“I sat there fuming and almost ready to say something or cry.”
‘I sat behind moms at my daughter’s game. They commented on everything she did wrong, how with ‘that height’ she should be doing a.b.c. ‘Why would the coach leave her in?’: Mom urges ‘choose kindness’ after adult bullying incident
‘You’re stuck with me now!’ The dads and I got closer than I thought possible. ‘Soon, this will be your reality.’: Surrogate births baby for same-sex couple, ‘I’m so blessed to provide joy for families’
“I sent the dads an update of what size fruit or vegetable baby was each week. ‘You’re so much stronger than most people.’ I felt those words so deeply.”
‘I was declared infertile. ‘If we need to part ways, I get it.’ I thought for sure this was the end. Instead, my partner got down on one knee. ‘Will you marry me?’: Woman battling infertility thanks husband’s unrelenting kindness
“Watching my husband’s eyes light up as he talks about building our baby’s crib. Seeing the way his posture changes when we talk baby names. I thought for sure this was the end. Instead, he got down on one knee. ‘Will you marry me? The two of us will be, and already are, a family.’ Not a day goes by my hand isn’t held, my forehead kissed.”
‘There’s no way.’ I dug out my stash of pregnancy tests. 3 minutes later, I screamed.’: Mom surprised by pregnancy after infertility, ‘It’s more beautiful than I dreamed’
“Adoption wrecked me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. IVF destroyed my desire to be pregnant. We had two children and yet I didn’t feel like our family was complete.”
‘His teacher handed me a whiteboard covered in symbols. ‘He’s writing in Japanese.’ We were mind-blown.’: Mom describes son’s autism journey, ‘He’s different, not less’
“Our 2-year-old, who was unable to communicate his needs, began to read anything we wrote. Words, names, sentences. It was truly amazing!”
‘I put my Christmas tree up early this year. F─k it. Let’s face it, this year has been hard. Like, really hard.’: Woman urges ‘do what makes YOU feel good
“I want nothing more than the glow of Christmas lights, the sweet smell of pine, the peace of holiday instrumentals backed by a fiery Yule log, the burn of a too-hot hot chocolate. I deserve this.”
‘You will know heartache, the kind that takes your breath away. You’ll fail by spectacular measures. And your tribe? You’ll find it, and they will be far from what you expected.’: Mom shares words of wisdom for daughters
“Dear Girl, I wish I could tell you all of the answers. Every question mark you have in your heart, every silent vulnerability that you harbor and every fear quieted. But this is what I would tell you if you would only ask.”
‘You knew who he was when you married him.’ I just have to be a good housewife. I have no other option.’: Woman escapes abusive marriage, ‘My son can finally be a normal kid’
“This was it. THIS was the time he’d change. ‘You have to forgive him if you want to be happy.’”
‘This little boy needs a forever home.’ I stared at the picture and felt the Lord say, ‘This is your son. Let’s fight for him.’: Couple adopts from foster care, ‘Our forever has just begun’
“A friend texted me a photo. ‘Have you guys ever thought about adopting?’ All the tears, all the prayers, suddenly made sense. It was all because this little boy needed us, and we needed him.”
‘Are you sure you don’t have Munchausen’s?’ My body continued to struggle. Was it all in my head?’: Woman with chronic illness says, ‘I’m blessed to wake up every day’
“I spent my days off at doctor appointments. I’d pull over to quickly vomit on the side of the road. I was relieved to get answers but worried I’d continue to fall apart.”
‘Maybe this isn’t going to happen for us.’ We prepared for bad news. Then the doctor yelled, ‘There’s two!’: Couple welcomes rainbow twins after infertility journey, ‘I’m still in awe’
“We went through one more round, knowing this would be it. The doctor came out to the waiting room and our hearts dropped. Instead, she said, ‘I hope you’re ready for twins.’”
‘Stay home for the ultrasound.’ After 2 miscarriages, I wanted to protect my husband. ‘Well, here is Baby 1…and here is Baby 2!’ I blacked out.’: Bereaved mom births miracle preemie twin, ‘His brother’s last moments were filled with love’
“We weren’t able to see our twins. Instead, the nurse took my husband’s phone to take photos. When she handed it back she said, ‘You have two boys, but I should warn you, these pictures may seem very graphic.’ I soon learned my baby’s brain had completely split into two.”
