“Almost all of Sarah’s ‘stay at home clothes’ were now coming from the women’s department. I thought it was strange. I started to connect a few dots. I spent many nights lying awake wondering, ‘IF this was something… could I stick around? Was I ok with this? Could I still love her?”
‘We both rolled over in bed. Me: ‘I’m gay.’ Her: ‘I’m transgender.’ Silence. Now what? I’m married. HAPPILY married!’: Couple stays together despite realizing sexual preferences weren’t as they initially thought
‘I was alone working the bar. It was quiet until 15 men strolled in. One was on crutches. Now I wish I hadn’t been so kind.’
“While I was at the school dropoff, he would drive past and text me to let me know how I looked that day. He would magically turn up where I was. He wouldn’t always approach me, but would stick around long enough to remind me he was there, watching.”
‘I was self-conscious after having a baby, so I got breast implants. I got the ‘healthier’ option. When I woke up from surgery, it felt like the air got knocked out of my lungs.’
“I’d express my concern at every follow up, but the doctor assured me everything was healing well. So, I ignored my intuition. The pain persisted. Years later, I looked through hashtags on Instagram, and everything finally made sense. I had discovered it. Instantly I knew.”
‘I was SO nervous the morning of the surprise. But as I watched him cry tears of joy, the burden was instantly lifted.’: Special needs mom reciprocates kindness to recycling driver
“I thought that would be it. I was wrong. What is a mundane task to many is a big deal around here.”
‘The vulgar lyrics were blasting. LOUD. During the prayer. I cannot make this up.’: Bride hilariously recounts random reunion during wedding with strangers from their engagement
“My husband drops to one knee. All 3 guys start screaming: ‘Say yes! Did you just do that?! That’s epic!’ Fast forward. Halfway through our ceremony, who crashes the wedding? OUR ENGAGEMENT FRIENDS. My husband and I locked eyes. We knew it was them. Our wedding guests look on, HORRIFIED.”
‘What’s wrong?’ My tattoo artist emerged from the back, visibly shaking, crying. ‘I just HAD to take in this moment.’: Mom loses twins, ‘uncommon’ first names combine to match name of tattoo artist’s late grandmother
“He’d gone back to trace the footprints of my babies, Leonor and Buchanan, both stillbirths. I was wondering what was taking so long, and started to worry my tattoo couldn’t be done. ‘I don’t want you to think I’m crazy,’ he said. ‘But my grandmother’s name was Leonor Buchanan. She just passed.’ I looked at him in complete shock.”
‘The nurse asked my husband, ‘Are you the FATHER, or just the one she’s pregnant with?’ I hated the disapproving nods, strange stares. I stopped going out in public with my kids. I felt inadequate.’: Mom shares candid reality of being mother to multiple kids
“Getting an abortion scared the crap out of me. I wanted to be the mother who had all her ducks in a row. The mother whose children were well behaved, drank organic kale smoothies, and began reading at 3.”
‘Hey! What the HELL ARE YOU DOING?!’ The kid looked at me, stuck out his tongue and ran. I almost turned into Medusa.’: Mom watches playground bully kick her son, ‘I will not excuse a mother who does not pay attention’
“Andy was screaming with a swollen red eye, tears rolling down his face. I saw him run off towards his mom, whom I noticed had been on her phone for the entire hour we were there, not looking up once.”
‘Sorry, kids. I wish I could make it so you’d never hurt, or have your heart broken. But the world doesn’t work that way.’
“If I made everything easy, you’d never know how to work hard. If I paid your way in, you would never know you are capable of accomplishing your dreams on your own.”
‘Why can’t we just fly to Heaven and bring her back down?,’ our son asked. We told our kids I had a baby in my belly, but she had a boo-boo on her head, and would not come home with us.’
“I had a strong mom instinct. First thing on Monday morning, I shut my ultrasound door and put the probe on my belly to check out the progress of the baby. Immediately, I knew something was wrong.”
‘I went to the room. Paint, check. Roller thing, check. I opened the door, and the strangest thing happened. Grief hit me, and it took me to my knees.’
“Then, the next strangest thing happened. My teenager appeared. She sauntered in, checked out my work, paused, and then asked if she could help. My jaw almost hit the ground. I don’t know if she felt it, too. I don’t know if she knew we were missing something by not having her dad there.”
‘She yelled, ‘I want my baby sister back!’ There was no longer a baby in my belly, but a thick pad shoved against me like a band-aid.’: Mom grieves loss of angel baby, ‘I hope they feel their baby sister guiding them’
“My kids had no clue what was happening in that moment, but they saw mama fall apart. ‘I’ve had my lifeless baby in me for two weeks? How did I not know?’ I was empty, confused. I lay on my tear-soaked pillow while my two healthy kiddos ran around the house, wondering why mommy is still sad.”
