Katie R. Hurst

I grew up in a world where special needs were all around me. My mom was a special education teacher and she brought kids into our home who had special and unique needs. It was perfectly normal to read books with pictures of children in wheelchairs or see hearing aids sitting on the counter at home. With that in mind I walked into special needs parenting with rose colored glasses. I knew in the back of my head that moms have to stand up for their children and that not everyone is accepting of them, yet somehow it became a distant thought that I would be dealing with the ugliness of humanity as I drank in the beauty of my newest daughters. They are so lovely that it shadows the darkness that is out there. But those rose colored glasses have been thrown in the mud and smeared so much so that I can no longer see through them. I'm taking up the battle of the special needs parent. Today, my post may seem like I'm starting a battle. So be it. Adults have recoiled their hands whe...

Today you yelled, said words you never thought would pass your lips. Yesterday you stopped holding fiercely onto hope.  You chucked a piece of bread against a wall and watched it crumble to the ground.  It seemed poetic to you. The dishes are spilling beyond the boundaries of the sink and the counter is shining back to you with water as its mockery. Some moms have weekly meal lists and you have a frozen pizza. Your Pinterest boards hold thousands of pins. And they stay there, pinned, convincing you that you are worthless. Your friends post pictures of being dressed up for a date night while you  hope for just one day without screaming at each other.  Your children have watched you come unglued. They have heard words that rightly shame your soul.  You are battered and bruised and your soul is begging you with every whisper to retreat into hiding. Hide this shame. Hide this ugliness. Hide the words spoken. Hide the terror of your heart. Hide th...

Adoption is hard. Broken souls and broken people trying to climb impossible mountains every single day. Sometimes we watch as those in our community are broken further by disruptions and dissolved adoptions. Both of these are the loss of so many dreams on every end. We need to do better as a community. Can you help by taking just three minutes and filling out this survey? It is completely anonymous. I can't track it back to you. It give me no names, no IP addresses. It is just to collect data and help find ways to assist families after adoption. I know you are busy people and three minutes is nearly impossible, but thank you for taking time to do this for yourself, for me, for our community. Together we will build a better and stronger adoption community. Create your own user feedback survey