“I met his eyes and told him nicely, ‘He doesn’t need help, he needs time to problem solve. Why don’t you go around us? We may take a minute and I don’t want to hold you up.’ He mumbled something, obviously annoyed that I didn’t just hoist the kid down myself. I was standing there to guard against danger.”
‘Here buddy, I can help you down.’ The man I’d tried to wave around us couldn’t hold it in any longer. He was obviously annoyed.’: Mom urges importance of teaching kids lessons by letting them do things on their own
‘I chose to wear headphones. I didn’t want to hear or see Lily, afraid she would die. I kept my eyes affixed on my husband.’: Parents who lost twin daughter navigate marriage through tragedy, ‘We weren’t remotely prepared for what lay ahead’
“My husband encouraged me to look at my 1-pound daughter. If Lily died, we agreed to sell all our belongings and move to a beach in Hawaii, disappearing until we felt strong enough to return – but Pat knew Lily was strong enough to survive. I had intense, terrifying thoughts. This is not what we anticipated when we took our vows, but we faced each day together. We’ve come so far from stupid teenagers breaking curfew for 5 more minutes together, but if they could look ahead, I know they’d be pretty damn proud of us, too.”
‘I was at your house earlier getting my car seat and I just can’t believe how messy your house is! I don’t know how you all live like that!’: Working mom gets receives criticism on her ‘messy house’ at worst possible moment
“I’m overwhelmed. I don’t have time to clean the house to perfection every day. My phone dings. It’s my mother.”
‘I feel off. It could be minor. I don’t know. I just know something is off.’ My friend diagnosed me with perimenopause. ‘That’s not what I’m dealing with.’: Woman anxiously awaits results over holidays to see if cancer has returned, ‘We don’t want to worry our kids’
“Christmas feels different this year. I’m having a really hard time getting into the holiday spirit. Hours after getting my pelvic ultrasound done, my phone rang.You never want to hear words like complex, stat, and concern from your doctor. I decided to not tell a soul. I thought I was being brave. I thought I was saving others from getting all worked up. I thought I was being selfless. Ryan and I have been talking about when to tell our kids, or if we even should.”
‘My husband and I, who have become more co-parents than partners, barely spoke as I made an elaborate meal that my children never ate.’: Woman ‘determined to do things differently’ this holiday season
“Marital problems, mental health issues, bankruptcy, miscarriage, family discord—they don’t just disappear because it’s December 25th.”
‘Are you SURE you can afford that?’ My jaw dropped! Oh. No. She. Didn’t.’: Woman’s plea for kindness during holiday season after ‘real-life Pretty Woman’ moment
“Y’all. As if the Christmas season is not already stressful enough…I was minding my business, heading into the store to buy the watch my husband wants, dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt. I wasn’t aware of any ‘mall dress code.’ The salesperson came over. ‘Can I help you?’ I told her what I was looking for. She looked back at me, totally aghast. ‘Are you SURE? You will be caught stealing, you know?’ My jaw dropped.”
‘I would NEVER drug my child.’ I was appalled. ‘Too much for me?!,’ I exclaimed. It was a nightmare that broke me.’: Foster mom’s children are removed after son gets into medication, ‘It felt like battle’
“My son climbed onto the counter and got into some medication. This launched an investigation of abuse on me. The state caseworkers were trying to prove I purposely overdosed my son because he was ‘just too much for me.’ ‘Too much for me?!,’ I exclaimed, ‘These kids are everything to me.’ They replied, ‘We believe you’re too stressed from a recent divorce. We need to make sure you are safe for your children.’ I felt the fire consume me. It was all so much.”
‘You didn’t pay your bill for 3 months.’ No need to rub it in, electric company lady. ‘I have a baby up in here!’ I lied.’: Widow hilariously recalls why she forgot to pay the electric bill, lies to cover her tracks
“The lights went off. I was sure I’d see the whole neighborhood dark – it couldn’t just be MY house. I had a $1,500 credit on my electric bill after my husband died. I saw my neighbor’s Christmas display up and running, complete with a tiny robotic carolers singing, ‘Joy to the World,’ while my blow-up Santa lay lifeless in the front yard. ‘Can you just send the technician back?’ She was NOT having it.”
‘Stay with us,’ they kept telling me. All I wanted was to close my eyes. The next many moments were a blur.’: Woman overcomes addiction, finds faith, ‘I’m so thankful drugs didn’t take over the precious life that awaited me’
“My mom covered her mouth and ran out of the room with tears in her eyes as my brother sat next to me. I was dying. I took 30 more pills slowly, not realizing what was happening. I should have died, and I almost did.”
‘She adopted 2 kids and NOW she’s pregnant.’ After explaining we happily adopted, the doctor replied, ‘So they’re not yours.’: Mom adopts 2 children, gets rude comments for being pregnant with biological child
“To the person from my hometown who started a rumor that I was on fertility drugs. To my youngest child’s doctor who asked the question I had been asked a million times. ‘First child?’ ‘Nope! 3rd child, first pregnancy!’ then had the gall to say, ‘but having your own is different, isn’t it?’”
