I wasn't sure if I wanted to write anything about this topic because it's very hard to think about and write about. My heart hurts so badly for the Stapleton family. I know that we as parents make mistakes and that none of our kids come with a manual. Especially kids with an autism diagnosis, like my oldest. But there has to be a definitive sense of right and wrong in this world. Some mistakes are just too big to make. Our kids don't deserve for us to be so lost that we can't find our way and where we put their lives at risk.
I will never get a mother of the year award. I've definitely let my children down many times. I was a young mom, having had both of my kids during college. Their dad left when both of them were little and I had to raise them as a single mom. And I didn't have a good example growing up of what is was to be a loving parent as both of my parents were abusive. On top of that, like Kelli I have had my own struggles with mental illness. I've also had struggles with addiction. Fortunately I've been sober for many years now, but that doesn't erase my past.
I have felt inadequate, depressed, worthless, and devoid of hope. Many times I have felt like everything was falling apart. But I would never take my children's lives. They shouldn't have to pay for my misfortune.
By Lisa Arnold
You sound like a Mother of the Year to me--you're willing to own up to your mistakes and change your life in very hard-to-change ways for the sake of your children, and that makes you an amazing parent.
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