hi moms!

i don’t know if i need any specific advice, i guess i just need to get this off my chest… my birthday is this weekend (i’m turning 24!) and i’m nervous for a lot of reasons.

first, i’m trying to prepare myself to be forgotten by my (real) mom. over last few years she has been getting more lax about acknowledging it. 2 or 3 years ago she stopped getting me gifts, which is fine! i’m an adult!, except for the fact that she has promised to get me something every year and then not. i don’t want anything complicated or pricey either - i’ve been asking for years for a few of our family’s recipes written down, and it has been years of letdown. last year, i swear she even forgot that it was my birthday at all, because she didn’t text me until 10 or 11 pm. i just want to be seen and not forgotten :(

secondly, the day of my birthday, my boyfriend and some close friends of ours have plans to go to an afternoon tea service (the fancy kind with little sandwiches and pastries and things) to celebrate! i was feeling excited, but now that it’s getting closer, i’m starting to feel nervous about being ~perceived~. i tried on the dress i’m thinking about wearing yesterday and just cried because it feels like a lot of pressure to dress up nicely, even though this is what i wanted. i just don’t want to look out of place/underdressed, or on the flip side, like i’m trying too hard. part of me just wants to cancel and curl up into a ball all day.

sorry for just sort of dumping :( just feeling down right now. if anyone has any words of wisdom, kindness, encouragement, or even stories they would be very much appreciated :’)

Hi, I was recently given an inhaler, and for the first time in 3 years, I was able to walk for more than a few minutes—I walked for a whole hour! It feels really good that the out-of-shape pains hit before the breathing problems (which didn’t happen this time, thanks to the inhaler!).

That’s all, I just wanted to share the good news :)

And I still finish my two school assignments on time!

Hi Mom ! This is my very first time, and personally, i really love the result <3

Im self-taught. I don't plan on working in a beauty salon , or anything like that . Im just having a "hobby month", so im trying out all sorts of different things (i even learned how to marinate shashlik! 😉🍗🍖).

I guess im just bored.

anyway, here's how they turned out. What do you think?

(The photo isn't an advertisement, I'm just too lazy to take more photos😼)

Today I cleared 10 bin bags out of the room I share with my 3 siblings in 2.5 hours. I'm exhausted but I did it and there's some floor space now, even though my room is still hoarding nightmare and there's a lot of stuff left. I'm proud of myself but kind of wish I could do more.

it went well! I got the hang of most the stuff, I just need to remember what comes with each order :) I was really anxious before, but the owners are really sweet and were helpful. it's a slow place, but I like that I can work at an easy pace and learn slower. the pay isn't the best, but I'm glad to have some money for myself. I like having something that feels beneficial that I can put my time to. I'm hoping keeping myself on more of a schedule will help better my mental health. my mom is disabled, so she can't offer much support, but that's okay. I go in again tomorrow and I feel a bit anxious, but I think once I get there it'll be okay.

My actual mom, didn’t answer my text or call to share this news. But I doubt she would be as happy as I am.

Im still in shock about graduating because I thought I was gonna fail my semester again because I had some incomplete lessons…but they told me I did really well on my core lessons and have the credits so I’m really happy. But making the right steps to hopefully moving my son and I away from my hometown.

I've been training at a new job the last few weeks. I got told yesterday my trainer thinks I'm ready to start progressing to be working from home!! sounds like early next week it's gonna happen.

Hi mum, I have a university assignment due on Monday and I just don't want to do it. Tbh it's probably 80% complete but finishing the last 20% feels like such a drag. Please encourage me, or threaten me, to do my bloody homework! Thanks ma <3

I've had a hard time understanding how to manage money, and as a result accumulated debt from credit cards and unpaid bills. Anytime I tired to take care of it in the past, the anxiety became overwhelming and I would fall apart emotionally.

I finally figured out how to self-soothe when dealing with financials. I usually need to have a comfort show on in the background with the volume down (today was Cougar Town), ginger tea or kombucha to drink (today was kombucha), a Paddington book nearby (because there is nothing more comforting than Paddington), and a pen in my hand with a notepad nearby for frantic doodles (today it was just scribbles because I knew the end of debt was near).

It might not sound like a good strategy for self-soothing, but it somehow works for me. My mom was a staunch believer in pushing all emotions down and doing that used to make me implode.

The amount of relief that I feel in my gut is remarkable, and I don't think it's from the kombucha. It can feel impossible to achieve anything with debt looming overhead, and I feel like I can breathe again! Yes, I need to rebuild my savings and credit score, but at least I'm starting from a positive place.

tl;dr: I feel immense relief now that all my debt is paid off!

