“He’s not your typical 9-year-old boy. He watches musicals, not football. He is sensitive and shy. Yet another day he is reduced to tears after no one wants to be his friend. Another day he bows his head, in fear he will be mocked.”
My Son Is Not Boy Enough For The Boys, But Also Not A Girl
‘I growled, ‘Get in the house. NOW!’ I kicked my heels off. I looked up to see the neighbor across the street watching.’: Mom urges ‘don’t give up, mama – the things that overwhelm you are what make life worth living’
“I angled my body toward the door and pointed. My mom eyes were out in full force. My tiny human was lying in the grass of the front yard, kicking and screaming words I could not make out because he couldn’t fit a dinosaur into his frog backpack. I think I heard something about me being a bad mommy. So you know what I did? I completely lost it. LOST IT.”
‘If I could go back, I would never put you down. I’d enjoy the cuddles, even at 3 a.m. I’d study your little fingers and toes, and soak it all in.’: Mom urges ‘cherish every moment’ with your newborns, ‘You will never get the chance again’
“When I was pregnant, everyone said to me, ‘Enjoy every moment. It goes by so fast.’ I wish I could go back and re-do the first few weeks with my firstborn. I would cherish every moment. It feels like just yesterday you entered this world, but now, it’s a distant memory.”
‘I think your father hurt your baby brother.’: Woman adopts sisters from foster care after father jailed for killing 5-year-old brother
“Was it an accident? Would he be okay? I knew the worst was yet to come. The decision had to be made to remove him from life support at just 5 years old while state decided to pursue adoption for my sisters. I was asked, ‘Do YOU still want to foster them?’ And just like that, my plans changed.”
‘5 months after my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, I felt a soft lump in one breast. ‘It’s not cancer,’ the doctor assured me. I believed her.’: Mom diagnosed with breast cancer 5 months after daughter’s leukemia
“All throughout her treatment, I asked, ‘Why her and not me?’ Well, someone was listening. It wasn’t until she finished treatment, I took some time for myself. I felt a soft lump in my breast. I knew it was cancer. ‘Whatever happens, please stay positive.’ My daughter with leukemia was ready to take the lead and help me.”
‘Isn’t he too big to be in a stroller? Shouldn’t he be walking?’ I couldn’t keep my little boy safe anymore.’: Family adopts service dog for autistic son, ‘That was the day my little boy’s life changed forever’
“She was the first thing he went to in the morning and the last thing he kissed at night. She was his protector. She was his safety blanket. She was his best friend. He rubs her fur, she licks his hands, and together they can take on the world.”
‘I’ve loved my ex for 5 years.’ I was in the toilet, vomiting. I watched the father of my 3 kids die right in front of me.’: 40-year-old woman finds happy ending after infidelity, ‘Love will find you in the hardest of times’
“My biological father was a serial philanderer. I used to tell my husband, ‘You ever cheat on me, it will be the last time.’ Little did I know, 18 years later, I’d be left with 3 kids while he was out joyriding in my car with the another woman. ‘Well, don’t you think it’s too soon?’ In the chaos of my marriage ending, I never thought I’d fall in love with my best friend’s brother. When I give my heart to someone, I give it.”
Pregnant Mom Gets Ticket, Judge Changes Her Punishment When She Says It’s A Rainbow Baby
Instead of issuing the pregnant woman a citation, the judge dismissed her case after learning she was three weeks away from delivering her rainbow baby.
‘It felt like my whole world was crumbling around me. The second the ultrasound wand hit my belly, four sacs appeared. ‘Surely, it’s just two.’: Woman struggling with infertility, miscarriage gets pregnant with quadruplets
“I knew a disappearing symptom wasn’t a good sign. The first doctor told me to wait three months to try again. I refused. The next doctor told me I had to wait until my next miscarriage before I could be seen by a specialist. The next doctor I saw at that practice said she refused to help me anymore.”
‘SHE’S 21 AND PREGNANT. DO NOT ASSOCIATE.’ We lost friends. We stopped getting invites.’: Young mother swears every sacrifice was worth it, ‘We gained so much more than we lost’
“Our apartment was located near bars. 8 days after moving in, we found out we were pregnant. Life did an immediate 180. We’d wake up, look at Snapchat, and watch all of the fun we were missing out on. When we heard our baby’s heartbeat flutter for the first time, we knew we’d do anything for that little person living inside me.”
‘You’re born with it. There’s no way I have it.’ It spread like wildfire, right on my face.’ Woman with vitiligo learns to feel beautiful regardless, ‘Love yourself through your struggles’
“They used to say, ‘’Wow, your skin is so beautiful! What’s your skincare routine? Are you wearing makeup?’ In August of 2019, my skin would take a drastic turn. My face continued to get worse. I was becoming more and more self-conscious. I would wear makeup to hide it. I had no clue I would have to change my entire life up until that moment.”
‘Someone told me, you must find a way to love the virus.’ I was close to telling him to f*ck off.’: HIV positive man focuses on his health and self-love, ‘I face the future with much more love than fear.’
“‘Everything happens for a reason.’ I would be single and alone forever. ‘Who will want me if I have HIV?’ A friend from the choir said, ‘I am HIV positive, too, I can help you out.’”
The Truth About Being A Social Worker
“Next time you see a social worker or therapist, tell them thank you. You never know what they just heard from the client before you.”
