“My husband knew that while I dried my hair or slathered on moisturizer, I was perfectly comfortable with him coming into the bathroom to continue a conversation or tell me what I’d missed in the show he was watching. I never had an issue with him seeing my body, as I did unsexy things like brush my teeth. Until now.”
‘He was looking at my new body in full light. ‘Rawr,’ he’d exclaim, flicking his eyebrows up and down.’: Woman embarrassed by postpartum body thankful husband ‘never slowed down in his affections
‘I’ll show up as the pizza man.’ He was committed from the get-go. ‘MY DAD IS ABDUCTING ME TODAY!’: Widow recalls ‘pizza man turned perfect father’ as new husband steps into dad-role for her adopted sons
“We paraded excitedly into the courtroom. The twins, in all of their manic glory, ran about, spun in the judge’s chair, making tons of noise. A shoe was thrown across the room. The oldest sat back and watched in amusement. When the judge asked each kid if he wanted Tom to be his legal father, all 3 responded ‘YES!’ He then turned to Tom and said with a wink, ‘No backsies.’”
‘Just Right Judith.’ Like a beacon in the night, she is there, dawning her yoga pants. This is it.’: Mom hilariously describes 5 types of ‘mom friends’ before ‘the floodgates of heaven open, and you just know’
“Ever notice how shopping for a new ‘mom-friend’ echoes a scene straight out of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’? One is ‘too hot,’ while another is ‘too cold.’ The hunt can be taxing as you search for the mom who is ‘just right.’ Just when you think you may have found her; the big bad wolf comes and whisks her away.”
How My Son Survived Shaken Baby Syndrome
“He will never want for love, attention, and experiences. He will never want for family. He will never lack the best care we can give him. He is my joy.”
‘Oh, you didn’t breastfeed? It’s cool, I thought you loved your child. That’s all, carry on.’: Mom’s all-too-real take on the relentless parenting advice forced upon mothers
“Rear face until they can drive on their own or reach 160lbs, whichever comes first. Wash your face every night and develop a good moisturizer routine so you don’t look like a worn-out hag tomorrow, but hurry, he’s got that ‘sex time’ look in his eye and you still have laundry. Did you floss today?”
‘We can’t be friends anymore. You’ve become ‘That mom.’ That’s a tough pill to swallow.’: 34-year-old Mom diagnosed with autism ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of creating a world where ‘differences are celebrated’
“I received comments. ‘Are you sure you want to move forward with testing for that diagnosis? That means you and your child would have that label and diagnosis for the rest of your life!’ ‘I hope you don’t become ‘that mom.’ I’m the exact person I’m supposed to be. It’s ok that I struggle. I have a reason. And I couldn’t be prouder.”
‘He waited for her to leave. I quietly gasped, covered my mouth. I realized what had happened.’: Wife brought to tears by dying husband’s final selfless act of kindness for their young daughter
“She cautiously hugged his leg. He wrapped his arms around her. ‘Hi, Daddy.’ He pulled her in tighter. I’m sure he was afraid his voice would break, or the tears would flow. She left, like I asked her to. By the time I made it back to his hospital room, he couldn’t breathe. I was confused. ‘He will not make it through the night.’ I shook my head. ‘Impossible.’ He was fine just 20 minutes before when our daughter was here.”
‘Which way did he go?’ This was our great escape. My dad was a monster. I was sworn to secrecy.’: Woman credits foster parents for ‘saving’ her through ‘dark times,’ battling suicidal thoughts, sexual abuse, Bipolar disorder
“My friend asked if I wanted to stay the night. I couldn’t, but asked if she wanted to stay at my house. Before I could even finish, she told me ‘no.’ I shrugged it off, no big deal. A week later, she saw my whole family. That’s when I recognized the fear in her eyes. She had not seen my stepdad since then.”
‘The words hit me like a truck, ‘Gabby fell into the pool and she isn’t breathing.’: Aunt urges parents to know pool toys give ‘false feeling’ of safety after niece’s near-fatal swimming accident
“I always called my mom on my way home from work, but she wasn’t answering, so for some reason I felt the need to call my brother, Tim. He was at a friend’s house swimming. I heard my nieces and nephews playing in the background. I never thought that would be the last time I’d hear Gabby’s little voice.”
‘How am I was supposed to break the news to my children?’ They didn’t have an answer. It was an accident.’: Widow describes ‘surreal, intense’ pain after husband dies from sudden accident
“’I don’t know what to do!’ I was woken up throughout the night by a little girl screaming for her papa. Waking up crying for my Ben. The reality was unbearable. I was staring at a life I didn’t want.”
‘I am so sick and tired, dying would be a blessing.’ This text from my son arrived at 1:39 a.m.’: Mother of addict connects with moms facing same struggle, ‘we make no apologies for navigating the underbelly of hell’
“I left a passionate comment to a post that read, ‘I work in a hospital. I overheard a coworker in the break room say they hate wasting time on these worthless addicts.’ I cried with the mom who shared a photo of a beautiful young woman, the caption reading, ‘My baby was found dead today.’”
‘He broke down. ‘I’m shooting heroin again.’ AGAIN? I never caught on.’: Mom had no idea her baby’s father was hiding heroin addiction from her, ‘We miss you, we’ll never give up on you’
“This blew my whole mind. I’ve dated this man, lived with him, even had a child with him and NEVER knew. I never caught on. I haven’t been able to get ahold of him, I’ve been worried sick. He is currently using and living in his truck. My son runs around screaming, crying for his daddy. If you ever read this A.J. we miss you, we love you, and we will never give up on you.”
