Families come in all different shapes and sizes, and that’s what makes them all so beautiful and unique. There are blended families, adoptive families, and biological families, and each kind is valuable and important.
Becoming a parent is a pivotal, selfless moment in a person’s life. It’s irrelevant whether the child is yours biologically, through adoption, as a step-parent, or you’re their grandparent or legal guardian.
Making the responsible, life-changing decision to become a parent and committing to raising a child makes you a real one. By providing a child with love, care, support, and guidance, you put someone else above yourself and your needs.
When raising children, parents provide love, encouragement, and so much more. They are teachers, secret keepers, counselors, cheerleaders, role models, protectors, and more.
When it really boils down to it, being a parent is all about being a consistent source of love, support, and safety for a child.
Whether the child you care for is yours biologically, through marriage, adoption, or someone you care for by choice, it doesn’t matter. Caring for a child and putting their needs before your own makes you a real parent, without a doubt.
So many parents in this world don’t get the credit they deserve.
From step-parents helping to raise someone else’s biological kids to grandparents who step in when the children need them, anyone who makes it their mission to ensure a child has a better life is as real as it gets.
