A single mum who conceived her twin sons with the help of a sperm donor has penned a heartfelt letter to their future selves, explaining their history.
Julia McKean has come in for great praise this week for her blog post, A letter for the future, written for one-year-old sons Elliot and Hudson.
Julia, who blogs at Twin Mama J, was inspired to write the emotional letter after watching a documentary on donor-conceived children.
In her letter, Julia explains why she chose to use a sperm donor to conceive, and advises them on how to navigate the future.
“You exist in this world because, more than anything else, I wanted you. I wanted to be your mum. I wanted to love you and raise you, and for us to be family,” she wrote.
She highlighted the fact that families come in all different shapes, sizes and types; and it’s the uniqueness of each family that makes life so interesting.
Julia went on to explain exactly why she chose sperm donation: because she has Lupus, and was concerned that medication could affect her chances of conceiving.
So, rather than wait around to find ‘the one’, she decided to take her future in her hands and try for a baby on her own – with a little help.
“Your donor is a nice man who decided to help us. He wrote lots of information, like how his favourite food is lasagne, and how he really likes to play sport,” she explained.
“In the meantime, I have a baby photo of your donor and lots of writing to show you! We are even going to write him a thank you letter and send it with pictures of you in it!”
Now, Julia knows that the future won’t be straight-forward; she knows that her sons may sometimes ‘feel sad and have questions’, or even wish that they had a ‘daddy’. Well, this is where communication and the support of their loving community will come in to play.
Above all, for now, Julia just wants her sons to know that they are so loved.
“The most important thing I want you to know is how much I wanted you,” she added, as the take-home message.
“You are the BEST gift I have ever been given, and I love you to the moon and back. You remember that EVERY family is different, and special, and every family does things differently.
“You should always be kind and open-minded. You should listen to everyone’s stories and be supportive, just as I hope others will support our story and our life.”
We love Julia’s letter and message to her sons. What are your thoughts, mums?
