“I came home from work, tired and weary. I crawled out of my car and shuffled past it. The open space where the mini fridge USED to be. ‘Did I get burglarized?’ Then, steam poured from my ears. ‘Teenagers!!!,’ I exclaimed. I balled my fists, losing my ever-loving mind. Oh, they know. Momma is ticked.”
‘Where is my fridge?’ I asked, annoyed. I tapped my foot, waiting. ‘What?’ My jugular started pounding.’: Mom hilariously recalls really ‘bad day’ with teenage daughter when she lost her temper
‘Could someone like me?’ Today, my son asked his first question EVER. I was in tears.’: Mom ‘amazed’ by outpouring of love, friendship offers after non-verbal, autistic son speaks for first time
“David is autistic, has no communication skills, and is completely homebound due to medical conditions. He has never had a birthday party with children his own age. His outings outside the home are severely limited. Recently, his grandmother, who is one of his best friends, passed away. I knew he was lonely. How could he not be? Then, for the first time, he spoke. I was floored.”
‘You’d look like me, I was sure. Curly blonde hair, blue eyes, chubby cheeks. I was lucky.’: Mom pens emotional tribute to daughter she miscarried, ‘I needed to lose you to find me’
“I flushed with my eyes sealed shut. I cried more tears than I knew possible. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I said. What kind of mother flushes her baby? I hoped I was wrong. I hoped you were still there. But I knew. A mother always knows. Everyone kept apologizing. I didn’t know why because it wasn’t their fault. It was mine. I had one job, to protect you, and I couldn’t even do that.”
‘You’re pregnant. It’s a girl. There’s something wrong. We don’t know if she’ll ever speak.’: Daughter diagnosed with rare Cri Du Chat, meaning ‘Cry of the Cat’
“Each day, we wait and wonder. Will there be a new word? Does she understand ours? Being a mother and knowing how to speak to your child that cannot speak. When they create the word for that – let me know.”
‘If you date a girl, you’re going to hell.’ I broke her heart the instant the words escaped my lips.’: 14-year-old takes in cousin’s daughter as her own, helps her through homosexuality, self-harm, ‘We were always meant to be a family’
“She caught me by surprise. ‘What would you do if I dated a girl?’ I immediately told her, ‘If you date a girl, you’re going to hell.’ The instant the words escaped my lips, something else hit me harder than the fear of my child in hell. I broke her heart. I never thought my child would be gay. I began noticing small cuts on her arms. I was losing her. I would have risked anything for her to find herself and be happy.”
‘Can you BELIEVE this dress?!’ I overheard a bridezilla and broke y’all. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.’: Widow breaks down, confronts bridezilla in mall, ‘The only thing that matters is love’
“I was in line to get help at the Apple Store. When my husband died, he took his computer wizardry tricks with him. This bridezilla went on for 20 minutes about wedding details, dresses, annoyances. I looked at her and said, ‘Will you still love him on the brink of death?’ I told this poor bride-to-be I was a widow. I couldn’t help it. I broke. ‘Someday, you’ll see none of this matters.’ She was stunned.”
‘I’m young. Doesn’t everyone drink?’ I chose to be homeless. On the streets, no one could hold me back.’ : Young woman gains back ‘self respect, dignity’ after overcoming alcoholism
“I traded a life of steady income and comfort for a life on the streets in order to support my addiction. I slept in homeless camps, under bridges, along railroad tracks, and in strangers’ houses. My sign, ‘Support my whiskey right for a frisky night,’ made more money than any other sign asking for help. I was living on the street, so no one cared. It came with the territory.”
‘I am only 31. They recommended a radical hysterectomy. They wanted to remove everything.’: Through ‘last chance’ IVF procedure mom discovers uterine cancer, attributes fertility surgery to saving her life
“This couldn’t be happening to me. I couldn’t breathe, and to top it off my husband was out of town on business. I tried calling him and he didn’t answer. ‘This can’t be how my story ends.’”
