“I spent all my days doing homework, soaking bottles, or hurrying to wash clothes before the spit-up soured. I forgot how to be more than just a mother.”
‘Some nights, we just fold laundry together.’: Mom talks balancing marriage and kids, ‘Take time for ALL the things you love’
‘I think we better meet. He’s not going to stop until we do.’ All I could say was, ‘I’m going to call you back.’: Woman recounts unexpected relationship journey
“I called my best friend and said, ‘Listen, this weirdo is coming over to my house. I need you to stay on the phone. About that time, a baby-blue Cadillac pulled up in front of my house. ‘I’m going to have to call you back.’”
‘I knew about birth control. I told myself, ‘It won’t happen again.’ I was 17 years old and pregnant.’: Woman shares teen pregnancy journey with high school sweetheart
“I was skipping class to go to a free clinic to take a pregnancy test. I was 17 years old and pregnant. I easily could have applied for state aid. We knew we were going to prove them wrong.”
‘My husband and I sleep in separate rooms. For 11 years, he’s been downstairs while I’m all the way up in my private mom-cave.’: Woman urges ‘every couple is different, do your thang!’
“I get the ‘ohhhhhhh’ look. Like my marriage is one step away from separate houses and eventually separate lives. ‘But what about cuddling? What about SEX?’ they ask. I feel like this is something I needed to get off my chest.”
‘I’d get married at Taco Bell and wear a piece of string around my finger if it meant spending the rest of my life with the person I adore.’: After abusive relationship, woman says marriage isn’t about material possessions.
“I had it all — the cars, the house, the material things. When I got married, I ignored all of the glaring red flags and thought maybe he would change. The truth of the matter was he was not the right person for me. I had no idea how to get out. I felt stuck. What would I do if I left? It took me a while to realize my happiness was worth so much more than any financial security or material comfort.”
‘I look around and mothers are wilting. Marriages are filled with resentment, longing. Moments with our children are hurried and empty.’: Woman explains mental health through gardening
“My husband is a man with a need to accomplish a list. You can throw all the yoga, hot tea, sex, and time together you can dream up his way, but if he’s not daily accomplishing something on that list, he will feel stagnant and unfulfilled. Me? I probably had a list, but I lost it somewhere.”
‘I got in my car and drove away from my family. I didn’t know where I was going, but I wanted to go far away, for good.’: Mom feels ‘guilty’ the things she’s ‘always wanted’ bring her ‘the most heartache’
“I walked past the TV playing Mickey Mouse, the mess on the floor, my husband sitting silently on the couch. I started driving and I wasn’t sure where. I just walked out the door and left. Because I have a husband and healthy kids, I’m supposed to ‘enjoy every second’ even when I’m slipping. So, I suck it up because there’s real people going through real things.”
‘My sister’s back in town, newly divorced. You should give her a call.’ I heard a knock. He looked up and smiled. I thought, ‘One day, I’ll marry this man.’ I didn’t tell him. Why ruin the moment?’
“A friend asked, ‘What has kept you married for 42 years?’ The last 5 decades have gone by in the blink of any eye. I could see by the look in my husband’s eyes what his answer would be.”
Marriage Isn’t About Your Happiness
“If you’re getting married with your own happiness as your main goal, you will be disappointed in a severe way.”
