“I found a mysterious name on my birth certificate. ‘Is this REAL? Like, am I actually doing this?’ I nervously sent him a message. My whole life was a lie.”
‘Your parents don’t love you.’ I was told my father was a one-night stand no one knew. I lived my life believing I’d never find him.’: Young woman in foster care reunites with long-lost biological dad
‘How will you manage a career with kids?’ I felt broken. Who was I if I never became a mom?’: Woman balances career with motherhood, ‘You have the power to CHOOSE’
“Every month was a roller coaster. ‘I recommend cutting back on work.’ My jaw dropped. Any possibility of becoming a mother left the building.”
‘I threw my hands up. ‘God, if you make me do foster care, I’ll scream!’ We haven’t stopped changing diapers since.’: Woman becomes foster parent, ‘It’s about giving’
“I wrote our honest list: ‘We are NOT baby people. I am so over that phase.’ One stormy night, a baby was dropped off. I’m 1000 percent sure God was laughing.”
‘I KNOW timeouts don’t work. But my four-year-old has been chanting, for all the neighbors to hear, ‘Meany-head mommy.’: Mom urges ‘grace, even when we least deserve it’
“I know what you’re thinking. She’s four. You’re thirty-four. Why would you even have to control yourself. I put my four-year-old in timeout on the patio, and she’s been chanting for over five minutes.”
‘Nothing terrifies me more than returning to the workplace. A workplace full of judgement and critique, stress and guilt. I am a MOTHER first, and an EMPLOYEE second.’: Mom shares fear of going back to work
“A workplace where, likely, but hopefully not, work and clients will have to come first, and family, well, if you have and are ‘into’ those, must come second.”
‘There are no shortcuts, no finish line. I root for the boy who never spoke, for exactly who you are, and the person you may become.’: Special needs mom shares journey with autism
“But I do know that in your way, and your own time, you will do great things. I’ll stand on the ground while you soar above me. I’ll look to the sky and wave, even if you don’t look down long enough to notice.”
‘I felt waves of heat and a tingling as I fell to the ground. ‘I think I’m dying!’ Something inside me hurt badly.’: Woman details journey with Borderline Personality Disorder
“My mom had to peel me off the side of the road in front of our home. I don’t think they understood it hurt, like my heart was being slashed to bits. Alcohol and mental illness don’t mix.”
Thank You To My Husband Who Chose To Stay
“We said goodbye to date nights and weekend getaways. You held my hand through evaluations, IEPS, and doctor’s appointments, and let me sneak a nap when I was too tired to carry on. You loved me when the diagnosis of autism changed who I was.”
‘I couldn’t get ‘high enough’ anymore. I went from a meeting to my dealer. Then I almost died.’: Woman recounts sobriety journey, ‘I finally accepted help’
“I remember waking up the next morning ashamed. I panicked. I wasn’t ready to be done using yet.”
‘I left in the middle of a conversation. It’s OKAY to protect your heart. Get out and DON’T look back.’: Woman pushes ‘unfollow’ mentality, ‘Be careful what you give your energy to’
“One of those weird arguments that happen in online groups of humans brought together by a common sport, a school, or neighborhood. It had nothing to do with the other people and had everything to do with my heart.”
‘I’m not model material.’ I was skeptical. I’ve NEVER seen a supermodel that looks like me.’: Woman with facial abnormality walks in fashion show, ‘Representation matters’
“Not a single girl looked like anyone else. There were girls of all shapes, sizes, races, and abilities. I threw my shoulders back and walked the runway with my head held high.”
‘Just leave it all, sweetie. Leave the mess. It means you were around today, and a little piece of you is still here.’: Grandma shares sweet reminder to ‘never take life for granted’
“How often do we hustle and bustle to pick up our home’s messes? How often do we grumble at our little ones to ‘please’ straighten up? The moment took my breath away, and filled my heart with a bittersweet reminder.”
‘EVERYTHING healed wrong. I was experiencing bouts of pain, and my foot started turning black. I couldn’t lift my head without passing out.’: Woman diagnosed with CRPS shares story, ‘I want my pain to have a purpose’
“I’m not the only person told by a doctor all conventional treatment options have failed. I was told nothing else can be done to decrease my pain. Those are words no one wants to hear, especially someone in their 20s with decades ahead of them.”