‘He has a growth.’ No one came to help. We had to watch a YouTube video on how to feed our newborn.’: Mom shares son’s journey with cleft palate, ‘We do it for our babies’
“The nurse dropped the bottle on the counter and left. It gave him a massive blister on the little bit of palate he had. He lost over a pounds in 3 days. He was starving!”
‘A car veers out of control and crashes into my babies. I black out and hurt my child. Sounds horrible, doesn’t it?’: Mom shares ‘debilitating’ anxiety, ‘You’re NOT alone’
“My son is standing by his school gate and suddenly he is grabbed by a stranger. I’m holding my baby and I accidentally drop him down the stairs. I thought I was a failure for thinking and feeling this way. But I wasn’t.”
‘I’m calling about 2 brothers.’ They were dumped off with a trash bag. We weren’t prepared for more than one.’: Couple foster siblings, ‘We don’t want them to be statistics’
“We became parents immediately. I realized I should have listened a little harder during the ‘Parenting Through Trauma’ section.”
‘Your children regress because they’re seeking a connection with you. They want to feel loved, seen, and valued.’: Mom shares children’s ‘bids’ for attention, ‘Respond with kindness’
“The 7-year-old who suddenly ‘can’t’ put their own shoes on? The 10-year-old who asks you to get them a drink? The 4-year-old who whines they can’t put their own jacket on (but they totally can)? They may just be craving more of your eyes and thoughts on them.”
‘Home please. Home PLEASE!’ He looked like a living skeleton. Fear made time stop.’: Young boy beats liver cancer, ‘We have a new outlook on life’
“‘You can’t eat baby, it’ll hurt you.’ We agreed he could hold them. He took a cookie out and breathed in. ‘Mmmmmm.’ Then he put the cookie back in its bag. It broke my heart.”
Dear Daughters—Don’t Let The High School Lunchroom Label Follow You
“Because nice girl, mean girl, sleep-around girl? You just don’t have time for it. You are going to shake the world, and bring it to its knees.”
I’ve Been The Happiest Since I Had Children, But Also The Lowest
“I’ve never been in more company. And at times never felt so lonely. I’ve never been so sure of who I’m meant to be. I’ve never wondered so much who I am.”
‘You CAN’T do it all. You aren’t a robot. Screw what anyone else says.’: Mom urges other parents to ‘ask for help’
“I love my children, but this is me. I need antidepressants to be a better mother. My house will sometimes look like a bomb site. That’s how I survive.”
‘My teacher told the class, ‘You’ll never meet anyone with AIDS.’ I sat silently screaming, ‘I HAVE IT. YOU KNOW ME!’: HIV ‘stigma warrior’ details journey with virus
“I was getting ready for senior prom when I started throwing up. I slipped out of my Bebe cocktail dress and into sweats. My vision faded. The doctors warned, ‘You’ve gone blind. We have no idea if your vision will come back.’ Soon, I was told I’d be moved to hospice. ‘You’re going to die.'”
‘We used Zoom to ‘gather’ and share your gender. We did a drive-by and virtual ‘shower.’ I have loved ones who never saw my pregnant belly in person. I’m glad I can consider 2020 the year of YOU.’: Mom pens touching letter to ‘pandemic baby’
“No waiting mass of family and friends in the waiting room. No hospital bedside meeting with your sissy. Just us. And you.”
‘It’s so easy to get caught up in what life could have been. Autism wasn’t a death sentence back then and it isn’t now.’: Autism mom pens open letter to kids, ‘I promise to always fight for you’
“Mama’s only human. I can’t promise I won’t ever let bad thoughts creep in or have bad days. But I can promise I’ll always be there.”
‘Dad, I need help.’ Drunk, I broke down in a fast food parking lot at 8 a.m. I was taking 40 pills a day.’: Dad in tears walking sober daughter down the aisle
“I called my dad crying and told him the truth. I was living a secret life, raising a 4-year-old. Not once did he scold me or judge me. He came to my rescue.”
‘I downloaded a dating app. We continued texting and never stopped. It was like a movie, where the girl goes to Europe and falls in love.’: Newly single woman travels to the UK, starts long-distance relationship
“I knew he was special when he asked me if I slept on a silk pillowcase after he’d watched an episode of ‘This Is Us.’ All of a sudden he was noticing more things about black people, black hair, black culture. And then here I came along; he wanted to know how to be the best man for me and it all started with a pillowcase. He wanted to know if I needed one so if I ever forgot mine, he’d be prepared.”