“Is love enough? Is it enough that I love them more than life? I’ve so desperately wanted the answer to be yes. As much as I can tell them it’s going to be okay, it’s not the same.”
‘I asked, ‘Do you trust me to raise our children?’ Loving them isn’t enough. It’s not the same as their dad’s understanding.’: Mom discusses challenges with mixed family, ‘I am their ally’
‘My daughter cried over a man I allowed into her life. It was one of my lowest points. I trusted too easily.’: Widow shares grief journey and destructive relationship, ‘I am enough’
“He took everything he could, and walked away like we were nothing. He used my daughter to get closer to me. I no longer understood ‘normal.’ Life had to resume, because he said so. I was a widow.”
‘We ALWAYS stop at the toy aisle. People think I’m crazy, asking my 1-year-old if we should buy stuff. But I don’t care.’: Woman says daughter is her best friend, ‘It’s the greatest gift’
“We share lunches and cheers our drinks. We play everything, peek a boo, house, chase, and it’s the highlight of my day. I love waking up every morning, knowing she’s right next to me. I’m not ashamed to admit that she’s my best friend.”
‘Mom, I got 2 shirts! I look SO cool!’ It takes you back to that painful moment. You start to count the days.’: Foster mom describes journey, ‘It will make your head spin’
“I hear, ‘I would never be able to give a child back.’ It’s chaotic and heart wrenching. There are times you want your peaceful home back. Love isn’t always wanting what’s best for someone.”
‘There’s never a shame glance at the chocolate on the wall, or a pile of dishes. Somewhere out there is your band of weirdos.’: Mom thankful for her tribe says, ‘I can’t imagine it without you’
“I said, ‘Intentionally choose who has a seat at your table.’ I didn’t mean your dinner table; I meant the 9 p.m. ‘wine in hand’ crew. No one cares if there are toys on the floor. This crew isn’t here for that.“
‘My little girl asked, ‘Daddy, what’s a wawwy?’ ‘A rally?’ She nodded. I knew I wouldn’t be that kind of father.’: Gay dad of 3 multi-racial children teaches ‘our differences make us beautiful’
“Growing up in south Mississippi, I was able to easily see how my own father was the most racist and hateful person I had ever met. As I got older, he would call me sissy, mama’s boy, and queer. That was bad enough, but the things I can recall him saying towards black Americans were just as bad, if not worse.”
‘Another baby wasn’t worth losing my life. My hope of a large family wasn’t happening. ‘Do you want us to adopt you?’: Mom adopts family friend at 54, ‘We needed her to fulfill our family’
“Before we could blink, we had teenagers and a daughter in college. I know people in their forties adopt, but my husband was not on board. We met Rachel when she was five. She had a background of neglect and abuse. I officially became a new mama at 54.”
‘Let him take the nap and sleep in late on Saturday. He’s doing this for you and your family. Be proud of him.’: Wife grateful for hardworking husband, ‘one of the last of a dying breed’
“When I ask him how his day was, in which he always replies, ‘hot.’ I can tell by the look in his eyes, he’s exhausted. But, he will be playing with our kids and building new shelves for my classroom without a complaint. You know why? He loves us.”
‘I can’t be the reason your child got sick and died. It would ruin me. There is no EASY answer.’: Elementary speech and language pathologist shares why returning to school isn’t worth the risk
“I’m going to have to tell your kindergartners they can’t hold hands, even though we spend SO MUCH TIME teaching kids to be friends with each other. I’m going to have to tell that shy, little boy who reaches for my hand for some security, he can’t hold my hand.”
‘He is too big to be carried around.’ The world thinks I’m babying him. Yet I’m afraid it’ll be the last time.’: Mom says she’ll be grateful for every ‘YES,’ despite what others may say
“I know judging gazes find us in the grocery store parking lot, as his head rests on my shoulder and his legs dangle well below my waist. ‘Will this be the last time?’ I will throw out my back if that’s what it takes.”