I am not a mother, but boy do I take my hat off to you ladies!
18 yrs my arse! It is a lifetime!
I worked in San Francisco in the Castro with AIDS patients.
No matter what the issues of the past, no matter how long it had been, It was always the mothers who turned up and were there for their "kids".
The love never goes away I guess.
How strong they were. No questions asked. At that point, it was not about trying to change things. If you love someone, set them free....