Please be kind to each other and don't hesitate to ask any questions.

I’ve been no contact with my parents for almost three years now and though it’s really better this way, there are times I really miss having “parents”. I just got done taking my son (my only child) around to tour four colleges on the East Coast. I’m so excited for him- so proud of how hard he’s worked- and also starting the “my baby is almost grown” smile/tears. I just wanted to share and have a mom tell me how exciting it is and share in my tremendous joy and pride in his next season.

Hey, Mom. I'm on an engineering team at my university, and I'm supposed to be learning this new software program. But it seems like every time I sit down to work on it, I run into issues. I constantly have to stop and ask for help, and it eats up time waiting for responses from people or hunting down resources.

It's disheartening watching other people starting to produce full files while I haven't even finished one. Sometimes I worry if I'm cut out to be an engineer. It doesn't help that I'm taking difficult classes and have family responsibilities this summer. I feel like a failure a lot.

Didn’t know this existed and I’m tearing up looking through all the threads. Don’t know all your stories or why you’re needing a mom, but I’m right here with you 💔🥲🫶

Mom, I just wanted to share because I really love talking about my farm animals, particularly my sheep and goats. I wanted to tell you because sometimes people get tired of hearing me gush about them…but you haven’t!

the pic of the sheep above is of a 6 year old doe sheep—meaning she is a girl!! Sheep typically live about 10-12 years in captivity, so she’s well grown but not too old :)

Her name is Scooter and she is an Arcott sheep, meaning that she has very nice a dense wool, perfect for keeping her nice and toasty during chilly Canadian winters.

She is about the size of a large dog, if not, a little bit bigger. She is quite friendly as she knows me, and was also a bottle baby, so she “expects” food from myself and other humans. However she is very good with pets and cuddles, particularly loving a good chin scratch.

Thank you Scooter for being such a good girl! If you have any other questions or comments about her, I’d love to answer them :)

(Edit: 21/7/26)

Thank you so much for all the love!! To answer the most common questions:

-Does she have other friends? Yes! She has her sister (Posie) and her sister's two yearling lambs (Daisy & Tulip) to keep her company. She also has the company of two other goats.

-What do I do with her wool? Okay, there is a lot of it by the time she's sheared. I will normally keep about a third of her (and her sister's) wool for gardening endeavors as it has great nutrients and moisture retention. It depends on the year, but I've used it to pack windows or other chilly areas of barns during the winter. I don't spin yarn myself, but I do know people who happily spin it :)

-Is there extra care that goes into her wool? Not particularly, she lives outside and spends her nights in a barn, so she gets dirty and covered in straw and hay and whatnot. I do brush her every now and then and I do take care to try and get any tangles or anything caught in her wool out.

-How often is she shorn? She gets sheared once a year, typically at the end of april/start of may, but it depends on the weather.

-What does she like to eat? Typically she eats a blend of timothy/alfalfa hay, which is generally always available. She also has grazing space, so grass and dandelions and leaves are always good. She will try to eat most things (not to the extent of a goat, but if it looks edible, it will be nibbled). She particularly likes grains (oats, barley, etc.) and leaves.

-Does she know any tricks/can she be trained? I haven't particularly tried to really teach her any "tricks" per say, but when it comes to sheep standards, I'd say she's pretty smart. It's likely she does (or did) know tricks, as she was a 4H sheep, so I'm certain she was at livestock shows. I however don't know the commands or if she remembers them haha! She does however know how to walk with a halter, which is something that had to be trained.

-Does she know her name? It's hard to say if she knows her name specifically, but she will perk up. However it is said with a certain tone that animals like, as well as a "recognizable" amount of syllables. The fact that her name is longer than her sister's probably helps her differentiate. However if I'm talking to them together, they probably cannot tell a big difference.

I had the privilege of going on a date with a wonderful girl two weeks ago! We’ve known each other as acquaintances for a few years but started talking (at great length) at a few different events over the summer. We went to an art museum and had lunch! I’m really so so excited about her and I can’t wait to able to call her my girlfriend. Even though work has been pretty stressful recently, I have seeing her next week to look forward to and that’s absolutely keeping me going.

