“Last week, we were talking about how her little sister could come at any time. She mentioned how she is so excited to be in the delivery room! In the most innocent little voice she asked, ‘Who was in there with you when you had me? Did my other dad stay for that at least?’ I’ve often wondered what Brodeigh remembers about her ‘bio’ dad. The best thing he ever did was allow me to have her.”
‘I can’t believe he left me.’ She looked at me funny. ‘You’d never do that to me.’ I honestly didn’t know what to say.’: Woman explains to daughter why ‘adopted’ father was able to adopt her
Dear Moms: You Are Allowed To Embrace Your Bodies, Too
“The other day, I posted a photo of myself in a bikini and was told to cover up…because I’m a mom. Since when are we no longer allowed to feel sexy? There’s no rule that states you can’t rock a bikini because you pushed a baby out of your vagina at some point in life.”
‘It’s been 5 years since I set foot in church. I have no intention of going back.’: Special needs mom refuses to bring her kids where ‘they’re not fully embraced’
“It comes down to diapers.”
‘To the dad at the bounce park, thank you for teaching your child to interact with someone ‘different.’: Mom to son with Down syndrome shares stranger’s act of kindness, inclusion that made her ‘heart swell’
“Your boy took off with the ball Cedar was playing with. You didn’t do what every other parent has done: give the ball back to the child who is different, apologize, and go. This felt genuine, special. You sat down next to Cedar and taught your son to roll the ball back and forth. You saw my little boy loved this so much. Yours was unsure, but you kept showing him how happy mine was. Cedar giggled and clapped. You did, too. I watched in amazement.”
‘I was an ‘accident.’ My birth mom ‘tried to get rid of me,’ but couldn’t. She didn’t even want to name me.’: Orphan named by stranger in hospital room finally adopted at 26, ‘I longed to belong’
“To this day, I’m still not sure which random stranger named me in that hospital room. I was sent to a hospital for a full screening. They documented all the marks on my body with hours of questioning. I trembled in fear. In a dark hallway, a nurse – who took her job because her husband was also a survivor of child abuse – spoke these words to me. I can still hear her strong yet gentle voice. ‘Annie, the cycle ends with you.’ I finally know now, my parents aren’t going anywhere.”
Why I Allow My Children To Be Kids While On Vacation
“Kids are freaking kids.”
‘Am I really going to be a dad?’ He smiled. ‘You aren’t mad?’ We were too young to have kids.’: Mom suffers PTSD after son is stillborn, ‘they couldn’t find anything wrong’
“He sat on the couch next to me. HE STARTED CRYING! As soon as I stepped on the linoleum, I felt a HUGE gush! A puddle of bright, red blood. His face turned white, his eyes were huge. ‘Has he moved at all today? Could you feel him?!’ I felt my heart shatter. I had one job. All I had to do was keep my baby safe. This can’t be real, it’s a nightmare. ‘Taylor…I’m so sorry.’ We studied him so we wouldn’t forget anything. He was perfect. It actually surprised me.”
I Am The Backpack Parent
“I carry all of your things. Put it all on me, physically and mentally. My hands are full so yours are free to do what you love.”
I Make Mistakes But Even When I Fail, You Are My Reason
“I snap when I should be sensitive. I lecture when you needed a hug. I’m never going to be perfect, but I am always and forever yours.”
‘This doesn’t make any sense!’ I made a proposal. The only valid excuse for backing out would be death. Otherwise, we show up.’: 44-year-old best friends vow over a ‘pinky promise’ to remain connected
“Here we were, both married, raising children, praying, volunteering, and fully engaged in our own lives –– living about 2 miles away from each other. Despite our proximity, we would hardly see each other. We were 44 years old, and made a commitment over a pinky promise. I’d say that’s pretty serious.”
As A Deeply Religious Christian, I Will Love My Son No Matter His Beliefs
“My teen son recently came out as atheist. All I had to say was, ‘I could not be more proud of the man you are becoming.'”
‘We turned off the lights in the classroom, closed the blinds, and laid quietly in the corner. I was so scared.’: 9-year-old recounts ‘chaotic scene’ hiding in classroom after Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita
“‘This is not a drill!,’ their teachers yelled. My daughter answered the phone. Her voice shook as she described a chaotic scene. ‘We were outside lining up. I saw my teacher running toward us in high heels. Then she yelled at us to run to our classrooms.’ She is just 9 years old. She and her friend grabbed hands, darted into the nearest classroom, and peaked through a crack in the blinds.”
‘You better stop, or we’ll haul you off to the loony bin with the REAL crazy people.’ My father was in a drunken rage.’: Woman overcomes eating disorder from childhood trauma, ‘I’ve found strength to set that baggage down’
“Conditions at home reached a fever pitch. My father was laid off again, my grandmother moved in with her hoard, and I became sick. I tried my hardest to suppress that cough, barricaded with my little brother in my room, holding him back as the sounds of my father’s drunken rage filtered from the kitchen. My grandmother turned cold, hateful. ‘You’re old now. You aren’t cute and you have a bad attitude.’ The chaos was too much to bear. So I stopped eating.”