‘Get here quick.’ My husband was sitting in a truck with a black eye swollen shut, trembling. ‘What happened to me?’: Woman recounts the lessons her farming family learned during unexpected hardships
“I wasn’t quite prepared for what I was about to see. They told us his wrist was shattered and he had amnesia. Two weeks before his surgery, I had a prophylactic double mastectomy. Sounds crazy, right? This past summer, the radiologist made a mistake and didn’t compare my scans and basically stated that I had cancer. I decided to go flat. The anxiety was real.”
‘Can I visit?’ My heart erupted. Her adoptive parents told her to choose between them or us, no negotiation. They turned their backs on her.’: Mom re-adopts daughter she gave up 18-years prior in ‘beautiful, unexpected reunion’
“I kissed her on the forehead and whispered, ‘I will always love you.’ I wondered if I would ever see her again. While I reveled in my three biological sons and one adoptive son, my thoughts often wondered back to her. I couldn’t take care of her at birth, but now I can.”
‘Gunner and his friend took a percocet to get ‘high.’ They went to sleep, and never woke up.’: Teen poisonined by Fentanyl-laced percocet pill, ‘I’d do anything for one more hug’
“Gunner was never been a ‘problem child.’ He had a whole life ahead of him. Goals, aspirations. He wanted to be a dad. He wanted to continue playing football in college. Gunner wasn’t done. One bad choice, one stupid minor mistake, was all it took. Gunner, I would do just about anything to bring you back. For one more hug. For one more smile. For one more, ‘Hey, Aunt Brandi.’ The pill had enough poison to kill 10 adult males.”
‘Sadie is 3. The clock will turn back. Each minute, we’re closer to the dreaded day she begins regressing.’: Newborn diagnosed with Childhood Alzheimer’s, ‘she is the greatest tragedy and blessing’
“Sadie’s birthday was such a bittersweet day. We saw all our hopes and dreams vanish. She is so smart, but we know this will all change soon. Before Sadie was born, we dreamed of her playing sports, helping her get ready for prom, college, and her dad walking her down the aisle. Today, we dream our sweet girl lives past the age of 14. We knew we had to fight this.”
‘Single Alex! You’re like a unicorn who doesn’t want to get caught!’ Wait, what?! I DO.’: Woman explains the advantages of being over 30 and single
“I’m 33 years old and single. Here’s the thing: my life doesn’t start in motion when my husband arrives. My life is in motion. Period. My husband will arrive. Period. I’m not the woman back in the village hopelessly waiting for the hero. I AM the hero, too. I am doing the work to make my life worthy of the epic woman I am…AND the epic man I deserve.”
‘I’m sorry, I can no longer touch you.’ They hassled him, begged him to visit their ‘church.’ He cracked.’: Woman loses husband to religious cult, ‘I am mourning someone still alive’
“It started off when you brought home a Bible. ‘Some woman gave it to me on my way out from the shrink.’ You tossed it aside and didn’t think much of it. We were both raised Christian and kept faith dear to our hearts. This was different. Suddenly, I was ‘unholy.’”
‘Hey, Daddy. Come here. You’ve got to see this!’ I called out. She burst into tears, embarrassed.’: Mom learns valuable lesson on ‘parenting’ from husband
“We often describe our 10-year-old as ‘oblivious.’ We don’t mean it in a cruel way, she’s just often so blissfully unaware of what’s going on. Today, her shirt was on backwards. Again. Before Dad got to her room, she burst into tears, sad because her mother was laughing at her. He calls out, ‘Wait! I’m coming! Hold on one second.'”
‘Hey! I saw you in there.’ I hear a man’s voice shout from behind his steering wheel. ‘I’m so sorry.’: Stranger’s act of kindness helps Mom reach her ‘turning point’
“He must have seen us inside the grocery store. It was the first time we were going in without a stroller. ‘Everybody listen for Momma, okay?’ Six innocent eyes peered back at me. We were here for a mission. ‘Looks like you have your hands full.’ There was every cliché of panic on my face.”
‘Are you excited your soon-to-be mother-in-law is staying for 2 weeks?’ Terrified, I accepted the invite. Was she putting on a show?’: Woman pens letter to mother in law after losing her to cancer
“I wished for a loyal man that would love me unconditionally and…a nice and loving mother in law. He wanted me to ‘learn’ about you all, not ‘hear’ or ‘read’ about you. As time went on and we grew closer, it was time for that first trip together. Minnesota to meet the ENTIRE family! I held your hand until your last breath.”
