“I had never held a man’s hand. I hadn’t had my first kiss. I was basically a tween. ‘You have to do it,’ my wife said when I waffled in terror. ‘You have to go out with him.’ I was terrified, but totally pumped. I started chatting with Carlos. Holy smokes, this was AMAZING. I was 37 years old (getting uncomfortably close to the famous 40-year-old virgin trope), virginal in almost every way, and totally inexperienced. It was a revelation! But I could just feel it. I started falling in love. Oh wow did I fall hard.”
‘You HAVE to start dating guys,’ my wife insisted. I was 37, but 13 in exploring my sexual identity.’: Man comes out as gay, still lives with ex-wife to raise 4 daughters with boyfriend peacefully
Dear Parents, This Christmas Shopping Hack Will Avoid Countless Tantrums
“Take a picture. It’s that easy”
Dear Women: Don’t Rush To Get Married—Wait To Find The Right Partner
“The girl on the left lacks confidence. She’s hived up, feeling like she’s running out of time. Even her smile is nervous. She’s marrying the only man she’s ever known, but her gut is telling her something isn’t right.”
How My Ex-Husband And I Co-Parent With The Kids First, Ego Last Formula
“My ex-husband’s mom said, ‘Well, if you’re not technically my daughter-in-law anymore, then from now on you’re my daughter.’ And they have treated me like one since.”
‘Have you been punched in the face?’ I was ‘mystery girl,’ being ‘strangled alive’ as my tongue blackened.’: Woman survives severe sepsis caused by infected, impacted wisdom tooth
“I was having a quiet dinner with a friend. It felt like I had bitten my tongue, but I ignored it and continued our night. Little did I know, the pain I was feeling was my first clue to something much more sinister. I snuggled into my winter pajamas and closed my eyes. Less than an hour later, I awoke choking, short of breath, with a numb feeling on my tongue. I remember the fear and panic in her eyes as I choked on the antihistamine. I knew it wasn’t good.”
‘My mom said, ‘Don’t you think he’s cheating on you?’ His threats to leave didn’t make sense. As I protected him, he was stringing a web of lies.’: Woman happily re-marries after infidelity, ‘Our wounds do not define us’
“He was a well-known pastor in our community. He made everyone happy, but could rarely connect on a deep level. When he finally let the truth come out, something shifted. The bold girl inside me showed up. I shoved him out of the house and slammed the door shut. While attempting to clean up the mess of my life, Blake was living one block away from, grieving the loss of his beautiful wife, Jenna.”
‘Is she really your child? Are you really her mother?,’ strangers ask. It’s hard. I’m just a mom caring for her 4 kids.’: Biracial couple adopts white niece, ‘I am so proud to call her one of my children’
“‘Your sister-in-law has been arrested. Her kids will be placed in foster care.’ Our hearts sank! We went to court hopeful, but scared. We bought an inmate phone card just to make the 15-minute phone call to plead our case. I was so nervous I’d say the wrong thing. ‘No, I just don’t think my daughter staying with you would be best,’ the bio mom said. As simple as that. No reason or explanation. I looked at Drue with desperation hoping he’d press the issue. He just shook his head no.”
‘We’re going to have this baby, like right now!’ On the bed of our Ford pickup truck, I felt him crowning.’: Woman names baby ‘Ford’ after accidental birth in the back of her truck, ‘he’ll always have a story to tell’
“I felt my body pushing. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t hold back any longer. He came out as we turned from the main road to the hospital. I looked at my husband and said, ‘Why isn’t he crying?!’ We were both in shock. The umbilical chord was wrapped around his neck. All I wanted was to hear that first deep breath and newborn baby cry.”
‘My ex-husband married my best friend,’ she tells everyone. We’ve given ‘Sister Wives’ a whole new meaning.’: Wife and ex-wife become best friends after years of fighting, successfully co-parent blended family
“His ex-wife was not a fan of mine. I was his first girlfriend after their divorce and she felt she needed to protect her children. She had no clue who I was. There were times I wanted to knock her upside her head and vise versa. But we finally met for lunch to hash things out. I was nervous. ‘I am not trying to take your place. You are the kids’ mother and I in no way want to replace you.’ ‘I really needed to hear that,’ she told me. Turns out, what I needed was right before me the whole time.”
