‘We found a large tumor.’ No way I had TWO types of cancer. I saw the look on his face. I knew.’: Woman defeats odds of beating colon and thyroid cancer, ‘I have tears in my eyes. I survived.’

“They wheeled me back. With a smile on a face I yelled, ‘See you soon!’ The next thing I remember, I opened my eyes and was completely alone in a very dark room. With tears in his eyes he told me, ‘We found a large tumor.’ I was in a nightmare. Oh, no. It can’t be. Brave face Amanda, brave face. I had TWO types of cancer. Absolutely no way. ‘There is some bad news, however.’ There was more bad news? It was too much.”

‘My husband and I ask each other for permission before making plans with friends.’: Woman shares marital practice for time apart, ‘we do it out of respect for our relationship’

“My husband is literally a child when he wants to go out with his friends. Before he asks me if I’m okay with it, he’ll sit on the edge of the bed pretending to be interested in watching Gossip Girl. Many ask, ‘Why would he even have to ask you? He’s an adult.’ Or, ‘He shouldn’t have to ask you. That’s controlling.’ No, it’s not a control thing. It’s a respect thing.”

‘None of this was worth it!’ I was honestly holding back tears. I drove home crying, horrified.’: Mom incredibly ‘disappointed’ by 6-year-old son’s theater performance, then finally realizes what matters, ‘the kid was a star’

“My immediate first reaction was, ‘Crap. He’s totally freaked out. Maybe I was wrong in thinking he would love this!’ Then he began twirling – in the curtains. I cringed. ‘Oh my. He’s totally not listening!’ I started to get this fiery, internal rage inside of me. WHY wasn’t anyone there to direct him?! He’s 6! I was so shocked.”

‘Next time just shut up and listen.’ I’d been married 13 years. I’ll be honest, his advice pissed me off.’: Husband shocked random advice was actually correct, ‘You don’t need to fix her problems. Just listen to her’

“She was frustrated. With each concern I told her I could ‘fix it.’ I told her to calm down (not a wise move, I know) and with each ‘fix it,’ she grew more frustrated. ‘You’re not getting it!’ And hung up. He laughed. ‘She isn’t worried about you fixing anything,’ he said. ‘She wanted to vent.’ Naturally, I let out a condescending breath.”

‘What does your son want to be when he grows up?’ ‘Um, well. He’s autistic.’ Silence. I could tell she was uncomfortable.’: Mom to son with autism encourages us to ‘share, normalize’ differences

“There it was. A question I couldn’t really answer without sharing autism. After just telling me all about the things her grandson is doing and will most likely achieve, she felt bad for me. I knew this would happen. It always does. People hear autism, nonverbal, lifelong care and feel bad. I get it. I’m not offended. But his world is not less. It’s just different.”

‘Hey friend, I’m coming over. Please don’t clean up. Please don’t dress up.’: Mom doesn’t want friend to ‘apologize’ for being messy, ‘don’t stress the mess’

“Get ready to answer your door. Please don’t apologize. Please don’t freeze up. Please don’t clam up. Please just BE. Allow me to do the same. If you need to whine, I’m all ears. If you need to wine, I’ll bring a bottle. I’m coming over to support, help, empathize and entertain. I’m not coming over to speculate, assess, criticize or mock.”

‘You HAVE to start dating guys,’ my wife insisted. I was 37, but 13 in exploring my sexual identity.’: Man comes out as gay, still lives with ex-wife to raise 4 daughters with boyfriend peacefully

“I had never held a man’s hand. I hadn’t had my first kiss. I was basically a tween. ‘You have to do it,’ my wife said when I waffled in terror. ‘You have to go out with him.’ I was terrified, but totally pumped. I started chatting with Carlos. Holy smokes, this was AMAZING. I was 37 years old (getting uncomfortably close to the famous 40-year-old virgin trope), virginal in almost every way, and totally inexperienced. It was a revelation! But I could just feel it. I started falling in love. Oh wow did I fall hard.”

‘Have you been punched in the face?’ I was ‘mystery girl,’ being ‘strangled alive’ as my tongue blackened.’: Woman survives severe sepsis caused by infected, impacted wisdom tooth

“I was having a quiet dinner with a friend. It felt like I had bitten my tongue, but I ignored it and continued our night. Little did I know, the pain I was feeling was my first clue to something much more sinister. I snuggled into my winter pajamas and closed my eyes. Less than an hour later, I awoke choking, short of breath, with a numb feeling on my tongue. I remember the fear and panic in her eyes as I choked on the antihistamine. I knew it wasn’t good.”

‘My mom said, ‘Don’t you think he’s cheating on you?’ His threats to leave didn’t make sense. As I protected him, he was stringing a web of lies.’: Woman happily re-marries after infidelity, ‘Our wounds do not define us’

“He was a well-known pastor in our community. He made everyone happy, but could rarely connect on a deep level. When he finally let the truth come out, something shifted. The bold girl inside me showed up. I shoved him out of the house and slammed the door shut. While attempting to clean up the mess of my life, Blake was living one block away from, grieving the loss of his beautiful wife, Jenna.”

‘Is she really your child? Are you really her mother?,’ strangers ask. It’s hard. I’m just a mom caring for her 4 kids.’: Biracial couple adopts white niece, ‘I am so proud to call her one of my children’

“‘Your sister-in-law has been arrested. Her kids will be placed in foster care.’ Our hearts sank! We went to court hopeful, but scared. We bought an inmate phone card just to make the 15-minute phone call to plead our case. I was so nervous I’d say the wrong thing. ‘No, I just don’t think my daughter staying with you would be best,’ the bio mom said. As simple as that. No reason or explanation. I looked at Drue with desperation hoping he’d press the issue. He just shook his head no.”

