“The holidays just started. Soon, relatives you don’t know will be asking what grade you’re in, how your love life is going, and what you’re planning to do with your future that’s exciting and financially viable. I know social events can be uncomfortable and draining for you. But being an introvert is not a flaw that needs fixing. It’s part of your uniqueness. I’ve got your back this holiday season.”
‘It’s not that you hate people or you’re shy. You just need alone time to charge your battery. I promise, I get it.’: Mom ‘appreciative’ of introvert daughter, ‘I’ve got your back this holiday season’
Dear Friends, Don’t Wait Until The Perfect Time—Just Show Up
“I got the call at 6 p.m., left my kids with my husband, and drove the 15 minutes to her house with my socks beautifully crammed into my Birkenstocks. When your friend’s husband dies unexpectedly, when she has a baby, when she is going through a divorce, she doesn’t care if you baked the cookies from scratch and perfectly placed them on a platter.”
‘I’d be single and a virgin forever. ‘The boys called me ‘big girl.’ I’d never be able to be naked in front of a lover.’: Woman loses 115 pounds after drug addiction, ‘Worry about being a good person, not your size’
“‘Are you using drugs again?,’ one of my professors asked me. I am a recovering drug addict, who lost 115 pounds and changed my entire life. I had a girl assume I was sick, a close friend expressed to me that I ‘took the easy way out.’ The smaller I got, the more attention I got, the more confused I was. I had sex for the first time after my dad died with a guy who blocked my number the day after he took my virginity. I wanted to stop hating myself, I wanted to be genuinely happy.”
‘She’s conceited. She needs to get over herself. Felicia. Felicia. Felicia.’: Woman insists we ‘get lost in crushing goals and proving others wrong’ that instead we ‘crush ourselves’
“Someone judged me for not being at the same job for years like they have been. Another judged me for not getting a 4-year degree when I was supposed to, before 25. I’ve been judged for being overweight. They made me feel so pathetic that I couldn’t find one reason to like myself. I didn’t meet that person’s standards, let alone the world’s standards.”
‘I wasn’t thankful last night. I can be a real witch at bedtime. It saddens so much to admit that.’: Mom ‘upset, frustrated’ kids climb in bed with her at night, ‘I threw in the towel’
“We’ll call bedtime ‘rest,’ because it sure as hell isn’t a good night’s sleep. So, when one of my kids can’t fall asleep, it freakin’ frustrates the heck out of me. Then I feel guilty because my poor child is frustrated she can’t sleep, and here I am, making it worse by getting upset with her. I wasn’t thankful last night. Nope. But then she puts her head on my chest.”
‘No Jessica, YOU are his mom. I only carried him.’ I became a mom in a courtroom.’: Woman ‘forever grateful’ for bio mom who made her a mother, ‘My son didn’t to my heartbeat from inside my womb, but he’s laid on my chest every day since 3 days old’
“Walking in the courtroom, there were 12 other families waiting with the same excitement. Some with matching shirts, letterboards, signs, all to commemorate their special day. The judge, dressed as Woody from Toy Story, walks in to officially kick off the festivities. ‘You understand this is a permanent proceeding. He would be yours as if he were born to you?,’ he asked. I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.”
‘I never let go. If I hold on tight enough, I cannot get hurt. If I dig in deep enough, everything will work out.’: Mom learns to ‘let go’ of micromanaging family, we have to ‘trust in ourselves’
“Whenever I feel anxious, I feel the urge to micromanage my family. Whenever I feel a sense of uncertainty, I feel the need to force things. I’m letting go. I’m not holding on. I’m enjoying this ride no matter what direction it takes me or how long it lasts.”
It’s Never Too Early To Address Your Kids’ Mental Health
“Today, my son crawled onto my lap and started whining. I told him to use his words. At that exact moment, I realized I haven’t been using mine. This week, I forgot to ask him if he was okay. Instead, I yelled, was less patient. I said ‘I can’t play, mommy’s busy!’ a lot. So, I made him feel special. His smile was instant.”
‘You don’t need to have a partner to have a baby. Then I got the news no one wants to hear, this pregnancy isn’t viable.’: Woman describes untraditional journey to single parenthood
“I found an unexpected emotion creeping in, sadness. Sadness that I was not going to be having a baby with a partner. It’s a weird feeling to be celebrating a dream come true while also mourning the loss of another.”
‘A lovely woman in her fifties strolled by with her cart. ‘You’d better be good. Santa’s watching!’ Pause.’: Woman encounters stranger trying to do her a ‘solid’ in Target
“How dare she put me in this position! How dare she speak those words into my son’s life! How DARE she. I spent the entire rest of the Target trip trying to conjure up the perfect retort. Who does she think she is, anyway!? I stopped dead in my tracks and started laughing.”