‘My therapist said it might be a good idea to hire a ‘personal assistant.’ I’m a stay-at-home-mom. Am I crazy to consider it?’: Mother recalls how extra help would get her ‘sparkle’ back
“I was at brunch slurping up a delectable chai with a girlfriend when I confessed all my help. ‘So, I have this gal who does our house’s big deep cleans and then another gal who does light tidying and takes care of all the laundry a few times a week and this other gal who babysits one day a week during the afterschool hours to give me a break from, well, the after school hours.’ P.S. I’m a stay-at-home mom.”
‘AND I told them about your beehive!,’ he blurts out. Y’all, like a child caught red handed. He confessed to everything.’: Mom pens hilarious open letter to the nosy neighbor who called 911 on her beehive
“To my surprise, a cop was just pounding on our door. Someone called about our garbage cans being by the garage door. THE AUDACITY!! I said, ‘Oh my God! TOTALLY fine, I’m sorry.’ But then I was also like, ‘Waiiiiit a sec… screw whoever called on us!’ Ok, Petty Boop. Come to my house and knock on the door – we all know each other VERY well. Then out of NO WHERE, the officer says, ‘That’s a big beehive you got there!’ I felt like someone noticed my but looked good. I love that thing so much. ‘OMG ISN’T IT AMAZING?!’ Then it clicked. How DARE you!”
My Husband And I’s Intimate Boundaries Changed After Having Children, And That’s Okay
“If you’re dating, married, babyfied, or babyless, know that you don’t owe your partner anything! I hope we can all continue to respect each other’s boundaries and wishes. After all, that is what marriage is all about.”
‘Call my mom,’ he’d written on his shirt. He just hung himself off a bridge. I did not believe it.’: Mother urges ‘you are not a burden’ after losing ‘beautiful, smiling-faced’ son to suicide
“We woke up to find him gone. We’d just gotten into an argument because he was caught sneaking out. We couldn’t call him because he had his phone taken away. Panic set in. Was he running away? Or just hiding out for a bit? We turned the corner to police cars, fire trucks, and road closures. ‘Are you Jennifer Chappell?,’ the police officer asked me. ‘Yes.’ I was too late.”
‘I showed him my positive pregnancy test. ‘Here we go!’ He loved being a dad. Days later, he died in a car accident.’: 2 brothers pass away, wives become best friends bonding through ‘love and loss’
“I woke up to a sign on my door that said, ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’ How could I say no?! I’ll never forget watching Jeremy cry as he held our daughters for the very first time. They are the best parts of him. Jeremy loved being a dad. Just shy of 5 months later, Jeremy was called home to be with God. Two incredible men gone way too soon.”
‘You can’t drink that glass of wine while breastfeeding. And please don’t breastfeed without a cover.’: Mom’s hilarious guide to navigating breastfeeding comments during the holiday season
“‘You’re holding your baby too much.’ ‘Isn’t your baby too old to be breastfeeding?’ ‘You’re weaning soon, right?’ ‘Just let the baby cry. It’s good for their lungs.’ ‘You really need to put your baby on a schedule.’ ‘You better not eat the green beans. It will make your baby gassy.’ Here’s how to respond during the holidays.”
‘Dear judgy lady on Facebook, I lost my husband with narcan a truck door away. I hope you never have to.’: Woman pens letter to stranger after husband’s heroin overdose, ‘We are all human, we are all in this together’
“I read the article you shared about narcan. Your opinion and commentary made my pulse pound and my face flush. I get it, you think it was his ‘choice.’ You think he didn’t love me or anyone else enough. You think he was selfish, stupid, and weak. He is the face of a million ‘junkies’ to you. But I know something you don’t know. I have lived it. I lost the most precious person to me without a ‘goodbye’ or a last ‘I love you.’”
