“‘Let mama throw on some clothes and put makeup on.’ Some days, I embrace the chaos. I laugh it off. It’s fine. This was not one of those days. I felt the tears welling in my eyes. There I was, day 3 of dry shampoo, on my knees in my 6-year-old’s closet 10 minutes before we had to leave. My toddler sitting atop the kitchen table, spilling milk from his brother’s cereal while the dogs licked the sticky floor. The words came from the other side of my bedroom door. I stopped frantically searching for a bobby pin. I just stopped.”
‘I grabbed mascara to hide my puffy eyes. ‘But you’re pretty enough, mama.’ The words stopped everything.’: Mom reminds us it’s okay to ‘lower your standards every now and then’
‘He loved me for who I am, I want everyone to see exactly who I am! I will never be ashamed again.’: Woman with prosthetic leg learns to love herself after tragic loss of husband, ‘If you live with a disability, a malformation, a birthmark–DON’T feel like you need to hide it!’
“When I was about 23, I got my robot leg. I did wear dresses but I didn’t like to wear anything too tight on my butt because you can see the edge of the prosthetic. I hated it. I was so ashamed of showing that part of my body. The shamefulness slowly disappeared, this summer when I lost my husband in a motorcycle accident.”
‘Your to-do list is ambitious, but someone else needs you more. When those little eyes fill with tears, the dishes will always wait.’: Mom pens letter ‘to the parents who can’t get it all done’
“I bet you woke up with a list of things you needed to do today. I did, too. You had appointments to schedule, bills to pay, and yes, the bathrooms will get done today! But then a little hand reached for yours. Your breath caught in your throat as she looked straight back at you. Mine did, too. She is the best thing you’ve ever seen.”
‘I gained 13 pounds over Christmas break. That’s a big gain on my petite frame in 2 weeks.’: Mom realizes how her weight gain benefited her entire family, ‘I can assure you – I feel lighter’
“In 14 days, I went from weighing 142 pounds to 155 pounds. Noticeable to you? Probably not. Recognized by me? No doubt. You shouldn’t feel a damn ounce of guilt over it.”
‘Things will droop. Little people are watching. The physical features you once hated now define you. Embrace them.’: Mom shares candid lessons on ‘self-love’ learned in her 30s
“People will try to cheapen your self-love with promises of the perfect glow, hair color, or skin tone. Don’t chase the elusive rabbit. Aim for healthy, and you will land on confidence. Little people are now watching. Show them a woman doesn’t have to run herself into the ground to be loved. The woman inside only needs you to love her. No man will make her come alive.”
‘Look, she’s eating something!’ I hear the whisper. I feel the cold gnawing at the bottom of my stomach. I hate it and I love it.’: After 12 years battling anorexia, ED survivor learns to accept new plus-size body
“My brother makes me a sandwich when he sees I didn’t eat lunch. My bones poke up under my skin. ‘Please eat it,’ he begs. ‘You need to eat.’ It is so sweet of him, so I eat a few bites. But when he leaves, I give the rest to the dogs. They leave no evidence. Nothing in the trash for my dad to find when he empties it, nothing to clog the toilet. I have become clever in the ways of secret self-destruction.”
‘Why are you so loud, Nicole?’ a boy asked. ‘You can’t be fat AND loud.’ That moment set something off in me.’: Woman shares extreme weight loss journey, ‘The joy I’ve felt is indescribable!’
“The summer after I got clean, I was at an amusement park with friends. I recall waiting in line for rides and pleading with God, ‘Please, please let me fit.’ I even told the attendant, ‘You can push as hard as you can, I promise you won’t hurt me.’ As 3 people pushed down on the lap bar, I remember tears welling up in my eyes. I turned to my then boyfriend and said, ‘I need help. I’m going to eat myself to death.’ The straps didn’t fit. I couldn’t fit into a single ride.”
‘I received a call at work. ‘I saw your boyfriend with another woman.’ She was someone I knew, married, with kids of her own.’: Woman marries dream man after infidelity, separation, ‘He is proof everything happens for a reason!’
“She was someone who had been at family events and had been around my child. I had just run into her earlier that week. My heart sank. I was forced to move out of my home and become a single mom. After I finally stopped fighting for a life that was never meant to be, I met Ryan. The moment I got in his truck, I knew. ‘If you want to date me, you have to date my daughter.’ I was tough. I shared the good, the bad, and the ugly, but he choose to stay. Through it all, without a question, he chose me. And he chose my daughter, too.”
‘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 called him from a crackhouse. ‘I don’t know you very well, but if you don’t come for me, I’m going to die here.’: Woman overcomes lifelong battle with addiction, ‘I finally found how to love myself’
“I was invited to a party across the street. There were white rocks on the table. I asked, ‘What is that?’ They asked me if I wanted to try it. The second it went into my body, I was already addicted. In the middle of winter, I walked down the street with no shoes as blood ran down my legs. After ONE HIT, I went from start athlete to sticking needles in my arms in abandoned apartment buildings. I sold my body, my soul, and everything for the next one.”
