“Stepping into this with 3 divorces, 4 kids and 1 career in law enforcement between us, we knew the odds of our family surviving were slim.”
‘My husband and I do NOT have a perfect marriage. We sought the help of a marriage counselor. We argue. Do I know we will live ‘Happily ever after’? No.’
‘Here we go.’ We started the process of reversing his vasectomy. My husband had no intention of having more children.’: Couple shares adventure of trying-to-conceive after doctor says they have ‘no answers’
“I told Jeremy, ‘We need to talk.’ I was so nervous my voice trembled. I told him, ‘A few days ago I took a pregnancy test. It was positive.’ He gasped and immediately smiled. I continued, ‘but after getting my blood work repeated, my levels are not increasing. I started bleeding on the drive down.’ His smile quickly turned to confusion. ‘So you weren’t pregnant?’ He couldn’t understand how something could begin and end all so quickly.”
‘You can have kids. Why adopt a BROWN baby? Look at that pretty blonde baby you made!’: Mom proud of her ‘beautiful biracial family’ despite hate and ‘constant stares’
“My siblings have brown curly hair, big brown eyes, and cocoa-colored skin. I have blonde hair, light skin, and blue eyes. We could not look more different from one another. But they have been my family since the moment I was born. I don’t know anything different.”
‘I took a hike into the woods. I see a man sitting around a fire. He was upset. He feels like he has no one. I sat and talked with him, and gave him numbers to call for assistance. He refused.’
“About 45 minutes into the playlist, a song played. ‘Can I borrow your phone?,’ he asked. I said yes. ‘I miss home. I want to go home,’ he said. I took in a deep breath; the goose bumps came over me and I realized THIS was the feeling.”
‘May we have our ball back?,’ the mom asked. She was ignored. Second attempt. No luck. ONE more time. The boy gave her careless smirk, then went back to ignoring her.’
“I kept watching. This time, the husband, calm as could be, approached the young boy. ‘May we have our ball back?,’ he asked. I could see the shock on his face. The boy’s mother wasn’t oblivious to what was happening. She SAW it go down.”
‘Breastfeed for a year, minimum. But not after 2, that makes you perverted. Also, not in public or anywhere that men might be unable to control themselves and leave their wives for you.’
“If you work, make sure you pump every 2 hours, but don’t let your performance at work fail. If you have to leave work early because they’re sick, please note you will be considered lazy and privileged, so don’t get offended if Bobby from IT gives you eye rolls.”
‘I removed my breast implants. Within minutes, I was attacked by a man. ‘You look like a little boy. Where did your breasts go?’ It felt like a punch in my gut.’
“He proceeded to tell me that smaller chests were meant for middle school and that real women had ‘grown up’ bodies. Ouch.”
‘I am Retarded.’
“One of the staff members decided it would be beneficial for her to wear a medal around her neck that read this. She suggested the staff member wear a medal around HER neck that read, ‘I am Ordinary.’ She was a legend.”
‘Rage rushed through me. Her profile picture was a photo with MY husband, faces smashed together, smiling ear to ear. That was MY HUSBAND.’: Woman thrives after leaving cheating husband, ‘I demanded more from life’
“I dialed the number. ‘Who are you? Why are you talking to my husband so much?’ She responded with, ‘Who is your husband?’ I told her his name. Her response baffled me. She said, ‘Oh… wow… I KNEW he had to be married.’ As if she was proud of herself.”
‘Your oncologist never mentioned it? It’s been showing in your blood tests for over 2 years.’ All I could think of is, ‘If the life expectancy is 5 years, I have 3 left.’: Woman shares Multiple Myeloma diagnosis journey
“I snapped. He thought I was going to rough him up. I wanted to. Then, I did the one thing you should never, ever do. For two weeks straight, I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up. I could tell he was scared.”
‘I was furious about a dirty dish in the sink, because of the rages my mother used to go into. Rages that lasted hours, and resulted in things said she could never take back in a million years.’
“‘Why is this brush on the counter? Who spilled something wet here?’ I found myself picking up my husband’s work boots and thought, ‘Man, he works so hard and has loved me through so much nitpicking, he didn’t deserve. The least I can do is this.”
‘Call me ASAP. It’s important.’ I had this overwhelming sensation to turn my phone over. That’s when I saw it. 37 missed calls.’: Woman loses father to suicide, pledges to ‘live life to the fullest’ for his ‘moments lost’
“You called me to ask about a project, and prior to the call, you texted as well. You promised to come to see me Monday and help me move out of the dorm. We were going to have a ‘daddy-daughter date,’ but 40 minutes later, I got the call I never expected. I had 37 missed calls. Daddy, you never even crossed my mind.”
