“I was a caged bird in my small town with my religious mother, and now I was free, discovering my full potential. I realized Christianity and sexuality do not need to fight each other. They can live peacefully.”
‘I cried and begged God, ‘Take this away from me, or take my life. I don’t want it.’ I knew my mom would never accept me.’: Queer woman urges ‘sexuality and religion can coincide’
‘I think I’m the only person going through this. Why me?’: Woman shares 8-year infertility battle, ‘You are not alone’
“I realized maybe it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk after all. I may just have to fight for this.”
‘Is he breathing?’ I shared our vows in his eulogy.’: Young woman widowed after husband’s sudden death, ‘He loved every part of me’
“It is hard to believe the eulogy I gave at my husband’s funeral wouldn’t be the end of our story. But it isn’t. It’s the beginning of a new story.”
‘May I hug your boys?’ An older woman approached me in the cereal aisle. ‘You don’t know what I’d give to hear my grandson laugh one last time.’: Twin mom touched by Walmart chance encounter
“She said, ‘I know you probably hate this and I’m sorry to take up so much of your time. You see, I lost my only grandchild last year, and about the only time I see kids his age is when I do my grocery shopping.’ I couldn’t find any words. I stood in silence, grieving for her.”
‘Holy crap, babe.’ I looked down to the word ‘pregnant,’ clear as day. How could I care for a baby AND be a foster mom?’: Foster parents surprised by pregnancy after infertility battle
“What if it’s harder than we thought? What if we’re taking on more than we’re equipped for? We couldn’t let go of the fact we had not one, but two empty bedrooms. While we slept safe and sound in our comfortable bed each night, there were hundreds of displaced children in our area in need of a loving home.”
‘One check, or two?’ NO ONE asked when we were man and woman.’: Woman details life after wife’s transition, ‘What a journey it’s been’
“We often wonder what people think our relationship is, because let’s face it, who doesn’t play the ‘What’s Their Story’ game? The wedding rings don’t seem to give it away anymore.”
‘How do you know what Brayden wants when he doesn’t communicate?’ You have to listen with more than just your ears.’: Mom shares son’s autism diagnosis
“So many people told me I was crazy. ‘He’s still so young, give him time.’ I knew in my gut something wasn’t right.”
‘We don’t know why it isn’t working, but we DO know you can’t get pregnant.’ I understood what she meant was, ‘And you never will be.’: Couple candidly share infertility journey
“Life may not look exactly as we expected, but our family, friends, and community… they all need loving on. And that’s what a mom does. I am a mother. Just a different kind.”
‘I will take the good AND bad to not feel the pain of losing you.’: Mom pens letter to her children
“Today I read of the devastating loss a family is feeling after losing their child to cancer. So I count myself blessed.”
‘They used to fit between my elbow and fingertips, now they tower over me like gentle giants. They fill my soul as I watch them love and adore the partners they do life with.’: Mom shares the joys of raising boys
“They used to fill their pockets with rocks, sticks, flowers, and bugs. They used to sing me silly songs, tell fart jokes, and dance like goofballs. Now, they blow me away with their insight and wisdom. Now, they are strong enough to carry me on their back, both literally and figuratively.”
This Powerful ‘Calm Down’ Technique Transformed My Child’s Tantrums
“‘We’ll get some ice cubes and a spoon and stir them…’ Her yelling stopped so she could hear me a little better. ‘Come on,’ I continued. ‘We’ll need a bowl, or something to put the ice in.’ Just like that, her breathing slowed, her mind settled.”
‘Can you take a pair of siblings?’ 45 minutes later, we met our boys. Babies? Easy. Toddlers with trauma and neglect? Not so much.’: Couple adopt ‘forever sons’ from foster care
“Dakota was 2.5 years old and could barely utter just five words. Nate, 2.5 months old, was extremely sad and had rashes all over. He didn’t cry when he was hungry, wet, or had a poopy diaper because his biological mom had not met his needs. ‘Would you like to adopt them?’ Without hesitation, the answer was YES.”
