“After being on my own for five years, I moved in with family again (thanks deployment). Every single one of those situations brought a screeching halt to what I had planned ahead. People who imagined 2020 to be THEIR year, I absolutely see you.”
‘I got pregnant a month after turning 21. I am living through a deployment and now, like everyone, surviving a pandemic.’: Mom asks others not to judge, ‘They should feel validated in their sorrow’
‘He should be institutionalized!’ People wanted to know why we didn’t put him in a home to free up our time.’: Nephew of late uncle with Down syndrome shares his journey, ‘I always knew Kelly’s life mattered’
“He began having seizures. He required a wheelchair, was unable to feed himself, could not use the restroom, and basically became dependent for all of his daily needs. But in the midst of all the changes, Kelly never lost his ability to smile.”
‘When people find out we’re expecting they say, ‘Wow, you’re brave.’ ‘Brave’ often sounds a lot like ‘crazy.’: Mom pregnant with rainbow baby during quarantine, ‘This is exactly the right time’
“This little one is the exact person we need, joining our family at exactly the right time. We know this is how things were designed to be.”
‘I don’t know where you guys live, but where I am, there’s structure and a schedule. It’s flexible and resilient.’: Woman reminds others to ‘find happiness in what’s in front of us’
“I don’t have to set my alarm. My husband and I stay up late watching our favorite show. We’ll be staying at home until the summer.”
‘Her boyfriend told my photographer, AT MY WEDDING, ‘Yeah, I don’t really like Harley.’ I’m not close with any of my bridesmaids.’: Woman urges ‘some friendships end because they need to’
“I got married at 20; we were all young. My friend and I were literally making up from a fight when I told her I was getting married. ‘Will you be my maid of honor?’ I asked. She and I stopped talking after the wedding. Some friends are lifelong, and some are temporary.”
‘I quickly pick up my phone and have a peek at Zoom. I was scammed by my 5-year old. It looked like he was listening.’: Mom hilariously pranked by 5-year-old, ‘Today’s home school session was mildly unsupervised’
“Today’s home school session was mildly unsupervised. He had his sisters iPad, propped up and situated perfectly in front of his iPad’s camera lenses. A picture of him sitting at the desk looking slightly amused. Scammed by a 5-year-old. I AM DEAD.”
‘I heard him say to his sister Ellie, ‘I’m going to save these for you. We can all have chocolate for my birthday!’ I swelled with pride.’: Mom explains why teaching kids to share is a ‘priority’
“Today my son woke up to birthday presents. Right away, he gave out his chocolate to his siblings and his mommy and daddy. Next, he gave his sisters a balloon for their bedroom. We have never FORCED them to share. We’ve just always modeled it.”
‘Get off the frontline, you aren’t a hero.’ I wasn’t supposed to be seeing COVID patients at 8 months pregnant.’: Physician Assistant fights COVID-19 during 3rd trimester
“I heard, ‘You are a bad mother.’ ‘You’re putting your child’s life at risk.’ It is heavy, it’s raw, and it leaves us feeling incredibly vulnerable. There is no place for shame in motherhood.”
‘Will you take a 2-year-old little girl?’ I didn’t sign up to foster 5 kids under 5!’: Single mom adopts 5 kids from foster care, ‘Once I saw their faces, I couldn’t say no’
“‘First comes love, then comes marriage and then comes a baby in the baby carriage.’ But what if you can’t get to love?! There I was, 38 years old with no man in sight. It was time to stop waiting for Mr. Right. It was time to take action.”
‘He hugged me tightly. ‘Mommy, I’m so happy. I hope school never opens. I don’t want to see my bully ever again.’: Mom says ‘let us return to school changed and kinder’
“We’d been dealing with his bully on and off for 2 months to no avail. My eyes filled with tears. He hugged me even tighter. ‘I don’t want to see my bully ever again. I love being safe at home with you.’”