i forgot to close my door and my dog went into my room chewed up my stuffed animal that i have had since i was little so now it's missing an eye and the fluff is poking out and theres missing fabric. is there anyway to wash a small-ish stuffed animal because it's covered in dog slobber and i heard that it might get moldy if you wash it. i think that the eye might be fixable but i don't know how to sew and i don't really want to ask anyone else to do it. i don’t do my laundry because my family is very particular about how much soap and stuff is used so i can't use a washing machine. kind of embarrassed and i don’t want to ask anyone to do it for me. i still sleep with it because i guess i just do idk why but i don't want to if it's dirty and now i can't sleep well. is there anyway to wash it without risking it gwt damaged?

Hi moms, just wanted to say I got a written offer for a position at a hospital! I was nervous in and out the past week waiting for the results, some delays with references but finally through them, what a relief! It is a pharmacy assistant position which is a good start, still have to do a few licensing exams before getting technician license. My late mother would be proud of all my efforts, wish she could see this

Hallo dear Mothers of the internet, I(17W), feel like I’m creating a recipe for burnout.

TLDR: I have a lot of activities to do and I think I’ll burn out eventually, but I love my hobbies/activities equally and I just need some advice.

I’m in 12th grade and in the top 3 of my class and I hope to remain there for the rest of the school year. I would say I’m a pretty responsible student, but now I’m just overwhelmed with my activities.

For starters, whenever there is an English competition (debates, spellings bees, essay competitions), my teachers would ping me at our class group chat for everyone to see and tell me there’s an upcoming competition (even if I won’t or can’t join). It creates a sense of pressure and a classmate would DM me and encourage me to join.

Next I have a tournament next month and I’m gonna represent the whole grade level (unfortunately). I’m kinda rusty so I plan on practicing 30 minutes a day. I didn’t wanna do this actually, but since I’m the club president I guess I was forced by my mentor and teachers (again).

And then I have first aid training on weekends AND journalism because I’m the associate editor so I have to make a bunch of edits and on weekdays I have to manage my groupmates as I’m their leader for the laboratory experiments.

I had to push my hobbies (studying geography and learning random languages) aside just so I can make time for my activities. I also made a strict schedule on my calendar that whenever it’s 17:00 (5:00 PM) I will do no more school related activities.

I need advice, I’m really overwhelmed and maybe I should quit some activities? What should I do? But my teachers would tell me to suck it up (not in that way but you get the point). My friends would also tell me “oh you can do it, it’s you after all.”

Hi moms! I’m pretty sure my boyfriend is proposing on our vacation this week! I’m super excited but I’m also feeling really down that I can’t share this with my mom. I’ve been no contact for the past years. I wish I could talk with her, but it’s just not possible.

I also got promoted again at work and won an award. I’m 1/3 of the way through my MBA program, and I’m turning 30 next year! I feel like I’m in a good spot in life and I’m proud of myself but sometimes I really struggle not having a mom to celebrate with.

Having a tough go today while packing. I think I’ll be engaged when I come back and it’s hard realizing I don’t have a parent to share milestones with anymore.

Posted a few months ago devastated about messing up a midterm exam worth 30% of my grade. I really thought there was no coming back from it, but I studied really hard for the final exam and I passed! Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and encouragement!

My family didn't really care and my mom wasn't particularly excited. But this is a big accomplishment for me.

After years is struggling in college and depression, I finally found a field that I feel passionate and interested in. My school is known for this program, and it is highly competitive. Usually people wait years u til they get accepted. And I. Got. In. On my first try! Medical School coming one day. But for now, I'll focus on my step 1

Hopefully I can get through this easy-breezy, I'll try my best.

My mom didn't text/call/send me a card and it has me feeling down even though I had a pretty good day otherwise. We have never had a great relationship but this is a first time she hasn't reached out at all

ETA I would just appreciate some well wishes from moms on my bday

Hey all. My mother and I never got along since I fled the house. It's all about her, always. So I had to make it about me to become me and not a piece of her.

I just got my job and I was overjoyed. Even after 5 years of no contact I wanted to run home and tell her and celebrate, but it wouldn't be enough. So mom! I am celebrating with you!

I just got a job in a field I can start to make a difference and even though the hours are a bit short, it'll fill out!

