“As soon as I picked up my 5-year-old, I could tell she was in one of her ‘moods.’ She was crying over everything, not being herself, and acting so uptight. So, I drew her a lavender bubble bath, gave her a face mask, and lit some candles.”
Today I Gave My Daughter A Mental Health Day, And It Was My Best Decision Ever
‘I asked my therapist when I would get ‘over it.’ I went from being pregnant with triplets, to hitting rock bottom. Two of my children died. I thought I was OK. I didn’t need someone to talk to.’
“I remember being hesitant. I wasn’t depressed, I was simply a mother longing for the children I would no longer hold in my arms. But, I’m the mother of two children who died, and I faced my own near-death experience, so I promised my husband I would see someone.”
‘Her exact words were, ‘He has a large birthmark on his back.’ The nurses looked at each other wide-eyed. I didn’t understand.’: Parents thrown ‘curve ball’ as son was born with ‘huge mole’ on his back
“By the time he was 2 weeks old, it had tripled in size. Then we got the worst news. The lump wasn’t just a lump. It was a tumor and it was cancerous. As my husband drove, I completely broke down.”
‘When you were born, I vowed to love you no matter what. I will continue to do that.’ I returned to school for the first time, as myself.’: Trans woman finally ‘living her truth,’ ‘I will never regret choosing my happiness’
“To others, I was in need of fixing. All my behaviors were deemed ‘wrong.’ In an attempt to make me more masculine and ‘grow out of it,’ I was placed in sports. I feared what I would face if I decided to be true to myself.”
‘How do you know when date night is over? When your wife tries to talk to you but her speech is so slurred you can’t understand her, and you realize half her face is drooping.’
“He asked me, ‘Is everything ok?’ I tried to answer him, but weird sounds came out.”
‘Squads and tribes are great and wonderful, but sometimes close-knit groups can turn into CLOSED-knit groups, leaving no room for newcomers.’
“When a new lady comes around with her cafeteria tray and every seat is already taken, this is a great misfortune. As a special needs mother, my children have taught me many things, but staying open for the ones who don’t look like me is at the top of the list.”
‘She’s going to be amazing.’ Her birth mom asked for nothing, even though I would have given her ANYTHING. As much as Finley was a perfect fit for our family, so was Lex.’
“It felt unnatural. Sitting across from her, passing her the pen, I was scared to make eye-contact for fear I’d feel too much guilt. The tears streamed down our faces. She was willingly giving us the precious life she created, and we were promising her to cherish it.”
‘I remember the anesthesiologist asking me, as he was administering the epidural, if I was nervous about the surgery. I hesitated, and responded, ‘Only for her.’
“I pleaded with her pediatricians to investigate further. I hung up the phone and immediately collapsed to the floor, crying uncontrollably.”
‘How many times are you going to wear that outfit?,’ one of my wife’s 4th graders asked her. She then gave her a smug, twisted-lipped look. It made me rage.’: Husband insists others need to ‘spend less time judging how people dress’
“I’ll be honest, this story gave me pause for a few reasons.”
‘He’d show up at church, or anywhere else I was going. Without warning, I’d feel a hand grabbing my shoulder.’: Woman overcomes years of stalking, PTSD to become health coach
“He surprised me with 21 red roses. It was the beginning of a horror story. He started showing up at my house in the middle of the night. He’d stroke my cheek and tell everyone I was his wife. The police didn’t take it seriously. ‘Didn’t you tell him to leave you alone? Do it again with more force!’”
‘Am I speaking to Stefany?’ I tell her yes. ‘I’ve been having an affair with your husband for 18 months.’: Woman discovers husband used ‘Ashley Madison’ dating service for affair
“My thought was that since I was wife #3, he certainly wouldn’t do anything as drastic as have an affair to screw up our relationship. I ask her how the two of them met and she says that’s the one thing she won’t tell me. For some unknown reason, I blurt out ‘Ashley Madison?’ She tells me yes, that’s how they met. I’m screaming, my heart is beating a mile a minute.”
‘What?! NO. I don’t ever want to lose this. I was suddenly very protective of it. I want it with me. Forever. Wedding day and all.’
“Weeks into knowing each other, I received the first ever ‘Goodnight, beautiful’ text from him. My heartbeat quickened. Unknowingly, I covered my shy smile with my hand. But to both of our shock, I instantly and abhorrently rejected the offer.”
