Love. Pure love. My mom once told me when I was younger that I would never truly understand LOVE until I became a mother. She was right. The fierce protectiveness, the overwhelming joy . . . when you hold your child for the first time - and forever after - are unmatched. It doesn't have to be a baby you gave birth to, it could be the first time you hold a foster child or one you've adopted - whatever your path to parenthood was - the love you feel, the overwhelming responsibility to care for, protect, and raise your child to be happy, confident, capable, kind, respectful . . . oh, my, it's HUGE.
But, you hold that baby, or child, or teen, and they are YOURS and you know you would do anything for them.