‘She’s not pregnant. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.’ She’d been scamming us.’: Lesbian couple catfished during fake adoption, ‘thankful for difficult journey that led us to our son’
“I had an odd feeling. ‘Hmm, maybe I should do a little detective work of my own.’ I entered the ‘birthmother’s’ phone number and was confused when it came back. I searched this name and found a profile for a girl who looked nothing like the photos we’d been sent. I dialed the phone. He fell silent.”
‘His sign caught my attention. ‘I don’t care who you are, I love you…’ I stood there reading it, until he finally said, ‘Hi.’ I cocked my head to the side.’
“I sat there and watched as he gripped his pen and began to write. He wrote down one word.”
‘My bully wasn’t a kid on the playground.’: Child abuse survivor shares journey to ‘re-claiming’ her power
“While other girls my age chased butterflies and dreams, I hid in closets from my living nightmares.”
‘At first all I saw was the mess. Their cleaning after dinner was sub-par. There’s still crap everywhere. And for the LOVE, why do the shoes NEVER get put in the bin?!’
Mother of five children shares the importance of taking a break, even when the kitchen looks messy in a hectic household. Read more here.
‘I started using wrinkle cream. I turned up Barbara Streisand and sang along. I asked the pedicure lady to scrub a little harder on the heel. Then it hit me. I have become my MOTHER.’
“As a teenager, I didn’t want to be like my mom. I wanted to be rebellious and wild. I wanted to be a free 80’s kid and wear a skirt shorter than 3 inches above the knee. I wanted to watch MTV all day. And then, on a random Friday night, everything changed.”
‘Me: ‘My brother has Down syndrome.’ Almost everyone: ‘Oh no, I’m so sorry! How long does he have to live?’ EXCUSE YOU?!?!’
“I remember the first time I heard someone ask me how long he has to live, and I played it off. I was like, ‘No, he’s fine!’ But then I quickly googled it as my heart raced, thinking he would die soon. My mother is a quiet one. I’d only get one-worded responses.”
‘I caught myself telling my 2-year-old son today, ‘You’re just like your daddy.’ I wanted him to act and look like me. I hoped he’d possess some of my qualities.’
“It stopped me in my tracks after it rolled off my tongue. All of us want to see a little bit of ourselves in our children. But the older I get, the more I see his daddy in him. I’m raising a daddy’s boy.”
‘You need your husband’s permission.’ I begged. I didn’t feel maternal. I was told I’d ‘change my mind.’: Woman speaks up after refused sterilization procedure multiple times
“Every year during my annual exam, I asked to have my ‘tubes tied.’ My doctor always quickly refused. As I aged, I still didn’t want kids and neither did my partner. This time around, I was about to lose my health insurance. I was told the procedure was ‘reserved for women in their 30s or 40s who had at least 2 children.’ As an adult woman, I needed my husband’s blessing to make decisions about MY body. I was stunned.”
‘This is the last piece of Scarlett we have. A tiny bit of her hair. The nurse snipped this small bit, and gave it to us right before we left.’: Mom thanks nurse for act of kindness during child loss
“The nurses wanted to put a bow on her, but I knew it wouldn’t look natural. Scarlett hated anything on her head. Having a bow on her head would only prove to us how gone she was, no fussing, no swatting or whining. I couldn’t bear the thought of it.”
‘I heard the front doors open. A deep male voice said, ‘I’d like to get a room.’ As I turned the corner, I saw a tall man wearing a mask.’: Hotel worker survives robbery at gunpoint, ‘It showed me I was strong and brave’
“Before my brain could process what was happening, my first instinct was to stay alive. My heart was beating out of my chest and my hands were shaking. My body went into something I can only describe as survival autopilot.”
‘I was standing in line at the grocery store when I heard, ‘Excuse me, could you turn around? I would like to read the front of your shirt.’: Woman loses brother to addiction, reminded ‘you’re not alone’ by kind strangers
“At first, I didn’t think anything of it. I said, ‘Of course!’ When they saw it, they crossed themselves.”
‘I quickly fell in love with the lover behind my screen.’: Woman warns of online predators after childhood catfishing scare
“In a few weeks, we progressed from talking about our likes and dislikes to becoming ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend.’ He kept asking to come to my house. Finally, that day would come. My heart skipped a beat. I was 11, and he looked about 45.”
‘I’m coming over whether you like it or not.’ We had drinks and told stories about our Kile. Jack slept on my sofa that night. Then the whispers began.’
“Kile and I confessed our love with an intimate wedding ceremony at our house. I sat by his bedside in a white dress and promised to love, honor and cherish him until death do us part. I just didn’t expect it to be 5 days later. I don’t know when Jack’s feelings for me changed. Some say they we there all along. How dare these people judge me?”