“I’ll never forget the moment the doctor gave us the results. ‘It doesn’t look good. His brain went too long without oxygen.’ I felt this strong sense of comfort come over my entire body. I knew without a doubt I’d be okay.”
‘I’m going to die young.’ Tears rolled down my face as I held his hand. That day, I became an 8-month pregnant widow.’: Woman re-marries after losing husband, ‘I had two happily ever afters’
‘No one will want a divorced, single mom of 3.’ I thought it was the end of me. He showed up day after day for my broken family.’: Mom shares powerful love story, ‘It was just the beginning’
“The woman my ex-husband had an affair with was engaged. That man showed up for us with groceries, moving boxes, ice cream. And he showed up with his very own broken heart. So I did what any reasonable girl would have done. I fell in love with him.”
‘I’m stuck at my parent’s with a baby I don’t deserve. My 19-year-old body was overwhelmed.’: Mom forgives herself for her past, embraces blended family
“‘I don’t deserve to mother him.’ Am I mom or a person? He was too perfect and I was too flawed. I had to forgive myself.’”
‘Are all these kids yours?’ Truthfully, I’m not the best stepmom. Sometimes I feel like an intruder in their home.’: Mom describes ‘rocky waters’ of blending families, ‘Love conquers all’
“We’ve dealt with two baby mamas, a pregnant teenager, and infertility. People think we’re crazy. ’Step’ means we don’t have to love each other but we still do.”
‘Do you remember your dad?’ She responded, ‘Which one?’ Our family dynamic changed completely.’: Widow shares ‘beautiful and complicated’ journey after loss
“It wasn’t just about our marriage. Our children gained a dad and siblings overnight. Blended. Forever.”
‘I want a divorce.’ My husband’s wedding band was sitting on the doorstep. I needed to escape the disaster that was my life.’: Single mom begins co-parenting journey after divorce, finds love again
“My ex-husband is a welcome guest in our home and one of my closest friends. Whenever I tell people this, I get a skeptical look followed by, ‘So how does your husband feel about it?’ It does get a little weird at times, like when I accidentally call them the wrong name.”
‘The doctor said, ‘I don’t like this, let’s do a C-section right away.’ I could hear them talking urgently, sucking noises, requests for tubes and oxygen — but no cry.’: Mom goes into preterm labor at 34 weeks, ‘Our family feels complete’
“No one said anything but there was some whispering and I was asked to start coming by every 2 hours. ‘Just to make sure,’ they said. There is nothing you can do except to trust the doctors but I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong and nobody wanted to tell me.”
‘We belong together, the three of us. We’re a perfect fit.’ With 6 combined kids, the stakes were high.’: Woman shares experience in polyamorous relationship, ‘Love doesn’t have limits’
“People began to talk and rumors were spreading. ‘You’d do anything to keep your man.’ It all seemed too big and scary. What was bigger and scarier was living without each other.”
‘Your dad would be so proud of you.’ He honors their father and tells them he loves them too.’: Widow details helping kids adjust to bonus dad, ‘It’s okay to love both’
“Dustin gave me a wedding ring, and he gave tokens to the children. ‘And with that, I promise you forever, too.’ Even though they are starting to call him dad, it doesn’t take away from their birth dad.”
‘I’m not cut out for this.’ The world crashed down on me, one backward diaper at a time.’: Woman gives candid account of stepmom journey, ‘It takes time to find your place’
“I met and fell in love with my dream guy. He was all the things I had hoped to find in a partner. But there was a catch. He came as a package deal! I had NO idea how to parent.”