‘Did you hit something?’ ‘No.’ He crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. ‘No, because you don’t know, or no, because you don’t want to tell me?’ There was no way I was admitting to it.’
“He walked in and had that look on his face. Where you know you’re in trouble, but you don’t know why. He’s waiting for you to say something and you’re racking your brain about what you should admit to. He found the evidence. ‘A-ha!’ My jaw dropped when I saw it.”
‘Why is your mom white?’ Without skipping a beat, my son said, ‘Families don’t have to match.’: Adoptive mom says ‘we don’t match in color, but we match in hearts’
“My family doesn’t look like most. I am a white mama to three beautiful, brown children. And although most of the time we don’t notice, others around us do.”
‘When the trunk opened, we found a name – Patricia. They discovered it hidden in the attic. In my gut, I knew I was going to find her.’
“I could tell she was a bit hesitant. I put the trunk down on her front porch, took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. As I heard her steps as she approached, I couldn’t contain myself. She opened the door, looked down, and said, ‘I can’t believe you found it.’”
‘She flatly told us his ‘problem.’ One phone call changed my understanding as to what was happening in the school walls.’: Son diagnosed with ADHD, mom talks about how proud she is he made it through school
“Yes, Gabriel’s mom? We need you to come down to the school and pick up your son. He has been suspended.”
‘Three months before our wedding day, I was diagnosed with cancer. I offered him an out — but he didn’t take it.’
“He went on a job interview the morning of our wedding day. With medical bills looming, we backed out of buying our first home together and, instead, moved into a rental apartment. As our wedding day approached, nothing was as we expected it would be.”
‘Let them just hold their baby.’ He looked different. I’m filled with gratitude for her compassion.’: Couple learns of newborn’s rare genetic syndrome, encourages others to see ‘grace’ in their journey
“As we calmly talked on that moon-lit drive, my husband said something to me I’ll never forget. He broke a short silence. ‘If anyone would be trusted with a special-needs child, it would be you. You have the grace and patience to do this.’ I’m overjoyed knowing we’ve been included in an elite club.”
‘My son played at her house earlier that day and acted up. This is the moment that finally broke me. This was the moment it all came flooding out.’
“It’s hard to hide you’re drowning when water is gushing onto the floor. I was horrified. I was embarrassed. I was sure she’d tell everyone. But instead, my friend simply said, ‘Let’s go out tonight.'”
‘The doctor didn’t even remember what had gone wrong. THE DOCTOR DIDN’T REMEMBER? My surgeon told him, ‘There were complications, but they fixed everything.’
“I lost 40 pounds without trying during the 6 months after my surgery. I was so sick and withering away, but people didn’t know. I just got compliments on ‘how amazing and thin I looked.’ People had no idea.”
‘I ordered my food but as I went to pay, I realized I had left my wallet at work. I told this young man to cancel my order. His response shocked me.’: Woman touched by McDonald’s employee act of kindness
“He didn’t know how tired I was or that I hadn’t eaten.”
‘We are moving two doors down from my parents. TWO DOORS! We have been living with my parents for 3.5 years now.’
“I was very early on in my triplet pregnancy. We lived in a two-bedroom condo and we knew our lives were about to change dramatically. My parents took us in, and we’ve been trying to save for a home for 4 years now.”
‘A boy tapped me. ‘Why do you have a mustache? What’s that mark between your eyebrows?’ I was shocked. My face flushed with embarrassment.’
“My mom started letting me wear concealer. I wouldn’t allow myself to go out in public without my ‘mask’ on. I was terrified of what people would think if they saw me in my raw state.”
‘It was bottle after bottle. After 32 years of marriage you would think he would have walked away because he had every reason to.’
“At that moment, I was not his. That was a feeling I never want to feel again. A partial hysterectomy ended my childbearing years. The days seemed to drift by with dark clouds hiding the bit of sunshine left in my life.”
‘I looked at my daughter standing beside me. You could see the fear in her eyes. No one was talking. I finally yelled out ‘HELLO!’
“I kept thinking, ‘I just have to make it to the hospital, I just need to make it to the hospital.’ Her coloring was terrible. I entered the door carrying my limp daughter.”