“The first time my ex-anniversary rolled around the calendar I tried to block it out. That lasted about 10 minutes. Suddenly, thoughts and feelings about my divorce started to bubble up. I didn’t know how to feel. I couldn’t keep ignoring my past.”
There Is Always One Day That Is Simply Emotionally Confusing: The Ex-Anniversary Date
‘Those two names take my breath away.’: The special birthday gift that brought this mom to tears
“They passed away within two months of being born, never making it to their first birthday.”
When You (And Your Nursery) Are Left Empty
“Twenty-seven days after Cayden’s death I opened that door. But I wasn’t ready for it. I went in to iron my skirt on the ironing board but everything froze, including me.”
‘I told him I captured him crying seeing his son. He said, ‘That’s not why I was crying.’: Photographer captures husband in tears of joy after watching wife ‘helplessly’ struggle during pregnancy
“Puzzled, I asked what he meant. He teared up again and said, ‘This is the first time I have seen her smile in 10 months.'”
‘If you’re having trouble losing weight, CHECK YOUR THYROID. Before I was medicated, I was sick, sad and dying.’
“My highest weight, at 4’11”, was 230 pounds. Yeah, that’s what you call a dangerous BMI. I was terrified, afraid I’d die in my sleep. My boyfriend rushed me to the hospital after finding me barely conscious in my car in a Walmart parking lot at 2 a.m.”
‘Abby’s story began by being born in a toilet. David was autistic. Karen was discovered locked in a bedroom. Sabrina functions at 18-24 months. Each one is perfect in their own way.’
“This is a picture that was taken at our 4th adoption. Unable to have children, my husband and I turned to fostering to adopt.”
‘I’ve never mentioned this, but your dad was in Vietnam and was around that toxic chemical called Agent Orange.’
“Flash forward to 38 years old. I was diagnosed with cancer, again. AND, was going through a painful divorce.”
‘Quietly, silently, quickly. My daughter almost drowned. We were all there and none of us saw her slip under the water, but it still happened.’: Mom has to get over guilt of daughter almost drowning, says ‘accidents happen’
“My heart hurts. I feel ashamed and guilty that my daughter was fighting for her life underwater, drowning, and I didn’t even see it.”
Why French Kids Don’t Have ADHD
“Is ADHD a biological-neurological disorder? Surprisingly, the answer to this question depends on whether you live in France or in the U.S.”
Dear Boy Mom, Your Life Will Not Be A Perfect One
“You will find yourself teaching them to not just be good boys but good men. Men that strive to look for the good in this world and when they can’t find it, they become it.”
‘I didn’t realize how many women suffer from pregnancy loss in silence. We are taught not to talk about the bad.’
“I was heartbroken to learn how some women had no support system, and I wanted to be that for them. I wanted to make sure no woman going through loss would have to feel alone during the heart wrenching time of miscarriage, pregnancy loss or infertility.”
‘I was fortunate enough to slap on a suction cup fake nipple. I was first to breast feed the baby!’: New dad shares amazing skin to skin contact and breastfeeding experience
“I really did it just to be a good dad and be a hero for the nursing staff because they are superheroes. You couldn’t ask for anyone better.”
‘Being on anxiety meds does not make me a failure. It means I am doing what I need to be the best I can for my kids, my family.’
“I am strong and I’m fighting anxiety daily. I am learning more about myself and my needs as a mom. I am brave. And I am not alone.”
The Challenges Of Living With Invisible Illness
“I’ve learned that the burden is on those who are chronically ill to make the invisible visible to others.”
‘You kicked me. You hit me. You controlled me. You isolated me. You criticized me. You bullied me. You blamed me. You made me feel like it was all my fault. I believed you.’
“I am not afraid of you anymore. I am a domestic abuse and sexual assault/rape survivor, NOT a victim, and I am not ashamed.”
Talking with kids about emotions in daily life
“When parents talk about a wide range of emotions, kids learn to understand their own emotions and those of other people.”
Cancer-Ridden Dog Lives To See Owner Walk Down Wedding Aisle After Supporting Through Her OWN Cancer Recovery
“Spike being there is what I wanted most. I wanted everyone to see him strut his stuff, and for him to get one final big day before what might be his last.”
‘She’s captured 24,000 photos of our family in less than one year. But barely any of them have her in it.’
“She says she wants more nice photos of herself and the boys. I guess she just wants to be part of the story too… And she deserves to be part of the story. She’s the BIGGEST part of the story.”
‘Huge tears rolled down my cheek. I was immediately taken back to the day my 6-year old son passed away’: Triggered by one sound, mom recalls her painful ‘dance with grief’
“Grief snuck up on me, grabbing me from behind, suffocating me. I closed my eyes, familiar with this feeling. I’ve been dancing with grief for 12 years and it still consumes me when I least expect it, spinning me out of control.”
‘So, I had colon cancer, thyroid cancer, and now I may not be able to and I wouldn’t be able to have children? It was too much.’
“My sister-in-law, was with me at the appointment where they told me I wouldn’t be able to have children. She told me she felt God telling her that she would help us start a family. She reached out and told us she wanted to volunteer as a surrogate for us.”
My Daughter Was Born The Size Of A Coke Can
“Though she may be little, she is fierce.”
‘It’s hard to know your hands were the beating heart for a child who is no longer alive.’
“I sat in my car and cried that day for a long time. I cried for the child, for the loss, and for the pain of that family. I cried for all of us who spent so much time trying to save that child, and I cried for myself, and for the very real pain I was feeling.”
‘CRYSTAL!’ I heard her yell, as her eyes lit up’: 9-year-old overjoyed to meet woman with ‘same beautiful purple hue’ prominent birthmark
“Until that afternoon, Naomi and I had never met – but she knew who I was. Even though we have a 17 year age gap, we already had many common life experiences: Stranger’s uncomfortable stares. Unkind comments. Medical treatments.”
‘It’s confirmed, you are having quadruplets.’ We then understood why we had to wait to receive our miracles.’: Couple struggling with infertility become pregnant with four babies, ‘He looked like he was going to faint’
“He didn’t guarantee a successful pregnancy, but it was worth a try. I had seen so many negative pregnancy tests in the past that it was almost impossible for me to see the positive in this one. ‘Triplets, you are having triplets!’ And then he says, ‘the fourth sac will probably vanish since I didn’t hear a heartbeat.’”
3-year-old tearfully clutches her ‘Daddy Doll,’ asks mom ‘why did he have to leave?’
“Never could I have prepared myself for explaining to her it is okay to be sad, it is okay to cry and to be mad. And it is okay that your heart hurts.”