I Spent My Whole Life Hiding My Port Wine Stain Birthmark, Now I’m Reclaiming My Beauty
“Telling myself that I CAN freed me from the hurt I was causing myself.”
‘Lemme tell you why I will never judge your parenting: I’m too damn busy.’: Mom’s candid reasons why ‘I don’t worry about your kids’
“I’m too busy letting my 6-year-old wear Cinderella underwear as a bathing suit. I’m too busy trying not to fight with my husband. I’m too busy wondering if that wet spot is from water, juice, or urine. I’m too busy apologizing to my kids for throwing away that ginormous popsicle stick art project they brought home from school. I’m too busy apologizing FOR my kids.”
‘She was 50 pounds lighter. She looked like she had it all, but was an absolute wreck inside.’: Woman loving life 50 pounds heavier, ‘I sleep next to a man who loves the soul within my body’
“She walked to class day after day conscious of how she carried herself, hoping to draw attention from the athletes. She’d come home from another expected night of being taken advantage of and destroy herself — she was too fat, too quiet, too loud — too much, yet not enough. She fell into the arms of men who only loved the body she hated. Now, I sleep next to a man who loves the soul within my body.”
‘How is he? Does he have 10 fingers and toes?’ He replied, ‘Actually, no he doesn’t.’ They looked concerned.’: Mom surprised by son’s cleft hands diagnosis, ‘None of these ‘extra’ ultrasounds noticed my child’s hands’
“I’ve always known the ‘middle finger’ could cause a stir, but I never knew the lack of one could cause a bigger stir. When I got back to my room, they all looked concerned. The nurses ‘had never seen anything like this,’ and thought he’d be a good excuse for show and tell. I saw a beautiful, perfect baby boy, but the nurses and doctors saw something ‘different.’”
‘Which bird is mine, mama? This one?’ My boys point to my tattoo. ‘But mom, who are THESE birds?’: Mom’s sentimental tattoo helps 3-year-old sons learn about ‘the babies in my tummy that died’
“‘They died? Why?’ Ira asked, concerned. ‘What happened?’ He shrugged his shoulders and looked at me. ‘Where they go? After they dead?’ ‘You know,’ I said tickling them, ‘You two are miracles. Our babies that didn’t make it out of my tummy alive are in Heaven.’ My boys would usually be distracted by now. ‘It has streets of GOLD. There is no crying, no sadness. No families are broken…we all live together. ‘We all live together there? Daddy too?’”
‘My husband is a hottie. But his blue eyes and brilliant smile aren’t what make him The Sexiest Man Alive. His fatherhood does.’: Wife swoons over husband’s ‘sexy’ traits taking care of their kids
“While standing in the checkout line at Publix, I was graced by the presence of John Legend’s beautiful face. Phew. John Legend, y’all. He’s the Sexiest Man Alive. But is he really? Can he install a rear-facing car seat? Because THAT is SEXAYYY.”
I Left My Husband After 8 Years, And It Made Our Marriage Stronger
“I forgot how to be a wife. Or, at least a good one. I lost my temper at absolutely everything. I was hurting him, because I was hurting inside.”
‘Here we go again. Feel happy with the 2 you have here.’ I read it several times. I will not be silenced.’: Mom of triplet child loss responds to ‘internet troll’ after hurtful social media comment
“It may make people uncomfortable. It may even make you cringe. But I will never stop talking about my children who died. I usually take the high road with ‘internet trolls,’ but for some reason, I responded. I will not be silenced.”
‘Bets were made whether I’d last in the ‘boys club,’ or how long until I quit. Things got bad really quickly.’: Woman forced to quit her job after horrendous workplace bullying, ‘I finally put myself first. I am only human’
“I aspired to be a ‘businesswoman’ and make my family proud. I had no idea I was about to join a small team of all men who were both equally hated and respected by everyone in the department. People in the company started to wish me ‘good luck’ and apologize for ‘what was to come.’ The third stall in the women’s bathroom became my second home.”