LJ Herman is a former editor at Love What Matters and lives in Colorado. LJ is a concert, ticket and technology enthusiast. He has seen the Dave Mathews Band over one hundred times and counting.
‘My husband turned to me and said, ‘I have to poo.’ It’s like his ‘get out of jail free card.’ His way of saying, ‘I’m done here. You finish it.’: Fed up mom finally puts her foot down with husband’s lame excuse
“But today, I simply said ‘NO.'”
‘My mom died today. Even though she abandoned me 6 years ago, up until this morning, I still had a mom.’: Abused daughter reflects on love for her mother, despite physical, verbal, emotional trauma
“She called and left me a voicemail saying she didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. I cannot count how many times I listened to that voicemail. Those words stung the same each time. She was just waiting for the day I would go crawling back on my knees to her.”
‘Eh, it’s been rough, honestly.’ Our struggles are different. And we will likely never ask for help.’: Mom of special needs child explains what her ‘hard week’ looks like
“Our hard days look like night terrors, bed-wetting, and sleepless nights. The days are riddled with meltdowns over having to be outside where it’s too hot, too cold, too sunny, too many bugs or too ‘outsidey’. Seriously. We can’t make this stuff up.”
‘You don’t see what goes on behind closed doors. We love your family members as our own.’ Aged care worker explains she is not ‘incompetent,’ but ‘pressed for time’
“They don’t see us hold the hands of a man with Parkinson’s to ease his shakes. They don’t see us sing their favorite song quietly as we feed them breakfast. They don’t see us cry as we comb the hair of a resident who has just passed so they look presentable for their family. They don’t see us go home as a broken, shattered human who has seen more in one day than most people will ever see.”
‘I don’t like motherhood. Sometimes I hate it. But I love my kids.’: Mom candidly explains she is not a ‘monster’ but sometimes ‘motherhood just sucks’
“Look amazing every day, bang your husband every day, find vitamins that don’t have anything artificial in it… I MEAN WHAT? Cook for a bake sale, get involved in your kids’ school, clean ya HOUSE. Oh gosh. Shhhhh.”
‘It broke my heart to say goodbye to Grandpa. Life got busy. But I always knew that quiet man loved me.’: Granddaughter surprised by homemade package from grandfather
“Then one day as I was sitting in my garage, the postman pulled up with a package. When he handed me the box, I immediately broke into tears. I knew before I opened it that it was from Grandpa. I could almost taste a tinge of saw dust.”
‘I am OVER IT. I spotted your car swerving. I could see your sweet kids strapped into car seats in the back.’: Mom’s desperate plea to put your phones down while driving
“Texting away driving 55 mph on the highway with your babies on board. I was close enough for you to swerve into me. My babies were on board too, and my blood just boiled.”
‘Don’t give up on me. My husband, you can’t love away my abuse or trauma, but just knowing you want to, makes my world feel whole.’: Wife suffering from PTSD thanks husband for staying with her through ‘horrific pain’
“All you need to say is, ‘You are safe. You are loved.’ Six words can free us from the prison of our minds. Please don’t walk away. Abandonment is what we wait for.”
‘I had a C-section. What comes with a major surgery? Pain meds do. The day after we came home, I went for a pain pill. They were gone. ALL OF THEM!’: Woman slides into deeper addiction at the hands of her boyfriend
“My ex-boyfriend walked back into my life. He didn’t look the same though. His big, strong build had dwindled down to a scrawny man. I could tell something was wrong. I went for it anyway. That turned out to be a decision I will not soon forget. It didn’t take long for me to become pregnant, with not one but TWO babies.”
‘Keep your big ole mouth shut. Don’t you dare look down on another mom. Don’t you dare.’: Mother of 3 says to keep the ‘judgmental eye rolls’ to yourself before life serves you ‘humble pie’
“Me with my first baby: I will never buy my kids tacky character tees. Evvvvvvver. Mark my words. Me after 3 kids: Whatever. I wear the same clothes I slept in to the grocery store, so who am I to be picking out people’s clothes anyway?”