“But one day, it will all be over. And we’ll miss it—ALL OF IT.”
We Wish Away The Tantrums, The Non-Stop Laundry, The Hardly Any Time To Ourselves—But One Day, It Will All Be Over
‘So many times children are told, ‘Put your hood down, I want to see you when I’m talking to you.’ It is a safety measure.’: Mom to daughter with autism urges inclusive learning
“When the world feels too big, too noisy, too chaotic – a hood provides a barrier. A safe space. A partition between the person and the rest of the world.”
Dear Fertile Friends, Please Don’t Hide Your Pregnancy From Me
“My struggle should not take away from your happiness.”
‘Will my brother ever talk?’: Mom to son with Down syndrome shares embracing ‘the unknowns’
“It was an innocent and valid question, but it’s moments like these that hit me in the gut.”
‘I had a friend who always dressed like a boy. She told me how scary it was to embrace her true self in a place that would never accept her.’: Former teacher responds to ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
“These children need a safe space. They need stories, role models, and opportunities to explore and practice who they are growing up to be.”
I Sleep In A Bed Full Of Kids Because One Day Soon, I’ll Wake To An Empty Bed
“On a regular morning, I wake up with a foot in my face, a head on my chest, and someone screaming in my ear or sitting on my head and saying, ‘Mommy wake up!’ Because our children won’t always want us around, to share a small space, to snuggle.”
‘I hope my daughter remembers all my f-bombs. You don’t hear that a lot, but it’s true.’: Mom shares memories, lessons she hopes her daughter holds onto
“I hope she knows nothing about being a mom came organically to me. But mommy tries so very hard.”
‘It was the most heartwarming gesture that told me America still cares.’: WWII Purple Heart recipient received 100,000 birthday cards after daughter’s viral plea
“I knew Dad had outlived all of his friends and college buddies, and he wouldn’t be getting any birthday cards in the mail… It was the most heartwarming gesture.”
‘Our last hope.’: After losing two babies, endometriosis warrior births miracle baby in final shot at IVF
“We had now lost our second baby. We only had one embryo left, and one last chance at having a biological child.”
‘Silvery, beautiful tattoos,’ my daughter said as she traced the stretch marks on my tummy with her fingertips.’: Mom shares journey with eating disorders and self-acceptance
“If we want to feel beautiful, we have to let ourselves be beautiful.”
‘Dad said, ‘I really hope I get to see you again. If anyone can beat the system, it’s you.’ GAME ON.’: Woman thanks kindness of strangers for aiding her to visit dad in hospital bed
“I borrowed a Sharpie from the nice lady at the counter and wrote inside a donut box. Curious, she asked what I was up to. ‘I’m trying to covertly communicate with the nurses on my dad’s hospital floor.’ Then I detailed all the ways I’d be willing to sneak in if they’d let me, including wearing a disguise, hiding in a laundry cart, or lying very still on a gurney covered in a sheet.”
‘The dance of cutting kite strings while weaving ropes. Pushing away, but still needing.’: Mom shares emotional ups and downs of parenting teens
“16 is you being even more effortlessly you. Even if you can’t see it.”
Be Gentle, Adult Friendships Are Hard
“The societal image of female friendships is hanging out weekly, dropping everything for one another, remembering every special date, regular FaceTimes and phone calls and texts and life updates and get-togethers and celebrations and a million other things. And I can’t keep up.”
Dear Pandemic Baby: However Dark It Felt At Times, There Was Twice As Much Light Because Of You
“I never knew love like this, until I met you.”
‘I had so many questions: Would he ever hear my voice? Would he learn to talk? Would he live a normal life?’: Mom shares son’s hearing disorder journey, ‘We could not be more proud’
“We call him ‘Hearo Harrison’ because he has his own superpower—his magic ears.”
‘We live in a 4-bedroom home and this is us. Every night, every morning.’: Widower shares sweet way he supports grieving kids
“It’s been almost 2 years since they lost their mommy. I used to fight it. I’d tell them they’d get better rest in their own beds. To give it a chance. That their beds are more comfortable than my floor. It took me almost 2 years, but I get it now.”
‘My stepdaughter exploded a ketchup packet all over herself, me, my antique rug, and a dining room chair. If my five-year-old had done this, I would have FLIPPED.’: Woman shares realization about step-motherhood
“The thought hit me…I don’t treat my stepchild like my own kids—I treat her so much better.”
‘It’s not that we don’t feel loved. We don’t feel like anyone really wants to hear about our struggles.’: Special needs mom urges ‘listening is an act of love’
“I know what it’s like to join the conversation, only to feel the air in the room slowly dissipate. I know what it’s like to open up about your day, only to have someone quickly change the subject to something more ‘light.’ It makes us feel invisible.”
‘The waiting and the wonder. That girl, that belly, those aches. That ‘we’re doing this’ feeling.’: Mom reminisces on sweet childbirth memories
“I drove by the hospital you were born at the other day. Isn’t it strange how places hold our memories too?”
Don’t Worry What Others Say About You—What You Say To Yourself Is Far More Powerful Than Anything They Could Throw Your Way
“Your brain will believe whatever you continuously tell it, so make sure you tell it all the good things you want for your life.”
I’m The Girl Who Lost Her Best Friend, Forever
“She was my first friend. My best friend. The one I had for over half my life. When we were growing up, I never imagined a lifetime where I didn’t have her. And then, one day just like that, out of the blue, this lifetime would never have her in it again.”
‘The pastor’s wife gifted me the book ‘Redeeming Love.’ I read it and wept. I had no idea it was so controversial. It felt healing.’: Sexual abuse survivor shares perspective, ‘your experience is not mine’
“The abuse I endured is not a distant memory, it affects me to this day.”
‘We were watching a movie when my phone rang. My stomach dropped. We were shocked, but our hearts were open.’: Parents share rollercoaster journey to open adoption
“She was in my arms, she was real, and she was ours. For the first time, I sobbed happy tears.”
‘I’ve watched my body fail at so many things I was told were natural to my biology.’: Mom of 3 urges ‘there’s no universal motherhood journey’
“I’ve listened as women explained to me how it should be while knowing it was never how it would be for me. I had to learn to give more of myself than I even knew how to give.”
Dear Parents: What Matters Most Is Your Presence, NOT YOUR PRESENTS
“If you ask any of my kids when they feel the most loved, they won’t rattle off to you about when I take ’em to a play place or Disney or on some grandiose vacation. They won’t say it’s when I buy them something costly or give them ‘yes days.’ They’ll talk about today.”