“We were so stunned when the doctor informed us our baby didn’t stand a chance. I began questioning his claims. He became increasingly uncomfortable. He finally excused himself, but not before adding, ‘and if by some miracle he lives, he will never walk.’”
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.’ I sat flabbergasted, tears instantly streaming. This was not how this day was supposed to go.’
‘As I wheeled the adoptive mom out toward the elevator, I could see her shoulders shaking with sobs. I knelt down beside her and took her hand in mine.’
“She looked deep into my soul and cried, ‘How can something that is so painful for someone, bring me so much joy?'”
‘I was 20, got drugged, sexually assaulted and pregnant. ‘Why did you keep the baby?’ Well, this baby was a MIRACLE.’: Single mom overcomes abusive relationship to find her ‘prince charming’
“When my son was 10 months old, I fell in love with a guy who I thought was the one. I was positive I was going to marry him. Everything was great – or so it seemed. He would go through my phone. He’d go from saying how much he loved my child, to saying he would hit him after taking his diaper off. Later, I met my price charming. Did I mention he was excited to date a single mom? I have a keeper.”
As A Mom, I Realized ‘The Giving Tree’ Isn’t So Sad After All
“There is such beauty in the giving when then giving is done out of love.”
‘Dear Teenage Daughter Of Mine, You help me understand why some animals eat their young.’
“Let’s be honest. You have friends. I have friends. We don’t need to be each other’s friend. I make you insane with my dumb rules, and frankly, you aren’t always a peach to live with either.”
‘I found out months before meeting Jorgie we were unable to have biological children. We were devastated. We just couldn’t understand at the time. Until we met him.’
“Taylor was 10 months old when she was shaken and abused. They called again, but this time it was for a 2-month-old baby girl born addicted. Everyone thought we were crazy for considering another child with so many needs, but if not us, then who?”
‘Refuse to believe the only way to make Christmas memorable is to buy everything for everyone. The holidays aren’t about going into debt, or kids getting everything they lay their eyes on.’
“Refuse to say yes to everything. You’re a human. You’re allowed to have some limits. You’re allowed to have some boundaries. You’re allowed to politely decline now and then.”
‘We’re doing the surgery to save your wife’s life, not your child’s.’ Those are words no husband ever wants to hear.’: Miracle preemie survives despite mom’s HELLP diagnosis, emergency surgery
“I completely lost control of my emotions and all I could do was beg the doctor not to do this. ‘She’s too small! It’s too soon!’ That was all I kept saying.”
‘This is cancer we are dealing with. I couldn’t keep my heart from pounding.’: Woman with Stage III breast cancer determined to beat it, ‘With him by my side I knew I would be fine’
“In the midst of the chaos that surrounds a diagnosis like that, we tried to be somewhat normal. Adam was always by my side… trying to be strong, but I could tell he was worried. So was I… and I know he was trying to be stronger for me. What better way to celebrate living your life with someone than putting the awful past behind you?”
‘The doctor said, ‘When we intubated him, a bright lime green slime came shooting out of his mouth.’: Husband has heart attack after drinking energy drink, ‘I wasn’t the only one’
“I’d just seen him joking around with me 30 minutes ago, and now he was lying on a gurney. The best option was to put him into a medically induced coma for at least 2 days to see if he’d regain his full mental capacity. All because of a drink!”
‘I stood there holding my 3-month-old boy as she sent me pictures of the baby growing in her stomach. I was speechless. But deep down, I knew.’: Mom’s breathtaking journey adopting 2 newborn babies 4 months apart
“We got a phone call from this woman, and we talked for an hour. We built our relationship and became increasingly excited. However, she never got us official proof of pregnancy. People can fake ultrasounds and blood tests online all the time.”
‘You farted yet, love?’ After birth, I was asked constantly if I had passed gas. My answer was always no.’: Mom hilariously recalls what happened when nurse gave her ‘the sweetest liquid and two pills to get me going’
“Around 2-3 a.m. I was happily nursing my baby when my stomach started growling. There was a thunderstorm in my colon and it was going to be explosive…”
‘Gunner went out with friends Friday night. They came back and stayed up playing video games, like most 19-year-olds do. At some point, Gunner, and his friend, took a pill.’
