1. I Love You Mommy
Ever since I could remember, I wanted to have children. There was only one problem with my plan ‐
when I was old enough and married,I couldn’t.
After a while, my husband and I decided to try our hand at fostering. This way,we could have a family
with children, and fostering gave the chance of getting a child we could adopt.But as foster parents, we
saw children come and go.
Then Alexis arrived.
Alexis was a bright eyed four‐year old. At first she was scared, mad and threw tantrums every day. Still,
we noticed this little girl was special. In her moments of calm, she was very artistic, smart, and had a wit
that wouldn’t stop. When she laughed, her laughter hinted of merrier times. And when she wanted to,
she showed us that she still took joy in the little things in life.
I cared for little Alexis as if she were my own daughter and to whom I was becoming increasingly
attached. I tried not to think too much about the fact that she had lately been spending more and more
time with her mother, Adriana. And to add to this predicament, the ever finicky court judges were
known to change their minds on a whim ‐ they would let the mother take her child home one day only
to have her go home without her child the next court session.While all this was happening, Adriana took
close notice of how I cared for her daughter.
Four months passed when Alexis finally came out of her shell and started to enjoy life. It was after a
particularly brisk game of hide‐and‐seek around the yard when she came up to me and said, “I love you,
Mommy.” I smiled but was aware she had another mother. I replied, “I love you too, but you have a
different mommy.” Alexis laughed,“But you are my bestest mommy.” That day, I was very glad to have
fostered.
Several more months passed.
Before long, I got the call I had been dreading. The judge came down with a decision that little Alexis
would go back to Adriana. And with that said, my husband and I were left with nothing but each other
once again.
I was very sad. So sad, in fact, that while I was on the phone with Adriana making plans for Alexis’
return, I broke down. “So now you know how it is to lose a daughter,” Adriana sighed.“Don’t worry.
You’ll have plenty of time with her starting with next week.”
I was surprised.
This was almost unheard of ‐ I was very skeptical. My experience had taught me that whenever
somebody made that promise, it usually turned out to be a lie. So naturally, I took her statement with a
grain of salt. I had little faith in what anyone said anymore.
And so, with much tears,my husband and I said goodbye to Alexis.

2. Later that week, I got a call from Adriana. In a warm voice she asked, “How would you like to spend
some time with Alexis on Sunday?”
And so it started. For a year, little Alexis visited me every weekend. I got to hold her, to dress her, to
bathe her, and to love her.We were a family once more.
The day Alexis returned to us, so did my faith in humanity as well.
Author: Hayley Shaver
Location: USA
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