“It’s the things I no longer remember that hurt so deeply. What it feels like to wrap my arms around his neck to hug him. I no longer remember the feeling of joy he brought me. Loving him feels like a lifetime ago.”
‘His dying wish was to be home. I never got to thank him for drying my tears when I was broken inside as a victim of bullying.’
‘I used to be the wild girl, could have 4 or 5 drinks and be dancing like no one’s watching. I had confidence to talk to anyone, had more energy than one should.’
“I am invisible. And that can hurt. There are still parts of the old me that I miss. You are born alone, spend years developing who you are, becoming an independent woman… and then suddenly you become someone’s mom, someone who is too exhausted to enjoy life.”
‘Where was I? Frantically driving around the streets of Detroit, trying to find you, with tears streaming down my face, fear in my stomach, yet determination in my heart.’
“I see the comment so often when it comes to addiction. ‘Where were the parents?’ That REALLY infuriates me. We feel judged, unsure of what to say.”
‘The miscarriage destroyed my relationship with my best friend. Neither of us knew how to process the grief.’: Woman details experience through pregnancy, miscarriage, abuse and hope
“I received a phone call from Dae who had just turned 14. She was calling to tell me she was pregnant. We ended up being due 3 weeks apart. I was shocked.”
‘I was terrified to take this tiny human home! How was I going to do this all alone? But Jager was always there to lend a helping paw.’: New mother relies on service dog to help her through postpartum depression
“I would cry for what seemed like no reason. I would get so overwhelmed at the sound of my baby crying. Jager fetched bottles for me, diapers if I asked him to. Mostly he would just sit and listen to me. Always offering a good old-fashioned, wet, slobbery kiss if I needed it. He is so much more than just a dog to me.”
‘Candy is delicious and it’s okay to give ourselves a REWARD for being awesome moms.’: This mom’s HYSTERICAL candy chart is pure parenting genius
“I kept seeing this picture that listed different candies, their calorie count and what kind of exercise you should do to burn them off. Um, no thank you.”
‘I am the Jewish nurse. The one people are talking about in the Pittsburgh shooting that left 11 dead. The nurse that cared for Robert Bowers who yelled, ‘Death to all Jews,’ as he was wheeled into the hospital.’
“I’m sure he had no idea I was Jewish. I wanted him to feel compassion. I chose to show him empathy. I felt the best way to honor his victims was for a Jew to prove him wrong. Love. That’s why I did it.”
‘BE CAREFUL!,’ I yell, like the neurotic helicopter mom I never thought I’d be. Don’t these kids know I made them from scratch?
“’I made you from scratch, you know.’ Teenage me rolled my eyes every time my mom said that. ‘Okay, so you gave birth to me. Geez, I get it lady. Now let me do my thing!'”
‘Toddlers are the worst. During rest time they were doing everything, but resting. At one point they were jumping on their beds and peeing all over the floor.’
“I could hear them laughing hysterically and I knew they were probably doing something they shouldn’t, but I was already so upset with them for their behavior so I wasn’t about to go in.”
34 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was Younger (From A 34-Year-Old)
“Don’t live by other people’s compliments. Don’t die by other people’s criticisms. Take it all with a grain of salt.”