“Truth is, she’s labored NAKED in front of an audience of nurses and doctors. She’s had eyes and hands all over her lady bits. She literally just expelled another human being from her body through her vagina or from being cut open. She carried this little being for 9 long months and probably isn’t eager to have others just come in and sweep him/her away as soon as they take their first breath. If you are a friend or family member of a new mom, don’t just EXPECT to pop in at YOUR convenience.”
“It seems like I’m just a cool dad having fun while his wife is at work. But that’s not the case. We looked like a happy couple. You’d never know I was sleeping in my children’s playroom on a futon. I remember my mentor being honest with me, ‘You are an African American male in Texas, serving in the military. It’s highly unlikely you’ll get primary custody of your kids.’ I joined the 15 percent of single dads around the world that have primary custody of their kids. Now, I’m a full-time father of the 3 most resilient kids I know.”
“Your child is still contagious until they are fever-free, WITHOUT medication, for 24 hours.”
“A feeling washed over me. The exact same wave that washed over when they placed my biological children on my chest in the delivery room. ‘There you are, my child.’ Stroking my cheek, I felt her 28 pounds snuggle into mine. ‘Mommy, I’m so glad you found me in Armenia. I missed you even when I didn’t know you.’ She fed my soul, and she doesn’t even know it.”
“‘We’re here to see our daughter,’ we croaked. They led us into a room with a small cot. We looked over the side, and there she was, asleep. There was a water drop rolling down her cheek. She looked frozen. We were told, ‘You may not be able to view her in an open casket. It’s already been a while. Also, you may not receive any of her back.'”
“Ben was the type of guy who had a specific place for his shoes, wallet, and keys. When I came home from a 12-hour shift in the ER, my husband didn’t greet me like normal. I found his shoes randomly strewn across the kitchen, his clothes heaped in a pile. He was lying atop all the covers on our bed. ‘Are you okay?’ No response. ‘Babe? Did you spill some water in the bathroom?’ He became enraged. I called my mom and began to pack an overnight bag. My mom had been on the phone with me and was hearing all of it. She hung up and called the police.”
“You stare blankly at me. Again. ‘What can I do?’ you ask. Again. I’m tired of delegating and constantly giving what I feel like are ‘orders.’ You’re a great dad, a great man. You work hard. ‘He’s such a nice guy!’ they always say. They’re right—you are. But I’m at my breaking point.”
“Mommy doesn’t feel any guilt. This is normal, it happens to so many women, it’s happened to me a few other times,” she said after pulling her 12-year-old daughter into the bathroom during her miscarriage. “When you get pregnant, it might happen to you, honey. And I want you to know there’s nothing you did wrong.”
“Hands pointed at me as they whispered to each other, ‘She is deaf.’ I feared my daughter would not understand me. I feared I would not hear my daughter. One day, when she was in 2nd grade, a boy made her upset by making fun of my accent. She said, ‘My mom is deaf!’ This was just the beginning for her to witness my challenges. I sobbed as soon as we got home. My daughter comforted me, cried with me.”
“I don’t buy organic anything. My kid rolls up to day care in hand-me-downs. You can’t walk through my front door without tripping over a member of the Paw Patrol. Mommy and Daddy LIKE screen time.”
