When my son Zach sent a message from school that read, “Can you come get me? It’s serious,” I had no idea how much our lives were about to change.
He barely looked up when he got into the car—his hands were trembling, his hoodie halfway zipped like he’d rushed out of class. I tried to lighten the mood with a joke about tests or fights, but he shook his head. “It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about her.”
That’s how I found out.
Zach’s girlfriend had given birth, but in a moment of uncertainty, she left the hospital without signing the discharge papers. Zach, only 15 and still figuring out life himself, made a decision that would change everything: he signed the papers instead.
“If no one wants her,” he told me quietly, “I do.”
At first, I thought he was overwhelmed or acting on impulse. He was still a kid, with responsibilities that didn’t extend far beyond video games and taking out the trash. But the seriousness in his voice made it clear—this wasn’t just a dramatic moment. It was real.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said. “But I can’t just leave her there. I don’t want her to grow up feeling like nobody wanted her.”
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