‘Why bother? Nothing’s left of my life.’ I was a washed-up, homeless veteran injecting meth into my arm.’: Veteran launches organization to end veteran suicide after battling addiction, ‘Your life is worth living’
“I was injecting up to a gram of meth a day into my arm. My only concern at that time was my next high. That’s how I dealt with the war. It nearly cost me my life. Something inside me broke. Suddenly, I wanted a purpose. There, I found my redemption.”
Our Children Need Mental Health Breaks Too
“Our kids hit a mental wall, and it is important for us to teach them how to slow down.”
‘How could you do this?’ I look at your Facebook profile before I tell your mother you’re dead.’: First responder shares heartbreaking practice to humanize victims, ‘I owe it to you’
“You’re a nameless body. I know nothing about you. We’re trying desperately to save you but right now, all I am is mad at you. Maybe you were texting, or popped a Vicodin at the campus party and should’ve Ubered. In 5 minutes, I’m about to change your mom and dad’s lives. So, I pick up your faded driver’s license, flip to Facebook. I owe it to them to remind myself it is a person I’m talking about.”
‘Watch what you eat. Work harder in the gym.’ I started purging. To be better means to be smaller.’: Young woman overcomes eating disorder, uses her recovery to help other young women change their way of thinking
“‘I feel fat’ was one of my most commonly used phrases growing up. Most people worry about zits and grades, I was worried about staying alive. ‘You didn’t fight for so long to just give into the eating disorder now.’ Six months later, a woman walked into the store. She lit up. ‘Oh it’s you, you helped my daughter!’ I had no clue who she was. ‘My daughter is the one you talked to six months ago!’ Not only was she doing better, but she was ready to share her story ‘like the girl in Lawrence.’ How proud it made me.”
‘It is ok darling girl, mummy and daddy love you.’ She took her last breaths in our arms.’: 10-month-old baby girl dies from incurable brain condition Miller Dieker Syndrome, ‘She had a life well lived’
“My husband said, ‘We want our baby to feel the sun on her cheeks, the wind in her hair, the love all around her.’ And she really did. Lily’s smiles are the best thing I will ever see in my lifetime. I know that. We cuddled her until she was gone. I was sobbing, crying out, ’my baby, my baby!’ We bathed her and spent one last night together. She looked so peaceful, like she was sleeping.”
‘Dad, it’s weird, but I think I pooped my pants!’ Minutes later, it hits me. OMG. ‘That’s not poop!!!’: Dad transforms into ‘the period fairy’ after realizing daughter is experiencing first menstrual cycle
“Today, I got THE CALL. So, I rush to school, bring her a change of undies, and rush back to my conference call. Hours later, she calls. ‘Dad, it happened again.’ At this point, I’m confused. Annoyed. ‘Just wipe your butt!’ Then, it hits me. I rush to the trash, inspect the undies from earlier, and scream. My child called for help and I just left her to die on the battlefield!”
The Hardest Work You’ll Ever Do Is Love A Nurse
“We come home empty. We don’t want to talk. But we need your understanding. We need to know you ‘get it.'”
‘A stranger came to the rescue. An older gentleman parked in front of the wrecked vehicle, standing in the storm.’: Woman shocked by stranger’s act of kindness, ‘this was an act of true heroism’
“I was able to clear my windshield long enough to witness the most brave act of service. I drove by in awe. A man willing to risk his own safety to safeguard someone he didn’t even know.”
‘What’s that? It could be something sinister. You might have a tumor.’ I got fired for being ill.’: Young woman diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome after countless tests, ‘I was getting sicker and sicker, but with no answers’
“I was sobbing in bed one night angry at God. ‘Why won’t you take the pain away?!’ I had worked so hard despite being unwell, pushing myself to achieve. I got the grades to study music, my true passion, but was too unwell to go! I was gutted. The emergency doctor uttered the word ‘stroke.’ I was in disbelief. I was only 19 years old.”
‘The moment I realized we’d be bagging our own groceries, I knew it wasn’t going to go well.’: Husband and wife arguing in grocery store makes them realize what matters in marriage
“She sees herself a a bagging expert, while I’m more of a ‘let’s just get it done.’ I told her to knock it off, and she told me I was doing it wrong. It would’ve been very easy for us to slip into a full-blown argument over how we bag groceries, which is ridiculous. Does this mean our marriage is failing?”
‘My Uber driver had tears rolling down his cheeks. ‘I wish I could’ve done more. Why couldn’t I bring her back?’: Woman shares touching moment with stranger, ‘You never know what hardships people have endured’
“John was my Uber driver to the airport yesterday. ‘My daughter died unexpectedly. She left behind a 4-year-old son,’ he said. ‘You remind me of her. You share the same kind heart.’ He couldn’t resuscitate her. He tried to breathe life into his daughter’s lifeless body, but he found her far too late. My heart melted into my stomach. We talked like we’d known each other our whole lives on our 25-minute drive.”
‘I jumped in as fast as lightning, pulling Levi up out of the water with a pale face and blue lips. ‘This can’t be happening!’: 3-year-old boy drowns while celebrating at grandparents’ lake house
“I yelled as loudly as I could, ‘HELP!!!’ Once the ambulance arrived, we had to answer questions. Still, to this day, I can’t hardly answer any of them. We were right beside him, and we never heard a sound. Never heard a splash. He wasn’t even near the water.”