“When I gave birth to my daughter at 19, people always asked, ‘When do you plan to go back to work?’ When I said I planned to be a stay-at-home mom, they’d always say how appreciative I should be. Nobody tells you how draining being stuck in the same routine, everyday, is. The same pile of dishes, the same pile of laundry, the same toys lying all over the floor. No matter how many hours are in a day, you still won’t feel like you’ve done enough.”
“We sat down that night with our oldest two. We explained we were so truly lucky because instead of a baby to bring home, we were given the rarest of gifts: an angel baby. They sobbed, ‘But we want him to come home.’ We purchased his plot where he would soon be laid to rest. At 32 weeks, we met with the funeral director – all as he kicked playfully inside my belly.”
“Alone with him, I whispered that he had done such a good job fighting. I reassured him that we’d be alright even though we didn’t believe it at the time. I didn’t want to leave the room. I am honored I got to see my dad out. That was his gift to me.”
“I was told, ‘No one would come looking for you for 2 weeks if something were to happen to you.’ I’d find out about him having affairs. Reporting an abuser isn’t gossip, it’s integrity.”
“I opened my eyes.‘Monday and raining,’ I thought, as I slid my hand across the bed to find an empty pillow. Michael had slept downstairs… again. Our strong foundation began to crumble. I had no idea if our marriage could be saved. ‘I just left the Doctor’s office.’ This was the third doctor he’d seen about the lump above his eye. ‘He said it could be cancer.'”
“I’m part of the moms on antidepressants club. Each morning, we take a little pill to lessen the bad feelings. People who don’t understand say, ‘But there’s nothing to be sad about.’ We aren’t ‘crazy.’ We just want to be better versions of ourselves for our kids. Antidepressants make us better moms.”
“My father would permit himself to watch me as I took showers. My father had to ‘teach me’ so when I started dating, I would be ‘prepared.’ I froze in disbelief. The fear of sending my father back to jail was far worse than speaking up of the wrongdoings. Who else would support my family and me? I wanted to scream, ‘I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!’ I can’t emphasize enough YOU are not alone. I was stronger than I thought. You are now in a safe place.”
“There are a million reasons moms aren’t sleeping. Those reasons will change, but they don’t go away just because our kids are getting older. Tired is how you feel when you’re giving all you can.”
“When I wake up every morning, I don’t look in the mirror and see dwarfism. But I know once I step outside the door, somebody will remind me. A common question is, ‘What do you want to be called? Dwarf, little person, LP, midget?’ I would like to be called Amy, because that’s my name. At the end of the day, I want people to remember who I am, not what I look like.”
“I remember my grandfather always calling my name, looking for me. While most kids were dreaming of graduating high school, I was piecing together horrific memories. I remembered the smell of the burnt orange carpet when I’d hide under the bed. I remembered the knick-knacks on the dresser I focused on to escape what was happening. Many people ask me, ‘Why in the world do you continue to do foster care when your own biological kids have left the nest?’ The answer is simple: I’m meant to love people through their pain.”