‘Immediately, I knew there was something different. Her precious little body felt weak and floppy. Looking at her tiny face, I saw it.’: Blended family births 11th baby with Down syndrome
“When I found myself unexpectedly widowed at 39, I couldn’t have imagined what my life would look like 5 years later. We met on a dating site. Blending our families and accommodating the needs of 10 children was a complicated task. Then we heard, ‘I’m so sorry,’ which prompted more tears. It was my job as her mother to be strong and brave, but I doubted my ability to do so.”
‘I was worried about falling asleep the night before I turned 10. The doctor said I wouldn’t live past 10. I always carried ‘expiration dates’ with me. It wasn’t the last time I was told I had this amount of time to live.’
“Mrs. Chase, I don’t think you need to worry about how many sick days Leah has, or if she is held back because of it because she will not live past 10-years-old.”
‘We have been sick since January. It feels like the cold and flu got together, and were like, ‘hold my wine.’ Our youngest covered our van in projectile vomit. HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN!?’
“Getting childcare coverage for these two wild hobos is like trying to trade someone the shaggy dog van in Dumb and Dumber – next to impossible. Our small town urgent care needs to adopt a punch card system because we would’ve qualified for a free co-pay or something by now.”
‘Are you ok?,’ I asked. ‘It’s complicated.’ Panicked, I said, ‘We aren’t okay?’ He replied, ‘I don’t want to talk anymore.’ And the conversation ended.’: Woman overcomes divorce after husband cheated, ‘I know I am beautiful, smart, kind’
“I heard him tell the kids, ‘I don’t know how much I will be seeing you guys for the next little while.’ I threw on some clothes and asked the children to leave the room. He told me he simply did not love me anymore. ‘Having sex with you is hard since you’ve started all these diets but never stick to any of them.’ My heart fell to the floor.”
‘Then the rocking started. It began as a gentle sway and turned into him throwing himself so hard into the couch he was putting holes in the wall. We knew something was not right.’
“The doctor stopped what she was doing, scooted back from her desk and looked me dead in the eye. ‘I am confident I know why your son is having so many issues. I also believe he is having a seizure right now.'”
‘We were in the garage when she pulled this from her jacket. My plan was to drive a few, then go to another lot if nothing caught my eye. But not my wife.’
“Let me explain. This list represents HOURS at our dinner table, long after the kids were in bed. I know, gushing over my wife’s car list might seem silly, but the fact is, stuff like this gets overlooked.”
‘When I reached down to pull up my tights, I realized my arms and hands were paralyzed. Scared, I said, ‘Mom, I can’t move my arms.’: Young woman describes life with a rare autoimmune disorder
“I experienced a sudden, excruciating headache in the middle of ballet class. Only 24 hours ago I’d been learning at school like any normal day. How could this have happened?”
‘I can’t go back there; I can’t lose my wife again,’ he told me. ‘I’m not sure I’d survive that.’ We were terrified. Terrified of who I was pregnant.’
“My doctor very clearly advised me I would need to be off my antidepressants if I wanted to get pregnant, so I came off them. The next several months were some of my darkest. My husband was taking care of a wife who, in his words, ‘had disappeared.'”
‘A couple sat in the courtroom, anxious if there was any update to the case of a baby they loved dearly. This crying woman wasn’t just a stranger, she was my soon-to-be-daughter’s foster mother.’
“This baby they loved so much, they’d met in a high school gym. People are often surprised when I talk about my girl’s foster parents, especially that they’re still involved in our lives. I honestly don’t see HOW it could be any other way.”
‘I made eye contact with the nurse, recognition and worry spread across her face. Through shaky tears I said: ‘I think my water broke.’ Dr. stupid then said: ‘Oh no, she just peed her pants.’
“About half way to his work my nose began to tickle and I felt a sneeze coming on. After a couple of large huffy inhale’s of air, it exploded. Absolute horror washed over me. I can’t do this. This…. is…. too…. much.”
‘Her grip on the bed rails quickly moved over to him. Her nails sliced through his shirt, like butter. They were in this fight not just to win, but to grow together.’
“He never stopped watching her face. In the middle of it all, he knew where his priorities were. The scratches, the teeth marks on his shoulder, all became battle scars.”
‘There’s NO WAY I’m pregnant!’ In my mind, having a baby would save my marriage and fix EVERYTHING. I silently made an appointment with my OBGYN.’
“All alone in the bathroom at work, I felt my life was over. I was a failure. I couldn’t make my marriage work. I couldn’t carry a baby. Tie my tubes or just take everything out.”
‘I got a text from him saying, ‘What are you smiling at?’ And I froze. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.’: Woman escapes abusive relationship to find new love
“When I was 14-years-old I met and dated a 22-year-old man. I’ll just let that sink in for a moment. He would come visit me, all the while living another life, leaving his wife and family behind. He was addicted to porn. Then came THAT morning.”