LJ Herman is a former editor at Love What Matters and lives in Colorado. LJ is a concert, ticket and technology enthusiast. He has seen the Dave Mathews Band over one hundred times and counting.
‘We have our stomachs cut open before us. We spend weeks recovering while still caring for a totally dependent new life, bringing joy to the world.’: Mom says you are ‘powerful, strong, and brave’
“We somehow survive on minimal sleep, and just when we reach the point where we think we can’t give any more, we do. We are teachers, healers, therapists, safe places, comforters, givers, lovers, and friends.”
‘We placed my son in the back of a black SUV and said goodbye. I lost all hope. Just before I drank myself to death, I found out I was pregnant.’: Mom’s harrowing journey to recovery, ‘It’s up to you to break the cycle’
“Right after I turned 15, I met the absolute love of my life. Apparently, we were never really exclusive. In the summer going into my senior year, I got pregnant. I learned alcohol numbed the pain. After my daughter’s father left without telling me, I started partying more. He had no more fight in him. Days after his 4th birthday, we brought him home on hospice care.”
‘You just need to go back to work, you can’t handle this.’ I was fearful to break down in front of my husband. I’m a stay-at-home mom.’: Mom says ‘You can breakdown and you need to.’
“‘Well you decided to have children. Don’t do what you can’t handle.’ I was terrified to break down in front of my friends. Anytime I made any remark about being tired or frustrated, I’d get the response, ‘It goes by so fast. Appreciate the moments because you’ll miss them.’ Did people think I didn’t appreciate my children?”
‘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.”
‘John has become a mere statistic in a war we are losing. His military grave plaque should say ‘War on Opioids.’: Mom loses son to opioid addiction, ‘the epidemic that is stealing our children.’
“What started as a hockey accident eventually led to full-blown addiction and death. John was injured while playing club hockey while stationed on a base in Alaska. He was sent home with an ice pack and a bottle of pain killers. They are highly addictive, especially to a young brain. I wonder when he knew he was in trouble.”
‘Our young girls are telling their husbands they are unwilling to have sex EVER, because the act seems totally gross.’: Mom proudly says ‘sex is sacred’ and she cannot set her daughters’ ‘moral compass’
“I am not a saint. I never was. But I’m real. Bold statements from a woman who didn’t stay pure for her husband, who has watched pornography, who has lusted and succumbed to perverse desires.”
‘The entire school pick-up line saw me. I was 10 minutes late and blocked a bunch of cars and was told NEVER to park there.’: Mom declares she has ‘had enough’
“Today left me feeling like I am not sure if I want to drink, do drugs, or run away to a tropical island and tan my whiteness. But none of those were an option, so instead I cried. I couldn’t hold back the tears quick enough for no one to see me. It isn’t fair.”
‘While sobbing like a teenager who was stood up at prom, I finally found it. I am fighting for my sanity and for my life.’: Woman diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder says ‘you are not alone’
“I woke up on Sunday like normal. I had broken plans with my boyfriend earlier in the week. We were supposed to go to a friend’s house to watch the Super Bowl with them. Out of nowhere I started feeling SO guilty about not being there. And it happens. I break.”
Dear Breastfeeding Moms, I Promise You Will Sleep Again
“Hey mama, did you get up last night? Was it once, 3 times, 20? Just know you’re not alone and there are many mamas up at 3 a.m. yawning, just like you.”