“I braced myself for what I thought would be a skeptical, potentially offensive reaction from them. They were shocked and concerned, as I expected.”
‘In my day, they didn’t have all this autism and ADHD stuff.’ I wasn’t sure how they’d react to the news. It wasn’t something they grew up with.’: Mom to daughter with autism worries about ‘generational gap’ with grandparents, ‘You’re never too old to be educated’
‘Something wrong, dear?’ The price of a turkey was more expensive than she thought. She laid out her coupons, anxiously watching the numbers on the register climb.’: Man recalls Thanksgiving act of kindness
“She counted her money, paused, and let out a heavy sigh. She was $4.00 short. The manager lied, ‘Susan, did you not see the sales signs we put out today? Everyone who buys a fresh turkey gets a free pumpkin pie. Take that pie off her bill, please.'”
‘You will know heartache, the kind that takes your breath away. You’ll fail by spectacular measures. And your tribe? You’ll find it, and they will be far from what you expected.’: Mom shares words of wisdom for daughters
“Dear Girl, I wish I could tell you all of the answers. Every question mark you have in your heart, every silent vulnerability that you harbor and every fear quieted. But this is what I would tell you if you would only ask.”
‘I prayed for perspective because sometimes that’s the only way forward. I’m grateful to have these groceries.’: Woman urges small blessings are ‘something to celebrate’
“At checkout, I realized I’d misplaced my debit card, but no biggie! I also had my husband’s. Well, I used the wrong PIN, so the bank marked it as stolen, and our bank account froze. I cried and said some choice words. And that’s when it decided to storm.”
‘Do you want to go out for coffee?’ I texted the mother of my daughter’s bully.’: Mom urges ‘we don’t know what others are going through unless we listen’
“This mom, who I didn’t actually know, was having a really hard day — a really hard life, actually. For the first time, I shut my mouth and listened. Not every kid at school has what my daughter has at home.”
‘My parents had over 30 temporary placements and adopted 9 children. I struggled with my identity. I didn’t fit.’: Man thanks adoptive family, ‘I’m meant to do something important’
“He was sitting with my uncle. ‘We can give her a break and take care of him.’ Our home was chaos but in the best way.”
‘She said, ‘That isn’t going to look as good after 30 years and a baby.’: Woman responds to body shaming, ‘Tattoos are not for everyone, and that’s okay’
“My tattoos are for me, not you. Unfortunately, not everyone shares my opinions.”
‘I blurted out on the phone, ‘My little sister and brother have been taken to a foster home.’ My 11-year-old self ran to my bedroom, fighting back tears.’: Foster family realizes ‘we didn’t need all the answers’
“My 11-year-old self ran to my bedroom, fighting back tears. I didn’t know when I would see them again or even where they were. My husband blurted out, ‘We should look into that.’ ‘Into being foster parents?’ They were only 5 and 3 years old. They would be so scared. I wanted to be the nice foster mom.”
‘My son may not look at you all the time, but he absolutely sees you.’: Mom shares lessons from autistic son
“Rory, my nonverbal son with autism, doesn’t make eye contact. At times, he approaches other moms with hair like mine. Sometimes, he approaches other dads who are tall and thin like his dad. For a long time, I thought he didn’t really know who we all are.”
‘You may not be getting the best parts of kindergarten, but you’ll be getting the best parts of me.’: Kindergarten teacher shares touching letter to incoming students
“Instead of creating spaces to come together, I’m thinking of ways to keep us apart. I’m used to letting students know what the year ahead will be like, but this year not even the teacher knows what to expect. Kindergarten is coming and it feels nothing like it should.”
