“They asked us about our ‘love story.’ It was a bureaucratic nightmare. And no one was being honest with us. Some days are a struggle, but we are so grateful to be his parents.”
‘Are you in it for the long haul?’ NOTHING we had done prepared us for this moment.’: Mom shares complex journey to adopt son from foster care, ‘We can’t imagine life without him’
‘A car of teenage boys drove past and yelled out, ‘Ugly!’ I was embarrassed and felt HIDEOUS.’: Young woman battles alopecia, ‘I’ve become a glass half-full kind of girl’
“I hadn’t anticipated being SO upset by the sound of the hair being cut. I couldn’t be strong anymore. I really, really cried.”
‘As my daughter and I ran along a back country road, we passed a man. ‘She’s setting the pace for you.’ Right there, something clicked.’: Emotional moment reminds mom to let go
“I’ll follow behind any day, as the sun peeks through the trees. I’ll keep my steady pace and watch her soar further and further ahead, allowing her the space to breathe. And as her body takes flight, I will confidently know, it’s only a a matter of time before she is next to me again.”
‘Can you step into my office?’ Anticipating an assignment, my research advisor abruptly stated, ‘You know you’re disabled, right?’: Woman diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS discovers identity after lifelong battle with chronic illness
“After months of appointments and ER visits, doctors told me I was ‘just anxious.’ I spent my final year of college nearly bedbound, fully walker-bound. All the activities I built my life around — marching band, the gym, work, parties — fell suddenly away. With that one question, she saved my life.”
Don’t Hide Who You Are—Dig Deep And Lean On A Friend Who Validates You
“The bonds created can be life altering.”
‘You are a bad mom.’ That’s what I was called today.’: Mom pens PSA on being a ‘good mother’
“It doesn’t matter how many times someone tells you, ‘You’re a good mother,’ all it takes is that one person to shoot you a look when you pick up your phone for one second at the park. One person to comment on your kids’ screen time. One person to look at you like you’re a monster for feeding your kids nuggets.”
‘Will he ever have to leave us?’ my children asked. What I signed up for wasn’t what happened.’: Foster mom shares emotional journey towards adoption, ‘Our family is built on love’
“‘Your voice sounds SO familiar.’ They almost dropped their phone. I was overjoyed and heartbroken all at once. No matter how he came to us, he has always been meant to be my son.”
‘I feel bad for your husband, you’ve gained SO much weight!’: Mom of 5 urges ‘weight does not reflect worth’
“Last week after posting a photo of our family, I started receiving comments centered around my ‘baby weight,’ how much I’ve gained or how quickly I’ve gained it. I’m not going to lie, I noticed.”
‘Today, about a quarter of a way through my run, I felt a small pebble in my left shoe.’: Woman shares metaphor for life, urges ‘just keep going’
“I considered taking a pause, taking my shoe off, and removing the infuriating fudger. But when I got home and took off my shoe, there was no pebble to be found, not near the sole, and not in my sock. But I swear it was there – until it wasn’t.”
Reach Out To Your Grieving Friends, No Matter The Passage Of Time
“Same place. Same day. Same hot afternoon. Five years apart.”
I Am Not A Fun Mom—And That’s Okay
“I like rules. I like structure. I like good behavior. And when I’m faced with a lack of any of those three, it makes me incredibly anxious.”
Please Stop Sharing Disability Pity Posts On Social Media
“Disabled people are human beings who want to be respected. Disability does not mean inability!”
‘I know you wonder where your place is. You ask, ‘Should I be here?’ ‘Is this right for me?’ ‘Am I welcome?’: Woman reminds us ‘your place is anywhere you want to be’
“Let me tell you, hunny… your place? It’s anywhere you are; it’s anywhere you want to be; it’s any place you take and park yourself.”
‘My wedding dress came from Amazon, as did his tie and shirt. We call it our Amazon wedding.’: COVID bride details pandemic marriage journey, ‘I married my husband twice!’
“Like many 2020 brides, COVID-19 cancelled our wedding plans. However, one thing it didn’t cancel was the love between my husband and I. Heck, marrying my husband was so nice, I decided to do it twice!”
‘Some nights, we just fold laundry together.’: Mom talks balancing marriage and kids, ‘Take time for ALL the things you love’
“I spent all my days doing homework, soaking bottles, or hurrying to wash clothes before the spit-up soured. I forgot how to be more than just a mother.”
‘I woke up to find this picture. I generally get annoyed at whoever took it. But this picture was different.’: Mom reminds others to capture childhood moments, ‘Be proud of these pictures’
“Normally, when I see a picture of myself that I haven’t ‘posed’ for, I never post it. But not this time. He snuck this picture of me and my daughter. I don’t ever want to forget it.”
‘I love you, I hope you know that. But I’m small and new and I can’t say it yet. So the tears will come when I need you, and sometimes I feel yours too.’: Mom pens touching letter from perspective of newborn
“I can’t wait to know more about the you before me, but right now it’s ‘us.’ As I fall asleep. As we breathe each other in. When I wake, again and again, searching for you, you’re searching for you, too. You are my constant.”
I Am Not The ‘Fun Parent,’ And I Never Will Be
“I will never be crafty, soft spoken, fashionable parent, but that’s okay. Because I am the mom I was always supposed to be, with the kids that were destined to be mine.”
‘On the bus to school, I texted my boyfriend, ‘Is it possible I could be pregnant?’ Only 16, something inside me knew.’: Teen mom of 2 shares young motherhood journey
“After a dreadful ride home, I walked into the bathroom with my mom. 16-year-old me stood there, already knowing what the outcome of the pregnancy test would be. Two lines. My mom and I started crying. I fell to my knees. ‘What am I going to do? I was supposed to graduate. I was supposed to go to college.’ My mom looked down at me, ‘You will.'”
‘Everything would change between us,’ he said. I didn’t want to wait to be in a relationship.’: Single mom by choice shares high-risk pregnancy journey
“I cried my eyes out. They chalked it up to being more prevalent if you were young, Black, and poor. I prayed she would be born alive.”
‘Is this about YOU having a baby or US having a baby?’ I lost faith.’: LGBTQ couple has daughter after infertility, ‘She’s the bridge to our heart’
“‘Are you going to help to find a donor?’ She said, ‘I’m sure you’ll pick a good one.’ I was crushed, but said nothing.”
‘The night I found out, I circled the kitchen island, repeating, ‘God! I PRAYED for her!’ I was SO angry.’: Woman describes healing after little sister’s suicide
“When I say her name, I don’t imagine a hospital bed and a funeral. No, I imagine her great, big smile that lit up an entire room. I imagine her laugh, her soft hands and perfect pixie nose. I imagine her holding a flower crown on her head, the wind softly blowing her hair.”
‘Daddy, what did you do?’ Our charcoal grill was sitting in the middle of the room, towels blocking the windows. I started screaming.’: Woman shares grief of losing father to suicide
“One day, my dad handed me half of a rock. He pulled out the other half and said, ‘If you ever miss me, put the two halves together. Then it’ll be okay and we’ll be together.’ I didn’t really understand, but I took the rock.”
‘Look what Mama let me get!’ She’s the cool one, I’m the mom who cleans up the mess.’: LGBTQ mom says, ‘They have two moms, we can’t both be cool’
“To all the non-cool parents out there, I see you.”
‘At 18, I had my WHOLE life ahead of me. It was a FREAK incident.’: Woman endures random back injury, leading to chronic pain, ‘I’m strongest when I embrace myself’
“I began leaking spinal fluid, and it soaked through my sheets. My parents were told they needed to prepare themselves to lose me.”