Anonymous

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This support my gender-fluid child receives at school means so much to my family, but the ripple effects of what the children will learn will go far.

How A Teacher Is Helping Kids Accept My Gender-Fluid Child ​

This support my gender-fluid child receives at school means so much to my family, but the ripple effects of what the children will learn will go far.

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I never imagined myself being anyone’s wife so I grieved for my single life when I got married.

Why I Grieved For My Single Life When I Got Married

I never imagined myself being anyone’s wife so I grieved for my single life when I got married. I began to secretly long for the life I’d left behind.

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Even now, I hesitate to call my child’s behavior abusive. But it’s impossible to avoid the parallels between my situation now and how I felt when I was being abused by my partner.

When Your Child Is Abusive

Yelling. Throwing things. Name-calling. The only thing that holds me back from calling my teenager’s behavior abuse is that they are my child.

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Michelle (with cigarette), the author, the makeup artist, Barbara Nitke (with camera), and actor Damien Cashmere, as shot in a makeup mirror, behind the scenes at Every Body (Photo courtesy of Barbara Nitke)

Confession: I Was A Sex Video "Extra"

In my checkered past, long before I was a member of the PTA, I sometimes worked behind the scenes in X-rated films

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I thought I was marrying my high school sweetheart, but I was actually becoming my husband's mother.

I Was My Husband's Mother For 21 Years

I was married to my own child for 21 years. I thought I was marrying my high school sweetheart, but I was actually becoming my husband's mother.

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Having a compulsive need to workout is a struggle to overcome.

I Skipped The Gym & That's Okay

Living with OCD and overcoming compulsions or obsessions is not a linear process. I’ve had several bouts of compulsions in my life, and even if I’ve resolved one, it’s likely another will reveal itself or I’ll relapse. Likewise, disordered behaviors around food and exercise are inherently not rational. Recognizing these behaviors is a start, but the work to move from acknowledgement to action and change has only just begun!

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My Boyfriend Of Five Years Isn’t My Type—And That's Okay

I had grown to learn that fighting=love. I was dead wrong.

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I Didn't Understand Consent Until My Boyfriend Repeatedly Raped Me

The sad thing is, it took someone almost destroying me to make me open my eyes to the extent of what happens when we talk not about a culture of consent, but about temptation and defense instead.

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We can either stamp our feet and ban some of their activities, or hold their hands through the process so they can learn as they go and (hopefully) lose interest.

I Told My 10-Year-Old Son That If He Watched Porn, There Would Be Some Rules.

I had a rough idea of what I wanted to say to him about porn. The way I parent is to give my children all the information and then let them make decisions for themselves. I feel that if I restrict activities I make them more alluring. That’s why I don’t join my mom friends in banning technology throughout the school week and that’s why I don’t ever ban junk food. Instead I sit the kids down, explain my concerns, and then monitor their use or consumption, making suggestions along the way.

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I Can Smoke Pot Legally & Safely, But I Won't Forget The People Who Still Can't

I often think about the people in my hometown whose lives were ruined because they live in the “wrong” state. That same stigma causes me to feel horrible after I smoke.

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