A woman forces her 16-year-old girl to give her baby up for adoption, but years later her remorse leads her to bring up her daughter and her child together.
\nGrace Washington wanted something better for her daughter than she had had for herself, so she pushed Daria to excel academically, in sports, and in her music. Grace was going to make sure that Daria had a chance at a better life.<\/p>\n
Grace\u2019s plan for her daughter\u2019s future seemed to be ruined when the 16-year-old Daria broke some shocking news to her mom. \u201cMom,\u201d she said in a frightened, trembling voice, \u201cI\u2019m pregnant.\u201d
\n\u201cPREGNANT!\u201d shouted Grace angrily. \u201cYou stupid girl! Do you want to ruin your life? Look at me! I was a teenage mother and my life is hell.\u201d
\n\u201cMama,\u201d whispered Daria, \u201cI spoke to my school counselor and she said I could still finish high school, have my baby, and go to college\u2026There are programs.\u201d
\n\u201cYou told some stranger first before you talked to your mama?\u201d screamed Grace. \u201cDoes this counselor put food on the table? Tell me that! Is she going to wipe that child\u2019s butt? Get up for 3 am feeds?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo mama, but\u2026\u201d Daria said nervously.
\n\u201cThere are no buts, here, Daria. You\u2019re not keeping that child. You have a scholarship to Julliard because of that there violin, and they\u2019re not going to be wanting you with a sack of diapers in your hand and a baby on your back.\u201d
\nDaria was crying. \u201cNo, mama, I want my baby!\u201d
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t know what you want, Daria,\u201d Grace cried, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what you want, and it ain\u2019t some snotty-nosed brat on your tit while I pay the bills! You\u2019re going to give that baby for adoption to some good family, and you\u2019re going to have a future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace wanted the best for her daughter and she believed that giving up her baby was the only way to safeguard her future.
\nAnd so when her baby was born four months later, Daria gave her baby away and signed the papers. Two months later she was in college. The pain of losing her baby would come late at night when she couldn\u2019t sleep.
\nIn those dark hours, her arms and her breasts would ache, she could smell the baby\u2019s sweet scent. She\u2019d whisper the baby\u2019s secret name to herself, \u201cMelody,\u201d and smile even as the tears ran down her cheeks.<\/p>\n
But Grace was right about one thing, Daria was enormously talented and by the time she was 26 she was a star soloist traveling all over the world, playing her violin with some of the greatest conductors and prestigious orchestras.
\nWhen she was 34, Daria met a man who made her smile, a kind, quiet man and she fell in love. Daria and Robert married and talked about starting a family. Daria gave up her touring and concentrated on recording, expecting she\u2019d be pregnant very soon.<\/p>\n
But the pregnancy just didn\u2019t happen. Robert and Daria consulted fertility specialists and tried IVF, but nothing worked. After four years, Daria was at breaking point. All she could think about was the baby she\u2019d given up.
\n\u201cGod is punishing me,\u201d she told her mother bitterly, \u201cI gave His gift away, now He won\u2019t give me another.\u201d
\n\u201cCalm down, Daria,\u201d said Grace. \u201cYou did what you had to do and look at your life. You have a wonderful career, a good man\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cAnd no baby, mama, I want a baby!\u201d Daria cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t have everything we want! You just be grateful to God for what you have!\u201d Grace said sharply.
\n\u201cI had a baby, mama, and I wanted her and you made me give her away!\u201d Daria sobbed.
\n\u201cIt was for your own good! My mama turned me out of the house when I was pregnant with you, so you were lucky!\u201d Grace said.
\n\u201cLUCKY? Because you didn\u2019t turn me out on the streets? Mama, you could have helped me. I could have done it all with your help. All you had to do was help\u2026\u201d Daria had tears running down her face. \u201cYou could have HELPED!\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, Grace couldn\u2019t sleep. Her daughter\u2019s words kept echoing through her mind. \u201cI could have helped,\u201d she said to herself. \u201cInstead I bullied a frightened little girl into doing what I wanted. And I knew how to do it because I\u2019d been a frightened little girl too\u2026\u201d
\nTwo months later, Grace phoned Daria and invited her to lunch in the city. \u201cWhat\u2019s up, mama?\u201d asked Daria.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothin\u2019s up!\u201d cried Grace. \u201cCan\u2019t a mother have lunch with her daughter?\u201d
\nThree days later, Daria walked into the restaurant to find her mother chatting to a young woman with long chestnut hair, dark eyes, and a hauntingly familiar smile. Grace jumped up and gripped Daria\u2019s hand.
