“She said, ‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ and came home with the bag. At home, she opened the bag, beneath the yarn, to see a granny square blanket that had been started. Mom finished the blanket and drove to the house where the garage sale was. The granddaughter was in tears and hugged her.”
‘How much is the yarn?’ She replied, ‘It’s 5 dollars. My grandma started a project, but never finished. She passed away.’: Stranger’s act of kindness carrying on a grandmother’s legacy brings granddaughter to tears
‘Y’all, if a mom is burnt out she does NOT need a pat on the head and a pedicure. She needs HELP.’: Mom claims ‘basic human care’ should not be considered ‘a luxury’
“When did going to the dentist become a break? When did getting a haircut become anything other than a necessity? Why is ANYTHING centered on the mom considered ‘me time’ for her? Sorry y’all, but taking a dump shouldn’t be considered a break if my kids don’t barge in. This has to stop. You want to help a mom be less overwhelmed? Do some of her dishes, laundry, cooking, and child-wrangling.”
‘A meek, ‘it’s me’ came from the kitchen. It wasn’t my kid. A teenager appeared at my bedroom door.’: Mom has ‘open door policy’ for daughter’s friends after husband’s death, says they’re ‘family’
“I heard the microwave. I called my daughter’s name. Not once, not twice but 5 times with no answer. It wasn’t her. I didn’t know where she came from. It appears my ‘open door policy’ has been taken literally, and to be honest, I’m ok with that. After my husband died, our family of six 6 dwindled down to just me and my daughter. Her friends ARE her family.”
‘I was on social media, and there it was. Yet ANOTHER story about a mother being shamed for her parenting choices.’: Fed up mom says ‘real friends’ don’t care about these ‘silly arguments’
“All I could think in that moment was… where do you find these people?!”
‘Honey, I loved you first. But, you get the last of me.’: Wife realizes husband has to ‘fight’ for her attention now, admits their life ‘looks much different’ after kids
“I remember you picking me up for our first date. I spent a whole hour getting ready for you. Making sure every hair was in place and my makeup was perfect. When you see me now at the end of the day, the makeup on my face is smeared. My hair is in some rat’s nest. And my outfit, 100% has someone’s bodily fluids smeared somewhere.”
‘Ma’am there’s been reports of gunshots.’ The cops open the closet, we all stop. I see his legs.’: Woman finds true love after abuse, miscarries, welcomes rainbow baby with man who ‘rocked her world’
“I come home terrified, not knowing what to expect. I walk into each room looking for him, nowhere to be found. There are cops at the door. My heart sinks in panic. The cops pull him out, still alive. He stated he was ‘cleaning his gun,’ and he wanted to ‘hide in the closet.’ WHAT?! ‘Ma’am, you need to get away from him. This is not safe.’ Then I met Michael. I forgot what laughter felt like until that moment.”
‘Never in a billion years would I have imagined myself a stay-at-home mom with 3 foster kids.’: Foster mom starts movement to help others understand ‘the effects of childhood trauma on foster and adoptive youth’
“I was working as a marketing consultant. ‘What are you REALLY passionate about?’ I got on a soapbox about trauma and foster youth. She just looked at me and said, ‘That’s your passion girl. That’s your THING. Until you’re all in that, you’re not gonna get where you want to be!’ I quit my job. She was right.”
‘I totally biffed my first kindergarten car line drop off. Everything was going great, initially.’: Dad hilariously recounts running over traffic cone, ‘disaster’ of dad duties
“I was sweet and charming with the designated kid picker-upper teacher. And then… it. hit. the. fan. THUMP. I plowed over the ridiculously large orange traffic cone. The safety patrollers began frantically yelling at me, waving me down. I proceeded to army-crawl the entire length of the car, trying to pry out the stupid cone. I was a disaster.”
I Quit My Job To Become A Professional Kitten Cuddler
“At the time, I was living in a tiny Manhattan apartment and working long hours for a big bank.”
‘If you see a child with no socks, for goodness sake Barbs, don’t assume she is neglectful.’: Fed up mom wishes the ‘judgement’ would end
“If she complains she’s exhausted, she doesn’t need a lecture about, ‘How they’re only little once.’ If you see a mother giving her kid some juice, don’t assume she’s beer bonging those kids with red cordial every day. It’s probably a treat. Sit down with your judgement.”
‘My husband doesn’t make tons of money or write poetry. But he says I love you without saying, ‘I love you.’: Woman reminds us to ‘soak in the tiny gestures’ we often miss
“I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve gotten flowers, but I’ve lost count of how many days my husband’s made my coffee before his own. He blushes when I compliment him, grins if I wear a new dress. Even all these years later, I can still turn his head. The gifts he gives me aren’t laced with diamonds, but I feel rich. There’s probably someone doing their best to pour love into your empty cup. And if you blink, you’ll miss it.”
‘You’re worthless. No one has ever wanted you here.’ I was a suicidal, hopeless teenager. ‘We would adopt you!’: 26-year-old adopted after years of child abuse
“My dream of having a forever family was coming to an end. I lost hope that I’d be adopted because I had aged out of the system, and I was fearful I’d have to do life alone. ‘We would adopt you!’ Tears flowed down my face. You’ll never be too old to need parents.”
‘At least he didn’t suffer. You’re young, you’ll get married again.’: Widow recalls ‘useless’ things people told her after loss, no one understands ‘how heavy’ grief is for her
“I watched as another widow buried her husband. My heart ached for her. When I looked at her, I could see a reflection of myself. Unsteady and unsure. Overwhelmed. And so very afraid. It took my breath away. I couldn’t wait for it all to be over. They don’t tell you just how heavy it is.”
