When nine months of love are erased in nine minutes of paperwork

From the moment of conception, a mother begins building something sacred.
Week by week.
Heartbeat by heartbeat.
Kick by kick.

She nurtures the unseen.
She protects the unborn.
She sacrifices in silence for a child she hasn’t yet met.

• At 6 weeks: a flicker of heartbeat
• At 12 weeks: tiny fingers taking shape
• At 20 weeks: movement felt for the first time
• At 30 weeks: lullabies through the womb
• At 40 weeks: a cry, a bond, a miracle

But for far too many mothers especially those who are poor, black, outspoken, or simply struggling the system comes not to support, but to sever.

Twisted Into an Abuser

The mother who worked two jobs to keep the lights on is now charged with neglect.
The mother who asked for help is now labeled unfit.
The mother who needed medical care is called unstable.
The mother who loved fiercely is painted as dangerous.
The mother who protected her child is accused of harm.
The mother who followed every rule is still punished.

False allegations are presented as fact.
Context is erased.
Poverty is mistaken for abuse.
Disability is treated like danger.
Strength is twisted into threat.

The very love that once grew life is now used against her.

This Mother’s Day, Thousands Will Wake Up to Silence

No chubby arms around their necks.
No breakfast in bed.
No scribbled cards taped to the wall.

No “Mom.”
No “Mama.”
No “Ma.”
Not even a “bruh” from this new generation just silence where laughter should be.

Just aching.
Just absence.
Just a wound the system doesn’t count.

Because someone with no real knowledge of her life decided she was unworthy.

But Here’s What the System Can’t Erase

It can remove a child
but it cannot remove a mother’s knowing.
Her prayers.
Her memories.
Her instinct to protect, even when she’s powerless.

There are many days you didn’t sleep not because you were sick,
but because your little one was.
You were there to clean the booboos,
to cradle the crying,
to hold calm in the chaos.

And to the mothers who were stripped of those moments
who were denied the late-night rocking, the first-day-of-school nerves, the boo-boo kisses
we see you too.

Because motherhood doesn’t begin in court.
It begins in the womb.
And no judge, caseworker, or agency can change that truth.

This is your Sunday Spotlight.

To every mother waking up today with a broken heart:
You are not invisible.
You are not forgotten.
You are not alone.

You are still a mother and you always will be.
And your story deserves to be heard.

Closing Note — From One Mother to Another:

To the mother reading this with tears in her eyes
This was never your fault. ❌
Your love still counts. ❤️
Your story still matters. ✍️
And no matter what they say, no matter what paperwork they filed,
You are still a mother. 👩‍👧
And you always will be. 🕊️

You are not forgotten. 🫂
You are not alone. 🌍
And your fight is not in vain. ✊

Happy Mother’s Day