What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

Being a mom probably forced me to grow the most. There are so many unexpected things and moments where you must make a decision to put someone before yourself. This person is not going to know how you struggle, what you give up, or how far you are willing to go for them. You do it because it is the right thing to do. They are your responsibility. I take my obligations seriously and I put both of my children before myself and my spouse.

It was a very long and difficult road and I learned how far I can push myself before I break. Then I learned how to keep going after breaking. All the trauma and abuse my children brought with them put our family in many positions that I had never been in before. It was difficult, long, and hard.

Was I perfect? No. I have many regrets. Did I try? Yes. If I could do it all over again with what I know now, things would be easier. That is life. You learn to live with your regrets and learn how to react differently next time.

Many times there were moments where there was no correct answer. Sometimes all the answers sucked. You choose the best option and continue to move on. For someone like me who likes to plan and strives for optimal outcomes, parenthood forced me to choose to make it through the day sometimes. Sometimes just making it was a win.

Parenthood forced me to grow the most from who I was to who I am now. It was an arduous adventure, but one I would choose all over again. I was not perfect. It did not end the way I wanted it to. I would do it again because there is nobody on this earth that would have gone to the lengths that I did for my children. I would adopt them all over again knowing how it nearly destroyed my marriage, my health, and our reputation. I know at times I feel like I failed, but it was an incredibly enormous task that we took on. The fact that we got them to where they are is a testament to how much we helped them. We were not allowed to celebrate our victory, but we got them to that point. Everyone else left them and we stayed until the end. We are still here.