Jerry (31F) always said yes when her sister asked for help—dropping everything to babysit her niece and nephews, no money asked. She cared for them like a second mom. Then, at a family BBQ, someone complimented her natural way with kids. That’s when her sister, glass in hand, loudly blurted: “Oh yeah? Ask her what happened to the daughter she adopted last year.”
Jerry’s heart froze.
She had adopted a little girl, Lily, at six years old. But after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, managing Lily became impossible. Terrified of failing as a mother, she made the agonizing decision to return custody. Only her therapist and one friend knew—until now.
Family members stared in shock. One aunt whispered, “How could anyone do that to a child?” Jerry fled to her car in tears that day—and hasn’t spoken to her sister since.
Now, her sister texts asking her to babysit again, as if nothing happened. Jerry refuses. She’s blocked her sister’s number, telling her, “You lost the right to ask me for anything the moment you turned my deepest pain into party gossip.”
But she deeply misses her niece and nephews—they are like her own. She just doesn’t know how to bridge the gap—and she needs advice, not from therapists, but from strangers who can guide her next steps. Should she try to mend this, or guard her heart?
