“I’m not raising heartbreakers. I’m raising sons who care for the hearts of others AND who tune into the frequency of their own heart. Our boys need more options than the stock characters of Boring Nice Guy and Hot Heartbreaker. Masculinity can come from the heart.”
‘I know they’re super cute, but please don’t call my sons ‘heartbreakers.’: Boy mom says ‘let’s raise men who move through the world with their hearts forward’
‘A nurse looked me in the eye. ‘It’s not your fault.’ A needle dug into my arm while I fought the oxygen mask over my face.’: Woman comes back to life after dying in child birth, ‘The odds were stacked against me’
“The nurses wheeled me into the cold, brightly lit room. Panic set in as I drifted to sleep. I never got to meet my son on his birthday. Never got to be the first to look into his eyes. I went into full cardiac arrest. After 58 minutes of intense efforts to shock my heart into beating again, I was placed on life support. The day David became a dad was also the day he was faced with losing his wife. I awoke days later surrounded by tubes, wires, beeping machines, and a picture of our baby. ‘Did it not go well?’ I struggled to get the words out.”
‘He doesn’t mind me in the dirtiest pair of leggings or the most pristine outfit I own. He’s just there, always, ready.’: Mom of 3 reminds busy parents that ‘perfection isn’t the goal. Love is.’
“I will always remember these mornings, starting with the doorway being bombarded by a handful of babies ready to snuggle up in our bed. When the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the house amidst the chaos of sticky, syrupy pancake hugs, and toy-take-away battles. Trying to zip jackets, change diapers, and chase down the toddler who took his pants off again.”
‘I had plans to graduate. We’d both just gotten good jobs. Why was this happening to us NOW?’: Young mom says age doesn’t matter, ‘We will always be exactly where we need to be’
“My life as I knew it came to a screeching halt at the sight of a little pink plus sign. When I became pregnant at 21, I felt like the world was ending. Society ruined this for us. We were so convinced we had to follow this schedule of ‘happenings.’ I was robbed of the blissful success in conceiving.”
‘I feel a little nervous.’ Hours later, I got a text from his brother. ‘Mel, I’m so sorry. Scott didn’t make it.’ Huh? My husband is dead in Idaho?’: Woman loses husband to ‘perfect storm’ of complications from tonsillectomy for sleep apnea
“Scott had scheduled surgery to get his tonsils out and his septum straightened out to help get rid of the sleep apnea. He stood up with glazed eyes and said, ‘I feel a little nervous.’ ‘Do you think you’re going to die?’ I thought I was so funny. The last text I sent him that night was, ‘Love you, hope tomorrow is a better day!’ I got a text from his brother. Apparently, my husband is dead in Idaho? This wasn’t real.”
‘Stop settling for half ass men. You deserved to feel loved, momma.’: Mom urges parenthood is teamwork, ‘the right man will help out in all the ways you need’
“I see your posts, momma. ‘I never get to sleep in, but my man always does.’ ‘I’m so tired of never having help.’ ‘I wish I could be as carefree as my husband.’ The right man will step up and do whatever needs to be done to help out his family. You shouldn’t have to beg.”
‘Donald, will you wash my hair?’ I sunk into the tub, defeated. He heard my desperate plea through the bathroom door.’: Woman urges ‘ask your spouses for help’ after husband’s act of kindness
“You know those kinds of days where everything that can go wrong does? Yesterday was that day. I’d gotten no sleep before the littles began stirring. The rest of the day was a blur of school lessons, cleaning, runs to multiple stores for ONE thing. Supper was a complete FAIL. I needed to wash my hair because, let’s face it, one can only use dry shampoo for so long, but I hadn’t any energy to muster for that daunting task. Then a thought silently crept across my mind: ‘Ask Donald.’ I had to lay my pride aside.”
‘Mom! That’s not a book!’ She looked confused. I stared for half a second before dying laughing.’: Woman shares fond Christmas memory of late mother, ‘this season has enough heartache’
“One year, I made a wish list of a few things I wanted, one of which I never received for Christmas. I didn’t ask about it though, because that’s ungrateful. But my mom brought it up. After all the hullabaloo was over, she came over and hugged me.”
‘A man who sits in the trenches with you and never leaves. I’d like to see that on a Tinder profile.’: Woman pens appreciation letter to husband who ‘never gave up hope’
“Dating young, we look for someone we’re sexually attracted to. A good sense of humor. Similar interests. 20-somethings don’t think about 15 years down the line. Babies, stress, snoring, weight gain, money struggles. A partner who wipes boogers, slathers butt cream on a rash. A man who puts gas in my car without even telling me and looks at my ingrown hairs and hemorrhoids. You wouldn’t find any of these ‘traits’ on a dating profile. But they will matter eventually. Trust me.”
‘When you marry a nurse, you marry their job. She gives 100% day in and day out.’: Man writes sweet tribute to nurse wife, ‘this is her calling’
“As my nurse sleeps, I quietly clean the house, do the dishes, prepare meals, do laundry. When she’s leaving, she has a clean home, clean scrubs, somewhat sane children, and a meal ready to go. 5 hours after her shift should’ve ended, she calls. I let her talk, I let her vent. She just wants to stay awake. I let her know she’s an amazing mother, nurse, wife. It’s the little things that matter. They all count.”
