“The holidays just started. Soon, relatives you don’t know will be asking what grade you’re in, how your love life is going, and what you’re planning to do with your future that’s exciting and financially viable. I know social events can be uncomfortable and draining for you. But being an introvert is not a flaw that needs fixing. It’s part of your uniqueness. I’ve got your back this holiday season.”
‘It’s not that you hate people or you’re shy. You just need alone time to charge your battery. I promise, I get it.’: Mom ‘appreciative’ of introvert daughter, ‘I’ve got your back this holiday season’
Dear Friends, Don’t Wait Until The Perfect Time—Just Show Up
“I got the call at 6 p.m., left my kids with my husband, and drove the 15 minutes to her house with my socks beautifully crammed into my Birkenstocks. When your friend’s husband dies unexpectedly, when she has a baby, when she is going through a divorce, she doesn’t care if you baked the cookies from scratch and perfectly placed them on a platter.”
‘I’d be single and a virgin forever. ‘The boys called me ‘big girl.’ I’d never be able to be naked in front of a lover.’: Woman loses 115 pounds after drug addiction, ‘Worry about being a good person, not your size’
“‘Are you using drugs again?,’ one of my professors asked me. I am a recovering drug addict, who lost 115 pounds and changed my entire life. I had a girl assume I was sick, a close friend expressed to me that I ‘took the easy way out.’ The smaller I got, the more attention I got, the more confused I was. I had sex for the first time after my dad died with a guy who blocked my number the day after he took my virginity. I wanted to stop hating myself, I wanted to be genuinely happy.”
‘She’s conceited. She needs to get over herself. Felicia. Felicia. Felicia.’: Woman insists we ‘get lost in crushing goals and proving others wrong’ that instead we ‘crush ourselves’
“Someone judged me for not being at the same job for years like they have been. Another judged me for not getting a 4-year degree when I was supposed to, before 25. I’ve been judged for being overweight. They made me feel so pathetic that I couldn’t find one reason to like myself. I didn’t meet that person’s standards, let alone the world’s standards.”
‘I wasn’t thankful last night. I can be a real witch at bedtime. It saddens so much to admit that.’: Mom ‘upset, frustrated’ kids climb in bed with her at night, ‘I threw in the towel’
“We’ll call bedtime ‘rest,’ because it sure as hell isn’t a good night’s sleep. So, when one of my kids can’t fall asleep, it freakin’ frustrates the heck out of me. Then I feel guilty because my poor child is frustrated she can’t sleep, and here I am, making it worse by getting upset with her. I wasn’t thankful last night. Nope. But then she puts her head on my chest.”
‘No Jessica, YOU are his mom. I only carried him.’ I became a mom in a courtroom.’: Woman ‘forever grateful’ for bio mom who made her a mother, ‘My son didn’t to my heartbeat from inside my womb, but he’s laid on my chest every day since 3 days old’
“Walking in the courtroom, there were 12 other families waiting with the same excitement. Some with matching shirts, letterboards, signs, all to commemorate their special day. The judge, dressed as Woody from Toy Story, walks in to officially kick off the festivities. ‘You understand this is a permanent proceeding. He would be yours as if he were born to you?,’ he asked. I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.”
‘I never let go. If I hold on tight enough, I cannot get hurt. If I dig in deep enough, everything will work out.’: Mom learns to ‘let go’ of micromanaging family, we have to ‘trust in ourselves’
“Whenever I feel anxious, I feel the urge to micromanage my family. Whenever I feel a sense of uncertainty, I feel the need to force things. I’m letting go. I’m not holding on. I’m enjoying this ride no matter what direction it takes me or how long it lasts.”
It’s Never Too Early To Address Your Kids’ Mental Health
“Today, my son crawled onto my lap and started whining. I told him to use his words. At that exact moment, I realized I haven’t been using mine. This week, I forgot to ask him if he was okay. Instead, I yelled, was less patient. I said ‘I can’t play, mommy’s busy!’ a lot. So, I made him feel special. His smile was instant.”