It will take a while before I want to trust my family with this because they’ve been pretty unpleasant about previous partners (or even HINTS of liking someone) but I’m going to make an effort to set and enforce clear boundaries with them because she is absolutely worth it!! I hope you’ll tolerate being my temporary mothers to confide in before the real deal 😊

I’ve failed the driving test three times, from when I was 18 until now, at 25.

At first, I worked hard to get a scholarship for a driving school in my city (I'm from south america, not the USA for context), and I put a lot of effort into learning. But I failed twice.

I tried again two years later, already frustrated, but I found another driving school and this time I paid for it myself. I failed again.

Now my boyfriend is teaching me again, but I’m honestly very anxious, sad and frustrated. I feel like I can’t do it, like I’m not capable. I get extremely nervous behind the wheel. It’s a skill that everyone seems to have, but I just can’t manage it.

I just can't.

Maybe I'm not fit for this.

I need some words of support, if there are any. I don't have a mom but I would like some support from her.

I know it sounds stupid, but lately there aren’t many good things going well in my life, and feeling like a loser for not being able to drive at 25 is dragging me down even more.

Hey Mom. . . I'm 35, and I'm finally going to college for the first time in fall.

It's a path I once dreamed of, yet also felt impossible to pursue. I wasn't able to go for what I aspired for in my youth- but AM going for something I feel is possible post-healing. (I wanted to be a funeral director when I was young, but now am going for something much shorter/in healthcare) An achievement after everything I went through to get to this point. Part of me is genuinely OK with that; but part of me still hurts.

Dreams change with time, don't they? But they resurrect, echoes and ghosts of all we could have been. And that's where I find myself now. Mom, it's big and scary and I'm ashamed I took so long to to do what so many get through in their late teens/early twenties. I KNOW nobody's path is the same, some blooms unfurl late. But it still feels like I failed myself. And yet the excitement of a future chapter is dancing within.

Is it normal to be so split in how I feel? Is it really so shameful I waited so long? Is it going to be OK? I'm unsure- but I do believe I'll make it.

Hi moms! I’m a picky eater and get overwhelmed easily by food smells but I want to start eating healthier.

Any time I cook and put the leftovers away in Tupperware, my fridge smells so powerful (and I immediately get grossed out/avoid eating altogether). How can I keep my fridge smelling fresh with food in it?

All in the title! The best bits of the qualification were the lovely location, teaching students who enjoyed my subject, and doing really well in my qualification feedback. It was a difficult couple of years, but I’m proud I kept going. I’m hoping to use what I’ve learned to help make things a little better for other people in the future

Hi mom,

I moved into this apartment a few months ago and the water here is so hard. It's starting to become annoying.

The annoying bit is the dishes and the dishwasher. I have tried cleaning it, using different soap, and cleaning the really bad dishes in the sink after.

Do you have any advice on how to keep my dishes clean or should I be reaching out to my landlord?

Images of calcium deposits for reference: https://imgur.com/a/Z0Gvsqm

I have my first keynote presentation tomorrow and I am so nervous. I know the material and I know that I am an expert but I can’t shake the feeling that I don’t feel qualified to walk into this space. My knees are starting to feel wobbly and I want to get up there..run away and cry.

I only used it for a few minutes to test and the difference in humidity is huge. But I’ve never had my own dryer before and I want to make sure it’s 100% safe and properly set up.

I’m still in disbelief, I didn’t expect the test to be positive because I still feel normal. But it’s very positive! And we are so excited and nervous at the same time. Any advice from the mums out there is gratefully accepted!

Hi mum!

After literally weeks and weeks and weeks of paperwork, legal jargon I could barely read and negotiations, I finally get to call somewhere my home!

I worked so hard for this for so many years, and I don't really have anyone to be excited with. I'm so sacred of the next steps and very stressed about having a loan, but I'm trying to focus on the current achievement more than the future

Hi moms and big siblings! I'm finally proud of myself and pretty happy! Life update inbound.

In high school I had a fairly low gpa and now as an older student I have a 3.8, almost 3.9 gpa!! I plan to get my PhD in Disaster Anthropology to help people and then be a professor! I love what I'm doing.

