time froze as I heard the words, I just couldn’t even believe it, there had to be a mistake. With this diagnosis I mourned the death of my dream of ever having a large family, with this gene it would be a one in four chance with each child. As if that wasn’t bad enough he developed horrible behavioral issues by age two. I was so embarrassed I didn’t want to go anywhere with him. I finally learned my lesson: don’t judge another parent, you have no clue the struggles they are going through.”
“I finally got sober and remarried to a man that loves us and is living a clean life also, he is adopting the boys and is a beautiful man. Now that our son is six it’s just a become a part of our everyday life to see him take thirteen pills in a day, do two to four breathing treatments a day, and know that it’s okay if he coughs until he pukes. He recently had to have a feeding tube put in, seeing our son after the surgery nearly broke my heart in half. I think the worst thing in the world is to see your child suffering. He was also diagnosed with autism last year and we decided to pull them both out and unschool them. Our family has been so blessed by this and it has helped grow these boys in the soil of love and support that they need to grow.”
“Well after all those years of never thinking I’d get my dream of a large family my new husband and I got blessed beyond words, two babies in two years. Our daughter was our first home birth and she was ten pounds eight ounces and born in our bed. I was so beautifully supported by my husband, it was a long awaited healing for me after being abandon with my first child. We found out I was pregnant again when she was only six months old and I breastfed her through my entire pregnancy.”
“We gave birth to him in the water at home even more supported than before with not only my husband but a doula by my side. My husband is a beautiful support in me still breastfeeding them both and he empowers me to follow my passions as a doula. Just like I would want a pregnant mama to look back on her birth and see that she was empowered and supported, so I want our children to look back and see the love and support in their memories. We need to start teaching, supporting, and loving one another.”
“So the next time you see a mom give her kids pills, don’t assume the worst, maybe those pills help keep him alive. The next time you see a young mom struggling, don’t assume the worst, maybe she has no support or guidance. Our family is a strong fortress that has only grown stronger through all these growing pains. You can keep normal. This, this stuff right here, this is the good stuff.”
