A Whole New Appreciation

This Sunday is Mother's Day. What most people don't know is that Saturday is Birth Mother's Day. I honestly didn't know that either until recently but you better believe that we will always be celebrating that day from now on. So in honor of Birth Mother's Day, I wanted to write something to honor Miss A and other birth moms.

Who do you think of when birth mothers are mentioned? Do you think of poor, uneducated, drug addicts who don't "want" their children? Do you always view them as young and unmarried? Do you think that all of them are just promiscuous, un-Christian women who should know better? If this is what your idea of them are, then you are wrong! While some of these women who carry the title "birth mom" might be in this category, that is not always the case. Thanks to some of the made for TV movies, this is the perception that has been wrongfully given.

While looking into domestic adoption, we found that the majority of moms who place their children for adoption are in their 20's and already have 1 or more children to care for. In alot of cases, the parents are just not in a position to care for any more children so they chose lovingly to place the child with a family that can. The pregnancy itself may not be planned but most of these women who choose life for these children love them and would probably choose to parent if their circumstances were different. No matter what her story may be, the decision to place these children is never an easy one and they will have to grieve the loss of raising this child that she hasn't given birth to. The decision is not a selfish one. Quite the opposite, in fact. She loves this child so much that she would rather make the decision to give her child a better life and learn to cope with the loss she now faces. In our eyes, Charlie's birthmom is our hero. She is an amazing woman who has strength beyond words! We pray that she knows how much we care for her and that she knows the love of God in her life.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has a history. These women who are birthmoms are no exception. Their stories make them who they are, just like you and me. They deserve respect and they deserve understanding. Most of all, they deserve the love of the families that are raising their children because they are the most precious gift!

I ask that if you know a birthmom in real life, that you take the chance to tell her Happy Birthmom's Day on Saturday. These women deserve the recognition of their selfless choice!