“This was a pool game we played all the time. We knew many family and friends who did the same. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”
‘We saw bubbles at the surface of the pool. ‘Someone needs to get him up now!’ He was limp and grey.’: Family share shallow water drowning PSA, ‘Please let your loved ones know’
‘Look at you! What’s WRONG with you?’ Ants were crawling under my skin. I lay on the cold cement floor of my jail cell.’: Woman overcomes felony charges and drug addiction, ‘You CAN recover’
“I had a spot on my shoulder, and MRSA entered my body. I remember the moment Dilaudid entered my IV. It felt like a warm pot of honey. That high was it. I wanted that forever. There was no soul left in me.”
‘HEELLLLPPPP!!! I STUCK!!!’ Stepping out of the shower, I heard a hysterical call for help from my toddler.’: Woman hilariously ‘saves’ daughter, ‘The things we do for our kids’
“I didn’t have time to put on clothes. ‘HEEELLPP!! HELP MomMY!’ I rushed my bare ass out of the shower. In what felt like negative 1 million degrees, my frosty ass was jiggling down the hall, picturing all sorts of ludicrous situations.”
‘Why’s there no daddy in our home?’ I couldn’t speak the truth. I never expected the question so early.’: Single mom discusses divorce with children, ‘They should make their own decisions’
“It wasn’t an easy topic to explain to a little girl. I never expected I’d need to prepare an answer so soon. But I want her to grow up so she’ll find out the truth.”
‘How was your first day of school, honey?’ He mumbled, ‘The mask was hard.’ Inside, I felt so much sadness.’: Mom thanks school staff, ‘You are leading with your hearts, and it shows’
“I wasn’t sure how this was going to work, or if it was going to work at all. I went to school that morning needing to see it for myself. When the bell rang at 3 p.m., my heart lurched.”
‘She began sobbing. ‘No one has ever done anything like this.’ Pregnant and hungry, she was living off leftover cheese.’: Man shares act of kindness for homeless couple
“We were exiting the ramp when we noticed a young lady holding a sign on the sidewalk. It was difficult to see the words, but as we pulled up to the red light, I was able to make out ‘Pregnant’ and ‘Hungry.’ We approached her. ‘We’re going to help you.’ Everyone else laughed or ignored her.”
‘We placed an ad in the paper. Yes, the NEWSPAPER. ‘Couple promises baby loving home.’ It was straight out of a movie.’: Couple adopts baby girl after just 24 days, ‘We’re the lucky ones’
“After 3 and a half years of infertility, we were prepared for a long haul. We knew a placement was not a guarantee. It was a tough decision, and one we grappled with. The due date came and went.”
‘Are they ALL yours?’ What do I say? ‘Yes, these 4 are mine, but those 3 aren’t.’ Being a step-parent is THE thankless job.’: Mom discusses ups and downs of being a blended family
“Even after 4 years, my step-daughter will walk right past me to find her dad and ask him for a glass of water. HELLO? I’m standing right here! I matter when it’s convenient.”
‘PROMISE you won’t end up like me. I want you to be more.’ I was bewildered by her words. They would change my life.’: Daughter of immigrants is first to graduate college, ‘YOU have the power’
“‘I’m afraid I won’t learn how to read.’ They decided to put me in special education classes despite not having a learning disability. I even googled ‘how to make it to college,’ but was still lost. I was on my own.”
‘I’d go to yoga high as a kite. I shared needles with everyone. It eventually caught up to me, and I got sick.’: Yoga instructor celebrates 8 years sober, ‘I manifested my life’’
“My boyfriend broke up with me because I couldn’t stay sober. I got evicted. All my dreams faded away as I got deeper into my addiction. I realized there had to be a bigger meaning to my life.”
‘Doctors swarmed around in panic. We got a diagnosis for both twins. Then, their life-saving appointment was canceled.’: Twins battle eye cancer together, ‘They’re so brave!’
“We got a trip to Disney for their battle against cancer. When we returned home, they got sick, very sick. ‘Haven’t we been through enough?’ I cried. Their doctor appointment was canceled indefinitely. We were told to wait by the phone. I panicked while they suffered.”
‘I tried to forget my career dreams when I became a mom, but I was lost. Women are spread so thin.’: ‘Mompreneur’ encourages others to chase their goals, ‘It can be done’
“We, as women, always feel like we must do EVERYTHING. And we’re run-down, exhausted, and obviously can’t do it all. I stay up late working every night. But I’m fulfilled.”
