Colin Balfe

Colin Balfe is the Founder and Chief Content Officer of Love What Matters. Colin was inspired to start Love What Matters after his mother passed from Ovarian cancer. Through his grieving process, he saw the need to connect a like minded community around a deeply personal storytelling platform. He's proudest of the communities within LWM, strangers united by powerful and impactful experiences, underserved people connecting around mutual challenges, hopes and dreams. These communities include Adoption, Mental Health, Infertility, Addiction, Grief, Special Needs Parenting, LGBTQ+ and many more.

‘Awww, your poor husband.’ I have 7 daughters and work full time. I’ve heard this comment a thousand times.’: Mom feels ‘blessed’ for all-girl family despite judgement

“I don’t always get enough sleep. I spend my ‘free time’ cleaning up messes. My husband doesn’t get to watch all of the sporting events he wants to watch, and he has learned to get the little ones ready for school by himself. We don’t do it all, we do enough, and sometimes that is everything. I don’t, under any circumstance, feel bad for my husband that we were blessed with 7 girls.”

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‘Can you believe she feeds her kids all-purpose flour?’ The part every mother seems to experience is the guilt that consumes you when you just want to get it ‘right.’: Mom of young twins opens up about coping with ‘mom guilt’

“I still can’t always be and do everything. AND THAT’S OK! IT’S OK to need time for yourself. When a mother takes time for self-care, she’s replenishing her spirit to give more to her children. You cannot pour from an empty cup. The more you give yourself, the more you have to give.”

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‘We have an emergency placement for a 3-week old baby boy.’ I stared at the baby who had been mine and cried in front of the social workers.’: Foster mom recalls pain of giving child back to his mother

“When little Rylan first showed up, I was so nervous. The moment I saw him, I felt attached to him. I was ready to be a mom. My heart grew for our baby too. I would sob every time I had to drop him off for visitation. The day he left was the hardest day of my life.”

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‘There’s a 90% chance your baby will be born with Down Syndrome.’: Couple prepares for rare Down syndrome Diagnosis, ‘a diagnosis didn’t change our love for this little life inside of me’

“I had no idea just a couple of days later, we would experience a loss and pain we were never prepared for. Our loss made us stronger. ’Your scans showed a high probability your baby will have Down Syndrome.’ How can I be a good mother when I hate being pregnant? I just didn’t want to be pregnant anymore.”

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‘I’m not just a single woman looking for a mate. I’m a mother. Nobody talks about the other kinds of messy.’: Mother of two opens up about changed family dynamic after remarrying.

“And that’s when I realized motherhood is not picket fences and perfectly packed school lunches in bento boxes. It’s stressful and complicated while also being fulfilling and making your heart fuller than you ever imagined. It’s good mixed with ugly. It’s yin and yang. It’s real life.”

Colin Balfe -

‘My son was 6 and my daughter was 3. Where do I go for guidance? I opened up to my best friend about divorcing my husband of 11 years.’: Mother of two finds strength in sharing divorce journey

“What I do feel is an inner peace, an inner confidence and happiness from within. I have grown so close to my kids and they continue to push me to be the best person I can be. I look into my son’s eyes and I push myself to show him a confident, independent woman who deserves respect. I look into my daughter’s eyes and I strive to be the example of a woman paving the path of ‘doing it all’ while still expressing her emotions. It is so important to me to continue to build myself up and keep my children’s environment stable, healthy, and consistent.”

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‘How was I going to be a parent when I still had a lot of growing to do? How can I afford a child?’: Young mom discusses challenges and unforeseen positives of having a child at a young age

“The greatest part about parenting for me has been the ability to see life through a different lens. Even though getting pregnant was a major curveball in my baseball game of life, it put me into a position to grow immediately. I am a firm believer life doesn’t always give us what we want, but it will always give us what we need.”

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‘You should’ve used birth control’ was not something I was ever prepared for as a mom. This complete stranger looked at us in disgust.’: Mom of 10 turns the other cheek on bitter Instagram commenters

“This wasn’t the first time I was met with bitter and awful remarks at the size of my family. I took a deep breath and put my phone away for a while. I’ve grown a thick skin at the words people use to describe us. But this one stung. She didn’t know we lived in two tiny trailers in our backyard while our home was being rebuilt after the fire.”

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‘I read the books, watched the shows and talked to the seasoned moms. I realized a common thread. Kids are who they are, they all respond and act differently.’: Mom of 7 discusses ever-changing role of motherhood, what she’s learned over the years

“I want to raise good people, not perfect ones. I’m certainly not perfect so why should I expect my children to be? I use my own mistakes as an example for them. I apologize when I speak harshly and tell them even moms mess up. I want them to know if you are working on yourself and always trying to learn from the mistakes you make, that’s all that truly matters.”

Colin Balfe -

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