‘You don’t need to have a partner to have a baby. Then I got the news no one wants to hear, this pregnancy isn’t viable.’: Woman describes untraditional journey to single parenthood
“I found an unexpected emotion creeping in, sadness. Sadness that I was not going to be having a baby with a partner. It’s a weird feeling to be celebrating a dream come true while also mourning the loss of another.”
‘A lovely woman in her fifties strolled by with her cart. ‘You’d better be good. Santa’s watching!’ Pause.’: Woman encounters stranger trying to do her a ‘solid’ in Target
“How dare she put me in this position! How dare she speak those words into my son’s life! How DARE she. I spent the entire rest of the Target trip trying to conjure up the perfect retort. Who does she think she is, anyway!? I stopped dead in my tracks and started laughing.”
‘Dad can I have 3 dollars?’ My friend needs a chest binder and his parents aren’t supportive.’ My son came out as Trans at 11.’: Father embraces transgender son’s new boyfriend, lifestyle, ‘our job is to love the kids we are given’
“There are days I’m so tired and weak I can’t help but cry. I carry a lot of weight for my kid, in support of who he is now. ‘We have something super awkward to talk about.’ ‘Okay, what is it?’ ‘I know you’re in middle school now. Sometimes sex is a thing with kids that age. But I’m worried about it, and want you to wait. I don’t want you to experience sex for the first time as the wrong gender and have it hurt you.’ He’s dealing with a lot. Much more than I ever did as a 12-year-old.”
‘Mom, can you please come get me? I don’t know where I am. Please help me.’ The desperation in his voice nearly killed me.’: Mom says ‘I love you to the moon and back’ to son missing from opioid addiction
“‘How’s your son? Is he finally that TV star?’ Her question stopped me dead in my tracks. I left with tears in my eyes. He’s been missing for 2 years.”
‘I’m thankful for the way you take care of us. I kissed a lot of frogs before I found you.’: Woman pens emotional tribute to ‘absolute gem’ husband, ‘I thank God for you every day’
“I’m thankful for every time you rub my back until I fall asleep at night. For every time our kids’ eyes light up when you walk through the door. The way you protect and provide for our family. Thank you for every giggle, every touch, every heart emoji you send. For everything that makes me feel safe in a world full of worries. I thank God for you every day.”
Why I Choose Tough Love When Parenting My Children
“I really do hope to provide the very best possible life I can imagine for them. And oftentimes… that means I say NO.”
‘Bobbie, this is the key to good mashed potatoes.’ Grandma died 24 years ago. I still use her mixer.’: Woman remembers what’s really important at Thanksgiving, ‘They were perfect, and we weren’t looking at Pinterest’
“I found a find a checklist on Pinterest. ‘How to Host the Perfect Thanksgiving.’ Well, it seems I’m already 3 weeks behind. Clean your refrigerator, clean your oven, empty your coat closets. I’m setting out bowls, getting extra chairs, making sure my cabinets won’t be an embarrassment, when I see the most important part of this holiday.”
‘I love your lips! Your lips are so full and sexy. I love bigger girls. Let’s have some ‘fun.’: Sexual innuendos woman recieves in her inbox make her want to ‘throw up’
“I block user after user after user. I never thought I’d be tired of the words ‘pretty’ and ‘beautiful’ and being told how ‘desirable’ I am (in the most vulgar ways). I’m not trying to sound conceited. If only they knew me. Really knew me. My lips mean more to men than anything else about me.”
‘I wear lots of ‘hats.’ I’m a mom, wife, boss. You’re allowed to say F it and throw them up in the air for the day.’: Woman urges us to let our guard down, ‘don’t hold it together for everyone else’s sake’
“I’m a wife that loves and supports her husband in anything he does. A mom who can heal boo boos with a kiss and turn a frown upside down. A boss who has to make the tough calls and not loose her mind when sh*t hits the fan. When life gets overwhelming, it’s okay to let your guard down. Throw one of those ‘hats’ up in the air for the day. Just be sure to catch it and try again tomorrow.”
