“I’m not where I want to be, but I’m learning to be OK with that.”
As I Sit Here, My Stomach Hanging Over My Jeans, I Realize Today Was Supposed To Be The Day I Started Getting It Together
I Used To Parent So Everything Looked Perfect On The Outside
“The fruits of our parenting labor are not in their grades or their accomplishments or their sports prowess or their clean rooms or their good looking wardrobes, but inside their hearts.”
‘After quitting, my boss said, ‘You are so egoistic. I’m 50 and I show up every day. You’re young, you should have energy to do more.’: Woman diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Virus after 4 years details healing journey
“It all started with flu-like symptoms. ‘How is it possible to feel so sick at 23?’ In a world that rewards hustling over wellbeing, it is a revolution to say yes to your own body and health.”
‘I feared my children would be taken. If I marked those boxes, I was admitting to the world I was crazy.’: Woman battling postpartum depression details finding control, happiness
“I hear a screaming baby, my own tears and my desperate thoughts on how this was the BIGGEST mistake of my life. Internally, I just wanted to be saved.”
‘I was found passed out in the bathroom, too dehydrated and malnourished for them to get an IV in.’: Chronic illness warrior shares diagnosis journey
“I was terrified I was dying. I started making a plan in case I didn’t wake up. I wrote letters to friends and family members for my husband to pass on when I died.”
Dear Husband, I Haven’t Forgotten About Us
“We come second right now. To them, and to each other. One day, we will again converse in full sentences, wake only to the sounds of each other, and have the other’s hand free to hold.”
‘He’s called a hero or a saint, simply for being with me.’: Woman with Osteogenesis Imperfecta advocates for disability awareness
“He doesn’t see ‘past’ my disability because my disability is part of me! He sees it, he sees me, and he loves all of me.”
‘People kept saying, ‘You’re so strong.’ On the inside I was yelling, ‘Not strong enough to bring my mom back!’: Woman shares grief of losing mom as teen
“After my mom died, my stepdad simply left. Survival mode kicked in. For the next 3 years, my 19-year-old brother did whatever he could to help. Being strong was truly my only choice.”
‘My husband looked at me, eyes full of tears. ‘No more planning her death. She’s alive!’: Mom births miracle baby with Trisomy 18
“In a dizzy haze, I followed her to a small room. ‘Our staff has an ethical dilemma treating your child.’ I felt my heart drop. That was the day I took charge.”
‘Surprise! He’s ALREADY born!’ Our 3lb son was PERFECT.’: After infertility battle, couple adopts ‘little fighter’ preemie
“We didn’t know what to expect when we saw him. We were so intimidated and nervous; this woman chose US to raise her son.”
‘I don’t want to die!’ The accident became my miracle.’: Woman sober 6 years after near-death experience
“It’s never too late to reinvent ourselves.”
Before Your Head Hits The Pillow, Put A Check Mark Next To ‘Me’ On Your To-Do List
“It’s hard…especially on the days the kids need help with schoolwork, we have a big meeting, laundry to fold, and our to-do list is a mile long. But if we’re not modeling self-love for our children, then who will?”
‘I knew AS SOON as he walked into the room.’ People think he’s possessed.’: Mom advocates for son with nonverbal autism, ‘Love needs no words’
“’His needs are quite severe.’ I always had a smile on my face, but each time I broke a little more inside. But I’m not ashamed of him and NEVER will be.”
‘Instead of rushing off to work, roll over for a minute and kiss your wife. Like, REALLY kiss her.’: Mom urges ‘real passion doesn’t begin at bedtime, but in the little moments of connection’
“We’re tired and haven’t showered and probably already running the mental checklist of what tomorrow will bring. By bedtime we’re completely ‘touched out’ by needy kids. Sometimes, we forget what it’s like to feel sexy.”
‘I took a deep breath and held up the test. My husband dropped to his knees and kissed my belly. ‘I can’t wait to meet you!’: Couple welcomes miracle baby
“2 years into marriage, we were told, ‘You’ll never have biological kids.’ The timer went off. I opened my eyes and couldn’t believe what I saw.”
‘I teased, ‘Don’t you love your children?’ My mom responded, ‘Desperately.’ She took a piece of me with her when she died.’: Motherless mom shares reality of life after loss
“How do you get over feeling like a pregnant 19-year old whose mom just died? Each pregnancy and postpartum period, I have lost myself.”
‘You look green.’ The next thing I remember is paramedics all around me, my children screaming with fear.’: Mom details birthing twins during pandemic
“Having my week-old twins in the ER with only a curtain between us and potential COVID patients was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life.”
‘Just one.’ Then she moved the wand to the left and said, ‘I lied.’: New mom to preemie twins ‘grateful’ to hospital staff for saving her children
“I’ll never know what it’s like to immediately have your baby put on your chest. They were wrapped in what looked like sandwich bags and enclosed in an incubator. We nearly lost them.”
Before I Understood My Son’s Autism
“Back when it was just a word on a piece of paper slid across the table to us, I thought it was something placed upon my 3-year-old’s shoulders, weighing him down. I thought it was something we could fix. Or change. That there was a part of him that was not autistic. One we just had to find.”
‘The doctors said, ‘It’s just typical newborn stuff!’ His eyes were swollen shut, his face unrecognizable.’: Mom raises awareness for severe food allergies
“Within seconds of giving him the very first spoonful of porridge, I knew something wasn’t right. His bottom lip was so swollen it just hung down on his chin.”
‘You knew he had a child. What did you expect?’ It was an emotional battlefield.’: Stepmom urges others ‘I promise it’s so worth it’
“Every inch of this home made me cringe. I couldn’t even enjoy a coffee on the front porch without thoughts of my husband sitting on the porch with his ex-wife. Every handle I touched, every doorknob I turned, I couldn’t escape the past.”
The World May Be Heading Back To ‘Normal,’ But None Of It Feels Normal At All
“We have been through something, my friends, and it cannot be ignored, swept under the rug, or fixed by plopping down at a table at our favorite place to eat or by walking through Target without a mask. Your heart and head need time to catch up.”
‘There’s NO WAY you’re that thick and still a virgin.’ I wanted to hide.’: Woman talks body positivity, ‘I love the body God gave me’
I’ve allowed society, doctors, ignorant therapists, rude family members, and childish men to define my body.”
‘She was surrendered by her mom. It‘s a MIRACLE she’s alive.’: Mom adopts 2 girls with Reactive Attachment Disorder, ‘We need to raise awareness for adoptive families’
“Due to safety concerns, she needed to be the youngest child in the home. We started noticing things we couldn’t understand. We knew she had an extremely high IQ, but she began cheating. She started to lie more and more. I wasn’t prepared.”
‘My mother cried, ‘I love to be your mom. But I’m a person, too.’: Mom shares important reminder it’s okay not to be okay
“We might have exchanged a thousand words, but these are the ones I’ll remember. Not until I let the tears fall in front of my own small children, did I fully understand.”