Category: Family

‘I got pregnant at 19. I only knew my boyfriend 7 months. I wanted to be a mom, but never thought it’d happen so young.’: Young mom claims ‘age doesn’t define’ her ability to be a ‘good mother’

“My body was still growing and, before I knew it, my body was no longer just mine. I graduated from high school a week before giving birth. People doubt me, judge me, and think I don’t know what I’m doing. In reality, no one is ready to become a parent. NONE of us know what we’re doing. The only difference is I met my kids sooner and I have more time to love on them longer.”

Sophia San Filippo - Aug 26, 2019

‘She’s not breathing!’ I woke to my husband violently shaking, holding our lifeless baby. I call the coroner for answers every day. It’s a ritual.’: Mom loses daughter to SIDS, says she was ‘ripped away with zero explanation’

“I writhed and wailed on the cold hospital floor. ‘I killed my baby. Oh God, I killed my baby!’ We had no answers. My husband said something about the moonlight shining through the window on her face that gave him an eerie feeling. He turned on the lamp next to our bed, and made the spine-chilling discovery. I used to joke my day was a success if my kids were alive and asleep by 10. Now I think about how carelessly I jested about their survival and I’m nauseated.”

LJ Herman - Aug 26, 2019

‘I smoked pot to get over my brother’s death. To put it mildly, it was torture.’: Man overcomes smoking addiction, claims that’s when ‘life truly began’

“I’ve heard many people say you don’t go through marijuana withdrawals. That’s ABSURD. I’d literally break into sweats at the sight of food and I would randomly barf every time I left town without weed. I mean, I wouldn’t dare bring weed to the airport, right? So, to make things better, I chose to not leave my house again! What an excellent idea, right? I truly thought it was the remedy to make things better. Quitting marijuana was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

Becky Balfe - Aug 26, 2019

‘Today, I felt depressed. Instead of fighting it, I copped a squat in a dressing room until I was ready to put my big girl pants back on.’: Woman says depression is ‘not an option,’ accepts she’ll always be ‘the girl with a little less light’

“It was an average day. I dressed my kids, sent them to school. Then, I started to feel numb. Most days depression blends into our every day lives, but not today. Today it felt heavy. The world fed me the idea that depression looked like staying in bed every day, and because I was still rising and thriving, I thought I could get by. But when I entered the dressing room, the pain slipped in so fast I had no choice but to sit.”

LJ Herman - Aug 26, 2019

‘My son wears dresses. He just wants to feel pretty like his older sisters.’: Mom says ‘we must let our children be who they’re meant to be’

“He is not choosing gender reassignment. He is not making a political statement. He’s 2! He just wants to feel good in what he wears. The comments are hurtful.”

Sophia San Filippo - Aug 26, 2019

‘He looked me straight in the eyes and muttered a single word: RUN.’: Crowd of thousands mistake popped water bottle for gunshot, woman claims mass shootings have us all ‘living in fear’

“I walked around the venue, trying to find a spot in the crowd. Then, we heard it. ‘GUN!’ Screams erupted. My friend and I shared a mutual look of terror before breaking into a sprint. Adrenaline carried us. Police officers ran towards us, guns pulled. ‘Keep your heads down!’ In the end? It was a popped water bottle. But I will remember it as if it were real because, in that moment, it was.”

Becky Balfe - Aug 23, 2019

‘Did you not get my letter? Your dad’s been dead 7 months. He killed himself.’ Imagine being told that over the phone.’: Woman endures years of trauma, meets ‘saving grace’ who saved her life

“I don’t know what sound came out of me, but I know I started screaming, shaking. I ran to the bathroom and sat on the floor for about half an hour before I could even stand up. Students put posters in their friends lockers with sweet notes. My ‘Get Well Soon’ poster comments were ‘Hope You Die’ and ‘Don’t Come Back.’ That month changed everything, including my innocence.”

Sophia San Filippo - Aug 23, 2019

‘I ran inside and found my sweet boy gashed up. Grandmom was rocking him, absolutely horrified.’: Mom warns parents to be ‘vigilant’ of pets around children after dog attack leaves infant son in stitches

“They had their back turned for just one second, and my oldest son came on the porch yelling for them. They ran in and found the lamp laying on the floor next to my son, bleeding. Later that night, people messaged me questioning the type of wounds my son had. I hadn’t thought much of it until others pointed out how much it looked like a dog had attacked him. The doctors agreed. By this time, my son’s eyes were swollen shut.”

Eliza Murphy - Aug 23, 2019

‘The look on his face told me everything. He said 3 letters that changed my life. ‘D.O.A.’ Dead on arrival.’: Young woman feels ‘overwhelming guilt’ after roommate dies from heroin overdose, finally gets clean

“My ex and I got into an argument. I remember looking at him, and it hit me. I was looking at a stranger. I didn’t know who I was. I pleaded for God to give me a sign. Moments later, I heard sirens. I knew they were coming to our house. I looked out the window and saw 2 firetrucks screeching to a stop. I ran downstairs as fast as I could towards the pounding on the door. Before I could get a word out, the man told me, ‘We got a call that someone has overdosed.'”