‘You signed your rights over. I was so mad you two were laughing, carrying on like it was no big deal.’: Mom pens emotional letter to ex, ‘She’s 8-years-old now’
“You were DAD OF THE YEAR! That’s literally all you gave her, one year. You told everyone I was keeping her from you, but you just didn’t bother to show up to your scheduled visitations. You knew my phone number, you knew my address. Your family did, too. Y’all just didn’t care. You were a stranger to her and, for some reason, you and your fiancé just couldn’t understand why.”
‘We don’t work this hard to put our daughter in used clothes!’ I was MAD. That’s when it clicked. This wasn’t about money.’: Couple learn to stop fighting about money, ‘we’re going to be a solid unit together, for richer or poorer’
“People always told me the number-one thing couples fight about is money. I can’t remember how many times I saw that same old line in relationship articles or advice columns. However, I never really believed it. ‘That’s something unhappy people fight about,’ I thought. Then, we settled into marriage. I was dead wrong.”
‘I flat out asked, ‘Would I be able to take my own photos during my C-section?’ She looked puzzled.’: Woman photographs her own C-section after losing baby in same OR last year, ‘That is empowering as hell’
“Mike shouted, ‘It’s a boy!’ I was clicking away, fighting back tears, trying to see my new babe, focus my camera. This was a surreal experience. Just 371 days before, in the exact same OR, our little Clark was also pulled out at this exact same spot. But there was no crying, no excited cheers, no shouts of ‘it’s a boy!’ He was born still. We knew our Clark sent this little one from heaven to be with us. Teddy’s birth was not only empowering, it was incredibly healing, too.”
‘She slipped her small frame into my son’s skinny jeans. It was cute, but sad. My heart broke.’: Woman details mother-in-law’s journey with Alzheimer’s, ‘her mind and body are slipping away’
“In a matter of months, she began to rapidly decline. Mild confusion turned to disorientation. We witnessed her turn into a shell of who she once was. She no longer recognizes us. It has been gut-wrenching to watch her be so unaware of herself and her surroundings, especially for a woman who, in the past, wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of being seen without her hair properly curled.”
‘I honestly thought this would be easier by now. How in the world am I still this exhausted?’: Mother kept waiting for raising children to get easier, it never came
“Heck, even my own parents made it look effortless. But I’m not raising me. And it’s a different time. And all that….blah, blah, blah. So here I am, still figuring it out day to day just like when I had a newborn.”
‘Can I call you mom?’ Nothing prepares you for it. My heart hit my feet.’: Foster mom ‘not expecting’ this to happen so soon, but promises ‘you won’t regret it’
“And then friends, it happened again. 6:24 p.m. loading into the bus, my husband was helping the littles into the back. I was in the driver’s seat when I heard it… ‘Can I call you dad?’ I sunk into the seat with the biggest smile while I held my breath, waiting to hear my husband’s response.”
‘You had the baby 15 days ago. You’re in the hospital.’ Was he kidnapped?’: Mom births baby in medically-induced coma after frightening flu symptoms, ‘They knew I was dying’
“I remember multiple vivid dreams of violent rape. As I woke, my ‘dreams’ transitioned to reality. The sorrow I felt was indescribable. I was devastated I’d missed those precious moments after birth. I wept, begged the doctors, ‘Please downgrade me out of the ICU so I can meet my baby!’ FINALLY, after 24 days in the hospital, I met my precious son. I smelled his skin. I’d almost died, and was now reunited with him.”
‘Would I get more male attention?’ I worried how it would look. Would I feel ashamed?’: Widow removes wedding ring after husband’s death, ‘He is with me. Nothing will ever change that.’
“I silently made the decision to remove my ring. I worried about being seen as a single mother, a single woman. ‘Would I feel judged? Would they think differently of me?’ I wasn’t ‘over it.’ But I was going out with girlfriends for girl’s night. It wasn’t that I was looking to meet someone. But as I awoke that next morning, I couldn’t help but feel paralyzed by sadness.”