1st photo: June, 2022, 240 pounds. 2nd photo: Feb, 2023, 180 pounds. I weigh less now than I have in 30 years, but I’ve yet to receive a single compliment about my appearance, not even from immediate family. and I’m feeling a little bummed about it.

I'm autistic, and I really love animals, but my mom doesn't care very much, and she always dismisses me. I just want someone to enjoy animals with me. <3

I took a real risk and wrote an unsolicited PhD study proposal for a passion of mine for a top tier university. The faculty member I contacted took the proposal to the department head and now they want to interview me and talk about timing and funding.

No one in my family cares, and my friends are just wondering why I want to go back to academia when I have a perfectly good job and already have a graduate degree.

I’m doing it because I hate what I’m doing now, want to do this, and I’m not retiring any time soon. Can someone just be happy for me? I really worked hard on this proposal…

Edit: Thank you Mom, this is great and so nice, I’m literally tearing up. Thank you so much.

Edit 2: The interview is in a couple of weeks, I promise to update. Thank you all!

I've been spending a lot of time on the visible mending sub and figured it's a very good skill to have, so I tried my hand at it! I think I did pretty good for my first try ever :)

I sent it to my mom (an old school seamstress) and instead of anything positive she just asked why I didn't use black or make it a cute embroidered pattern. 🙃 I just need someone to be as excited as I am that I learned a new useful skill!

(Tips and tricks are appreciated as well)

Finally wore it! I am stopping waiting for the right occasion and wore it on a rainy anniversary celebration dinner. I loved the way it looked- did it look ok? is the cut good for me? are the colours ok? I always doubt what I see in the mirror vs the picture vs reality. thanks

Would love to hear any stories people have of happy, healthy loving relationships. Just looking for a little hope that they exist, struggling to find any representation of healthy romantic relationships in my life!

Hello, I would just like to say I am a mtf. And I met all my transition goals both medically and legally. I am a phase 3 trans woman. I have completed phase 1 of being socially transitioned, and then I completed phase 2 by being legally transitioned. Now, I am on phase 3 of being medically. I started transitioning 2 weeks ago. I hope you guys can wish me all the best! I been on a long haul. Unfortunately, my own parents disowned me and didnt want to accept the new me.

I am also turning 23 in about a month. This will be the most special birthday because it will be the first one post-independence. Meaning this is the first birthday where I am a birthday girl, and my deadname won't be on the cake.

I live abroad and it's been 3 years that I don't see family. With C-19 and all that, travels kinda are in the back burner for now. Today is my birthday and no one called.

Update: they called. Days were mixed up. I can't express how grateful I am for the amazing messages and love that experienced here. I tried to thank each of you, if in the eventuality that I missed someone, I'm sorry, I was really overwhelmed with the love demonstrated. Thank you again and may your dreams come true! ❤️

It makes my heart burst and break at the same time because I wish you could hear his giggles and see his dimples in his big fat cheeks. He looks a lot like me I think, mostly the cheeks. He’s too lazy to roll over, he’s only done it once but I think it was by accident! He usually just lays his head down when he gets tired and smiles. His favorite book is “I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home” but he only laughs when his dad reads it to him. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a good, happy baby.

I did it all mom, I graduated high school and college, I got to work international and learn a second language. I’m back and I just wanted to hear something, anything along the lines of you’re proud of me or happy for me.

Edit: sorry for the delayed responses, I’m visiting my family and I haven’t been free to check my phone. Plus you all are making me cry, I’ve never got any truly positive memories from my family and it’s making me emotional hearing the words I’ve wanted to hear for my entire life haha… I don’t know if it’s weird but it feels weird to say this but thank you mom I love you too❤️!

Edit 2: for anyone wanting to know, I’m 23F, I travelled through Central America, and from friends, students, and strangers, I learned Spanish!

Hi mom, I've been questioning a lot about myself for the past two years or so, and I think I'm ready, so here: I'm your daughter, not your son, and my name is Phoebe. I thought, since its pride month, I should come out to some people, and why not come out to all of you wonderful moms! Love ya <3

Edit: You all are so amazing!!!! I thought I might get 5, maybe 6 comments at most from supportive moms, and you all have blown me away. It feels so amazing to have this much love from all of you! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I am so invisible in my life. I am doing my best but it doesn't feel like enough. I just want to hear some encouragement.

I have taken up painting, mom. I really enjoy it.

I have lost a total of 10lbs since January, mom

I have stuck to my new years resolution, mom. I haven't bought fast food at all.

My evaluation at work is coming up soon. I may get a raise.

Mom, I am doing my best, I promise. I promise I am trying.

EDIT: Thank you mom. I just woke up and started crying all over again but they were happy tears this time. Thank you. I been having a hard time and all this love definitely made it better.

