“But your children, they grow right before your eyes. Their tiny voices change overnight. Their giggles and tears start and end with you…until they don’t. Everything else can wait. Parenting is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
‘Your to-do list will keep growing. The emails will continue to flood in. The texts will sit unanswered.’: Mom urges ‘everything else can wait, you only get one chance to raise your kids’
‘I don’t deserve it.’ That hate you have towards yourself? The harm you directly cause yourself? That’s on you.’: Woman talks ‘world of difference’ gratitude has made
“People will NOT feel sorry for you if you CHOOSE to beat yourself up.”
Self-Care Isn’t As Easy As A Bubble Bath Or Glass Of Wine
“It’s investing in your startup business no one knows about. It’s no longer waiting for a socially distant invite from that popular mom group. It’s declining a dinner invitation because, no, you can’t afford it this month. It’s working hard every day, even when you might not see immediate results.”
‘Thank you, sis, for checking in even when I don’t always check on you back.’: Mom to son with autism says ‘check on your special needs family or friend, they may not know they need it’
“I whined about my stresses over the phone. I cried about how hard life is with a special needs child. I must have sounded so self-absorbed. And then you said, ‘I can’t relate at all, but you’re doing amazing. Don’t feel bad for venting, ever.’ Instantly, my anxiety washed away.”
‘You’re too intense.’ My heart beat out of my chest; there wasn’t enough air. I became addicted to the relief of self-harm.’: Young woman diagnosed with OCD after years, ‘I learned so much about myself’
“Someone honked their horn. Was I just involved in a hit-and-run and didn’t even know? I had hallucinations of objects flashing before me.”
‘His arms and legs, are they there?’ I couldn’t look at his picture.’: Mom says son with limb differences is ‘exactly who he is supposed to be’
“Friends would talk about how cute he was going to be. It was painful to hear family talk about his height or what sports he’d play. I knew there was a possibility we weren’t going to experience it.”
‘I guess you’re wondering about the results.’ It was like lightbulb after lightbulb going off.’: After diagnosis, woman advocates for autism in girls, ‘Representation matters’
“I’ve felt different my whole life. By high school, I was beginning to figure out I was queer. I’d assumed that was the thing ‘different’ about me. That’s not what happened. I was different at my core.”
‘The phone rang. ‘Hello, Police Service. We’re on the side of the Broadway Bridge. I’m sorry. We answered because it said ‘Mom.’: Mom loses 15-year-old to suicide; ‘I choose to honor Ethan’
“He told me, ‘I started seeing the counselor when dad was being really mean to me about football.’ The more time Ethan spent with his father, the more my role became to be there to pick up the pieces. He confessed, ‘I thought about killing myself.’”
‘Go the F– to sleep! You ruined my life!’ I cried and clenched my fists. Nothing I did helped.’: Mom shares candid reality of Postpartum Depression, ‘You can come out a warrior’
“He would stay awake all day long and barely sleep at night. ‘You’re so annoying, I wish I never had you!’ When I realized what I’d just said to my sweet baby, I knew something was really wrong. I wasn’t myself.”
‘I felt sharp, throbbing pains on my ovaries. I was told this was ‘common’ in women. My body completely changed. I was terrified.’: Woman with PCOS details mental health journey, ‘I knew I had to take this seriously’
“As I continued to take deep breaths in and out with my eyes closed, I could feel the needle jiggle. I was terrified. The ‘why me’ took a toll on me emotionally. I was raising my daughter all alone with no financial help. I knew I had to be strong.”
