🧵 A Mother’s Love Story: Stephanie and the Interference That Changed Everything
Stephanie came into my life as a gift—one I chose with my whole heart. I adopted her as a 5 year old and made a promise, not just legally, but spiritually: to be her protector, her advocate, her mother in every way that mattered. But from the beginning, that role was made harder by the people who should have stood beside me. I was in a relationship with Stephanie’s biological father, Manny—a man who was physically and emotionally abusive. I stayed for years, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. In Texas at the time, a child had to be eleven/twelve to express custodial preference. If I left sooner, I risked losing her entirely. So I stayed— for her. I was in a relationship with an abuser where I still tried my best to show up as a mother and caretaker. I finally broke free, I was pregnant again, desperately ill with hyperemesis, and completely depleted. I returned to my parents’ home on my father’s invitation hoping for safety and stability. My mother refuse...
