“The purpose of me writing this piece is about people constantly feeling the need to make unwelcome comments and scrutinizing women’s bodies in particular.”
Why My Reproductive Health Is None Of Your Business
‘When she dies you’ll search for her, no matter how long she’s been gone. When you are walking down the aisle, when your baby is born and when the holidays come around, you’ll search the room for her.’: Woman reflects on the holidays after losing her Mom
“Then one day you won’t have to search any longer, because you’ll find her.”
‘I open up a box of tampons and they all come falling out. My son asks, ‘what’s that?’ I say, ‘they’re baby mice!’ ‘Aww cute!,’ he said, while I’m internally laughing.’: Woman’s son hilariously embarrasses her at doctor
“My son starts saying cute things at the doctor. He looks her in the eyes and says, ‘My mommy puts baby mice in her bum bum.’ The doctor looks horrified and says, ‘pardon?'”
‘He was 6 months old and only 9 pounds. I am a living nightmare. They knew it was all a tremendous f*ck up. They knew he was like this because of them.’
“I got the call around 3:30 a.m. I spent 9 months preparing for that call. 9 months worth of nights obsessively checking the volume on the phone, making sure it was charged, that it was close by, that I hadn’t somehow missed any calls. Well I got my call. Loud and clear.”
‘We brought our newborn home from the hospital and she was showered with attention and gifts. When we brought our 1-year old foster son home, he was not.’
“People did not come banging on the door to see him and hold him for the first time. People did not ‘Oooh and Ahhh’ over him. When we first told family we were adopting, we were greeted with….’That’s scary!’ ‘Are you sure?'”
‘You wouldn’t have lost weight at the holocaust.’ I had things like ‘fatty’ and ‘ugly hippo’ scrawled across every school book page. I felt like dying. I felt like giving up.’
“I was shoved down the stairs by a drunk guy at a party. ‘You are going too slow,’ he said as he pushed me. Once again, visuals of high school flooded my head, and I started to feel myself giving up.”
‘He didn’t want what he’d been given. He would hardly even look at it. He wanted the gift presented to somebody else.’: Mom says the world would be better if we stopped wishing for others’ gifts
“He didn’t want to trade. Punches were thrown. Timeouts were given. But I get it. I totally get it.”
‘I did something horrible. I broke all my rules. I told my son not to eat too much crap or he will get fat.’
“I can’t believe I said it. The words rolled out of my mouth and I immediately regretted it.”
‘Babe there’s no way I’m going to survive this. Fire surrounds us, transformers are blowing up and the winds are fierce.’: Hero nurse recalls saving patients during town fire
“It only seemed like seconds when we heard the ambulance in front of us was on fire.”
My Husband Drank An Energy Drink, And Died From Cardiac Arrest
“I woke up to hear him gasping. ‘Is this actually happening?’ My husband was only 41 years old and very healthy. He had just passed his physical a month prior with flying colors.”
‘All of a sudden, I hear the doctor say, ‘She’s bleeding out!’ My baby is stripped from my chest. I knew if I freaked out, I would just lose blood faster. I can see the fear in my husband’s eyes.’: Mom describes traumatic birth
“I remember thinking, ‘This is how I’m going to go… But I don’t want Bobby to have to be a single father!’ Little did I know he was thinking the same thing.”
‘But Daddy never messes up,’ my son added. ‘Yes, I know, little one, he was one of those who was born perfect.’
‘I want you to mess up. I want you to get distracted by your phone at story time. I want for you to fight in front of your kids. I want you to leave your power-sliding van door open. I want you to yell.”
‘Realizing I was gay gave me feelings I was trying to numb. I felt like I was doing something wrong and if people found out, I wouldn’t be loved. I spent 15 years in a downward spiral.’
“I hated drugs, but I also couldn’t be away from them. My family had no idea what to do. You name it, they tried it in hopes of getting their son back – but it got a lot worse before it got better.”
No Matter How Much Time Passes, I Will Forever Grieve My Mom
“No matter how long you’ve known that final goodbye was coming, you’ll never be ready.”
Loving The Girl Who Lost Her Father Isn’t A Role For The Faint Of Heart
“You adore a woman who will forever be a little girl who lost her daddy. The very first man who loved her is no longer hers to have.”
‘Men with dad-bods make better husbands. Muscly, hard men are not comfortable. Mr. dad-bod is comfy as hell! He got so much cushion you’ll think you’re riding in a Bentley.’
“The guy at the gym eating his lean diet has plenty of time. With those abs and big arms, I bet he is just waiting to slide into the DM’s of some Instachick. Well, not ‘ole chubby-guts!”
‘What do you do with all the ‘stuff?’ It’s gut-wrenching for parents who lost a child. The dreams of a baby in the nursery are no longer viable, and now you are left with ‘stuff.’
“Our nursery sat untouched. I couldn’t open the door. There was no need for 3 burping pillows. But, there was one box that sat in our basement for nearly 2 years. I held my breath as I opened that final storage box.”
‘My father had an operation. The tall, strong man was shaking uncontrollably. The tubes made him appear unhuman. But he was my dad, and I was drowning.’
“I got a phone call. It was late. I was advised to get on a plane. Dad would not make it through the night. While holding onto his hand, I tried to talk to him, but I could not. All the things I hadn’t said. All the things I hadn’t told him.”
‘He thought he lost his wedding ring. We went back in, couldn’t find it. I asked him again where he thinks he lost it. ‘I don’t know. I just heard it hit the ground.’
“He was confused. He was tired. I couldn’t even be upset. ‘We will find it. It’s ok.’ My heart said we would. My brain knew we wouldn’t. Right then, I accepted he was going to die, and he was going to do that without his ring.”
‘Some of the bravest warriors I know aren’t the ones in uniforms, they are the ones left behind on the home front. Yes, I’m talking about you, military spouse.’: Wife pens appreciation letter to veteran husband
“I see you, military wife/husband. I see you standing quietly by their side as praise is given for their service.”
‘He was her strength, her protector, her everything – until he wasn’t. Nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared us for the affect it would have on Dad.’
“He started calling at 4 a.m. He was extremely agitated. Panicked. He told us we have to come get him – NOW! The father we know and love is almost unrecognizable to either of us.”
‘Marriage 3. I asked him why he treats me the way he does. He said, ‘Maybe because I like it and I thought you wouldn’t leave.’: Woman recounts her four marriages, ‘Love comes in many forms’
“We got married. We adopted a baby girl, and a year after that, had a baby girl. Life was wonderful for 2 years. Then things changed.”
‘It’s time! NOW!’ Everything was a blur. My mind racing, I was carrying someone else’s dreams.’: Surrogate delivers woman’s child after meeting couple that ‘felt like fate’
“I was pushing while nurses were rushing to break down the bed, my husband and a soon-to-be dad on each side, and a soon-to-be mom gloving up to help deliver HER baby. I had the happiest, most uncontrollable tears.”
‘I broke. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know the bad days would be like THIS.’
“I didn’t eat. Didn’t drink. A day where taking a moment completely set someone into a rage.”
‘I play out the details of that final weekend in my head. Struck by how quickly it was all over. Just like that, she was gone. Gone forever.’
“It intensifies on November 8th. That is the day my soulmate came home for Veterans Day weekend. It was a Thursday evening, as it is this year. She kissed me goodbye, then my life was turned upside down.”