“You didn’t get to hold the spotlight for long, did you? You were my only baby for such a short amount of time. You’ll never remember when you had my full attention, or that you didn’t have to fight for space on my lap. You won’t remember sitting around the table with just your father and I for dinner, or how we used to hover over you at the playground. You won’t remember how much we worried. But we will.”
‘You are our guinea pig. You taught us how to be parents. We had no clue what we were doing.’: Mom pens emotional letter to her ‘first-born child,’ apologizes she didn’t get to ‘hold the spotlight for long’ after new babies came along
‘Mom, can we play a board game?’ It was 7:11 a.m. ‘Right now?!’ I was groggy, drinking coffee.’: Busy mom slows down, realizes play time is ‘just what she needed’
“After I said, ‘right now?’ he gave me the look of nevermind. I saw it. He knew my question meant ‘not right now’ or ‘we’ll see’ or any of the other things I say when I don’t want to do something. ‘You’re always so busy.’ And he was right. Not in the guilt me way, but in the truth way. His words stuck with me so much as I was sitting there, I decided this morning I’d be busy in a different way. My coffee is colder. But my heart is warmer.”
‘I’m done talking. I’m turning off my phone for a few days. Bye.’ Josh had broken the covenant. I would wait it out.’: Couple work through infidelity together, ‘Our family is loving every minute together’
“My husband was supposed to be home after work and he was late. I called a few times. No answer. He finally called back and in the most emotionless voice said, ‘Ashley, we have to be done.’ ‘What?’…shocked. He said it again. I yelled, ‘What? Whyyy?!’ He was leaving to be with someone else.”
‘The Flash doesn’t wear a seat belt. I’m The Flash, mama.’ He unbuckled. A large rock rolled into my lane.’: Mom loses son in tragic car accident, urges parents to ‘hold your babies tight’
“The rock hit my axle and sent us plummeting into the side of a cliff. With all my might, I tried to lift the heavy van off my son’s tiny body, but he was already gone. People commented how horrible of a mom I was. How I deserved it. I wanted to shake them, tell them how hard I fought to save him. That he held my hand with his little fingers, and told me I was the best mama ever. But no one would have listened anyway.”
‘I walked to the bathroom leaving a trail of blood. I had an ultrasound. They found retained placenta.’: Woman endures difficult pregnancy aftermath, discovers son has a cow’s milk protein allergy
“My son was vomiting and having crazy amounts of diarrhea for days. As I was unpacking his daycare bag, he was standing beside me crying. Next thing I know, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out. I now have a 2-year-old with multiple chronic allergies and an 8-week-old heading in the same direction.”
‘I went to get my hair done, sat down with my stylist, and the chair BROKE. I needed to make a change.’: Woman starts world’s first ever plus-size salon, reminds us ‘beauty has no weight limit’
“Strangers vandalized my business out of hate. Destroyed air conditioners, smeared human poop on our windows. I received death threats. But through it all, I let it roll. off. my. shoulders. I was creating a safe space for women of all shapes and sizes to feel glamorous and pampered. The world is such a cold place. I can’t change that. But what I can do is keep a positive attitude!”
‘Mom, I keep thinking today could’ve been my last day. You saved my life. I’m so glad you jumped in.’: 8-year-old son who nearly drowned encourages mom to share his story to ‘help even just one kid stay safe’
“I saw him in the deep end. I called his name. His arms were moving fast but he didn’t answer me. I saw a look of terror in his eyes. I jumped in, fully clothed. ‘What’s going on?!,’ my husband asked. All I remember saying is, ‘He was drowning.’ When he came out, he kept asking to go home. It sounds crazy, but I felt like he needed to get back in the pool.”
‘I’m leaving you, Momma. Daddy, I go with you to make money.’ His daddy hugged him. ‘Not yet buddy, one day.’ Then he drove away.’: Wife warns others looking to join husband’s career path to ‘be sure you’re ready for this life’
“After the teary goodbyes, we walked inside. Our son tossed his shoes off and threw himself on the floor sobbing. It broke my heart because I knew he is now realizing that ‘See ya in 2 weeks’ is a different kind of goodbye. What broke my heart more was the pain in his daddy’s eyes as he drove off.”