‘You don’t have prior experience.’ We weren’t chosen. The ones she trusted most betrayed her.’: Couple struggling with infertility adopts, ‘It’s the beautiful chaos I prayed for’
“We got the call. ‘Why are you even asking? Tell them yes!’ We couldn’t believe it was real! We looked at each other scared out of our minds. Someone taking her would be the end of my world. This was by far our hardest blow.”
‘I am bi-racial, but when I gave birth to my son 4 weeks ago, I chose Caucasian as his race on his birth certificate.’: Woman shares candid reality of growing up mixed race
“I vividly remember my great grandmother’s pride in my looks. I was treated as though my light skin color, blonde hair, and green eyes meant I was better than my cousins with darker skin and brown eyes. I was made to promise I would only date white men or women. I was confused and hurt, but as I grew older, the less I cared.”
My Husband And I Sleep In Separate Beds
“I get the ‘ohhhhhhh’ look. Like my marriage is one step away from separate houses and eventually separate lives. ‘But what about cuddling? What about SEX?’ they ask. I feel like this is something I needed to get off my chest.”
‘She was exposed to drugs. No one is willing to take the risk.’ They had no idea when she’d last been fed.’: Mom of 6 adopts foster daughter, ‘We love her completely’
“A couple of months into our surprise pregnancy, we found out there were in fact TWINS in there! We already had 4 littles in diapers.”
‘My daughter had a weirdly, rapidly progressing sunburn. We couldn’t figure out why, until we realized it wasn’t a sunburn.’: Mom shares PSA on harmful sunscreens
“I was so embarrassed I let this happen to my baby. This photo was taken 4 days after.”
‘She missed school events, birthdays. I longed for a mom I didn’t have to constantly worry about dying every day.’: Woman shares ‘heart-wrenching’ reality of growing up with an addict parent
“I was afraid to have friends over at my house because I didn’t know if she would be sober or not. When she was out, I lived in constant fear of her getting hurt, dying, or going back to jail. She was tired of fighting. I wanted to fight for her.”
‘My mom doesn’t know who I am anymore, but she knows me in a way no one else does. I am her safe space.’: Daughter to mom with Alzheimer’s says ‘our bond is unbreakable’
“If I had one wish, one thing for my mom to have back, it wouldn’t be for her to remember who I am. That would be the last thing I’d wish for.”
‘Can we take him home with us?’ My little patient had fought more in 6 months than most adults. He was in custody of the state.’: Nurse adopts special needs patient, ‘He is our little boy forever and ever!’
“He was born 4 months premature and needed a ventilator to breathe. Nurses aren’t supposed to pick ‘favorites,’ but I couldn’t help but get lost in his infectious little grin. The state prepared him for foster care. On the day of the court case, my work phone rang. ‘Congratulations, it’s a boy!’ A shock of adrenaline hit me.”
‘It was a wet, rainy spring. He saw tire tracks and the busted wire fence, jumped from the vehicle, and took off running.’: After losing family in tragic car accident, man remarries and adopts foster siblings
“I had to tell him. I knew he had loved being a father and hoped to one day be a father again. With tears in my eyes, I told him the truth about me. I was afraid it could be a deal breaker for him.”
‘Are they twins?’ I’d shoot back, ‘Yep, and they’re 3 days apart.’ We’re the family that looks like a clown car.’: Family falls in love with foster son, ‘We learned the meaning of true love’
“By the age of 4, he witnessed his mom beaten within an inch of her life. He didn’t have someone gently tuck him into bed at night. I almost didn’t hit send. I was afraid our comfortable life would change.”
‘You have a daughter!’ We were blindsided. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind she’d be with us.’: Couple describes grief of disrupted adoption, ‘I never stopped loving her’
“The grandparents didn’t want to take care of her and pushed for adoption. There was no way she wasn’t going to be placed with us. I never stopped loving her.”
I Drove 400 Miles To Unite A Stranger With Their Dying Mother
“She said, ‘I received the call this morning. My mom has terminal cancer. It’s only a matter of minutes before she passes.’ Her car was broken down on the side of the road.”
‘Suck it up. You’re fine.’ She took a bad fall. I was too traumatized to step foot in a hospital.’: Young widow has realization about ‘grief management’ after daughter crashes bike
“My daughter head-slammed to the ground. It happened when I was in the deepest pain of my life, betrayed and hurt by the one person I thought I could count on after my husband died. I panicked.”