Bereaved Mom Shares Harrowing Premature Birth Story
“This is my story, real and raw. I hope it encourages others to share theirs.”
I Nearly Lost My Son To A Peanut Allergy—Here’s What You Need To Know
“I’m sitting here beside my two-year old’s hospital gurney.”
‘You can help someone with depression. How? Pretend they have the flu.’: Woman urges to let those battling mental illness to ‘rest and ride it out’
“The bonus is, it’s not contagious. You wouldn’t expect the person with a really bad flu to get up and do stuff, no way! So, tell them to rest up. Lay out in their pajamas. Surround them with pillows and things that make them happy. You would never tell them to snap out of the flu!”
‘My daughter Penny is not a ‘mistake.’ She is perfection.’: Down syndrome mom explains the difference between ‘inclusion’ and helping special needs individuals ‘belong’
“People often feel awkward asking questions about my daughter. Penny gets sidelined from activities and events because they don’t know how to welcome her. The message of inclusion is, ‘We want you here with us.’ But belonging emerges from a deep desire to not just include the ‘other,’ but to love and be loved.”
‘It’s not hard. Just stop being a jerk. I get praised for being a ‘great husband,’ but that’s nonsense.’: Husband gets super candid about wife’s postpartum body, ‘The soft, pillowy skin around her belly button held my 3 best friends for 18 months’
“I’m literally doing the bare minimum by loving my wife for who she is, ‘imperfections’ and all. Sure, things look and feel slightly different — but in the grand scheme of things, nothing changed. The reasons I fell in love with her had nothing to do with her body.”
‘Pull over.’ My husband was next to us at the light. I made eye contact with him. He followed us.’: Wife ‘relieved’ to come clean about ‘living a lie,’ realizes she’s the one who needed to change in marriage
“I got a message on social media from the guy I had dated and lost my virginity to as a teenager. I hadn’t talked to him in a decade. At first, it started out with us just catching up. I enjoyed the friendship and connection. In the beginning, that’s all it was. It breaks my heart to write these words. Something had to give. Something had to change.”
‘My left shoulder dislocated talking to my mom. She was mortified. ‘AHAA!,’ he said.’: Young woman recalls ‘party tricks’ as joints dislocate after Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome diagnosis
“I woke up with a sore knee. We ignored it… until the pain became unbearable and was spreading. It all happened so fast. I was too overwhelmed to be scared. However, I was confused. We all were. The tricks I used to gross my friends out ended up being a piece of the puzzle. Hyper mobility, one of the most obvious symptoms of EDS.”
‘I screamed, ‘We have guys trapped!’ I crawled out and ran while being burned alive.’: Man describes ‘pain, misery’ after surviving life-threatening burns working as firefighter
“The driver accidentally veered off the road. We crashed into a steep ravine, and were engulfed in flames. I immediately knew, I’d have to run through the fire and get burned. I chose to run. I crawled up the ravine and ran as fast as I could, screaming for my buddies. Sadly, my buddies never made it.”
‘Stop trying.’ He wasn’t coming back. That pale, limp body wasn’t my son. I pounded the wall.’: Mom insists rainbow baby ‘helped fill the void’ after son’s death, ‘she’s my reason to keep going’
“‘Why my son?! Why me?!’ We went home and packed up his clothes, toys. His grandparents held onto everything else. We couldn’t bear to. But we destroyed the Rock ‘n Play he died in. I’ve seen news stories about their recalls. Of course, it makes me wonder if that’s what happened to my son. We will never know. Within weeks of his passing, I was pregnant. Intentionally. Family was concerned. I didn’t care.”
‘Will you be my wife?’ You never emerged from the water to hear my answer. ‘Yes! A million times, yes!’: Man tragically drowns while proposing, ‘please love each other hard, while you can’
“Just days before you died, you said to me, ‘We are so blessed.’ My perfect love, my angel. Yes, we were. In the cruelest twist of fate imaginable, we never got to embrace and celebrate the beginning of the rest of our lives together. I will carry the love we shared with me forever. I will find you and marry you in the next lifetime, and the next, and the next, and the next.”
‘Really? Can I? I’ll be there at 2:30 a.m.’ He seemed surprised. He didn’t expect me to say yes.’: Young woman moves in with man she found on Facebook after chance encounter in McDonald’s, ‘I found a love I never knew existed’
“When I first met him, I was cleaning tables at McDonald’s. He was so sexy and had the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. And he just HAD to hold them on mine. We parted ways, but later I found him on social media. I essentially moved in that first night.”
‘I hear a gurgling noise. I look and see a tiny toy at the back of my daughter’s throat. It’s not coming out.’: Mom can’t stop wondering, ‘what if?’ after ‘freak accident,’ urges us to ‘please be careful’
“My daughter Maya is 2.5 years old. She has all these little toys she plays with under strict supervision. Somehow, she managed to smuggle one up to bed. I quickly yell to my partner. He’s there in seconds, telling me to call an ambulance. So, I’m screaming words that don’t even make sense down the phone to 911. ‘This must be a dream, this can’t be happening.’ Right at that moment, I thought she was dead.”
‘I was told to ‘man up’ after being thrown into a dumpster. I believed I was an abomination.’: Trans woman believed she’d ‘go to hell’ for transitioning, now feels ‘worthy of happiness’
“’Can you leave? We are having girl chat.’ I left and sat alone in the field. Teachers would laugh when I’d tell them I was being bullied. I cried and prayed to God, ‘Please let me wake up and be a girl.’ This is me. I am a woman.”