All a mother ever wants is for her children to flourish, to grow like good Lord above intended. Sure it’s expected for there to be a time, or several times that your child makes mistakes, but they can learn from them and then all is well… Right? Wrong.

I have two beautiful, healthy kids that my husband and I had a little bit later in life, but we were excited. We loved them more than we thought someone could love anything! Of course, not everything was sunshine and fairy tales by the time they reached their late teenage years; our son refused to go to college and his younger sister knew how to push ALL of my buttons. For the sake of time and my shorter than average patience, we will say that our Beth got herself into some trouble with the law two months after her 18th year… Of which she already had minor convictions. We didn’t approve of her lifestyle or her attitude, most of the time. Her father and I could not continue to watch her live in such a self-destructive manner so, we threw our hands up. After countless chances, we concluded she had to move out and figure her life out.

We didn’t hear from Beth for months but knew she was going to school because she kept in close contact with her brother. Six months later, I got a call from Beth, with more bad news. Her boyfriend, that we knew nothing about, had a violent break-up with her because he found the positive pregnancy test in the trash. Luckily, Beth got out with only some scratches and one bruise on her leg. I couldn’t believe what she got into now! Part of me wishes we kept her in our house on lockdown. But then, the more rational side of me says that she was going to do what she wanted regardless of our actions or teachings.

After ensuring she was okay, I raced over to church to cry in the pew. I begged God for his help with Beth and this whole situation. I prayed for the baby, I prayed for the strength to help her without the tired “I told you so,” and I prayed for her to come back to the faith. As I cried there, I was overwhelmed with the idea of having to be a parent again. I knew Beth wasn’t equipped to be a parent– heck! I wasn’t even sure if she had a place to live! I just prayed and prayed AND PRAYED.

The next day, we arranged to have lunch. Beth looked oddly calm. When I asked why, she told me that she had this wonderful plan for her future. The next word out of her mouth was, adoption. I froze. THAT’S HER SOLUTION? To give her baby and responsibility up? I was enraged and heavy-hearted and speechless at the same time. She saw my face and got up to hug me. “I know what you’re thinking mom but it’s not what you think.” She handed me a business card of an Adoption Counselor with blue letters on it. “I’ve done my research; call her mom, she’s really great.”

Finally I was able to find words. I told her that quite frankly, I don’t know a thing about adoption, but before I talk to a “professional,” I want to see your rationale. With a roll of her eyes, she marched back to her seat. I wanted to tell her the next steps but, I knew this was her situation so she has the majority of say… I sighed, looked to God, and asked her to tell me her plan. With a little attitude, she started. She said she has given this a lot of thought and wants the absolute best life for her son; she emphasized the importance of a child growing up in a financially stable home with two parents. The baby’s dad is an awful person and she doesn’t want that kind of negativity affecting her baby. Then she emphasized the importance of the baby having siblings and a financially stable home.

I couldn’t believe how mature she was being. Beth thought of things my mind hadn’t drifted toward. For the first time in over a year, I was so proud of her! She finished the description of her plan with her future in mind— “I feel adoption is also the best decision for my role as a student and getting a stable job and my own place.” I hugged her and met her counselor the next day.

I still had my reserves but Beth expressed, “although this isn’t an easy thing to do, I know in my heart it’s the right thing to do. I’m very happy with my decision to place and am confident with the family I chose. I love how friendly they are and I know my baby will be very much loved.” Thanks to Beth, I can accept my grandson being a part of a beautiful adoption.