“If my mother-in-law wanted to load the dishes for me, I didn’t want her to because I like to load mine a certain way. I consumed myself with ensuring trash was thrown away immediately and constantly just cleaning up after people. I was always on edge.”
‘I didn’t like the green doily curtain she hung up, so I moved out. I’d make my bed 2 minutes before crawling into it. I was always on edge.’: Woman with anxiety advocates for mental health, ‘There IS help’
‘You’re running out of time.’ I was 16, infertile and robbed of my childhood.’: After 17 years of endometriosis, infertility, couple adopts two children from China, ‘at that moment, I became a mom’
“‘She called, ‘He’s here!’ I hung up the phone and went to the bathroom. I looked down to see nothing but blood. My nephew entered the world as our IVF failed. I’d never carry a child. I’d never experience pregnancy or give birth. How could this happen at this moment? The pain was immeasurable.”
‘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.”
‘The therapist looks at him. ‘Well?’ she asks, ‘what do you feel when she cries?’ He’s staring at the floor. ‘Not much.’: Woman reminds us ‘lack of empathy kills relationships’
“She cries and tears flood her face. She mumbles through broken sobs, ‘He doesn’t love me anymore. He isn’t the man he used to be.’ The therapist leans in. ‘Look at her face. Tell me what you see, tell me what you feel. Ignore what your mind tells you, and listen to your heart.'”
‘My dad called me into the room with a customer. ‘Son, did you kill their rooster?’ I didn’t say a word. I just lifted my pant legs.’: Man shares childhood memories thanks to StoryWorth
“One of my customers had a really bad-tempered Rhode Island Red rooster. He’d attack me every day and claw at my legs. I’d fight him off, but after a few months of delivering papers, the rooster was decidedly ahead and I was starting to get angry. One day he came charging at me. I decided I’d had enough.”
‘They don’t need us to wipe their butts or make their meals. Hello, new world of awesomeness! And then it happens. They fight for their independence from us.’: Mom says ‘all we can do is love them for who they choose to be’
“Just because they don’t live the life we do or make the same choices we do doesn’t mean they’ve somehow screwed up. It doesn’t mean they are lost. It doesn’t mean they have ruined their lives. All we can do, as parents, is love them for who they choose to be and trust what we have taught them is enough.”
‘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.”
‘I don’t know why I feel this way, but maybe I am your birth mom.’ Could I handle another heartache?’: Adoptive mom says ‘watching another woman birth your child is a one in a million miracle’
“I said, ‘This isn’t happening. This is a false alarm.’ I had a tough decision to make. Do I go with our soon-to-be daughter, or do I stay with our expectant mom? She reassured me, ‘You are supposed to be with your baby.’ These types of mothers are part of the miracle.”
‘I was at the library with my 3-year-old daughter when a woman said, ‘Excuse me.’ She waved me over, and thanked me.’: After adoption woman says ‘we aren’t superheroes or saviors’
“I awoke 2 hours later to my cell phone ringing. I had missed several calls from my husband. I picked up the phone, breathing heavily, and my husband was immediately alarmed. He asked me if he should call an ambulance, and I said no, hung up, and went back to sleep. The next thing I knew, he was home and stuffing me into the car.”