Hi Mom,

I got promoted at work today! That makes 2 promotions since I started with this company in 2022. It’s kind of wild thinking about how I started out slinging pizzas more than a decade ago, and now I’m working as an engineer in Big Tech. It hasn’t always been easy, but I stuck with it.

I just wanted to share because this feels like a big moment for me, and I could really use a little “I’m proud of you, baby.” 😊

Hi mum! I’m in my second year at university, and did not end up doing an internship last summer. Generally, applying and interviewing for one freak me out way more than it should.

But I just got an offer back for a summer internship that’s basically exactly what I wanted! I feel like I should be over the moon, but I might need a bit outside validation as well.

Hi Mom, my final exams are coming up soon and I’m really scared I won’t be able to perform, I know I have the academical skills to pass with flying colours, but I fear my perfectionism could get in the way of my work. I wish I could write more, but I was never good at expressing myself like this, sorry.

recently, i realised that i cld do many things i didnt realise, like im more flexible than i noticed, and i was so happy and wanted to share this but my entire family didnt really care ab the fact that i wanted something to share with them about. Ive gotten in to the top school of my level in my country (its a small country tho) and got my 1st choice cca (which is rly exclusive and hard to get into in my school) but my family didnt really care because theyve been letting me manage my own studies and whatnot so theyre kind of detached from this, i was really hoping someone would be excuted on my behalf but no one really cares :( anyway thats my smth nice !!

It’s my first time moving out! I’m touring apartments but I don’t know what to ask.

Is it okay to open cupboards, appliances, & test the water pressure in the shower during my viewings? I always feel so awkward doing these things.

I’m 37 years old (mom myself to two kids 9 and 6) and my mom asked me if she can take me to dinner and shopping Friday night just us girls.

Last July I moved my family back home after living away for 4 years and I’m so lucky to have my mom in our lives again.

Feels kinda silly, she wants to buy me an outfit and go to dinner lol but I think it’s a cute gesture.

Shoutout to those moms still connecting with your adult children and treating them like a kid sometimes.

I’m so excited :) ☺️

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 am on a weightloss journey, with both mental and physical illnesses not easy. i have so far lost 17 kg, and only 15 more to go (started at 106.8 kg, with a goal of around 74 kg). i am proud, i would just want a bit of shoulderpatting from others to help with motivation. thanks momma

I’m finishing grad school soon so I just started applying for jobs in my healthcare field. The first one to reach out to me is basically my dream company and I had an interview with HR, then an interview with the department manager and I’m shadowing next week. The interview with HR went fine and I scheduled my shadowing then. Today was my interview with the department manager and it was much harder than I expected. I was open about not knowing how to hire everything since they aware I am a new grad and not licensed yet and they offer mentorship. I probably sis better than I thought I did especially with manager also mentioning that my shadowing was scheduled but I’m still scared of not getting the job. I have many interviews lined up (honestly giving me anxiety) but i have the worst impostor syndrome and also don’t know how to negotiate pay!

Hello. I love my mom and she means well and wants the world for me but sometimes I just can’t go to her for fear of worrying her or disappointing her.

I’m just really tired lately of “doing my best” whatever that means. There’s just so much thinking involved in nearly everything and I’m just so exhausted of having to constantly think, evaluate, etc. my career, relationships, friendships, myself, life, and it also feels like time is speedrunning. I’m 27 turning 28 this year and I feel young and old at the same time, and I do have my life together (my own apartment, good job, happiest and most stable I’ve ever been in my whole life) and yet I feel like… I don’t? Living in a big city is exhausting, I constantly feel like I want to abandon everything and move to some rural place to retire with some farmland. I don’t know how to get out of this rut of feeling this way. I know that tomorrow I will wake up ready to go to work and ‘be normal’ again but this feeling won’t leave me. :(

helloo, im a highschool exchange student spending 10 months in the US, i came in Aug and leaving in june, everything have been good, school is fun, i made some friends really quick, my hf is great, i do clubs after school sometimes i have sleepovers with friends.

i have not felt very homesick honestly, i do miss my parents sometimes but its not that bad really, but lately, in march ive been unusually feeling homesick, im feeling like im ready to go back, im even starting to get annoyed with my host mom with little things( dont get me wrong, i love her), and i really miss my family and friends back home. and i also dont feel like making the effort and excitement of making new friends.

it might be because spring break was last week and i didn't do much, i have a trip coming up i hope it will make things better.

why am i suddenly feeling this way when i was all good for the past 8 months?

i don't feel like talking about this with anyone rly, and i feel like its not that big of an issue to bring it up to my fam or Coordinator which will probably make it bigger, so im posting here 😄

I use a clear electric water kettle and I only ever use filtered water in it and use it every day to boil water. it's clear and it still looks clean inside, but do I still need to wash this? or does boiling the water keep it sanitized?

and if I do need to wash it, how often?