Melinda French Gates: The Parenting Lessons I Want to Pass On to My Children

I knew something was off even before I opened my eyes. It was April 26, 1996—a Friday—around 4 in the morning, and my sheets were damp. It took me a moment to realize what had happened: My water had broken. Here, at last, was the day I’d been waiting for my whole life. I was going to become a mother.

“It’s happening,” I told Bill as I nudged him awake. Before calling the doctor, we shared a moment together, giggling at the bizarre and wonderful notion that, before the day was over, there would be three of us.