“2020 has taught me some things I’m not sure I would have ever learned.”

2021—This Year I’m Making The Rules

‘She’s very vocal….’ A woman in Walmart made me cry over a comment she made about my toddler. The shame crashed down all over me.’: Mom feels guilt for misjudging stranger after noticing her comment about her daughter
“We get into the store and she continued to be her loud toddler self. I could see a woman glance over at my daughter and I a few times. I practically roll my eyes and make eye contact with the lady that had been glancing at us. ‘Crap!’, my brain screamed.”

‘I’m too scared to tell you because you’ll get mad.’ They’ve been cowering every time I ask, ‘what happened here?’ They’ve been lying!’: Mom implements ‘safe zone’ for kids after realizing she’s been bullying them for bad behavior
“I erupted like a volcano, spewing anger at her tiny 4-year-old body. I can hear the bully I am being. Then she matter-of-factly said, ‘I was too scared to ask you for a piece of paper so I colored on the table instead.’ The very first thing I said was, ‘thank you for telling me the truth.’ I noticed how mean I’ve been. I have realized I’m being unfair. I needed a change.”

‘Should I ask her to Photoshop this?’ OMG, my boobs are so saggy and look at my rolls!’: Woman vows to embrace herself in New Year, ‘This is life, this is real’
“This year I decided I’m only doing one resolution. No weight loss, no do better at organizing my house, no make my kids eat more vegetables. Only one resolution – accept that I am who I am and that is enough.”

‘I sank deep into my insecurities. Stop talking so much. Tone it down. You come off as too much. Don’t be so ‘you.’: Woman shares ‘miraculous’ changes in self-awareness and assurance
“I knew everything that was wrong with me. I didn’t need a list to point them out in black and white. I’d known since I was little. And I was over it. 35 years of that mess was enough. So, I deleted everything, and I started blank.”

‘This is not my year to run a marathon, drink 2 gallons of water a day, or make healthy, home-cooked meals. It is my year to survive.’: Mom shares candid goal for the new year
“This year, I’m laying it all down. I can’t. The truth is, I’m in the weeds. Some years aren’t meant to be record-breaking. Some years are meant to survive.”

‘I mentioned how different my hair felt. Her eyes widened as she touched my head. My thick blonde locks were noticeably thinner.’: Mom learns important lesson in not letting stress consume your life
“That day at the hair salon was pivotal. As I sat with foils covering my head, I knew I had to make some changes. For so many years I had put others before me, it was time to take control of my life.”

‘I grew up fat. I’d gotten down to eating only 1 orange a day. Then I got the phone call. My mother had died.’: Woman overcomes eating disorder, childhood trauma, ‘Cheers to a new year. And a new me. Everyone loves a good comeback, right?’
“My mother was an addict. My senior year of high school it got bad. One day she called me from rehab and told me to get out. I was 17 years old. I packed my bags and have been on my own ever since. My world spiraled out of control. I didn’t know how to cope. The only thing you can ever control in your life is what you put in your mouth. So, I went the opposite direction. I would see how long I could go without eating. I was sick. I knew what I was doing was wrong.”