“Abandoned in utero, the concept of a father is very sadly not part of her world. The choice for life to be this way was not mine nor hers. But she is loved beyond words.”
‘My 3-year-old’s teacher said, ‘Next week we’re working on F-A-T-H-E-R-S (yes, she spelled it out) day projects. What do you want me to do with her?’: Single mom pens open letter to co-parents
‘My daughter saw her father strangle me when she was 2. Now she sees her mom being loved.’: Blended family create ‘happy and healthy home’ after narcissistic abuse
“Divorce is sad, but what’s worse is a little girl growing up thinking it’s normal for her spouse to put their hands on her because it’s ‘what Daddy did to Mommy.’ Now, they see love.”
‘You knew he had a child. What did you expect?’ It was an emotional battlefield.’: Stepmom urges others ‘I promise it’s so worth it’
“Every inch of this home made me cringe. I couldn’t even enjoy a coffee on the front porch without thoughts of my husband sitting on the porch with his ex-wife. Every handle I touched, every doorknob I turned, I couldn’t escape the past.”
‘I woke up to a burning sensation on my feet. I ripped the blankets off to find them charred and melted.’: Woman battling unexplained seizures thanks art for saving her life
“In a second, it all changed. I ran to the bathroom screaming with my hands over my mouth. I jumped in the tub, turned the cold water on. It felt like acid. The pain was like nothing on this earth. Soon, my left foot started to rot. I was a true zombie. I had no clue who my family was, I didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror.”
‘I found Aaron chugging a beer like his life depended on it. I left the room sick to my stomach.’: Wife of recovering addict says ‘shame has NO place here’
“I walked in and there was Aaron, sitting quietly with a 6-pack. ‘He’s only had a couple,’ I told myself. I said a silent prayer.”
‘I said goodbye to my kids at drop off, with a plan in place to be executed that afternoon.’: Mom of two celebrates 2 years sobriety, finds love
“To the outside, I was this happy-go-lucky, life of the party with no worries. I’d wake up with an empty bottle of wine next to my bed and no recollection of drinking it because I took an Ambien. I’d go to bed every night, begging to not wake up the next morning.”
‘You’re better off with someone younger,’ I joked, certain he’d wake up one day, realize how old I am, and run as fast as he can.’: Divorcee shares powerful love story, ‘Time is just a number’
“‘Forties is IT! Who wants an old woman like me?’ Then I met a younger man. A man who didn’t care about my age at all.”
‘Will you walk me down the aisle?’ It was SURREAL to see them together.’: Woman regains relationship with estranged father, ‘I needed to heal’
“My dad told me, ‘I tried to bring you a birthday cake EVERY YEAR.’ I decided I didn’t want to miss any more time without him.”
‘Be more patient with him when he cries.’: Mom shares trials of co-parenting, ‘Love them enough to let go sometimes’
“I wish she understood, ‘It’s important to watch him sleep, even if it means staying up a few minutes more.’ I wish I hugged her, because the empty space she felt when he was gone would soon be regularly vacant.”
‘She’s just my stepmom.’ I wasn’t on the daycare list. To this day, I’m left off emails because I’m not a ‘primary’ parent.’: Woman navigates blended family life, ‘I’m more than JUST a stepmom’
“I may not be the primary parent but I do pick-ups, drop-offs, school plays, birthday parties. I go to her sporting events. I do homework. I get her hair cut and her nails done. My resume is impeccable.”