‘I have 2 bio kids, 2 adopted, 3 special needs foster children. I wanted nothing to do with the ‘white picket’ American Dream.’: Special needs mom cherishes the ‘beautiful chaos’ of ‘meeting the needs of others’
“‘Your baby has a large mass. Prepare for the worst.’ I was learning how to be married, live in a city where we knew no one, being first-time teachers and parents to a baby who may or may not be okay. The older, wiser folks warned us to slow down. And yet none of this chaos ever silenced the call we felt to pursue adoption and fostering. Our life is absolutely crazy. But I look through my dark-circled eyes at this beautiful mess and know I’m right where I need to be.”
‘Please,’ they begged. ‘Would you take in a newborn, just for the weekend?’ I knew my husband would say no.’: Foster mom adopts ‘special little boy,’ is forever grateful for her son ‘who almost wasn’t’
“I could literally hear water balloons whizzing over my husband’s head. ‘What?!! Are you crazy? Heck No!’ I expected this. But I couldn’t let it go. I pictured this baby alone, in need of someone to hold him, to help him feel safe. ‘Please honey, just consider it,’ I urged. ‘It’s only for the weekend!’ Around 9 p.m., there was a knock on my door. ‘We’ll take good care of you this weekend, little guy.’ I snuggled him softly.”
‘The doctor blinked at my lab results and said, ‘Go lose some weight.’ I knew in my gut something else was wrong.’: New mom with bone marrow cancer misdiagnosed with obesity
“I was familiar with this move by medical professionals. The old ‘lose weight’ diagnosis. She asked me a question about breastfeeding and literally didn’t even listen to the answer. She responded as though I said the exact opposite thing. Not listening. Not present. ‘Yes. Go lose some weight. Then come see me again in 4 months.’ I had all the warning signs.”
‘Stop crying tears over the group that doesn’t want you. Stop pleasing everyone. Stop thinking invitations from cool kids will make you feel complete.’: Woman encourages her younger self ‘you create your own happiness’
“Stop trying so hard, little girl. Know who you are. Know you are strong. Know you are smart. Know you have a voice, are capable and worthy. Know you’re never ever alone.”
‘I fed him the F-word. Yes, formula.’: Mother admits she ‘hated breastfeeding’ after trying every remedy for newborn diagnosed with failure to thrive
“I had tried 13 different bottles at this point. I walked around with the nipples of each bottle in my bra all day long, so they would get my scent on them. Friends tried. My husband tried. But the boy just wanted my boob. The doctor’s advice? Feed every 2 hours. Tell this to an already sleep-deprived mom whose baby was being passed around from specialist to specialist like a hot potato.”
‘That’s stupid! EVERYONE in my class has that.’ She threw it in the trash and slammed the door.’: Mom teaches daughter ‘tough love lesson’ on being grateful
“WHAT. COME AGAIN? I went to 3 different stores to get that popular L.O.L. Surprise! pencil box. I thought I taught her to be grateful, but apparently sis needed a small wake up call. Before going completely Madea mad on my child, I checked myself. ‘Okay, that’s fine. Let me get the pencil box you’re going to use.’ I came back with a good ol’ Ziploc bag. She lost her mind.”
‘I was a teen at a nightclub. I lied. I got scouted, but there was a catch. He needed $3,000 for the ‘lessons.’: Daughter reconciles with addict mom after being signed over to the government as a child, living in 11 foster homes
“I saw my mom inject heroin. When the social workers came, I would hide all her needles. I didn’t want to be labeled ‘the foster child’ at school. When I turned 12, only 2 couples came forward wanting to adopt me. I felt like I was betraying my mom. I no longer wanted to be here, and inhaled poisonous fumes. But now I know why I’ve had this life.”
‘Lucky you,’ she replied with an eye roll. Yes, lucky me. My children have autism.’: Mom explains the ‘one time’ she’s envied is ‘when we get to enter an airplane first’
“I was waiting to pre-board a plane with my two young children when another passenger grabbed my shoulder. She told me I needed to wait for family boarding. I responded it was indeed our turn to go. ‘How’d you manage that?’ she asked. ‘We have different circumstances,’ I replied.”
