“As I type this out, my son is outside earning money by cleaning out part of the garage and cleaning up the flower beds. Guess he wants that video game pretty bad! Allow them to earn money through good ole work.”
‘What are you gonna do to earn money for it?’ Mama and Daddy don’t do handouts.’: Mom says ‘working for things gives greater appreciation’
‘Hey, what are you reading?’ Every day around 3 o’clock we see this boy sitting in his little green chair, waiting for Emma to come read.’: Kids start social distance book club, ‘My heart is so full’
“Quarantine can feel lonely. It was evident both of them missed companionship and shared learning.”
‘I said, ‘Ask me anything!’ My 7-year-old niece was quiet and hesitant. ‘Is he going to be like this forever?’: Mom of autistic child offers support,’ Know there are so many of us with you’
“My sweet boy wasn’t talking, and he was growing increasingly frustrated. His sensory sensitivities were unpredictable. I do know I avoided saying ‘yes.’ But I couldn’t say ‘no.’”
‘I knew the test was positive before they even called. I’m FaceTiming him from the other side of the house, just to tell him I love him.’: Woman asks for prayers after healthcare worker husband’s COVID-19 diagnosis
“My husband is suffering. He’s about as sick as I’ve ever seen him. He doesn’t ask those people if they think Covid is fake, or who they voted for. He doesn’t ask whether or not they can pay their bill. He doesn’t care. He just wants to make them well. And in caring for others, Ian contracted COVID-19.”
‘Finally,’ I thought, ‘I’m going to get SO MUCH DONE!’ I burnt out, and I burnt out HARD. My husband sat me down. ‘What’s going on with you?’: Woman urges ‘take each day as it comes’
“I started snapping at my family and avoiding the few social Zoom meetings I was invited to. I was gripped every day by a threatening cloud of anxiety of ‘not getting enough done’ and ‘not taking advantage of this time off.’ My husband sat me down on the couch. ‘What’s going on with you?’ I dove right in.”
‘I was the foster kid no one wanted. The feeling of those thin garbage bags felt so heavy in my small hands. I’d close my eyes and dream of a real bedroom all my own.’: Girl lives her ‘fairy tale’ after adopted from foster care
“Suddenly my biological father, who was unfit to care for a child, received custody of me. I got on a plane to go across what felt like the world to live with someone I could barely remember. But my saviors didn’t give up.”
‘Her husband came home. ‘There’s something very important we need to talk about.’ I was jealous of her life. She seemed to have the perfect family.’: Woman urges ‘nobody has it all figured out’
“I sat there, rapt, as she began to deconstruct every assumption I had about her life like someone unraveling a sweater. She was desperate. Her husband had come home and said he had something very important to talk about. Layla was so sure he was about to admit to cheating with his favorite employee she burst into tears.”
‘I was in Target buying essential items. She drops the bomb. ‘Will you take a newborn baby tomorrow?’: Foster care mom says ‘it’s never simple’
“I told my social worker that we can’t do it this time. We said goodbye to a baby in late November. But that night I cried. I cried for a baby that I’ve never met.”
‘My teeth were turning yellow. ‘Mommy, why are you so tired all the time? You don’t get out of bed.’: Mom battling depression says ‘I am living proof it gets better’
“When my mom walked in and saw me with the pills I had found, scattered across the bed, I knew I had hit rock bottom. I couldn’t even look her in the eyes. I remember sitting in the hospital, my whole family waiting outside. ‘I feel like nothing ever gets better.’ I am living proof it gets better.”
‘I realized it was Mother’s Day only two days before. It felt extra special to dress up in honor of their mother.’: Dad of 7 who forgot Mother’s Day says ‘you worth celebrating every day of the year’
“I got stuck in the Coronavirus time-warp, realizing it was Mother’s Day only two days before. This year, the kids really wanted to do a fancy night. It felt extra special to dress up in honor of their mother. You are worth celebrating today.”