“Who wants to watch 10 kids? The babies were coming closer and closer and when our third child was only 3 months old, I found out that number 4 was on the way.”
‘I was embarrassed to announce my pregnancy. ‘I have a 3-month-old. What will they think?’: Mom of 11 ‘thankful for each healthy baby’
‘I was told, ‘It’s good you had a C-section. You had it easy.’ I did not get a lucky pass.’: Mom urges ‘please stop thinking C-sections are no big deal’
“I had a major surgery where my stomach was ripped open. I endured pain and tears for months. As a mother, I felt worthless unable to help with household chores. This wasn’t what I wanted for my birth.”
‘Molly wasn’t safe. The naive side of me thought, ‘She could never do anything harmful.’: Dad describes helping wife through postpartum depression, ‘Know it will get better with help’
“A few days had passed after her initial statement about ‘not wanting our child.’ I had always known her to ‘say a few things’ to get a reaction. She wasn’t safe.”
‘I have proof I’m not lazy. The doctor said, ‘You’ll have challenges.’ Sometimes I can’t form a sentence.’: Woman diagnosed with narcolepsy, ‘I refuse to let it control my life’
“I sat motionless in my car, trying to process what it all meant. The world felt so quiet and so loud at the same time, as if it wasn’t the world’s noise I was hearing but the ringing in your ears you hear when you’re about to get sick.”
‘Want to join our team?’ I was just another potential sale. Spammed. Annoyed. Grossed out. Even ‘unforgivable.’: Woman criticizes social media marketing, ‘This isn’t how you actually support women’
“I saw their smiling faces with the captions being various forms of #girlssupportgirls on their photo. The difference made my head spin. They deserved to be blocked.”
‘Every time the needle pierced my skin, I stared at the ceiling, trying to stay breathing and conscious. My wait for results was unbearably long. Then, I announced, ‘We’re adopting a piano!’: Cancer patient says, ‘I didn’t have control, but I did have a piano’
“Someone in our neighborhood was getting rid of one. Nothing felt in my control. At 8:30 a.m. that morning, I announced to Brian that we were adopting a piano. Immediately.”
‘Dear Dads: we are quick to dismiss your hard work, assume life is easier for you, and joke at your expense. We see you, and we thank you.’: Mother pens grateful letter to all dads, ‘You’re killin’ it’
“Women who are mothers are usually good at building each other up, but where we often slack is doing the same for our male counterparts. I want to flip the script. I think it’s time the world rallied around you fellas and shouted your praises.”
‘I overheard Justin tell the kids, ‘You’re not allowed to scream in grocery stores. Someone might think I’m not your daddy.’: Woman details life in an interracial couple, ‘The past 12 years has been humbling’
“I notice the looks, the stares, the mean comments, the slammed doors as we approach people. When my husband and I started dating, I was nervous to introduce him to my family. He was Catholic, had a great job, and was incredibly kind. But, after all, he was black. Even though we are together, many people cannot understand it.”
‘You are more special, because I CHOSE you to be my daughters.’ He elected 8 weeks of inpatient rehab, just to walk my sister down the aisle.’: Woman shares touching tribute to late father
“The moment he met us, he was in love. To him, we were his daughters, not his step-daughters. I’ll never forget the phone call. ‘Boys, go to your rooms. I need to talk to mom.’ I knew the look of anguish, though I’d never seen it on my husband’s face. ‘Your mom found your dad in the driveway. He had been out messing around in the yard.’ I crumbled.”
‘I could’ve said no. I whispered, ‘I love you,’ as I thought about the significance of this appointment.’: Woman unsure of motherhood becomes special needs mom of 4, ‘Our hearts are full’
“In my ignorance and privilege, I could have opted for a simpler way. I could have said ‘yes’ to the stereotypical American family. But here I am, fully aware of the glorious ways motherhood has wrecked me.”