‘We saw the beautiful face of a precious 2-year-old. It was as if our souls knew, deep down, she was ours. We said YES.’: Couple shares international adoption story, ‘It’s surreal’
“We were presented with an opportunity. For some reason, we felt hesitation in our gut. ‘Why wouldn’t we do this?’ Exactly one year later, God birthed a new dream.”
‘I’m a take out pizza kinda mom. My friends are meals-with-vegetables-waiting-in-the-freezer moms. All our kids are fed.’: Mom shares important reminder ‘we don’t have to parent the same to parent well’
“Just because I parent differently from another mom doesn’t mean either of us are doing it wrong.”
‘Looking at me, color left his face. ‘I’m going to get my mom!’: Woman shares postpartum trauma, ‘My growth as a mother has just begun’
“’I think you need to go into the hospital because I’m not sure what that is!’ A huge chunk of flesh was sticking out of me. It felt worse than giving birth.”
‘My daughter is 4 and a half, and she’s never called me mom.’: Autism mom shares ‘highs and lows’ of motherhood
“I’m crushed when other children ask her to play and she turns her back without a word. She may be a non-speaker, but she gives the tightest hugs and the biggest belly laughs.”
‘I’m so sorry. This isn’t fair.’ My tumor was the most beautiful gift I’d ever received.’: Brain cancer warrior says ‘I’m more alive than I’ve ever been’
“Despite professional success, I was miserable. I was clinically depressed, unhappy, and facing a failing marriage. My tumor was the most beautiful gift I’d ever received.”
‘The lives of these cherished friends were lost forever.’: Woman creates second chance business for plushies
“I’ll never forget the elderly lady who explained she’d not spent a day apart from her bedraggled-looking bears. She cried with joy when I showed her a photo of her beloved bears being hugged by two delighted girls and their smiling mother.”
‘We’ve got a baby who needs a home.’ I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His fingers curled around mine, like he already knew who I was.’: Mom shares ‘bittersweet’ fostering journey
“As soon as I took one look at the tiny baby, it was all over for me. I was in love. I’m a mom, so I know what a mother’s love feels like. I never expected to feel that kind of love for a complete stranger.”
‘What is that speck over there?’ The nurse practitioner saw 1 baby, then 2!’: Mom of multiples shares fertility journey, ‘It was ALL worth it’
“I wish someone recorded our faces. We had NO WORDS.”
‘You’re in the area to buy crack.’ I was alone on the side of the road, my beachball-sized belly hiding under my dress.’: Woman shares encounter with police officer, ‘I felt I didn’t belong’
“The whole situation, I was looking for any other reason for his behaviors outside of race. I didn’t want it to be race related. We never do. Ever.”
‘I opened my cooler and broke down in tears.’: Mom struggling to produce breast milk receives help from strangers on Facebook
“Hearing words like ‘life expectancy’ and ‘quality of life’ absolutely destroyed me. Within DAYS, my motherhood journey completely changed.”
‘This is my brown friend.’ I thought they weren’t overtly racist, so they couldn’t BE racist.’: Woman details growing up mixed race
“‘It’s OK, because you’re not one of THOSE,’ friends would say when racial slurs were used around me. I’m going to make sure my daughter is PROUD of her heritage.”
‘Your son got into trouble.’ I tried to stay calm.’: Dad shares how to parent an ’emotionally troubled child’
“‘The ‘cool’ guys made fun of me.’ My heart BROKE for my son. But I also encouraged him. He needed to understand it’s NORMAL.”
‘The doctor pulled up my MRI. ‘Are you sure you want to see it? It’s big.’ It was a fear I’d never felt before.’: Woman with brain cancer urges ‘love your body through the good and difficult’
“My migraines began with a small blurry spot. This blur got bigger and bigger until I couldn’t see anything. ‘Get to an emergency room now!’ I couldn’t believe my ears.”