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Sharing Mother's Day with my son's birth mother celebrates choosing love
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This Mother's Day, I'm grateful for my son and his birthmother. - photo by Erin Stewart
Ive always had a love-hate relationship with Mothers Day.

I love the cute notes from my kids and the fact that there is one day set aside all year to acknowledge what mothers do for their families. But Mothers Day is also tough. It was tough when we couldnt get pregnant. It was tough for the three years we waited to adopt. And honestly, even though I have children, its tough to watch friends dealing with infertility who are patiently waiting for their Mothers Day.

This year, however, Mothers Day has a slightly different meaning for me. This is the first year I share this day with another mother my sons birth mother.

My sons birth mother is a part of our life. We visit every few months and exchange pictures and emails regularly. She loves her son, and we love her right back.

So naturally, I started getting ready a gift to send her for Mothers Day, and I had to pause a moment and think about how weird it was to be sending a Mothers Day gift from my child to someone else.

I started thinking about how motherhood comes in all shapes and sizes. And in this particular case, motherhood meant making hard choices.

And every time she had a choice, she chose him.

She chose him when she was terrified of a C-section in the hospital, but the doctors told her the baby was in trouble so she consented to the surgery, likely saving his life. She chose him when she decided on adoption, feeling unable herself to provide the parenting and opportunities he would need.

She chooses him every time we visit her, and she gets to see him, hold him and then has to say goodbye all over again. But she does it because she knows its best for him. She chooses to hurt her own heart a little each time if it will help him feel loved and confident and secure in his adoption.

I think thats why it bothers me so much when people use phrases like gave up for adoption or even worse, gave away her baby. These are statements made by people who havent seen adoption firsthand. I have. There was no giving up or giving away in our adoption only choices.

And my sons birth mother chooses him time and time again, no matter the cost to her.

When we first decided on an open adoption, I wondered if it would be too hard for me to have my sons birth mother in our lives. I worried I would feel like a stand-in parent rather than his mother. To be honest, the first few times we met with the birth mother and father after placement, I did question my place. It was a difficult reminder that he was not biologically mine. I wondered, Who am I in this complicated equation?

But now that weve all settled into our roles, Im confident in mine as mother. Im grateful for her as a birth mother and realize that her love doesnt take away anything from me. In fact, it only increases the love exponentially in our little arrangement, which means more people loving our son and wanting whats best for him.

So as my kids bring me breakfast in bed and crayon-filled loved notes on Sunday, Ill be thinking of this woman who loves my son enough to choose him, even when it breaks her own heart. Im proud to share this Mothers Day and all the future days with a woman who truly understands what it means to be a mother.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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