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“I Received a Call. ‘We Have a 14-Year-Old Boy Who Needs a Home.’ I Was Like ‘NO Way'”: Single Mom Becomes Foster Parent to...

"I was a single mom of two boys, doing it 100% on my own. Why in the world would I even consider being a foster parent?"

Dying Mom Loses It After Watching Son With Down Syndrome Score His First Touchdown

Michigan’s Novi High School senior Robby Heil is the official “hydration manager” for his high school football team. He has Down syndrome, but any player or coach on the team would tell you he’s been an integral part of the Wildcat family for the last three and a half years.

Dad Captures the Heart-Throbbing Moment His 12-Year-Old Daughter Delivers Wife’s Baby

“We were all very emotional and it was like no feeling I've ever felt. It's not every day your eldest child at 12 years old gets to deliver your last child."

“On Labor Day, I Lost My 3-Year-Old Autistic Son at the Worst Place Possible: A Water Park”: Mom Warns Parents It ‘Takes a Village’ to Save a Child

On Labor Day, I lost my son.

I lost my three-year-old, autistic son at the worst place possible: a water park.

He went down the slide, ran a few feet ahead of me, turned a corner and was gone. It was as quick as that. The only thing in front of him was a lazy river with a strong current. Even if he could swim, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Courtesy Stephanie Hanrahan

I dove in and couldn’t find him.

I ran around and couldn’t find him.

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I started calculating the seconds, the minutes. How long does it take for a toddler to drown? Whatever the answer, I was pretty sure we were past that.

Then, I found a lifeguard and screamed for help. It was the last day of the summer, the last ten minutes before the water park closed for the year. I’m sure everyone was mentally off the clock.

And yet, they showed up.

Stephanie Hanrahan
Stephanie Hanrahan
Stephanie Hanrahan is wife to a sick husband, mother to special needs kiddos, and a woman who often unravels then finds her footing again. Learn how she traded her pretending for a panty liner on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog, Tinkles Her Pants (www.tinklesherpants.com), where she leaks nothing but the truth.

“I Received a Call. ‘We Have a 14-Year-Old Boy Who Needs a Home.’ I Was Like ‘NO Way'”: Single Mom Becomes Foster Parent to...

"I was a single mom of two boys, doing it 100% on my own. Why in the world would I even consider being a foster parent?"

Dying Mom Loses It After Watching Son With Down Syndrome Score His First Touchdown

Michigan’s Novi High School senior Robby Heil is the official “hydration manager” for his high school football team. He has Down syndrome, but any player or coach on the team would tell you he’s been an integral part of the Wildcat family for the last three and a half years.

Dad Captures the Heart-Throbbing Moment His 12-Year-Old Daughter Delivers Wife’s Baby

“We were all very emotional and it was like no feeling I've ever felt. It's not every day your eldest child at 12 years old gets to deliver your last child."