\n\u201cBaby, I want you to meet Brianne,\u201d Grace said, and the young woman smiled nervously.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a huge fan,\u201d the girl said. \u201cI\u2019m a violinist too, I have all your records. I\u2019ve been dreaming about meeting you\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s nice,\u201d said Daria. \u201cAlways nice to meet a fan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrianne is not a fan, Daria, she\u2019s your daughter,\u201d said Grace, and Daria felt the room spin madly under her feet.
\n\u201cMy daughter\u2026\u201d she whispered, staring at the girl, her eyes, her smile, \u201cMelody\u2026\u201d
\nBrianne helped Daria sit down. \u201cGrace told me you didn\u2019t want to give me up, that she made you. But I want you to know that I have wonderful parents, a lovely life. All I\u2019ve been wanting is to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you so much,\u201d said Daria, \u201cI never wanted to lose you!\u201d
\n\u201cI know,\u201d Brianne said quietly, \u201cBut now we\u2019re together. My mother is my mom, but you can be a motherly friend.\u201d
\n\u201cYou play the violin too?\u201d asked Daria, laughing and crying at the same time. \u201cYou get that from me\u2026\u201d
\nThat afternoon, Daria found her daughter again, and Grace found peace and redemption. Six months later, Daria made a wonderful discovery: she was pregnant. Her life had come full circle once again.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story?
\n1. Good intentions don\u2019t make us right. Grace wanted the best for her daughter and she believed that giving up her baby was the only way to safeguard her future.
\n2. When you make a mistake, admit it and make amends.
\nShare this story with your friends. It might inspire people to share their own stories or to help someone else.
\nIf you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who left his elderly widowed mother homeless.<\/p>\n
A woman forces her 16-year-old girl to give her baby up for adoption, but years later her remorse leads her to bring up her daughter and her child together.
\nGrace Washington wanted something better for her daughter than she had had for herself, so she pushed Daria to excel academically, in sports, and in her music. Grace was going to make sure that Daria had a chance at a better life.
\nGrace\u2019s plan for her daughter\u2019s future seemed to be ruined when the 16-year-old Daria broke some shocking news to her mom. \u201cMom,\u201d she said in a frightened, trembling voice, \u201cI\u2019m pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPREGNANT!\u201d shouted Grace angrily. \u201cYou stupid girl! Do you want to ruin your life? Look at me! I was a teenage mother and my life is hell.\u201d
\n\u201cMama,\u201d whispered Daria, \u201cI spoke to my school counselor and she said I could still finish high school, have my baby, and go to college\u2026There are programs.\u201d
\n\u201cYou told some stranger first before you talked to your mama?\u201d screamed Grace. \u201cDoes this counselor put food on the table? Tell me that! Is she going to wipe that child\u2019s butt? Get up for 3 am feeds?\u201d
\n\u201cNo mama, but\u2026\u201d Daria said nervously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no buts, here, Daria. You\u2019re not keeping that child. You have a scholarship to Julliard because of that there violin, and they\u2019re not going to be wanting you with a sack of diapers in your hand and a baby on your back.\u201d
\nDaria was crying. \u201cNo, mama, I want my baby!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what you want, Daria,\u201d Grace cried, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what you want, and it ain\u2019t some snotty-nosed brat on your tit while I pay the bills! You\u2019re going to give that baby for adoption to some good family, and you\u2019re going to have a future.\u201d
\nGrace wanted the best for her daughter and she believed that giving up her baby was the only way to safeguard her future.
\nAnd so when her baby was born four months later, Daria gave her baby away and signed the papers. Two months later she was in college. The pain of losing her baby would come late at night when she couldn\u2019t sleep.<\/p>\n
In those dark hours, her arms and her breasts would ache, she could smell the baby\u2019s sweet scent. She\u2019d whisper the baby\u2019s secret name to herself, \u201cMelody,\u201d and smile even as the tears ran down her cheeks.
