“Why do we speak to ourselves any differently than we would to the people we love most in our lives? If you catch yourself thinking ANY negative thoughts about yourself today—stop.”
‘Your cheeks are so red…grab concealer and cover that up.’ I would never say to my daughters the things I say to myself.’: Woman urges ‘you are worthy of kindness too’
‘I’m not enough for my son.’ Pregnant at 19, my relationship was a toxic monster. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror.’: Mom details PPD and finding love, ‘Authentic love speaks volumes’
“Our love was like a beast that devoured us both. We’d talk for hours about light and darkness and all of the mystery that was him and I. He accepted my past and my child as if he was his own.”
‘Your son has severe autism.’ I became a divorced mother of 2 post-diagnosis. Josh welcomed him with open arms.’: Special needs mom, bonus dad urge ‘our love knows no bounds’
“I asked myself, ‘Why would God bless other parents with perfectly healthy children? Why ME?’ Little did I know, divine intervention would bring my future husband into our lives at a time we needed him most. He is their biggest cheerleader, wanting to be involved in everything, like an amazing bonus dad should.”
‘We spend countless hours preparing lessons. We receive calls from parents 24/7. We are judged for every little thing we do.’: Woman pens ode to teachers, ‘You are the world’s silent heroes’
“We are not profit-hungry. It takes years, even decades, to see the fruits of our labor. But we can’t give up now. Learning never comes from comfort zones.”
‘I want you to adopt my baby.’ Do I have what it takes? As a kid, I was yelled at and left alone. I lost a desire for kids.’: Couple adopts siblings, ‘They are our gifts’
“We got married at the ages of 16 and 20. I told my husband, ‘Never expect kids to be a part of our lives.’ Then a birth mom wanted to meet us. She already had the baby! We were in shock.”
‘I yelled, ‘Omg Logan, THERE’S POOP!’ My child was BATHING in his own poo while I read about dancing with the stars on my phone.’: Mom hilariously recounts bath time gone wrong
“When I heard Simon toot and laugh because it made more bubbles, I thought nothing of it. I decided to investigate deeper into whether Hannah B. and Alan would actually fall in love on Dancing with the Stars. As I’m pep talking him for the face wash, I see a brown object between the fading tub bubbles.”
’You’re too sensitive for this work.’ He was found naked and left for dead. I all but laid myself in front of the car to help.’: Woman rescues children from poverty, ‘There’s nothing I enjoy more’
‘She was alone, abandoned. No one cared for her. ‘I will come back.’ She looked at me awkwardly and said, ‘No one ever comes back.’ My life was threatened. But nothing could stop me.”
‘We held our babies for the first and last time. We entered the hospital pregnant, and left without our baby.’: Woman responds to Chrissy Teigen’s viral child loss post, ‘You are not alone’
“You see those socks on Chrissy Teigen’s feet? I know those socks. It’s a terrible thing we have in common. Because even though our experiences were different, we know the same heartbreak.”
‘Breathe. Mommy is here. You are safe.’ I hate that he has anxiety. I wish I could take it away from him.’: Special needs mom talks anxiety
“Sometimes it comes from nowhere. He will be perfectly happy and then I look in the car mirror and I see the tears begin to form. Every time we go somewhere different, he is riddled with anxiety.”
‘I love you, Mommy. I love you. MOMMY!’ She interrupted her daddy’s beratements. He was a pastor and he ‘never’ laid a hand on me.’: Domestic abuse survivor urges ‘every soul has the power to fight’
“That—it turns out—was the slap in the face I needed. I was a victim of domestic violence. After all, he was a pastor and he never laid a hand on me.”