‘All I heard was ‘buzz.’ I start whispering, ’Oh no, oh no, oh no!’ I was missing HALF my eyebrow.’: Woman hilariously recalls drastic eyebrow trimming fail, ‘It was down to the stubs!’
“Four words for you – ‘As seen on TV.’ I have had this dang brow trimmer boxed in my bathroom cupboard for over 2 years now. I came home the other night and my husband had it all unboxed, using it on his mustache. ‘What the heck?! Why haven’t you ever opened this? It’s awesome!’ I laughed. ‘Well, at least someone is using it.’ The next morning, I see it sitting in the corner and thought, ‘What the heck!’ Oh boy, was I wrong.”
‘Eat, drink, be merry, and avoid cousin Mary if she robs your joy.’: 4 things to remember this Thanksgiving
“Go if you want, stay home if you want. Excuse yourself if you’re tired, or it’s too chaotic. Boundary lines blur during the holiday season, and our cheer gets the best of us. Just remember, ‘We have an obligation to love everyone, but some people we must love at a safe distance.’ Send them to the kiddy table and keep yourself at peace.”
‘I wasn’t trying to ‘play mommy.’ I was jealous when they started dating. Now my daughter’s stepmom is my best friend.’: Husband’s wife and ex-wife become best friends, successfully co-parent as ‘one big happy family’
“Before we had even met, we started off on the wrong foot. It began when Nick (my ex) and Savannah (his new girlfriend) were dating and took my baby to Disneyland. Savannah took a picture and posted it online. I was angry. It felt like someone was being the ‘replacement’ as Liv’s mom.”
‘If I feel like this with 1, how am I ever going to survive more?’ How would I perfect another kid?’: Mom of 3 realizes in hindsight first child is ‘the hardest job’
“I remember trying to fill the time until my husband got home from work in 10 minute increments. ‘Okay, we can look in the mirror until 4:17, then we’ll walk down to get the mail. That’ll get us to about 4:30. When we get back, we can read books until 4:45. Then preheat the oven and get all the ingredients out for supper. At 5, I can put him in his swing and start cooking dinner.’ I cannot perfect my children. And that sucks.”
To My Second Family Who Takes Me In During The Holidays: Thank You For Choosing Me Over My Abuser
“No one should have to exist in the same room with the one who makes them want to vanish within it. I will not be part of a family who chooses my abuser over me.”
‘Geoff… GEOFF?!’ His eyes were wide open, staring at the sky struggling to breathe. He went limp.’: Pregnant woman loses husband from freak seizure on vacation, ‘they wouldn’t let me see him’
“We went on an organized boat trip. My husband decided to go in for a swim. 5 minutes in, he started to have some sort of seizure in the water. They took him to shore, leaving us on the main boat. I shouted at the captain, ‘Bring us back!’ The answer I got was chilling: ‘You need to think of the other people who paid for this trip, I cannot just turn the boat around.’ It took us another 2 days to find out where they had taken him.”
‘It’ll go away in its own, don’t worry.’ She had abnormal, starry blue eyes. I knew they had failed us.’: Woman gives birth to baby with Williams Syndrome
“We weren’t leaving this place without a diagnosis. ‘Don’t jump to any conclusions.’ She had a heart murmur and a low birth weight, but they still gave her the okay to go home. Little did we know our lives would soon change forever.”
‘You’re only 19 weeks, it’s too early.’ I was scared to hold him. But THAT was love at first sight.’: Woman’s baby born still after years of infertility, ‘he has changed my life, even when he is not here’
“’How far along are you? You aren’t due til November!’ My mom thought I was playing a trick on her, but she could see I’d been crying. My worst fear had come true. I knew I’d hate myself if I never took any photos, so I took an abundance. I needed to have that for my son. The worst part? Knowing it was the first and last time I’d ever hold him again.”