“Who wants to watch 10 kids? The babies were coming closer and closer and when our third child was only 3 months old, I found out that number 4 was on the way.”
‘I was embarrassed to announce my pregnancy. ‘I have a 3-month-old. What will they think?’: Mom of 11 ‘thankful for each healthy baby’
‘I was told, ‘It’s good you had a C-section. You had it easy.’ I did not get a lucky pass.’: Mom urges ‘please stop thinking C-sections are no big deal’
“I had a major surgery where my stomach was ripped open. I endured pain and tears for months. As a mother, I felt worthless unable to help with household chores. This wasn’t what I wanted for my birth.”
‘Molly wasn’t safe. The naive side of me thought, ‘She could never do anything harmful.’: Dad describes helping wife through postpartum depression, ‘Know it will get better with help’
“A few days had passed after her initial statement about ‘not wanting our child.’ I had always known her to ‘say a few things’ to get a reaction. She wasn’t safe.”
‘Want to join our team?’ I was just another potential sale. Spammed. Annoyed. Grossed out. Even ‘unforgivable.’: Woman criticizes social media marketing, ‘This isn’t how you actually support women’
“I saw their smiling faces with the captions being various forms of #girlssupportgirls on their photo. The difference made my head spin. They deserved to be blocked.”
‘Every time the needle pierced my skin, I stared at the ceiling, trying to stay breathing and conscious. My wait for results was unbearably long. Then, I announced, ‘We’re adopting a piano!’: Cancer patient says, ‘I didn’t have control, but I did have a piano’
“Someone in our neighborhood was getting rid of one. Nothing felt in my control. At 8:30 a.m. that morning, I announced to Brian that we were adopting a piano. Immediately.”
‘I could’ve said no. I whispered, ‘I love you,’ as I thought about the significance of this appointment.’: Woman unsure of motherhood becomes special needs mom of 4, ‘Our hearts are full’
“In my ignorance and privilege, I could have opted for a simpler way. I could have said ‘yes’ to the stereotypical American family. But here I am, fully aware of the glorious ways motherhood has wrecked me.”
‘Your handwriting is a complete disgrace.’ I was livid! ‘This should have never happened.’: Mom and daughter with learning disabilities speak out against mistreatment, ‘Respect instead of judging’
“‘It’s all in her head. I can teach her how to write properly; it’s just pure laziness,’ they said. We got home and cried together. Nobody, from what I could tell, caught what he said. I spoke up. I was livid!”
‘You’re having TRIPLETS.’ He recommended a reduction. I would NEVER want to tell anyone.’: Couple goes on grueling fertility journey, has 3 children, ‘I realized how incredibly strong I am’
“I bled a LOT the day before my ultrasound. How on earth could we make this decision? I couldn’t sleep that night.”
‘If you feel like you are failing at life right now, then Friend, you are in good company.’: Woman urges ‘there is no ceiling to this trench, we WILL get out’
“My children are playing way too many video games. My husband and I are constantly butting heads. I miss seeing faces without masks, miss asking my babies how their day was at school. I miss not having to stand in a line. AND WHY DO I HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME FOLLOWING THOSE DANG ARROWS?!”
‘I see people making grand declarations on their Facebook pages: ‘If you voted for So-So, unfriend me now!’: Woman urges ‘acknowledge differences and let love lead the way’
“There’s been a shift in the world, in the way in which we treat one another. No longer do we see the common threads that bind us.”