‘Are they siblings? Where are their parents?’ People ask me point-blank in front of the kids.’: Adoptee turned single foster parent vows ‘I’ll protect them fiercely’
“‘How long have you had them?’ They already know they’re not home. We end up in tears as they struggle with the loss. They shouldn’t have to hear these questions.”
‘They held her eyes open with metal prongs. ‘Your little girl is blind.’ I had to protect her.’: Mom gives birth to 2 albino babies, ‘They were meant to do this together’
“Everywhere we went, people pointed. ’Ew, what’s wrong with her eyes?’ I’d come home angry at the world. ‘I’ll just bubblewrap her and keep her by my side forever.’ She made her own path.”
‘Something’s happened to Drew. We were on our way to the park.’ I thought, ‘He’ll be OK.’ I had to keep my promise to him.’: Woman with CHD becomes advocate after losing nephew to disease
“The doctor said, ‘Time to pray.’ She’d never seen so many tubes in such a little body. They filled with blood. ‘We’re having a problem.’”
‘Will they make it on their own?’ The universal mom ache comes every time we say goodbye.’: Mom says ‘with each goodbye comes a sacred hello’
“Their first steps onto the school bus, that very first sleepover. As she backs out of the driveway with her newfound freedom, memories of a toddler in her car seat and seemingly endless pickups fade. ‘Will they make it on their own?’ The ache is fresh and raw.”
‘You sure don’t look blind.’ It gets old. Every day, I am being robbed of my remaining vision.’: Woman with rare visual impairment urges ‘be kind always’
“When I use my white cane, I am not faking it. I am letting you know I can’t see well, if at all.”
‘When your big kid texts, ‘Can I come home for the weekend?’ you jump at the chance and say a resounding ‘Y-E-S.’: Mom to ‘big kid’ reminds us to cherish every moment
“You run outside like you haven’t seen her in years—even though it’s only been 5 weeks. As she snuggles you on the couch, a lump forms in your throat while memories flood of that little girl spinning in a circle. Every day, you love her more than you ever have.”
‘Dear God, keep him safe.’ I waved as he turned into the fields, and said the same words I say every year.’: Spouse of farmer urgers ‘every prayer counts’
“I pray for them as they drive the busy roads into town. I pray their equipment functions as it should. I pray that, on late nights when they are weary from lack of sleep, God will grant them alertness to finish the work.”
‘When you meet him, good luck.’ Suddenly, I heard yelling. There he was – this short, scrawny kid. He changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.’: Foster mom talks mentoring teen in foster care, ‘He is part of our family’
“‘When can I talk to you again?’ I found him to be goofy and endearing. Playing basketball one afternoon turned into hanging out after work a few times a week. We began investing in his life outside of work. He started going to church with us and hanging out at our house on weekends. Our kids call him their big brother.”
‘I didn’t know it would be this hard. I feel like a failure on a daily basis. I give my all, and constantly wonder if it’s enough.’: Mom says ‘this is the most important job I’ll ever have’
“And yet, there’s nothing more breathtaking than learning to be your mama. Raising you is the most important job I’ll ever have. I didn’t know I could love like this.”
‘He probably needed a break. I took her from him and sent him to go get some time and space alone. I took over the parenting responsibilities.’: Mom of seven details ‘parental regret,’ urges ‘be honest about it’
“I snapped a pic, walked over, and took her from him. This photo sums up why I don’t regret becoming a parent.”
‘We did it. We went to the advertised ‘free, fresh, hot meals’ drive-thru at a local church. She said, ‘I’m so glad you came!’: Single mom recounts ‘act of service’ from local church
“She asked how many meals we needed, and I stated there were five of us. Then added, ‘These meals aren’t much, but they are warm and I hope it helps.’ I couldn’t even make it out of the parking lot. I pulled into an empty stall—tears suddenly streaming down my face.”
‘What will everyone think of me?’ I was a naïve 16-year-old, browsing ‘symptoms of pregnancy.’ I knew the only option was adoption.’: Teen mom details pregnancy and adoption journey, reunites with daughter 20 years later
“‘No, it hasn’t been long enough. I haven’t had enough time with her.’ I watched them drive away with her. I would always have this love for her, a love a mother carries for their child. I would always see the best of everything in her. She was the only perfect thing I have ever done. I never stopped missing her.”