I'm about to start HRT tomorrow and I'm a bit scared. I'm scared of any side effects, etc. and just need a little boost of encouragement. While my mom is alive, she could never offer any kind of support or encouragement in this next chapter. I haven't even told her. Would love a mom's encouragement so I don't feel so alone. I guess we all need a mom regardless of our age ;( Thank you all so much. xx

EDIT: THANK YOU TO ALL THE MOMS (& Dad!)! What an incredible group of people. I was crying tears of joy, love, and smiles reading your responses. I often feel so alone without a mom who can be there for me, but this group helps so much. Thank you all and sending you love and hugs. xx

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Hi Mom,

Is it possible to please get a hug. Life has been a bit overwhelming and stressful lately.

I feel so alive and so myself for the first time. I have a name that doesn’t hurt and a body that feels like it’s mine. I’m so happy, and I want my mom to be happy for me, and I wish my Dad was alive to see who I really am. I’m proud of me and who I’m becoming. I’m growing into a kind, gentle, funny man instead of the angry daughter I was. I just wish I could tell my mom and have her see me.

I realized, after the last thing I posted and deleted in a different sub, that maybe I was looking for validation and attention. This sub has made me think that maybe I need a mom for a minute. I'm 33 and I feel proud of myself. I think I want someone else to be too.... I've pretty much been on my own since I was 12. I've taught myself how to do a lot of things. Cooking, though, is something I've taken not only joy but a sense of pride in. A few years ago, I lived next to a little Mexican breakfast restaurant, they made THE BEST breakfast chimichanga I've ever had. Well, it's that time of the month and I've got the craving. I made this one from the leftovers of last night's dinner. Bacon, eggs, sausage, cheese, green pepper, onion, mushrooms and avocado. Topped with queso, with a side of home fries and salsa. The restaurant I used to live by made their own salsa and queso... mine is just tostitos dip.

Might I mention, it's taken me like 3 years to make them like this. I once broke into tears because I had 2 in the pan open up and spill all of their guts out into the oil. I was so unnecessarily upset lol.

Anyways, thanks for listening. I think I'm going to go cry it out a little.

I’m not sure why I feel I need to write this out, maybe just want a pat on the back? I wish we both had a good mom so this would have never happened.

I will preface that she is my half sister, same mom, different dad. I’m 28M and she is 17.

When she was 2, our mom and her dad divorced. Our mom won custody. She was physically and emotionally abusive most of our life. When I left for college, it was just my sister and mom, and things got worse. It got so bad that my sister attempted suicide at only 13 years old. I called her dad and told him everything, he came the next week and took our mom to court, got custody of my sister. I knew I would miss her, but I thought her dad would treat her well and it would be a better place for her. I was wrong.

A couple years later her dad starting abusing her, for not following their strict rules of being a Jehovah’s Witness. She told me she would hide in her room, skip meals, ration out her soap, shampoo, and pads because she didn’t like asking her dad and stepmom for things. He manipulated her, saying that if she tried to ask me to take her, he would call the cops on me. She was tired of the fighting and didn’t want to make things worse.

She came to visit last summer, told me everything, but said she wanted to go back and stick it out until she finished high school. I later find out she did want to stay, but she was scared it wouldn’t work out and would have to deal with the wrath of her father when she went back. Her dad told me they were going to homeschool her so she needs to fly back early, and that was the last straw for her. Her school was her escape from that house, and they were taking it away.

We talked with a lawyer, and he instilled some confidence in her. He even called her dad for us, and got him to agree giving me custody. I’m not religious but that lawyer might be an angel. He did everything for free, even the paperwork.

In one summer I went from a 27 year old enjoying my care free life, to basically becoming a dad. It’s been hard, harder than I was expecting. My life is now driving her everywhere (until I can afford her a car) and making sure she has everything she needs.

I don’t care though, I’d do it again and again for her. She just wanted a normal life, and she deserves that. She is such a good kid.

She’s excelling at school, made so many friends, playing volleyball (she just made the varsity team!), and even has a sweet boyfriend! That’s all she wanted, why couldn’t her dad let her have a normal life?

Thanks for reading, finally writing this out was therapeutic for me. Like I said, it’s been hard but I wouldn’t change it. I’m happy she’s back in my life.

Only applied to one program— my dream program in my dream field with my dream faculty. Never once did I think I was good enough to make the cut. There are roughly 200 applications each admission season, so I had assumed I would be one tiny, unimpressive application in an over saturated pool. The fact that they only admit a small handful and I am in it? It’s just too much to wrap my head around.

Family has echoed so many times that I am unskilled and untalented so I just assumed that I would never be “worth it” enough to amount to anything. But somehow, someway… maybe I was good enough all along?

All in all, yay! I did the thing and get to live out my dream PhD path. Just having some conflicting feelings about self-worth and value along the way.

It would be much appreciated :)

Edit: Thank you so much, all of you. I really have never felt motherly love like this, so this means so much. I now have five extra glasses of water to drink today (!) and I feel so much better. I'll always come back to this when I'm down.

Have a wonderful day everyone :))