“A voice inside my head was telling me something was up. She wouldn’t eat and couldn’t roll over. The doctor said, ‘She has barely grown in 4 months.’ I felt a wave of grief. I knew I had to advocate for her.”
‘She wouldn’t take a bottle or sippy cup. The nurse said, ‘That can’t be right.’ Something was wrong. This was my fault.’: Mom advocates for daughter with rare Chung-Jansen Syndrome, ‘Listen to your instincts’
‘Fat, lazy, worthless.’ Cue an incredibly nasty divorce. Jobless with a cleaned-out bank account, I needed public assistance to feed my children.’: Divorced mom details self-worth journey, ‘Give yourself permission to be all you are’
“I went from a stay at home mom of four to having two boys I loved ripped away from me. I had to apply for assistance to feed my children. He had a ‘committed’ relationship, closer to home, which everyone seemed to know about except me.”
‘Drugs, alcohol, depression, lust… you name it. We were a train wreck waiting to happen! To say it was a bumpy road would be an understatement.’: Couple overcome substance abuse, now have 10 children
“I flagged him down and begged him to get out of the car. He could barely talk. He didn’t make sense. What if he had made it onto the main road? I sat out on the back swing, contemplating what I would say to him. How would I say it? Would I leave? Would he ever change?”
‘When the doctor screamed, ‘It’s a girl!’ I pictured ribbons, bows, and princess movies. Having a daughter is nothing like I thought it would be.’: Girl mom urges ‘it is so very much more’
“It’s repeating her worth to her, over and over (and over) again. It’s reassuring her she is capable, even when others diminish her because she’s ‘a girl.’ It’s reminding her that her body is a vessel to be loved, respected, and adored, not abused.”
‘I don’t know his favorite color. He can’t tell me. I’ve grieved. Imagine not being able to communicate?’: Autism mom describes highs and lows of parenting, ‘He makes me a better me’
“I was in tears during every evaluation. ‘How dare she put labels on him!’ I’m not sure if I was ignorant or in denial. Maybe both. I’ve watched his brother surpass him, and it stings.”
‘I’m here,’ she sobs. More and more it doesn’t make sense. Yet it’s all we have now.’: Woman describes caring for mother with Alzheimer’s, ‘Love doesn’t care if I understand’
“People ask, ‘What did she say?’ My response is usually, ‘I have no idea.’ Her voice whispers in my mind: ‘I’m not in my words, you won’t find me in what I say.’ It’s surprising how little it all matters.”
‘Black women are resilient because we have to be, not because we are stronger than you.’: Woman urges ‘our pain is real, physical and emotional’
“The Strong Black woman stereotype implies we are strong, which should be a good thing, but it often isn’t so.”
‘I’m gay. I’m seeing a woman.’ My mom pulled me into my room and shut the door. There was a concerned, almost hopeful, look on her face.’: Woman urges ‘I wouldn’t change my parents for the world’ after both come out as LGBTQ
“My mom and dad were still married. For the next few months, I kept my mom’s secret. It killed me inside. Then, one day, my dad looked at me, nervously turning a beer in his hand around in circles. ‘He’s my boyfriend, you know?’ My jaw hit the floor.”
‘Want me to hook you up with him?’ Feeling repulsed, I said, ‘Um, no. Why would I want to do that?’ Talk about a mic drop.’: Friend’s advice helps woman leave unhappy relationship, ‘Guard your heart’
“He lied to me more than once. He talked about his ex-wife regularly, and he attacked and criticized my feelings. But at that point, we were already in love. My friend then told me, ‘I just described your boyfriend.’ Talk about a mic drop.”
‘I let my boyfriend keep me from my husband. I dated a man for years who never intended to grow with me, invest in me, or build with me.’: Woman urges ‘the right man will waste NO TIME’
“When my husband-to-be messaged me, I told him straight up, ‘I’m looking for a husband not a boyfriend.’ I was days out of my last relationship. I was tired. 5 years with 2 men who saw no value in me left me drained.”
‘You’re the girl of my dreams.’ I faltered as my ex came crawling back, but Justin never gave up.’: Woman finds dream man after toxic relationship, ‘He gives nothing short of his whole heart’
“I discovered his messages to another girl. They were all complaints about ME. There was always another girl who fell into the mix for a week or two, to give him something new. But when I tried to date, he was back on my doorstep, begging for another chance. ‘You should check out this dating site,’ my friend said. Justin showed me my worth was far more than I could ever imagine.”
‘I ruined my life and my family’s life. I messed with our perfect life. I took a risk, and I lost.’: Mom accepts Down Syndrome diagnosis, ‘I’m so glad I had her’
“Shock took my breath away and the words right out of my mouth. I believed I had only months left until life as we knew it would be tragically veered off course, to a new life of health issues and missed opportunities. I ruined my life.”
‘A few police officers were canvassing the street with flashlights. Everyone was shaken. ‘Wait. What if we had been home?’: Family shocked by damage to home after vacation, ‘The sun will shine again’
“All eight days were calling for rain. We woke up to sunny skies. The abundant sunshine became a symbol to us. We arrived home at about midnight. Our oldest daughter said, ‘Hey, what’s that on the ceiling?’ I looked up. ‘Hurry, go tell the cops.’”
