u/skeeterpeg83

A+ in both classes.

When she came out of the doctor’s office, he gave her a giant hug, her blanket, a lolly pop and said “You were so brave for your vaccines!”

My ex-husband beat the crap out of me for years, which resulted in our children being put into foster care and adopted. I’ve kept in touch with my children, he never did.

I am not asking for advice. I am just trying to vent something that really hurts.

My little girl is getting married next weekend and I have no part in the wedding. I loved her first, but I won’t be the last to love her. I didn’t raise her. I wasn’t there for the big moments so I understand why I’m not a part of the wedding. I wasn’t there when she bought her prom dress. I wasn’t there for the first days of school. I wasn’t there for those important moments. And that really hurts.

Now she’s getting married and I have no partner wedding. I understand and respect that I’m not her mom in the sense that I was there for every day things and experiences. I really wish I had been.

I paid for her wedding dress, and I have the emergency supplies like Band-Aids and clear nail polish, and water bottles and bobby pins and safety pins. I just wish that my little girl included me more.

Her adoptive parents are wonderful people and I’m not going to argue that with anybody. I am grateful that they took care of her when I couldn’t. That doesn’t stop the pain of not being included.

I love that little girl more than anybody realize, I think. I know I have no right to demand a spot. And I wouldn’t dream of demanding a spot either. I just wish my baby knew how much I love her.

I’m really not looking for advice just in a safe space to vent into a void. Thank you for letting me vent.

As I lay dying from my self-inflicted gunshot wound, I watched as my five-year-old son reached for the Monkey’s Paw, unable to stop him.

“After all the years of trying and IVF, we’re finally pregnant!!”

A friend of mine is looking to rehome her gorgeous mastiff, Sheba. I am considering keeping her as she is so beautiful. Here’s my CRAZY problem: all my pets since my oldest daughter was small have had middle names. (“Pets are family, Mom!! They need middle names.” I was not going to fight with a three year old). Since I’ll keep Sheba as her first name, we need middle name ideas.

My potential list so far is:
Grace
Noelle
Nicole
Daisy
Kay

ETA: thank you for all your suggestions in advance & for putting up with such a zany request.

You read that right. Not one but three of my coworkers are pregnant. One is due in August, one just found out last week (she’s a good friend of mine) and one is only approximately three months along. Two of them have older girls (when is kindergarten age and the other is 3), the other coworker has two older boys.

I was thinking of putting together a little gift for the baby due in August and her older sister. I want to spend under $60 on the two of them combined. The older girl really likes Barbies and I know Gabby’s dollhouse is very popular right now as is Cocomelon. So I thought maybe I’d get her a doll or a blanket of one of those two. The younger one who was about to be born, I thought some clothes (in the 3 to 6 month size) and maybe a toy.

That leaves me with the confusion of what to get my girlfriend and her daughter and my other coworker and her two older boys. I don’t know how oldest of the two boys are so I’m really hesitant to buy age specific things for him. I know the younger brother is going into first grade. I think the younger one is into sports so I was thinking maybe of a soccer ball or a basketball. I just have no idea about the older one. Maybe 3rd grade? Fortunately, I do have some time to buy their gifts.

When my daughter’s teacher got pregnant, we got a treasure chest from an arts and crafts supply store and spray painted a blue because she was having a boy and filled it with some toys and some clothes. All in all, I think I spent $100. To be fair, my daughter chipped in $30 of her own birthday money and it was at the end of May that we gave it to her because she was going on maternity leave so it counted towards her “Thank you for being an extraordinary teacher all year” gift. (Traditionally we’ve just given up plants. I grew up with a teacher as a parent so I heard all about the rants against mugs and food products).

And not to worry, I will be going in on a group gift if One is present presented. I’ll probably do $20 per gift on top of whatever I give them individually.

Then I put on my glasses and realized my super sweet, but incredibly shy foster cat finally came out of hiding for a cuddle.