“Once we got to the hotel, the kids immediately wanted to go swimming. While they were playing, I took a picture of my baby watching them. I posted it with the caption, ‘watching the siblings swim!,’ as well as a location tag of Breckenridge, Colorado. Within 30 minutes, I received a comment that honestly blew me away.”
‘Your kids played hooky from school today? Wow. Mother of the year.’ What? I was laughing out loud in the hotel.’: Mom responds to ‘rude’ person who called her out for taking kids skiing, ‘School can’t teach adventure’
The Reality Of Raising A Child In A Split Home
“It’s a whirlwind of emotions and an experience that, even having lived it, is still a daily struggle no matter how long it’s been going on or how long you are away from your child.”
‘I went into this photo shoot hoping to capture Jack and his wife. Her health was rapidly declining. A true love story never ends, right?’: Community rallies to send hundreds of letters to widowed farmer
“One week after the shoot, his wife Reva was in hospice care. I asked others to join me in sending Jack letters and words of encouragement to bring joy to his grieving heart. In my heart, I hoped for 100 cards. I never in a million years would’ve imagined the outpouring of love for this precious man! YOU GUYS, Jack has received 435 letters!”
‘Having sex with you is like a chore,’ he said to my face. ‘I saw the messages. You can’t lie to me about it. I even took a picture.’: Young woman escapes gaslighting abusive ex, ‘I got my light back. I have nothing to hide’
“It was like fate he left his phone there or else I never would’ve found out he cheated on me with his ‘lesbian’ best friend. She was younger than me, blonde like me, had the ‘spark’ of energy I used to have. She was shiny, new, full of life. As I laid there contemplating what to do, the first thought that ran through my head was, ‘He’s going to be mad I went through his phone,’ not, ‘I need to leave him. Now.’ I later learned he was still contacting her. I was done.”
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t provide a good Christmas those years,’ she cried through tears. She didn’t tell me until she was diagnosed with cancer.’: Daughter reflects on childhood holidays being a child on ‘one of those angel trees’
“She told me she cried herself to sleep one Christmas because she saw the way my eyes lit up when I opened the Princess Jasmine pajamas. She was so happy for me, but she knew she didn’t get them. She wasn’t the reason my eyes lit up – it was because of a stranger.”
‘There has been a death of the family gathering. It’s no longer an event, it’s an inconvenience.’: Woman reminds us ‘everyone has an expiration date’
“Today, we focus on our careers, raising our own kids, getting away when we can. Our extended family isn’t the center it once was and if a reunion were planned, most wouldn’t bother to come. Besides, we keep in touch on social media. Family meant something back then.”
‘She took her last breath. Over 400 people showed at her funeral, even on the busiest day of the week. That is the legacy she had.’: Woman pens sweet tribute to mother, ‘we will never stop hoping to see you again’
“After losing my mom, I once again feel like that lost little girl in the department store, like the whole world has collapsed. Only this time, no amount of screaming, crying, begging will bring her back. Not a day goes by I don’t recall her. A taste, a smell, a word, a touch. When all else fails, I turn to the memories. But I literally cannot cry, cannot shed a single tear, without also smiling. THAT is the kind of love she left behind.”
‘If they don’t like it, it’s their problem.’ Sophie was always a very quiet child. She never cried. We were frightened something happened.’: Dad and daughter both find out they are autistic at the same time
“My wife just thought I was weird and Sophie was a chip off the old block. More than just acting like her Daddy, she was autistic like her Daddy. My hope is she meets a partner who loves and understands her and she has 3 autistic daughters so I can have 3 autistic granddaughters!”
‘Hey, mom. Crazy question. Where were you living when you got pregnant with me?’ I just found out my dad wasn’t my dad.’: Woman’s DNA results uncover truth about her real father
“I glanced at it quickly and with confusion as the name it listed as my father was definitely not my dad. I had no idea who this person was. It was 1:03 in the morning when my world started to crash.”
‘If you had 6 months left to live, what would you do?’ We were living the same, predictable day over and over again.’: Family uproot themselves for unconventional life, ‘we stopped putting off dreams and started living’
“That year, many of our friends and family were struck by cancer. After he told me about this diagnosis, my dear neighbor said to me, ‘Jess, everyone asks me how long I have to live. Instead of answering their question, I ask, ‘How long do YOU have left to live?’ Tomorrow is never guaranteed.’ My husband and I pondered that question for hours that night. It became clear to us WE were not truly living.”