To parents: When did you feel the parental instinct kick in?

Some people know all their lives they wanna have, love and protect their kids at the expense of their own lives if necessary

Some people have kids and don’t really truly feel the instinct to love and protect after they are the kids are born.

Some people unfortunately never get it before they have kids and never have it after either. Sometimes I see parent animals protect their young till they themselves almost die. Yet humans… sometimes they aren’t as good of parents as most animals.

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SW-User

For my adopted son it was when I saw his photo

My heart flopped and I felt this hormonal rush

I would do anything for this baby

At the time adoption was really fraught and we were told to never forget that our moment of joy was another woman's greatest pain - as if we would be insensitive to that

But we were shown the photo by a social worker who I hadn't met before and she looked me in the face then grabbed my hamd and squeezed it saying to me with this urgency, " this little baby doesn't have parents and he really deserves parents. Never forget you are it

😭😭😭😭😭

NiftyWhite · 46-50, F

@SW-User wow. What an interesting perspective. Sooo… how’s he doing now?

SW-User

@NiftyWhite He's 18!

To be honest he's got his struggles. We found out he has a progressive and genetically inherited condition at the worst possible time developmentally (14) and he has anxiety

We have been back to Korea and I've encouraged him to try and connect with his birth mother, if possible, but he has some anger issues about his condition and isn't ready yet

NiftyWhite · 46-50, F

@SW-User oh dear I am sorry to hear about his condition. I think it would be lovely to locate and reunite with his birth mom. I’m sure she wonders about him too!