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20 Things My Divorce Taught Me About Marriage

Years ago, a newly divorced Gerald Rogers took to Facebook to reflect on what he wishes he would have known before it was too late. He admits there were a lot of things he could have done differently to save his marriage, and he openly shared the self-effacing letter in the most humble and real way.

“On Labor Day, I Lost My 3-Year-Old Autistic Son at the Worst Place Possible: A Water Park”: Mom Warns Parents It ‘Takes a Village’...

He went down the slide, ran a few feet ahead of me, turned a corner and was gone. It was as quick as that. The only thing in front of him was a lazy river with a strong current. Even if he could swim, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I Received a Call. ‘We Have a 14-Year-Old Boy Who Needs a Home.’ I Was Like ‘NO Way'”: Single Mom Becomes Foster Parent to...

"I was a single mom of two boys, doing it 100% on my own. Why in the world would I even consider being a foster parent?"

The Day My 13-Yr-Old Boy Became a Man & Taught Me How to Be a Mom Without Saying a Word

I didn’t mean to cry.

I was stirring dinner and a salty tear or two might have splashed into the soup.

I had just sent all three of my kids to their rooms because, honestly, they were safer there.

One of my kids was so whiny from a sleepover my eye twitched every third word she said, my middle one was following me around making noises and my teen had just hurt my feelings.

I stirred soup and thought about all the things that had gone wrong in the last hour and how I had handled them and I cried.

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I looked up and saw my 13-year-old son standing in the doorway.

He didn’t say a word. He walked over and wrapped his arms around me and he hugged me for a long time. He’s nearly six-foot tall, this gangly boy-child of mine, and all I could think was, “He is acting like a man.” And I swallowed the enormous lump in my throat.

He spoke for his siblings and said, “We’re sorry, Mom,” and then he was gone.

I stood in the kitchen and thought about how quickly my perception of my kids gets distorted. I live so upclose to them. I’m their manager, their evaluator, cheerleader and chief overseer. I scrutinize and organize and sometimes forget to realize who they are right now and not just who they are becoming.

20 Things My Divorce Taught Me About Marriage

Years ago, a newly divorced Gerald Rogers took to Facebook to reflect on what he wishes he would have known before it was too late. He admits there were a lot of things he could have done differently to save his marriage, and he openly shared the self-effacing letter in the most humble and real way.

“On Labor Day, I Lost My 3-Year-Old Autistic Son at the Worst Place Possible: A Water Park”: Mom Warns Parents It ‘Takes a Village’...

He went down the slide, ran a few feet ahead of me, turned a corner and was gone. It was as quick as that. The only thing in front of him was a lazy river with a strong current. Even if he could swim, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I Received a Call. ‘We Have a 14-Year-Old Boy Who Needs a Home.’ I Was Like ‘NO Way'”: Single Mom Becomes Foster Parent to...

"I was a single mom of two boys, doing it 100% on my own. Why in the world would I even consider being a foster parent?"