‘I can spend Friday night at a bar with my friends. I can go to mommy and me group. That is what moms do. We do it all.’: Woman reminds other mothers to ‘get to know YOU better’
“Pre-baby, I knew who I was. I had an idea of where I was heading. Imagine the shock I endured when I found out we had a tiny human en route. I was about to meet a completely new version of myself. My name was Mom, not Jess. I ate, slept, and breathed motherhood. I started to become more and more aware of my loss of identity.”
‘We are having a closed adoption! She will not steal my baby!’ Then our lives were suddenly intertwined.’: Mom ‘gains a sister’ through open adoption, ‘We get to walk this together’
‘We are having a closed adoption. She will not steal my baby!’ Then, our lives were suddenly intertwined.’: Mom ‘gains a sister’ through open adoption, ‘We get to walk this together’
‘They see only your Black friend. They may take matters into their own hands. I’m trusting you.’: Mom to black son pens open letter to white friends
“He is still the kind-hearted boy who ate at their kitchen table, sat next to them at church, and came to your Spiderman birthday party. Don’t ignore it just because you can. In the wrong hands, his consequences could be far worse than yours.”
‘Please, tell me where you are.’ I’m adamant. ‘I don’t want help.’ I hang up the phone. Tears were streaming down my face. It was time.’: Woman’s suicide attempt ends in miracle survival, ‘You can choose to live’
“My girlfriend of 3 years finally left me. After all the hurt and pain I’d caused, she finally walked out the door. I jumped in my car and sped down to Walmart. I needed a gun. My brain went back to panic mode. I got in my car and just started driving. My ex had called the cops.”
‘I woke up to missed calls from a strange number. My husband was missing. ‘I don’t know where I am or where I’m going.’: Family reunited after man targeted by ICE, ‘He is home where he belongs’
“His boss explained, ‘Unmarked cars showed up on the job and arrested him.’ I was told by lawyers, ‘There is nothing we can do. He has to be deported.’ ICE offered no explanation. I only knew where has was by the GPS on our phones. He disappeared from our lives for 6 months.”
‘Do I send my child to their brick and mortar campus and worry about their physical health EVERY SINGLE DAY?’: Mom shares frustrations for fall school re-openings
“Most of us are going out of our minds trying to decide what to do in the fall, if we have a choice, which it sounds like we will. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. That’s how I feel.”
‘I was 18 and woke up nauseous. ‘You need to tell Mark immediately.’ I’d broken off communication with the father 2 weeks before.’: Teen births baby girl, ‘I’d do it a million times over’
“I had one pregnancy test in my drawer and decided to bite the bullet. I watched it load and I could not take my eyes off of it for one second. After 3 minutes, the words appeared… ‘pregnant.’ My heart stopped. I got in my car and made the 10-minute drive to my ex’s house. I just wanted to get to him and hug him. I was carrying his child.”
‘Something’s wrong. Get help.’ I went numb. My sister found me fighting for my life on the kitchen floor.’: Woman survives 2 strokes in medical mystery, ‘You have to trust the process’
“My neck was a little sore as if I’d slept on it weird. Within seconds, it felt like someone spun me 180 degrees. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. ‘Why are you on the floor? Are you drunk?’ All she could see was her baby sister struggling.”
‘Call your work, Dan’s work, Dan’s best friend, and then give me your phone.’ I felt guilty for falling asleep, for not being strong enough to give him CPR.’: Widow credits ‘tribe’ for healing through grief
“Living in the thick of the fire, my tribe was there to hold my hand as I walked through. I found myself sitting on a doctor’s couch the following Tuesday, sobbing tears of grief and agony. They helped me make sense of the madness and encouraged me to feel again.”
‘There were 10 two-year-olds in my living room, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. ‘Why are you kids acting weird? TELL ME THE TRUTH.’: Mom discovers why ‘kids are strange social beings’
“I was trying to act normal with Amelie’s mom, knowing full well it was her daughter who bit my daughter the week before. One says hello. My kids, their kids, they all act like a bunch of strangers. My son was the first one to fess up.”
‘Within 24 hours of birth the doctor said, ‘He needs immediate surgery.’ Other moms got to have normal kids.’: Mom of son with Lowe Syndrome finds her tribe, ‘They take care of us’
“I knew parenthood would be full of stress, but not like this. Hayden’s conditions were so rare, he didn’t fit into any box we could find. We couldn’t even find the questions to ask. I watched as all the other new moms got to have normal kids without a care in the world.”
‘Your second baby will make you wonder why you ever thought one was hard, but prove that a sibling is the best gift you could ever give your child.’: Mom says ‘your second baby will surprise you’
“Your second baby will make you wish for fewer hours in the day, but make you long for more time to soak them in. Your time and attention and your energy and your patience will be split in two, but your heart will double in size. These babies won’t last forever.”