“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.”
I’m The Girl Who Lost Her Best Friend, Forever
‘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.”
‘Last night, I was a straight-up grumpy a-hole to my kids at bedtime.’: Mom shares reminder ‘you’re allowed to feel overwhelmed’
“I’ve got one who fights falling asleep because it makes her tummy feel weird. One who has trouble falling and staying asleep because her brain is consistently on overdrive. And one who, like clockwork, wakes up around 3 a.m. for anything and everything.”
I Spent My Entire 20s Building A ‘Perfect’ Life, And Then It Exploded
“I had goals. A plan. I was running on adrenaline and pure fear of failing. I did whatever I had to do to get where I was going. In hindsight, I put bandaids on bullet holes. Not knowing that most of the bullet holes were in me.”
My Son Isn’t Going To College, And That’s Okay
“He stood before me, looking suddenly very small, and said, ‘I don’t think I want to go to college. School is too much for me.’ I looked at my baby and said, ‘OK, you don’t have to go. Let’s discuss options.’ I could feel the air release from his lungs.”
‘Those long snuggles become short ones, and eventually, become history.’: Mom emphasizes importance of holding onto each moment with your children
“Even when we know it’s coming, we don’t know for sure when it will be. The last time you see their natural hair. The last time you’ll coordinate the perfect outfit. The last time they ask for your permission. Or, that last load of laundry.”
‘Life has me trapped in a cycle of change, grief, acceptance – repeat. It’s brutal, but somehow a blessing.’: Mom shares how sons’ degenerative disease has changed their family
“Every day I watch my boys fight one of the most challenging diseases in existence. Not only do they inspire the world around them, but they inspire us to live like them. We are more empathetic, kind, and loving people because of the path we’ve been forced to travel.”
‘He spent all these years doubling his efforts and hiding his struggle so much, he almost fooled a doctor.’: Mom proud of son’s courage after being medicated for ADHD
“He was self-aware enough to know he needed this, and he’s shown no inkling of shame about asking for help.”
Not Every Season Tells Your Story—Some Are Just Part Of It
“Stop beating yourself up for seasons of feeling tired or mired. For seasons full of screwups and those where you felt a bit down. For any season where you rode the bench and were the furthest thing from an MVP.”
Teen Suicide Prevention Advocate Shares Personal Story After Heartbreaking Plea In Viral Video
“We can help reduce the amount of unnecessary deaths and pain people are feeling.”
There’s A Fire In Her Eyes—She’s Headstrong In A Way Most Of Us Only Daydream About
“There’s the gift she is, and then there are all the unsuspecting ones she delivers, every single day. And damn, I thank God I get to be this child’s mother.”
‘When I found out you had autism, I’d never heard of it. It didn’t matter—to me, you were amazing.’: Mom shares ode to autistic son
“We were told we were wasting our time, energy, and money. They. Were. Wrong.”
Dear Infertility, You Have Helped Me Learn To Love Myself Again
“I wouldn’t wish you on anyone. But I’m choosing to embrace you because let’s face it, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
‘Mama, you GET to be the one. The one they run to when they fall, the one who calms their fears. The one who laughs at their jokes, cooks their favorite meals.’: Mom urges ‘you make it look easy’
“And at the end of the day, while they are snuggled safely in bed, you often lay there wondering just what you did wrong. But mama, their greatest dream is you. As they grow big and strong, they’ll look back at how their mama always seemed so strong. They’ll wonder how you did it and always made it look so easy.”
‘I’ve received comments that I shouldn’t share Christopher’s life online because he can’t give consent.’: Special needs mom urges ‘his life is worth living’
“If I hide him away, and if every other parent of a disabled child hides their child away, when is there going to be an opportunity to educate? Where is the inclusion? Where is the awareness and the representation of children like mine?”
‘The machines are no longer prolonging his life. If you want, you can hold him in your arms.’ I held him close to my heart, as he took his last breath.’: Mom honors son lost to rare GACI disease
“The neonatologist looked up at us. ‘I am really sorry to be the one that has to tell you this, but…’ I felt a lump in my throat and tears began to flow. I remember ripping off my mask because it was so hard to breathe. ‘Your son Devraj is incompatible with life.’ The entire room was slowly starting to blur.”
‘When I started to unravel, when I lost the will to live and couldn’t stand looking in the mirror, he stood by me and loved me through it.’: Wife shares sweet ode to loving husband
“When we said, ‘I do,’ he had no idea how much baggage I was dragging into our sacred union. To be fair, neither did I. But he stood by me, and loved me through it.”
Motherhood Doesn’t Come With A Handbook — You Were Meant To Write Your Own
“You read all the books. You buy all the things. You follow society’s carefully concocted recipe for a well-adjusted, happy, healthy child, and all is well in the world. Until it’s not.”
‘We went from barely knowing each other to ‘co-parenting’ a child who desperately needed stability. We consider ourselves ‘Sister Moms!’: Two foster families come together for support, advocacy
“Our friendship has allowed us to be each other’s support, to cry when things get tough, to encourage when one is feeling weary. We do our best to create memories for our kids that they can cherish forever.”
Violence Should Never Be Considered A Symbol Of Love
“I used to be with someone who justified every action of violence as love for me. Someone who justified the crazy behaviors and outrageous outbursts in public as love for me. I was embarrassed and humiliated 98% of the time. And I must say, that type of love was dangerous. That type of love was toxic.”
‘We will not ask our daughter to celebrate when she feels the pangs of grief, nor will we tell her to grieve when she feels like dancing.’: Adoptive mom talks giving kids choice to celebrate adoption anniversaries
“We’ll tell her the story of her adoption day for the 500th time. We’ll acknowledge how much her late birth father loved her, how much her birth mom loves her, and how much we love her. We’ll play her favorite music, probably a country playlist, and dance, because this year she chooses to celebrate.”
I Am Living With Incurable Breast Cancer, But I Have Never Felt More Alive
“When the likelihood of longevity of life got taken away from me, I realized how much I was wasting precious time and energy. How much I was wasting time worrying about what people thought of me and obsessing over every day problems.”