This guest post is by Star Prattas, an adoptive mother.
From the time I was a little girl, I knew that I always wanted to be a mommy.
It was in my personal future plan that I would marry a wonderful man and we would create two adorable children together. My fairy tale also included a lovely home and living happily ever after.
When I was told that I would never be able to give birth to my own children, I was completely devastated. I worried that my dream of marriage and parenthood would not come true. I was saddened by the thought that I would be excluded from participating in Mother’s Day celebrations.
As a young woman, I frequently envisioned myself being woken up on Sunday morning by my children, as they presented me with burned pancakes and over-sweetened coffee while screaming “Happy Mother’s Day!!” These thoughts created warmth in my heart as I pondered what they looked like.
Would they have my hair color or my husband’s eyes? But knowing that my dream could potentially fade away, I had to let myself cry it out and then move forward onto a revised family plan.
Researching adopting
Upon receiving the news from my doctors, I immediately began researching adoption. It was an instant love of this option that made me realize I could definitely become a mommy one day. I remember thinking to myself, “Why create a new life, when there are children in this world who will need a loving forever family.”
I found great strength in this belief. I stopped wondering whether or not my children would look like me and rather focused all of my attention on how we would love each other while creating daily memories.
Shortly after commencing my research on adoption options, I met my amazing husband. We talked about adoption from the very beginning of our relationship. During our engagement we started working on all the paperwork that would eventually take us along an emotional path to adoptive parenthood.
Our adoption journey ultimately led us to two special blessings. We are now the loving parents of our two delightful daughters. If you believe that everything happens for a reason like I do, then not being able to carry a baby showed me the way to the children I was meant to call “my two beautiful girls.”
The miracle of adoption
Although I did not give birth to my children, my husband and I together gave birth to our family through the miracle of adoption. And now that I am a mommy, I love to celebrate Mother’s Day every year. It’s a time when I can truly be grateful for my wonderful children.
It’s also a day when I love being woken up by two remarkable children who brighten my every day with sunshine. On this day I am celebrated by them in a way that can only be described as exceptional.
Unfortunately at the same time, my heart aches that our happiness has brought sadness to the birth mom of each of my children. I sometimes feel guilty for having received this heavenly honor of seeing them every day and watching them grow.
But I know in my heart they are happy in the knowledge that their darling children are being raised by a family who loves them more than the universe. I want to wish them both a Happy Birth Mother’s Day and thank them for creating such phenomenal children.
Now every year on Mother’s Day I realize how blessed I am to have received the most precious gifts in the world. I am forever thankful to the birth mom of each of my amazing girls, for it is because of them that I am a mommy!
Star Prattas has been happily married for over 12 years and has two beautiful girls through adoption.
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