‘He told me once when he was deployed, a woman noticed my picture on his laptop. He carries a heavy load.’: Military spouse says ‘the load is so much lighter when we carry it together’
“I turned bright red when he told me. When we lived overseas, there was a 7-hour time difference and a 23-hour flight separating us from the rest of our family. He’s the kind of man who holds you when you cry and ask for forgiveness.”
‘I was suddenly watching her monitor flat-line. Countless nurses rushed to save her. It happened 20 times that day.’: Mother shares traumatic process diagnosing daughter with Adrenal Insufficiency
“I never planned to be a medical expert, or to have to inject my daughter to save her life. Ten times I’ve swallowed back tears while holding my limp child in my arms; remembering each step to prepare the syringe; taking a deep breath as I jab it into her thigh; praying she will jolt awake, open her eyes, and come back to life.”
‘We need to talk, Kayleigh. The amount of water you’re drinking is drowning your body.’: Woman talks about fighting mental illness, ‘You don’t have to believe your thoughts.’
“I kept saying, ‘I don’t know, I don’t remember, I don’t think so.’ I felt so stupid. Like had I not been living in my own body? How come I didn’t know how much I have been sleeping, or using the washroom, or what day it was for that matter? Healing was for people who had time to sit around and think about their problems.”
‘It was a simple act of kindness she didn’t have to offer, as I’d never even met her in person. But she did.’: Act of kindness provides strength to let go and heal after loss of fiance
“I kept these wedding dresses hanging in my closet… a reminder of all the things in life I wouldn’t get. A reminder I was angry. And sad. And I had every right to be, because I was robbed of my happily ever after. If I couldn’t have it, I was going to hold on to every single piece I could.”
After Years Of Marriage And Multiple Kids, Valentine’s Day Looks Different
“Shiny jewelry, cuddly teddy bears, and Valentine’s cards are long gone. But there is nowhere else I’d rather be, and no one else I’d rather be doing this with.”
Dear Husband: It’s Okay To Not Be The Breadwinner
“I am happy with our family and how we work, and no one else’s opinion is ever going to change that.”
I Was Imprisoned For My Heroin Addiction, Now I Run The Largest Substance Abuse Recovery Center In Utah
“I put the sheet around my neck and waited. I just couldn’t let go. I could hear the voices in my head saying, ‘You can’t even do this right.’ When I was released from prison, my family wouldn’t take me in. After too many broken promises, they were done with me. I owed $33,000 in child support and $100,000 for my crimes. ‘You’re going to be okay.’ My prisonmates saved my life. They took me in when I was too far gone.”
‘My manager interrupted. ‘Wait, what? You need to get that checked out.’ I’d lie and say I was ‘gay.’ It was easier to explain.’: Woman shares candid reality of being asexual, ‘I’m not broken’
“It all hit me in high school. ‘Why is everyone obsessed with sex?’ It had never occurred to me sex was a huge part of life. Couples would make out in the stairways. Sexually active friends would re-tell their experiences in detail. I was disgusted. My therapist would ask if I was ‘this way’ because of my parents, who didn’t have a good relationship when I was growing up. People think a person, especially a woman, need to have a partner to be happy.”
‘How will you know you don’t like sex if you don’t try?’ Kissing left me uncomfortable. As a ‘good Catholic girl,’ I was pressured to marry and have kids.’: Asexual woman says she ‘doesn’t need sex to feel happy’
“I grew up in a conservative household. My father had strict rules: Dating was for finding someone to marry, and premarital sex was bad. I had my share of crushes, but I could never imagine myself doing anything sexually charged. When I went to college, a guy friend asked me out on a date. He was aware I wanted to stay a virgin. I quickly realized kissing left me uncomfortable. I was told time and time again, ‘You just haven’t found the right person yet.'”
‘Stop, you’re holding him too close.’ I ignored them, rarely letting go. I assumed everyone was this fiercely protective.’: Mom shares battle with postpartum anxiety, ‘I had no idea why I was suffering’
“Night upon night were panic-filled dreams, cold sweats. I’d frantically fumble through the sheets in search of my baby, who I was convinced I’d rolled on in my extreme state of exhaustion. Everywhere we went, I envisioned horrible things. I became the mother who hovered beneath the play equipment and fed only pureed food in fear he would choke. My mom friends stopped trying. Offers for play-dates and coffee meets ceased.”
‘I told the nurse, ‘Tie my tubes. I’m done, I don’t ever want to do this again!’ I begged my fiancé to find another woman. ‘I just can’t do it, I’m sorry.’: Woman births rainbow baby after still birth, 3 miscarriages
“At 18, I’d miscarried 3 times. Here I was, at risk of losing another baby. My OB said, ‘Your plan was to have a baby and bring a baby home. I know you still want that.’ Each month, I counted his kicks the way kids count raindrops on a car window. I texted my mom, ‘I can’t do this. What if I’m making a mistake?’ It was go time. I closed my eyes as tight as I could, clenched my teeth, and pushed.”
‘My dad killed himself, didn’t he? That’s why you cried so much when I was a baby?’: Mom doesn’t let labels define her, ‘I am more than just an amputee or widow’
“I still remember that day. The taste of blood and dirt in my mouth. Later, when I sat up in the hospital bed and felt the missing weight of my right arm, I looked over and saw nothing but a stump wrapped in bandages. It was the most horrific thing I’d seen in my 10 short years. But life moves on, and I slowly gained a sense of new purpose. There was more to me than just one label.”