“For 20 years, I drank. I missed birthdays, sports, parent-teacher conferences. My kids never knew if they were getting the calm, sober mom or the angry-drunk mom. Guilt ate me alive and my sobriety turned me into a new person: the yes mom. Volunteer as a coach for my daughter’s softball team? Sure thing! Soccer team needs a manager? Oh, me, me. I’ll do it! I was in over my head. I thought this PTO gig would make it up to my kids, but I was DONE.”
‘Eff the PTO!’ I wanted to throw my computer against the wall. I was DONE. AA meetings? I stopped going altogether.’: Mom quits PTO to focus on sobriety, now works on ‘being present with kids’ instead of ‘giving too much’ to make up for ‘past failures’
‘Abby got annoyed with a little boy. She tried to stab him with her pencil. Yup, you heard right.’: Mom of special needs child was ‘mortified, in shock,’ but grateful her school was ‘supportive’ and ‘loves’ her daughter
“Abby has issues expressing herself at times, and when she is frustrated, she sees red and watch out to whoever is near her, because she will make it known that she is upset. We have been teaching her keep your hands to yourself, don’t hit, don’t hurt anyone – If you saw her, you’d think, she is tiny, adorable, she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Wrong.”
‘Yup, you have it too. Sorry, babe.’ NOT ME TOO! I was so grossed out. I was itchy. Why us?!’: Mom relives horror of 4 kids infesting home with lice, urges other parents to ‘admit’ when family has it
“We were standing at the bus stop when my daughter was scratching her head. Um, why is she scratching so much? I watched her for a minute, and could tell this was serious. Instant panic. LICE! My whole body went into hysteria. I had 4 thick, curly heads looming before me. Crap, what about my OWN head? Oh God. Tim… please… check… my… head… He parted my hair, examining it with his phone’s flashlight.”
‘I’m trying to make up for lost time with my wife, 3 children,’ he said. It broke my heart to hear him.’: Wife realizes husband has ‘been very busy’ putting family first, while ‘never falling behind’ in work
“It broke my heart. Here was the man who gave his family everything. Allowing me to stay home and raise our children. He’d wake up in the middle of the night to attend to them. Took time off when I was sick. Always has special daddy-daughter time. Let me sleep in and would do housework, so I didn’t have to worry. He is the most successful person I’ve ever met. My husband has been very busy.”
‘I cried after school drop off. It makes me question, ‘Did I do the right thing?’: Mom emotional because she realizes ‘we have to let them figure their battles out on their own’
“This morning was a battle. I worry. I worry because they are being picked on. It’s hard letting go, watching them hurt and struggle to find their way. We save our tears for the car, so they don’t doubt themselves.”
‘She knew something was wrong with her best friend. Her brother was now a quiet, sick little boy. He never wanted to play.’: Sister dotes on her once ‘lively, energetic’ little brother now suffering from childhood cancer
“My 4 year-year-old watched a dozen doctors throw a mask over his face while he laid there helplessly. She was by his side in the bathroom while he got sick. She stuck by him, always takes care of him. Vomiting between play sessions. Waking up to throw up. Standing by her brother’s side, rubbing his back while he gets sick.”
‘My student came into my room, put his head down on the desk, and started crying. He was DEVASTATED.’: Teacher surprises student with ‘care package’ after being bullied for making his own shirt
“When I told my students we’d be participating in college colors day, this particular child told me he wanted to wear a University of Tennessee shirt, but he didn’t have one. So, when the day finally arrived, he was SO EXCITED to show me the shirt he made. He took it one step further to make his own label. Unfortunately, some girls at the lunch table next to him made fun of the sign. So, I planned an extra special surprise.”
‘My daughter dressed herself. Tall polka-dotted socks, bike shorts and a glittery snowman long-sleeved shirt. It’s 85 degrees.’: Insecure mom tells daughter she looks ‘awesome’ despite being disappointed in herself
“I was proud of her, but disappointed in myself. I took her to preschool drop-off in her trendy threads, but I packed a change of clothes for afterwards because we have a PTO meeting at our son’s private school this evening.”
‘Children are so much more than test scores. My boy is NOT defined by the grade on his paper.’: Mom says ‘school is not of highest importance,’ more concerned with how son ‘treats others’
“I gave my 10-year-old a math test today. I watched him pour every bit of effort in his little body into that test. Then, with a deep breath, he handed it back. ‘It’s an 89.’ Immediately, his eyes filled with tears. He’d done his best and still came up short. I looked at him, then back at the paper. And then I ripped it in half. Children are so much more than test scores or a reading level. They’re so much more than the box we try to mold them into.”
‘When they flinch from the stapler dropping, it’s because they weren’t sure if you’re throwing it at them.’: Foster mom pens powerful note to teacher warning of her children’s trauma
“They come from a really, really hard place. The kind of abuse you think can’t be real. They duck for cover. You’ve heard of fight or flight? There is also freeze. One of my kids responds with ‘freeze.’ Her eyes grow wide and her voice silences. It’s how she’s trained herself to survive. My kids need to know you are safe.”
