Parenting Stories That Warmed -- and Broke -- Our Hearts in 2014
Tissues would be a good idea.
— -- intro: It's been said that parenting is the hardest job there is. We suppose that's because when you love someone as much as a parent loves a child, there's bound to be some pain among all the joy that love brings. The year was rich with stories of parents who faced unimaginable loss, parents who fought tirelessly for their children, parents who held on to hope when it seemed there was none. And then there was the laughter.
Read on for some of our favorite parenting stories of the year.
quicklist: 1url: http://abcnews.go.com/US/couple-welcomes-terminal-bucket-list-baby-goodbye/story?id=26070864title: Couple Welcomes Terminal 'Bucket List' Baby, Then Says Goodbyetext: It was the story of a baby made famous by a set of courageous and inspirational parents even before he was born. Diagnosed with anencephaly, Shane's parents knew he would die shortly after his birth and so created a bucket list for their unborn baby. The Pennsylvania couple created a Facebook page "Prayers for Shane" to chronicle their adventures, from visiting a pumpkin patch to a Phillies game. They also went to beaches, zoos, the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial in New York City. Shane was born on October 9, and dies a few hours later. "Today at 6:15 a.m., after meeting his entire family and being baptized into the Catholic faith, baby Shane died peacefully in his Mother's arms," Jenna and Dan Haley of Philadelphia wrote in a Facebook message. "We are so grateful for the time that we were blessed to hold and hug our son."media: 26070462
quicklist: 2url: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/girl-brother-grow/story?id=24771693title: Little Girl Really, Really Doesn't Want Her Brother to Grow Uptext: In a video that was simultaneously heartwarming and hilarious, a five-year-old girl named Sadie with a "flair for the dramatic" is seen in hysterics over the thought over her baby brother growing up."Oh you're so cute," Sadie wails as she hugs Carson. "I love your little smiles. Oh my gosh, I want him to stay little!" Sadie was also very broken up about the idea of dying "when she is a hundred," according to the video that went viral. media: 24772938
quicklist: 3url: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/syndrome-year-grief-joy/story?id=22877773title: Down Syndrome: A Year of Grief and Joy text: If Facebook "likes" are any measure, the story of the prenatal diagnosis of her son's Down syndrome by ABC News Travel & Lifestyle Editor Genevieve Shaw Brown was one of the top parenting stories of the year. The story chronicles the year from diagnosis at 12 weeks gestation -- and the guy wrenching pain that accompanied it -- to the ultimate joy found after the birth of her son. media: 22899995
quicklist: 4url: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/boy-unapproved-drug-heads-home-virginia/story?id=24599780title: Boy Who Got Unapproved Drug Heads Home to Virginiatext: An 8-year-old boy named Josh Hardy was the center of a social media campaign that his parents believed was the only way to get an experimental drug that would save his life. Josh’s doctor at St. Jude suggested brincidofovir, a drug that researchers at Chimerix, a small North Carolina drug company, had been developing for the past 14 years. Chimerix at first resisted giving Josh the drug, saying the drug has not been proven to do this in more advanced adenovirus cases such as Josh's, but then ultimately opened a clinical trial of brincidofovir and enrolled Josh as the first patient. He went home in July. media: 24602005
quicklist: 5url: https://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/daughter-terminally-ill-dad-hold-magical-early-walk-201456017--abc-news-parenting.html title: Daughter, Terminally Ill Dad, Hold Magical Early Walk Down the Aisle text: It was a day she'll never forget, her daddy dressed in a sharp black suit accented with bright pink bowtie, her favorite color, hooked arm in arm as they slowly and steadily make their way down the homemade aisle. The occasion was so sentimental to Whitney's father, David Moore, not because he was giving his away his daughter's hand in marriage, but because he wasn't. "I have no regrets with my daddy," she explained. "I have said what I wanted to say. I told him what he needed to know. And there's no shame. I believe that everything happens for a reason and God doesn't give you anything that you can't handle."media: 27905210
quicklist: 6url: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/girls-write-list-boyfriend-rules/story?id=22381633title: 31 'Boyfriend Rules' as Specified by 2 Little Girlstext: If you were looking for love, chances are these might be on your list: Cuteness. Dresses well. Takes you to nice places. Last name not weird.These -- along with 27 other requirements -- made the list of "boyfriend rules" written by Brooke and Blaire, 9 and 6 years old, respectively. Yet the girls show wisdom that seems beyond their years. They included respects different 'religens,' " "marry someone who respects you," "likes YOUR job" and "listens" on the list as well.media: 22381904
quicklist: 7url: https://gma.yahoo.com/baby-flashes-thumbs-coolest-ultrasound-ever-181710405--abc-news-parenting.htmltitle: Baby Flashes Thumbs Up in Coolest Ultrasound Evertext: This baby is already too cool. Dubbed "Fonzie fetus," an ultrasound image captured an unborn baby giving his parents and ultrasound tech a thumbs up. “I thought it was really cool,” Brandon Hopkins, the baby's father, told ABC News of the perfectly timed shot.media: 25205277