‘We’re going to have this baby, like right now!’ On the bed of our Ford pickup truck, I felt him crowning.’: Woman names baby ‘Ford’ after accidental birth in the back of her truck, ‘he’ll always have a story to tell’

“I felt my body pushing. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t hold back any longer. He came out as we turned from the main road to the hospital. I looked at my husband and said, ‘Why isn’t he crying?!’ We were both in shock. The umbilical chord was wrapped around his neck. All I wanted was to hear that first deep breath and newborn baby cry.”

‘My ex-husband married my best friend,’ she tells everyone. We’ve given ‘Sister Wives’ a whole new meaning.’: Wife and ex-wife become best friends after years of fighting, successfully co-parent blended family

“His ex-wife was not a fan of mine. I was his first girlfriend after their divorce and she felt she needed to protect her children. She had no clue who I was. There were times I wanted to knock her upside her head and vise versa. But we finally met for lunch to hash things out. I was nervous. ‘I am not trying to take your place. You are the kids’ mother and I in no way want to replace you.’ ‘I really needed to hear that,’ she told me. Turns out, what I needed was right before me the whole time.”

‘My therapist said it might be a good idea to hire a ‘personal assistant.’ I’m a stay-at-home-mom. Am I crazy to consider it?’: Mother recalls how extra help would get her ‘sparkle’ back

“I was at brunch slurping up a delectable chai with a girlfriend when I confessed all my help. ‘So, I have this gal who does our house’s big deep cleans and then another gal who does light tidying and takes care of all the laundry a few times a week and this other gal who babysits one day a week during the afterschool hours to give me a break from, well, the after school hours.’ P.S. I’m a stay-at-home mom.”

‘AND I told them about your beehive!,’ he blurts out. Y’all, like a child caught red handed. He confessed to everything.’: Mom pens hilarious open letter to the nosy neighbor who called 911 on her beehive

“To my surprise, a cop was just pounding on our door. Someone called about our garbage cans being by the garage door. THE AUDACITY!! I said, ‘Oh my God! TOTALLY fine, I’m sorry.’ But then I was also like, ‘Waiiiiit a sec… screw whoever called on us!’ Ok, Petty Boop. Come to my house and knock on the door – we all know each other VERY well. Then out of NO WHERE, the officer says, ‘That’s a big beehive you got there!’ I felt like someone noticed my but looked good. I love that thing so much. ‘OMG ISN’T IT AMAZING?!’ Then it clicked. How DARE you!”

‘Call my mom,’ he’d written on his shirt. He just hung himself off a bridge. I did not believe it.’: Mother urges ‘you are not a burden’ after losing ‘beautiful, smiling-faced’ son to suicide

“We woke up to find him gone. We’d just gotten into an argument because he was caught sneaking out. We couldn’t call him because he had his phone taken away. Panic set in. Was he running away? Or just hiding out for a bit? We turned the corner to police cars, fire trucks, and road closures. ‘Are you Jennifer Chappell?,’ the police officer asked me. ‘Yes.’ I was too late.”

‘I showed him my positive pregnancy test. ‘Here we go!’ He loved being a dad. Days later, he died in a car accident.’: 2 brothers pass away, wives become best friends bonding through ‘love and loss’

“I woke up to a sign on my door that said, ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’ How could I say no?! I’ll never forget watching Jeremy cry as he held our daughters for the very first time. They are the best parts of him. Jeremy loved being a dad. Just shy of 5 months later, Jeremy was called home to be with God. Two incredible men gone way too soon.”

‘You can’t drink that glass of wine while breastfeeding. And please don’t breastfeed without a cover.’: Mom’s hilarious guide to navigating breastfeeding comments during the holiday season

“‘You’re holding your baby too much.’ ‘Isn’t your baby too old to be breastfeeding?’ ‘You’re weaning soon, right?’ ‘Just let the baby cry. It’s good for their lungs.’ ‘You really need to put your baby on a schedule.’ ‘You better not eat the green beans. It will make your baby gassy.’ Here’s how to respond during the holidays.”

‘Dear judgy lady on Facebook, I lost my husband with narcan a truck door away. I hope you never have to.’: Woman pens letter to stranger after husband’s heroin overdose, ‘We are all human, we are all in this together’

“I read the article you shared about narcan. Your opinion and commentary made my pulse pound and my face flush. I get it, you think it was his ‘choice.’ You think he didn’t love me or anyone else enough. You think he was selfish, stupid, and weak. He is the face of a million ‘junkies’ to you. But I know something you don’t know. I have lived it. I lost the most precious person to me without a ‘goodbye’ or a last ‘I love you.’”

‘I can’t! I can’t leave the house without makeup!’ I was shocked. He looked me in the eye. ‘You can’t, or you won’t?’: Woman embraces port wine stain birthmark after years of ‘feeling ashamed, insecure’

“I waited after I had my son to start treatments. The swelling, bruising and scabbing made me feel worse than my red, bold birthmark. I was miserable stuck at home, hiding, waiting for it to heal. I asked my husband if he’d get me In-N-Out. ‘Yeah, let’s all go.’ I was in shock. Why would he think I’d leave the house with my face all bruised and swollen if I can’t even leave the house with my birthmark in its normal state?! That’s when I lost it. Tears streamed down my face.”

‘Lemme tell you why I will never judge your parenting: I’m too damn busy.’: Mom’s candid reasons why ‘I don’t worry about your kids’

“I’m too busy letting my 6-year-old wear Cinderella underwear as a bathing suit. I’m too busy trying not to fight with my husband. I’m too busy wondering if that wet spot is from water, juice, or urine. I’m too busy apologizing to my kids for throwing away that ginormous popsicle stick art project they brought home from school. I’m too busy apologizing FOR my kids.”