“I suspect most parents have an inner radar that measures the character of others by the way they treat our children, but this is especially true for those of us who are parents of children with special needs.”
‘Many of Micah’s behaviors are out of the ordinary and at times downright bizarre. The reactions of others to Micah and his antics have been varied.’
‘Hey Sweetheart, how ya doing?’ No one had to tell me, I knew what killed him.’: Woman’s dad loses battle with addiction, ‘He was so much more than an addict to me’
“At 10:30 in the morning my husband called me from my school’s parking lot. He was there to pick me up. I collapsed in front of my students and wept. Two 14-year-old girls picked me up off the floor and walked me out of my school. He was loved. He was wanted. He was needed. I needed him.”
‘You have the perfect family.’ That’s what they saw. No one could have known what was going on behind our picket fence.’: Mom shares life with 2 special needs children, husband’s failing heart
“I smiled on cue. I showed up to play dates. I dressed my kids well. But I kept all the other stuff hidden. I opened a private Instagram account and used it as a journal, as a means to post the not-so-pretty. I felt so icky about my half-truth life. I was shaking as I hit the button to make it public.”
‘It was twins! In the back of my head though, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and our happy world to come tumbling down. It did, but not until later.’
“They were out of all other options. Phoenix was bleeding into his lungs, and they couldn’t figure out a way to stop it. The nurse was calling other hospitals to figure out an accurate dose of medical cocaine to administer. What?? This can’t be happening!”
‘We’d lie in bed with our backs towards each other. My husband got more comfortable on the couch than in our bed.’: After struggling with infertility, couple rediscovers intimacy
“We would sit there in our room, phones in our hands. We ended our time together with a simple, ‘goodnight.’ Intimacy no longer existed. When people ask us how we first met, we always tell them, ‘it’s a funny story.’ And really, in a way, it kind of is.”
‘I noticed she was losing color. ‘Something’s happening’, I screamed! ‘She’s going blue. I don’t think she’s breathing!’ My heart was racing. ‘Is she choking? Flip her around. Do something!’
“I watched her face in absolute horror. SHE WAS NOT BREATHING. ‘No, no, no, no! Amelia, breathe!’ She wasn’t just blue, she was lifeless. ‘Start CPR, I’m calling 911,’ I told my husband as I ran to get to my phone.”
‘My mother said, ‘Doesn’t it bother you that she won’t keep a cleaner house?’ It was a Saturday. I was working on the dishes. I didn’t know how to respond.’: Man urges ‘our marriage is a partnership’
“I remember my father giving me this advice about picking a wife: ‘Stop by her house unexpected. See how it looks in there. You can tell a lot about a woman by how she keeps her house.’”
‘I was home alone, in a complete panic. So, I flushed. And hoped my toilet wouldn’t clog. I hated myself. I mean, I FLUSHED my baby! And then it happened again.’: Woman goes through multiple miscarriages before having her rainbow babies
“Two days before my boyfriend’s birthday, something told me to check. I had not one single symptom. I got excited! This felt different. I made him sit down and open all of his presents early. He stared at it. Stared at me. And smiled. He was scared, I could see it.”
Behind Every Successful Woman Is A Tribe Of Women Who Could Choose To Compete, But Take The Higher Road Of Collaboration Instead
“A tribe of other women who refuse to get jealous. Who refuse to compare. Who refuse to belittle, or go low. Who refuse to gossip, or leave out, or hurt just to watch her crumble under the pressure.”
‘We started seeing a fertility specialist when I was 33-years-old. My levels were, as my doctor put it, ‘that of a 48-year-old.’ One egg was actually black in color.’
“I’ll never forget the phone call from our doctor. She said, ‘I’m so sorry Victoria, your donor really is like you, even her eggs are like yours.'”