\nBut Grace was right about one thing, Daria was enormously talented and by the time she was 26 she was a star soloist traveling all over the world, playing her violin with some of the greatest conductors and prestigious orchestras.<\/p>\n
When she was 34, Daria met a man who made her smile, a kind, quiet man and she fell in love. Daria and Robert married and talked about starting a family. Daria gave up her touring and concentrated on recording, expecting she\u2019d be pregnant very soon.
\nBut the pregnancy just didn\u2019t happen. Robert and Daria consulted fertility specialists and tried IVF, but nothing worked. After four years, Daria was at breaking point. All she could think about was the baby she\u2019d given up.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod is punishing me,\u201d she told her mother bitterly, \u201cI gave His gift away, now He won\u2019t give me another.\u201d
\n\u201cCalm down, Daria,\u201d said Grace. \u201cYou did what you had to do and look at your life. You have a wonderful career, a good man\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cAnd no baby, mama, I want a baby!\u201d Daria cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t have everything we want! You just be grateful to God for what you have!\u201d Grace said sharply.
\n\u201cI had a baby, mama, and I wanted her and you made me give her away!\u201d Daria sobbed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was for your own good! My mama turned me out of the house when I was pregnant with you, so you were lucky!\u201d Grace said.
\n\u201cLUCKY? Because you didn\u2019t turn me out on the streets? Mama, you could have helped me. I could have done it all with your help. All you had to do was help\u2026\u201d Daria had tears running down her face. \u201cYou could have HELPED!\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, Grace couldn\u2019t sleep. Her daughter\u2019s words kept echoing through her mind. \u201cI could have helped,\u201d she said to herself. \u201cInstead I bullied a frightened little girl into doing what I wanted. And I knew how to do it because I\u2019d been a frightened little girl too\u2026\u201d
\nTwo months later, Grace phoned Daria and invited her to lunch in the city. \u201cWhat\u2019s up, mama?\u201d asked Daria.
\n\u201cNothin\u2019s up!\u201d cried Grace. \u201cCan\u2019t a mother have lunch with her daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Three days later, Daria walked into the restaurant to find her mother chatting to a young woman with long chestnut hair, dark eyes, and a hauntingly familiar smile. Grace jumped up and gripped Daria\u2019s hand.
\n\u201cBaby, I want you to meet Brianne,\u201d Grace said, and the young woman smiled nervously.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a huge fan,\u201d the girl said. \u201cI\u2019m a violinist too, I have all your records. I\u2019ve been dreaming about meeting you\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s nice,\u201d said Daria. \u201cAlways nice to meet a fan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrianne is not a fan, Daria, she\u2019s your daughter,\u201d said Grace, and Daria felt the room spin madly under her feet.
\n\u201cMy daughter\u2026\u201d she whispered, staring at the girl, her eyes, her smile, \u201cMelody\u2026\u201d
\nBrianne helped Daria sit down. \u201cGrace told me you didn\u2019t want to give me up, that she made you. But I want you to know that I have wonderful parents, a lovely life. All I\u2019ve been wanting is to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you so much,\u201d said Daria, \u201cI never wanted to lose you!\u201d
\n\u201cI know,\u201d Brianne said quietly, \u201cBut now we\u2019re together. My mother is my mom, but you can be a motherly friend.\u201d
\n\u201cYou play the violin too?\u201d asked Daria, laughing and crying at the same time. \u201cYou get that from me\u2026\u201d
\nThat afternoon, Daria found her daughter again, and Grace found peace and redemption. Six months later, Daria made a wonderful discovery: she was pregnant. Her life had come full circle once again.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story
\n1. Good intentions don\u2019t make us right. Grace wanted the best for her daughter and she believed that giving up her baby was the only way to safeguard her future.
\n2. When you make a mistake, admit it and make amends.
\nShare this story with your friends. It might inspire people to share their own stories or to help someone else.
\nIf you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who left his elderly widowed mother homeless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A woman forces her 16-year-old girl to give her baby up for adoption, but years later her remorse leads her to bring up her daughter and her child together. Grace Washington wanted something better for her daughter than she had had for herself, so she pushed Daria to excel academically, in sports, and in her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n