I'm newly married, last August to my husband who is my best friend. It's great. He is super supportive. We're talking about kids, I can't wait!

I've also found a new hobby! I can't get around very easily, but I found an in home hobby of fish keeping! I'm absolutely loving it and my frogs and fish are so silly and cute. It also makes me feel more connected to a lot of my family, who many were also fish keepers.

I am doing well. And today was my Birthday!! Haha

Mum my exams are going to be on 2027 feb and I got whole syllabus to cover . I quite all the parties , hangouts and friends etc .They are saying things like we got whole 5 months chill in my mind it's like no it's 5 months only and 36 ch . I know it's the right thing to do I know socialization is imp & i suck at it but friends won't get me to good universities or collage .Still leaving them feels wrong idk.

Also I will share the ch and explain it in short (#Freewill )

🫂🫂 byy mum

hey moms, im moving into my first studio partment this friday! im always overthinking about the process so id love some good moving in tips! yknow those small things that you dont think of until the moment comes? 😔🤚 thanks in advance💕

I posted this post about being anxious about my new job a few months ago and I wanted to tell you, I am doing really well! The job is okay, I learned how to cope with being in office every day and I genuinely like my coworkers.

It's also really good for my mental health. I honestly never felt as mentally okay as right now. My intrusive thoughts are better than ever. I think it's because I don't need to mask my autism really around my coworkers and I can assert a lot of autonomy via flexible work hours and choosing what exactly I do on a given day.

The first six months were really hard to be honest, because I was convinced through all my probation that they would fire me because I thought I did a terrible job. But they kept me and since probation is over I can feel how my body relaxes and it is such a nice feeling.

Thanks for encouraging me last year ❤️

I'm thinking about booking a trip and I'll be going solo to a concert for the first time, I've flown by myself and stayed in a hotel alone so can I get some mom encouragement for this please

It's been a really rough season of life for me, today was especially bad and I needed a win so much. I did really well on this exam and I tried really hard for it and now I'm so happy I'm crying a bit.

Hi, Moms of Reddit! I come from a very dysfunctional home, and never had a proper place that I could bring my friends to.

I’m absolutely ok now, and in a good place in life. The thing is, I now have my own kid that I love to death, and it put my life in a new perspective. I realised I feel light and happy jealousy when I read posts from Moms whose kids friends become somewhat adopted into the family.

I really really want to give my son one day this place where he and his friends would love to spend time. Unfortunately, I’ve no idea how to build this “home”.

Do you have any tips for me? Like what should be always there if you want kids to be comfortable, safe and interested in staying? Food / snacks / trinkets / traditions, just anything that seems important.

Thank you, Mom Love, Yena

Edited: grammar. Sorry, English isn’t my native language

So I am taking classes after work. I took it instead of a university program because I can't afford those. I am also unmedicated because I can't afford meds for ADHD.

The after-work class is asychronous, online, and self-taught. Even in the beginning, there's a pit in my stomach thinking I'd fail as I'll basically be relying on myself. Myself of all people lmao.

I am so filled with dread and shame that I will fail so I told no one. I worked hard in silence. I would go to libraries and cheap coffee shops just to study. Some days I'd be sat frozen at a coffee shop (books and laptop in front) hating myself bc I wasted $ just for my brain to not cooperate. Some days I'd zoom thru the course material. My luck on productivity is 50/50 but goddamnit I showed up for myself everyday betting that today would be a productive day.

A few days ago I sat in an exam hall with about 500 people.

Today, I found out I passed. I passed, everyone!!!!

I wanted to fail in silence and now I'm also alone in my win. I wasn't even happy when I found tbh. I just felt relieved it says "pass" and not "fail". I want to have a better outlook/perspective in my next course exam as this is a 2-yr program. Advice?

I had reviewed my offer letter today after going through 2 interviews. I am very excited and nervous to be starting a new job. I was also able to negotiate for a higher salary. I am really proud of myself but it's really hard not having my mom to share the news with.

Edit: thanks everyone! Now I'm crying happy tears. You are all amazing!

I lost my mom to gbm brain cancer in 2022 and it's been really hard. She was my best friend. I miss her laugh every day.

i feel so dumb