“I was your typical ‘daddy issues’ case with a strong desire for male attention. Predators know what to look for and I must have had a flashing billboard promoting my willingness to please. I was told, ‘This can’t be true. People would notice!’ I’ve allowed fear to keep me silent.”
“It’s funny how major life moments seem to always occur right before or during a long deployment. I was alone when we received my son’s diagnosis, and I was alone to figure out what to do next.”
“I was in a daze. ‘Your baby needs to come out right now.’ I lay on the operating table alone while they sewed my now empty womb back together. 3 hours later, they told us, ‘She might not survive it.’ Our hearts broke. None of it seemed right.”
“If it was a husband or boyfriend doing the things my son does – I’d be told to pack my little children up in the middle of the night and leave the abusive relationship. My child is amazing. I will tell anyone who will listen. But I need to keep it real.”
“I remember the first time I wore this sweater out in public. I was at the mall, surrounded by tank tops that said ‘I’m a wine mom’ and ‘nothing gets done until my wine glass is empty.’ But my sweater was definitely one of the most looked at things, probably because I had my two young kids with me.”
“She gave him a different name and shared details of her fake son’s short life. He existed. He is more than just a picture. I feel numb.”
“It’s okay if you lose your patience in between a meeting and cooking a meal and setting up circle time and being asked 1,000 questions about snacks and TV shows and playing tag outside and trying to think of where you last saw their sneakers.”
“What if I got ill while pregnant? I love this collection of cells with all my being. I asked my doctor to tell us what to do. ‘The risk is just too high.’ There is sincere heartbreak in this decision.”
“I was ready to yell, no BLAST whoever was there. I felt RAGE. Rage. I opened the door and I saw my little girl, Sofia. ‘You scare me mommy.’ Her normally cheeky smile was replaced with big brown eyes full of fear.”
“‘If the baby goes home with us, the outcome will be tragic.’ She had only known this family since the beginning of the school year, and it was only because their 7-year-old was her student. They were virtually strangers to one another. And yet, my friend did what truly good people do. She said yes.”