‘An elderly woman behind us said, ‘he’s beautiful.’ We both responded with a resounding, ‘Thank you!’: Adoptive mom says her son’s 17-year-old birth mother was her ‘saving grace,’ she’ll forever ‘be in awe’ of her
“She was innocently attempting to make sense of us 3. I followed up quickly. ‘I had nothing to do with it,’ I said, winking at the mother of my child. Nicole, his birth mom, responded with her trademark wisdom. ‘I’ll take credit for his good looks,’ she whispered. ‘You can take credit for his smile.’”
‘My son’s wrestling photos ended up on a pedophile page.’: Mom offers safety tips for ‘online parenting’
“Someone named ilikestrongkids50 ‘liked’ my son’s picture. His account was private, so I put in a request to follow. I opened the account to see over 4,000 photos of prepubescent boys with their shirts off, girls in bathing suits, and my son’s pictures.”
‘I was 32 when my husband suddenly died. I wanted to have children with him. Being without him is terrifying.’: Widow finds the ‘beautiful balance of life after loss’ with 2-year-old son
“A counselor I met with looked at me and asked this simple question. ‘Would Albert want you to grieve with fear, or grieve with hope?’ I immediately knew the answer. As I sat there on the couch, tears streaming down my face, I knew I needed to live. Just because Albert died, doesn’t mean I have to as well. That would be the last thing he would want me to do.”
‘She growled that nothing was wrong. She skulked off. ‘Would you like a hug?’ She paused, and moved closer.’: Mom’s heart aches for daughter whose friends ‘never have time for her’
“I wrapped my arms around her, kissed her head, and told her I love her. Her arms tightened around me. We stood there quietly, and then her words came in a rush. She has struggled with friendships. I hate this for her. Then, she sobs.”
‘This is when my daughter is most beautiful, covered in layers of extra skin. Celebrate her, instead of giving me pity.’: Mom of daughter with Harlequin Ichthyosis wishes people would ‘stare at her beauty’ instead of ‘hiding their stares’
“I remember vividly the first time Anna opened her eyes. She stared with such intent that I couldn’t bring myself to look away. The swelling from her eye lids had finally gone, and she opened her eyes and stared directly at me. I get mesmerized by the beauty in her skin. I know she was made for something special.”
‘There’s NO ISSUE with kids wearing knockoff shoes. None. Your kid didn’t care about a Nike logo until YOU did.’: Mom urges us to let ‘kids be kids,’ makes plea to end off-brand shaming
“Recently, I have come across a lot of people making fun of these shoes. In fact, it’s coming from a lot of parents with children (shaking my head). So, what happens? Your kid goes to school, sees the less fortunate student who has on the ‘off brand’ and now your child is mimicking YOU and bullying another student. Please quit teaching kids that name brands means something.”
‘Call the attorney. Tell her you changed your mind,’ he said with gun-in-hand. I was breathless.’: Husband adopts formerly abused wife’s adult sons after their biological father dies from addiction
“I got a call that my 3-year-old had been left at Disney daycare at 2 a.m. The daycare worker called the police. My husband was a master manipulator. This was the last straw. We fled to another state. One night, I got a knock on my apartment door. The door NO ONE knew where I was. My ex was released from jail 2 days prior. With every being in my bones, I knew it was him.”
‘I went home after my son’s transplant, only to receive an angry letter about the ‘eyesore’ exterior of my home.’: Woman’s son diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, community unites to clean her home in wake of insensitive complaint
“My son kept holding his right side and screaming. They told me he was ‘just constipated’. ‘Constipation shouldn’t be making him scream.’ They thought I was some crazy helicopter mom. The doctor’s response? ‘Well, if it was real pain, you holding and consoling him wouldn’t be making him feel better like it is now.’ Boy, was she wrong. I could feel in my spirit something was wrong with my baby boy.”
‘My husband is still alive because of a nightstand. A nightstand I purchased 6 months prior, when we moved into our dream home.’: Wife credits ‘magic, miracles’ for her husband still being alive after his heart stopped
“I awoke to the worst kind of alarm clock: a thud. My healthy, 31-year old husband hitting the floor. When his heart stopped, and his body dropped, he didn’t just fall gracefully to the ground. He hit our bedside table and broke his back. That break restarted his heart. Miracle.”