Even unadorned, words have power. Cloak them in context, and they can become bold, underlined and exclaimed. You are pregnant—those words can be colored in the light of joyful excitement or bathed in the darkness of fear.
Christine Bauer, now of Maple Grove, was 18 years old and only weeks into her freshman year of college when she was told—those three words. What followed was a series life-altering moments that Bauer, writer and marketing professional, shares in her book, Those Three Words (2018). Honest. Heartbreaking. Bauer also takes readers up the hill of empowerment toward happiness and acceptance.
MPG: How can readers, who haven’t faced similar situations, learn about life through your pages?
CB: Anyone who has dealt with challenging situations and tough decisions in life can relate to my book. Life is beautiful and wonderful, but life can also be difficult and messy. How you handle the difficult and messy parts has a significant impact on not only your life but others, as well. It’s important to embrace all of it—the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful.
My mom told us during a particularly difficult time in our family that “sadness stretches your heart, so there is more room for joy.” There is a lot of truth in that.
MPG: You include intensely personal details about your marriage. Was that challenging to relive those struggles?
CB: Yes, it was difficult to write about that part of my life and to relive all of it, but it was a big part of my story. I’m proud of my how I parented through some extremely difficult and emotional situations. I tried to always put my children first.
MPG: What does your book tell readers about conventional notions of family? What defines family to you?
CB: Family is not just an important thing, family is everything, and it goes well beyond who is living in your home or who you gave birth to. Family means love and that you have your people—and they have you—to lean on, to love, to support, to cry with and laugh with.
MPG: What does your story say about a mother’s love, its power and role?
CB: Mothers are the rock and foundation of a family and their children’s lives. Motherhood should not be taken lightly. It is a hard job but the most rewarding, too. I and my siblings were blessed to have an incredibly loving, caring and accepting mother, and she taught me so much about motherhood and life. I’m also incredibly blessed to have found such an open, warm and wonderful mother to love and raise my daughter.
MPG: Why write the book?
CB: I wrote this book because I had an important story to tell about the power of choice, the beauty of adoption and the unbreakable bond of maternal love. Facing an unwanted pregnancy can be devastating and terrifying for a woman; it’s such a personal decision. It’s important for people to know how difficult this decision is and how important it is for a woman to have the right to make the decision that is best for her. It has always been a dream of mine to write a book, so this is a dream come true—through a lot of hard work. I have plans for several more books and have already started working on one of them.
MPG: What three words describe the book best?
CB: I’ve thought of numerous answers, but the one that seems to sum things up the best is: Family is everything. Other thoughts: Life is good. Life is hard.
MPG: Knowing what you know now, what do you say to 18-year-old Christine?
CB: I know it is hard to imagine right now, but it will all be OK; it will be more than OK. You will never imagine just how good and beautiful it will all turn out.
Christine Bauer’s family continues to grow:
Daughter, Katie, 33, lives in New Zealand with her husband, Paul; daughter, Remy, 3; and son, Link, 2 months old.
Son, Dylan, 21, attends Colorado State University.
Family friend and “bonus son,” Nate, 21, goes to school in Alabama.
Son Jared, 17, attends the University of Oregon.
Purchasing and event information are available at authorcbauer.com.
