I am so thankful to say that roughly 11 months after I started this blog, I have met so many wonderful people. Readers are taking the time to visit and read my posts and COMMENT. Nothing could be more fulfilling.

I am proud to welcome many new readers that are of various backgrounds; their blogs focus on many different things such as cooking, their etsy shops, parenting, etc. My beginning goal was to use this blog as a means to promote Parenthood for Me. I had been blogging prior and absolutely loved it and saw its capability to reach others emotionally and make them feel better. After creating PFM I stumbled across many different bloggers that I now consider to be great friends, and all of them have helped my blog become better and better.
Parenthood for Me has reached this point because of the ALI community or Adoption, Loss, Infertility Community. The gathering place for this enormous group of wonderful blogs is due to Melissa Ford, founder of Stirrup Queens. If you read my blog roll you will find a minuscule number of the blogs on her blog roll. These are women (and men) who have fought or are fighting for the dream of parenthood- the losses are many and the grief is insurmountable. But, boy are these people tough.

If you are a new reader that does not fall in the ALI community, I am so lucky you have found me. I blog about many different things. Some examples are lessons I’ve learned in life, loss of loved ones, what the future holds, my family, my dog, Lucy and her silly antics. Mainly I blog about what is on my mind that day or week.
Thank you for your support. I am so appreciative. There really is no way for me to fully express how much my readers mean to me. It is so nice to feel like I am writing these words for a reason.

On that note I felt it important to point out something about my post Adoptive Parents Are Expecting Too. Many of the SITS girls who stopped by last week (ya) read this post and mentioned to me that while they learned a lot about the perspective of an adoptive parent, rude comments are also said to pregnant women, stepparents, unmarried women, and child free couples. I am here to acknowledge that I really do understand this. Since going through infertility I have a heightened awareness of just how insensitive people can be when it comes to marriage and children. Our society has created specific ideals, and when you don’t or cannot live up to them it is like there is free reign to blurt out whatever comes to mind. While there have been many strides towards openness in our society, we have a long way to go.

I hear you. Why is it that if you are announcing the pregnancy of your third or (gasp) fourth/fifth pregnancy, people tell you you’re crazy? Why do strangers feel like they can tell a pregnant woman that she looks like she is going to burst? Why are stepparents treated like they are not viable parents? Why if you are a woman past 30 and not married, people are allowed to criticize your life and choices?

I have learned to chalk it up to ignorance. Feeling like someone says an insensitive comment because they do not understand makes me feel better. If there is no malice, then there is room for education. We can all learn to say something to these comments that is just enough to get people thinking that maybe what they are saying is close minded and hurtful. And, maybe next time they should simply keep their thoughts to themselves. OR word their questions with more thought.
My new mantra: Think before you speak!