“I stood in the checkout line. I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants. Perplexed by my behavior, my friends asked what was so funny about the headlines. I was officially obligated to explain.”
‘I picked up one of the magazines, ‘How to Save Your Marriage by Having an Open Marriage.’: Woman shares 7 reasons why ‘boring marriages are beautiful’
‘We did it. We went to the advertised ‘free, fresh, hot meals’ drive-thru at a local church. She said, ‘I’m so glad you came!”: Single mom recounts ‘act of service’ from local church
“She asked how many meals we needed, and I stated there were five of us. Then added, ‘These meals aren’t much, but they are warm and I hope it helps.’ I couldn’t even make it out of the parking lot. I pulled into an empty stall—tears suddenly streaming down my face.”
‘They found cancer in her blood.’ The wind was knocked out of me. I bawled like a baby.’: Single dad says 2-year-old battling cancer ‘gives me the strength to go on’
“The news came one night when I was teaching a zoom class. I remember holding onto her so tightly, weeping. I had a choice to make. Would I choose to carry the legacy of my late wife or give up?”
‘Frankly, I was about to pull a Jesus at the Marketplace and send tables flying. Parents, we have to LOWER OUR STANDARDS.’: Mom shares act of ‘grace’ while out with family, urges ‘pay it forward’
“‘Great idea, hon. Let him eat on the filthy restaurant floor!’ A woman at the table behind us turned around in her seat. She was definitely preparing to make some commentary, and my stomach dropped a little. But then she smiled.”
‘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.”
‘You’re not my mom!’ Ouch. Remember, you are not her first choice, but she wouldn’t rather have anyone else.’: Stepmom details the joys and struggles of ‘selfless’ co-parenting
“They’re not yours. You aren’t their REAL mom. You watch decisions made you have no control over, even when you love them as your own.”
‘A week from now marks 5 years since I married the father of my children, and the first wedding anniversary we are no longer a couple.’: Mom peacefully coparents with ex-husband, ‘I wish him everything good and more’
“I will acknowledge it as the day I married a man who is no longer my love, but who will always be in my life. And I will celebrate the 3 children we share. Till death do us part still stands, only in another form.”
‘Why can’t Dad stay with us AND you?’ We’re learning to parent together, now that we aren’t together.’: Ex-couple ‘peacefully’ co-parent, ‘Two happy homes are better than one sad one’
“For years, I questioned if I should stay or go. The first few weeks of ‘sharing’ my kids were awful. I couldn’t sleep. I cried excessively. I felt guilty. But it is so, so worth it. Two happy homes are better than one sad one.”
‘My husband threw his cuff links across the room and said, ‘I want an annulment.’ I spent the first night as his wife alone on a hard hotel couch.’: Ex-couple join forces to co-parent after divorce
“Weeks from our wedding I was told, ‘You have cancer.’ He arrived at the hospital reeking of perfume. ‘I found someone. I’m in love. She’s pregnant.’ He left our fairytale for the woman I sat next to at his company dinner. She’d just rubbed my pregnant belly.”
‘Is my baby okay?’ The doctor said, ‘Ma’am, you mean to tell me no one from your family contacted you yet?’ Everything went silent.’: Mom shares plea after son’s drowning
“His dad took him to his car. I waved bye-bye and said, ‘Mommy loves you so much.’ That was the last time I held, saw, and kissed my one-year old son.”
