“We may not be your parents or grandparents or siblings or aunts or uncles. We are not the people who can tell stories about when you were born or say, ‘I remember when you were a baby, and now look at you!’ But we are rooting for you anyway.”
‘Dear Class of 2020, we are rooting for you, praying for you, and cheering for you.’: Woman says ‘you remind us of where we’ve been, and give us hope for where we’re all going’
‘Please check on your people with a history of addiction. We’re not okay, and honestly, we don’t have the courage to tell you.’: Woman urges ‘we just need to know it’s going to be okay’
“We know how much our mistakes hurt you, but we need grace in these uncharted waters. This quarantine has been like gasoline to our old habits. We’re not okay.”
‘It was day 3 of a sinus headache. My toddler would not stop shrieking and my partner was unavailable. I wasn’t just irritable, I was angry.’: Mom says there’s no shame in being an ‘angry parent’
“I felt I did not deserve because I had done everything I was supposed to avoid getting sick and felt cheated. If my children did something that scared me, I would yell and shame them for it. I wasn’t just irritable, I was angry.”
‘Today I ran into an old acquaintance I haven’t seen in years. She told me, ‘You put on weight!’ Her words still cut deep today.’: Woman struggling with mental health says ‘I am more than my physical appearance’
“I never comment on anyone’s body because I know. You’re right. I have put on weight. She meant it as a compliment.”
‘I got pregnant a month after turning 21. I am living through a deployment and now, like everyone, surviving a pandemic.’: Mom asks others not to judge, ‘They should feel validated in their sorrow’
“After being on my own for five years, I moved in with family again (thanks deployment). Every single one of those situations brought a screeching halt to what I had planned ahead. People who imagined 2020 to be THEIR year, I absolutely see you.”
‘He should be institutionalized!’ People wanted to know why we didn’t put him in a home to free up our time.’: Nephew of late uncle with Down syndrome shares his journey, ‘I always knew Kelly’s life mattered’
“He began having seizures. He required a wheelchair, was unable to feed himself, could not use the restroom, and basically became dependent for all of his daily needs. But in the midst of all the changes, Kelly never lost his ability to smile.”
‘When people find out we’re expecting they say, ‘Wow, you’re brave.’ ‘Brave’ often sounds a lot like ‘crazy.’: Mom pregnant with rainbow baby during quarantine, ‘This is exactly the right time’
“This little one is the exact person we need, joining our family at exactly the right time. We know this is how things were designed to be.”
‘I don’t know where you guys live, but where I am, there’s structure and a schedule. It’s flexible and resilient.’: Woman reminds others to ‘find happiness in what’s in front of us’
“I don’t have to set my alarm. My husband and I stay up late watching our favorite show. We’ll be staying at home until the summer.”
‘Her boyfriend told my photographer, AT MY WEDDING, ‘Yeah, I don’t really like Harley.’ I’m not close with any of my bridesmaids.’: Woman urges ‘some friendships end because they need to’
“I got married at 20; we were all young. My friend and I were literally making up from a fight when I told her I was getting married. ‘Will you be my maid of honor?’ I asked. She and I stopped talking after the wedding. Some friends are lifelong, and some are temporary.”
‘I quickly pick up my phone and have a peek at Zoom. I was scammed by my 5-year old. It looked like he was listening.’: Mom hilariously pranked by 5-year-old, ‘Today’s home school session was mildly unsupervised’
“Today’s home school session was mildly unsupervised. He had his sisters iPad, propped up and situated perfectly in front of his iPad’s camera lenses. A picture of him sitting at the desk looking slightly amused. Scammed by a 5-year-old. I AM DEAD.”