“‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ I remember looking for clues. Nobody else did. Not the midwife, not our health visitor, not the doctors. Nobody. I didn’t want it to be true.”
‘He’s totally fine.’ I knew something was up. I deleted photos of him. It’s seen as a ‘curse from God.’: Baby diagnosed with Down syndrome months after birth, ‘He is so loved’
‘There is no end to partpartum. No matter how long it’s been, we’ve changed in a way that can’t be undone.’: Mom urges ‘she still deserves respect and so much grace’
“My youngest is 15 months old, and I wear compression socks. My 7-year-old calls my tummy ‘squishy,’ and I can’t hide the stretch marks. I struggle with hormonal swings and anxiety that made me message two doctors and a nurse friend today. No calendar date or finish line can return anything to how it was before.”
‘You won’t carry a child.’ I never got a period. I’d memorize pill brands, so I wouldn’t flag as ‘not-quite-woman.’: Woman with MRKH Syndrome finds purpose in advocacy
“I was a child learning I would never carry a child. I had the option for treatment. I would be upstairs doing this painful and intrusive act, while my family was desperately pretending I wasn’t. I felt defected and apologetic for not being ‘complete.’”
Dear Son With Autism, Keep Making Your Happy Noises
“Laugh. Giggle. Hum. Squeal. Never stop. No matter what. Just keep being you.”
‘My son scrunched up his nose and said, ‘I’m not black.’ I immediately filled with dread. My worst fear was being realized.’: Mom to biracial, autistic son says ‘there are no easy answers’
“‘Well bud, I’m black. My Dad is black and my Mom is white. So, if I am black, you are black. Do you understand?’ He scrunched up his nose again and had this determined look in his eyes. ‘Mom, I’m not black.’ He said it so matter-of-factly and with no room for argument.”
‘I usually feel giddy. But this way of life is so sad. I wish I could be there to greet them. There is no winning.’: Teacher shares hopes and fears for distant school year, ‘Focus on the positive’
“The last thing I wanted was for a student to end the school year with a D or F. Every time I crossed a student off my list, I’d do a little victory dance in my kitchen. It’s been a mixed bag of emotions.”
‘When he outgrew cute, looks changed from compassion to disgust. Mood-altering drugs were doled out like candy.’: Special needs mom pens powerful letter, ‘He outgrew society’
“When he outgrew cute, the calls for help increased. Desperate for summer options for a 15-year-old in diapers. Desperate for anything to assist a non-verbal man child. The voices were silent. Or they whispered, ‘Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.’ When he outgrew cute, the walls caved in, and the house became a tomb.”
‘The doctor wants to speak with you.’ I always imagined what she’d look like. Now, I’m afraid to meet her.’: Mom of ‘cleft cutie’ says ‘I fell in love with her smile twice’
“When she tried to look at her face, she paused for a while. I will never forget that pause. It was like the air had been sucked out of the room. I turned away. I grieved over the vision of my daughter I had created.”
‘The girls ran outside. 10 minutes. She thought it was time to swim, so she did. We saw her fighting for breath.’: Mom thanks God for saving daughter from near-drowning experience
“The gate separating the patio from the pool was propped wide open. She went straight to the pool. My husband was first to see the horror in her face.”
‘We’ve got the eyelash extensions. We’re dribbling collagen into our coffee. We’re thinking, ‘Maybe I just need to drink more water.’: Woman urges ‘separatewho you are, from how you look’
“These products…these augmentations…these makeup-tricks…aren’t doing what we want them to do. Because what we WANT them to do is make us look 24 again. We’re years away from becoming ‘cute for their age.’ For their age. Our identity is soul-crushingly wrapped up in things that can be taken away from us.”