She decided to test the waters about having another kid in her 40s and brought our niece over. My mom ended up not having a third child, and I feel a little bit guilty about it. Or maybe she looked at my brother and me and thought, these two turned out great — why not try for a third? Either way, I'll never forget the day she decided to test the waters of motherhood again, using our young niece, Amber, as what can only be described as a trial run. Instead of cranky teenagers, we started to act like a family again — having family dinners together instead of hiding in our rooms and even hanging out with Mom in public.

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Persons: Amber, plopped, Amber couldn't, hadn't, Janine, Amber's