‘This is crazy! We don’t have any pink hats left. This has NEVER happened before.’: Mom realizes signs from her dad in heaven were ‘loud’ throughout pregnancy with son
“Each patient gets a blue and a pink hat. She pulled out a blue one to hand to me. ‘It’s strange. There weren’t any pink ones in there. I don’t know if you believe in signs, but there’s no way the baby you’re carrying is a girl. Absolutely no way!’ I’ve only carried 4 girls. To me, there was no way this baby could be a boy. I wanted nothing more than to give my little brother we adopted a brother.”
‘I never knew why opposites attract, until I met you. All the things that drive me crazy about you make us work.’: Woman pens sweet letter to polar ‘opposite’ husband
“I know why opposites attract. It’s so I don’t spend our entire budget on kid’s clothes and coffee runs. You see the good in situations even when I swear it’s not there. You’d work till retirement, I lobby for vacation. That brick of a flip phone you carry keeps me grounded. All the things that drive me crazy about you make us work.”
‘I no longer sit at tables where I might be the topic when I get up. I used to think that’s just how women are.’: Woman reminds us ‘worth’ can’t be ‘determined or negotiated’ by others
“If you’re sitting at the table where the topic of discussion is someone else’s shortcomings, mistakes, imperfections, flaws, or lawd the he said she said gossip, GIRL. GET A NEW TABLE. I assure you that when you leave your seat, you’re likely the next topic of conversation.”
‘I only bought 2 backpacks instead of 3. I naively thought I was ready. But grief proved me wrong.’: Mom feels ‘paralyzed’ while back-to-school shopping after losing son to drowning accident
“I let down my guard, slammed with the sudden realization he is gone. My daughters stood on the edge of the balcony and watched as the world ended, watched as their parents begged to trade places with their little brother. He slipped away from us, down a spiral staircase, and fell into the pool.”
‘Don’t be anyone’s doormat. Don’t just stand there and be mistreated.’: Woman encourages to ‘keep being a nice person’ while staying ‘true to you’
“Keep being a nice person. But don’t get hurt repeatedly and believe there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ll regret a lot of things in life, but I assure you, responding to someone with kindness, grace and love will never be one of them. Also, you’ll sleep an awful lot better at night.”
‘The night before you send your kid to Kindergarten is a strange place. You’ll feel pain your heart hasn’t felt before.’: Mom reminisces about first days of Kindergarten, claims ‘you’ll survive this, too’
“You’ll study her face and worry. What if she gets lost in the hall? What if she doesn’t make a single friend? What if she doesn’t think about you at all? Does she know every sandwich, every pool day, every morning we snuggled in bed, I didn’t want to be anywhere else? It’ll feel like forever ’til you see her little face on that sidewalk, but I guarantee you, it’ll be smiling. She’s a different kid. She grew up today.”
‘I was 253 pounds. My stomach rested in rolls on my hips like a pile of dough. I was disgusted with myself.’: Man loses nearly 100 pounds, claims ‘potential is limitless’ if you overcome ‘fear and excuses’
“The doctor walked in and bluntly said, ‘Welp, you have a broken back.’ My promising college baseball career was over. My girlfriend broke up with me. The crutches in my life that helped me ignore how unhappy I was with my body were GONE. My moment of clarity didn’t come from a diet fad. It came in a ‘toilet moment’. I was simply disgusted with myself.”
‘Don’t worry, he won’t cheat!,’ a church member told me. It was a betrayal of epic proportions.’: Woman overcomes husband’s infidelity to become ‘stronger, more authentic’ version of herself
“Out of nowhere, he grabbed my hands, looked me in the eyes and said every kind thing I’d hoped to hear. I asked where this sudden conviction came from. He replied, ‘Because I’ve been lying to you… there’s more.’ At that moment, time stood still. A family member of hers had texted us letting us know she had missed her period, and was concerned of pregnancy.”
My Daughter Was Called ‘Fat And Ugly’ At The Pool, And I Have A Lot To Say About It
“They went on about their day with no remorse for how deeply they had hurt my daughter.”
‘To the girl in love with an addict, his failures are not your failures. His demons are not your demons.’: Mom comes to terms with husband’s addiction, advises addict spouses to ‘hang in there’
“To the girl in love with an addict, I saw you sit in your car alone at halftime and breakdown. I see you and your fake smile. Don’t worry, they all still believe you’re fine. You’ve gotten so good at crying hard, getting it all out fast, and getting back to your seat before anyone even realizes you’re gone. Please don’t let him make you think his addiction is your fault. This has nothing to do with you at all. You deserve better than this.”
‘What’s wrong with her fingers?,’ my husband asked. ‘They look strange, but they’re perfect.’ Then he saw her toes.’: Parents surprised by daughter’s Apert Syndrome diagnosis, ‘She just wants to be loved’
“The doctor yelled to get the NICU team as soon as possible. They came in so fast we could hardly get a picture. I don’t remember anything afterwards except that my husband googled her syndrome based on her appearance, and I was left alone in the delivery room. No husband. No baby. I asked for a Diet Coke. They only had Diet Pepsi.”
‘How many people did you cross today? 5. Maybe 30? It takes 2 minutes to alter someone’s day.’: In wake of mass shootings, mom urges us to take 2 minutes to spread ‘kindness’
“There are people out there longing to feel connected. To feel seen. All it takes is one smile. One hello. Buy a coffee for the person behind you. That waitress busting her butt at the diner? Tip her and tell her how much potential she has. Send that text. We live in times I never wished for my children. I’m not naive to it. But, I refuse to let evil and hate paralyze me.”