“I’m not homeschooling. The younger two have their packets and are completing them when they feel like it. We aren’t getting up super early, and we’ve watched more TV then we probably should. Because the truth is, this situation is the pits. Pretty much anything goes about now.”
‘This may come as a surprise…but we aren’t on a routine. My house is not a school. My children do work when they feel like it.’: Mom gives herself ‘grace’ during quarantine, ‘I don’t feel bad about it’
‘I’m either a rockstar mom with lunches packed, clothes laid out, and baths by 7 p.m. or I’m in complete survival mode.’: Mom admits ‘every day is not a fairytale’
“Some days I’m totally present with my little man. I’ve grocery shopped WITH my toddler and not one fit was thrown. I’m caught up on housework and we wind down with bedtime stories. I feel confident. I think for a split second I have motherhood figured out. Then the next day comes, and I survive by the seat of my pants.”
‘Mama, you’re home to me. Will you hold me just a little longer? There’s nowhere I sleep better than in your arms.’: Mom pens touching letter from perspective of newborn
“Mama, I can see you’re tired. Sometimes I feel a tear fall on my head while you gently rock me. I can hear your heartbeat again and I move along with your breathing. You feel so soft, so familiar. I will learn soon, mama. You’re the best place to be.”
‘Why are you flying with such a young infant?’ He grinned, then walked away. My wife and I exchanged curious looks.’: Flight attendants pay it forward for adoptive couple after 9-year battle with infertility
“About mid-flight, our daughter awoke and politely informed us she wanted a new diaper. 10 minutes later, another attendant, Bobby, greeted us and inquired about our daughter. We thought nothing of it. Then, we heard the intercom announce a special guest on the flight. The entire cabin erupted in cheers and applause.”
‘You cannot push a jogging stroller to the gate.’ I immediately laughed. ‘Excuse me, what? This holds the car seat my baby sits in.’: Mom shares plea for infant-friendly airline policies
“I honestly thought she was joking. I’d flown 50 times and had zero issues. She got snippy from the get-go. ‘No strollers over 20 pounds allowed at the gate.’ I replied, ‘Weigh it then.’ I was ready to make her look like a fool. There’s no way it was that heavy. I loaded that thing up onto the scale. I stood there, dumbfounded.”
‘What could your excuse possibly be, Dad? You’ve known about the dance for weeks!’: Single father says dads aren’t ‘showing up’ enough, ‘I am doing all I can to cherish her’
“Saying ‘I love you’ when they are going to bed is not nearly enough. You can’t be over-present. They want our time. Our warmth. Our interest in their lives. There are many fathers who aren’t engaged enough (or at all) with their daughters. That crushes me. This is one of life’s most honorable privileges.”
‘I’ve ghosted men, cancelled dates, and backed out of becoming official because it didn’t feel right. I’m done apologizing.’: Single mom says ‘settling is something I’ll never do again’
“A relationship might look more stable, but I don’t need to be in one to be happier or feel more loved. My heart is full enough with what I have.”
‘You tried to distract your boy from ‘bugging’ me on the flight, but then you turned around. Your face lit up!’: Mom to sons with down syndrome shares touching moment with stranger on flight
“I would never hand one of my kids off to a complete stranger. But you weren’t a stranger. Despite never knowing you. Despite your broken English and my zero ability to speak Spanish. For over half an hour, I watched as you sang to him, snuggled him, and loved on him. As I watched your son, my heart soared as I saw my future. And I know as you looked into the almond eyes of my boys, you saw your past.”
‘Yes, you are my second child, but my love for you is second to none. You’ve made me the mama I am proud to be.’: Mom shares touching ode to baby #2, ‘I’d move mountains for you in seconds’
“I’ll admit, I wasn’t up every second checking your breathing. Yes, your clothes might be second hand, and the milestone photos aren’t as planned out. My soft sing-song voice is usually interrupted by a crash somewhere and more yelling. I often catch myself saying, ‘Hold on a second,’ ‘Wait a second.’ But this doesn’t mean you come second.”
‘It goes by so fast, but a mama always thinks she has more time.’: Mom encourages us to cherish every moment, ‘They grow in the blink of an eye’
“She holds back tears as she looks at the disassembled crib leaning against the wall. She sits in the audience with a tissue in her hands, and the proudest smile on her face. She sees that baby up on stage in a cap and gown, and she wonders where the time went. Her heart beats with a mixture of pride and pain.”
