“My mother was pregnant with her seventh child… and when I refused to continue raising her children, she called the police to have me arrested as if I were a criminal.”

The officers exchanged a brief look of understanding as my aunt opened the door wider to let the cool Iowa air inside. “She is not in any danger here, but she is completely drained after raising her siblings for years on her own,” Helena told them.

The male officer frowned and stated that they still needed to speak with me directly to assess the situation. I stepped forward slowly on legs that felt like jelly, but I felt a new spark of anger rising up from deep within my soul.

It was an old anger built from nights of pacing the floor with crying babies while my mother slept soundly in the other room. It came from failed geometry tests and missed birthday parties because I was too busy cooking dinner for everyone else.

“My mom is pregnant with her seventh child, and she expects me to stay and raise this one just like all the others,” I said firmly. The officer listened without interrupting me, which gave me the courage to continue my story.