“He has no history of drug use, has never been a ‘problem child’, was a star athlete, wonderful son and was extremely loved in his community. We don’t know why he decided to take ‘a pill’ that night. Both boys died immediately.”
‘The 7 digits and extension took my breath away.’: Mom caught off guard by number to NICU where her triplets fought for their lives
“As I stared at this phone number, my child said, ‘You can have it.’ What she didn’t know is that I already do have it. Tucked inside my wallet. That number is still stored in my phone, more than 5 years later.”
Gen Z Is Not Lazy, They’re Simply Facing Unprecedented Tuition Costs And Job Market Competition
“Quit pretending the situation is the same as when you went to college. It’s not.”
‘We were waiting in Christmas traffic. ‘Look over there. Something’s happening.’ Police cars were parked, lights spinning. ‘That doesn’t look good,’ I remarked. And then I saw them.’: Mom reflects on Christmas sadness
“A tall, muscular man in the center of the flashing chaos. His right arm wrapped around a beautiful, wide-eyed toddler. In the other hand he held a trash bag, stuffed with clothing. ‘Oh no,’ I murmured.”
‘At the top of my lungs I was screaming, ‘Please God, please don’t take him, I know you hear me, don’t take him!’ I looked down and saw his eyes rolling back in his head.’
“He was a Marine, tall, handsome, had every quality I dreamed of as a little girl in a husband. He was my ‘rock.’ Years went by, and we continued to drift apart emotionally. Then, our lives changed that day.”
‘It has to get worse before it gets better.’ Some parents never see ‘gets better.’ We almost didn’t. We almost lost our baby.’
“Helicopter moms – I never understood you… I get it now. We never thought it would happen to us.”
‘She is due in 9 days. You have been chosen by a birth mom. I threw up the entire day before this meeting.’: After infertility struggle family adopts baby girl
“Here I was standing in my own delivery room, holding my baby on my chest. As I looked down at my sweet baby girl’s face I thought, ‘You were worth it. You were worth it all.’”
‘I cleaned my house. A solid few hours. I did the tidying thing. The vacuuming thing. Heck, I even did the wiping the finger prints off of every surface thing.’
“Things looked good last night. Someone could ‘drop-in’ and I wouldn’t be ashamed. My house was cozy and my mind was calm. Man, does a clean house make my mind calm. But then the boys woke up in a needy mood.”
‘I received a text from my mother: ‘Can you come home after work please, I want to talk to you about the results of my CT scan.’ I raced home. My heart sank.’
“To this day, I thank God she was in that room. ‘There is no heart rate on the monitor,’ she said. We pressed the emergency button and the nurses and doctor came running in. The minutes that followed were very scary, very intense.”
‘After spending $13 on low brow tacos, my wife and I went Christmas shopping for our kids. This was our date for the month. This is parenthood. Sexy.’: Dad hilariously grapples with kids’ holiday wish lists
“Our son’s wish list added up to just over $5k. I’ve never wanted to make someone live on the streets until now. Play-doh was on everyone’s list. We won’t be getting any of it because I’d rather slam my head in a car door.”
‘We’ve been living with my parents for 3.5 years. I never imagined we’d move in with them, 2 months before the triplets were born.’: Woman’s ‘extreme gratitude’ for parents’ sacrifices for her family
“Bringing in a very pregnant daughter, son-in-law and triplets was a lot to ask, and we knew that. My dad said, ‘This is an opportunity for me to be there for my grand babies, the way I wasn’t able to be there for you.’ I cried.”
‘I remember this guy said I had a ‘tight rig.’ I never ate much, I glorified my thinness. I was valued. I was funny, I felt pretty.’
“I met a guy, we fell in love and wanted babies. 3 kids, 2 vaginals, 1 cesarean, postpartum depression, antidepressant weight gain, and life later, this is my rig. I hated it. I would say it was broken. It’s not the person I valued anymore.”
‘The morning of her adoption, as the sun crept into our room, I watched her sleep. I studied the curve of her lips, the fullness of her perfect cheeks. This is the moment everything changes.’
“The judge pulled me aside to thank me, one less little person in the system. There is a refreshing light-hearted joy in the courthouse. A day where balloons bounce and smiles are had. For a moment, the cycle of dysfunction is broken.”