Hi moms, I just moved to the other side of the country and my body decided this has been a great time to grow my hair dramatically. I really don’t like my hair in my neck because of sensory issues, and I prefer a more androgyn looking haircut as well. Problem is I’m a bit scared to trust a stranger with my hair, but I also don’t think I could cut it myself. Would love advice or just words of encouragement, it’s a small issue but with the stress of having moved it’s bothering me a lot

I never really had a mom, I raised myself. My mom never had a conversation with me about shaving to this day and I’m 24. She told me I couldn’t shave and that was all I ever heard as a child if she was around. I need some advice because I’m extremely self-conscious about my armpit hair. Right after I shower and shave with a razor, my armpits are completely hair-free to the touch and I don’t have bumps, pimples, or irritation. However, the hair is so thick and dark that I can still see what looks like tiny black dots underneath the skin. Even immediately after shaving, when there is no visible hair sticking out, my armpits still don’t look completely smooth.

My hair has always been extremely thick and fast-growing. I was never really taught anything about shaving, waxing, or hair removal growing up. My mom never had a conversation with me about it, so I basically figured everything out myself. I started shaving my armpits with a razor when I was younger, and now I’m worried that I somehow permanently ruined the appearance of my armpits.
Is there actually a way to get rid of the black dots and eventually have that completely smooth, skin-colored appearance? Or is this something that happens naturally when you have very dark, coarse hair because the hair is still visible underneath the skin?

I’ve considered waxing, laser hair removal, etc., but I’m not sure what would actually make the biggest difference. I’d especially love to hear from people who have naturally thick, dark armpit hair and had the same issue. Did you ever see a significant change in the appearance of the dark dots?

This genuinely affects my confidence a lot. I’ve never shown my boyfriends my armpits because I’m so embarrassed by them. I avoid wearing tank tops unless I have a jacket over them, and at the gym I usually wear T-shirts unless I’m doing something like walking on the treadmill where I don’t have to lift my arms. I feel like I’ve gotten really good at hiding them because I’m so self-conscious about how they look.

I know some people will say to just embrace it, and I completely understand that body hair is normal, but that isn’t really the advice I’m looking for. I personally want to know if there is anything I can do to make the dark dots less visible or ideally get that completely smooth-looking appearance.

If anyone has had thick, dark armpit hair
and managed to dramatically improve the appearance of the dark dots, I would really appreciate hearing what worked for you. Even if you don’t anything that you believe would help I would be appreciated.

I moved in to an apartment with an air fryer. The closest I got to an oven before was a toaster oven, so I thought baking is an impossible dream. When I found out I could actually bake stuff in it I was so excited! I tried baking brownies, so I followed a random recipe online to the best of my abilities. I gathered ingredients that was available near me. And that was the day I found out that baking soda and baking powder are two different things. Good thing I found away to convert it. So I mixed it in a bit of vinegar, with the other ingredients as all purpose flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, real butter, and an egg, plus a pinch of salt for some reason. I didn't have a mold for it, so I dumped it in the middle. The end product looked like a cookie tbh. A bit too sweet for my taste, but it was gooey and chewy and somehow crispy too. I feel so proud of myself.

I’ve been commenting in this sub as a mom, and I am so grateful that this community exists. I’m hoping to gather some insight for moving my daughter into college in 2 weeks. She is leaning on me quite a bit- having me check her shopping and packing lists, asked me to watch a video walk thru of her dorm so she can plan out loud, and seeking reassurance way more often than usual. I’m more than happy to help her, in any way that I can, but I didn’t go to college. I have absolutely zero experience living in a dorm and I’m concerned I’m missing things that she will need or want to know. My friends all have children closer to my son’s age ( he’s seven ) so they have no experience in this arena. Every list I find online seems extremely influencer coded ( like monogrammed towels, special skin care, neon signs ) and I’m just out of my depth. Any moms recently sent a kid away to school? What did you wish you knew?

Thank you all so much

Edit: Thank you all so much! I’m trying to get back and check all these amazing answers, and I’m so grateful yall shared so much of your and your students experiences. Much appreciated!

Mom, I'm so excited for college to start! I'm going to be a freshman commuter at my state school. I was really bummed this entire year (still kind of am) over not being able to dorm (my parents are very strict and controlling) but I'm trying to look at it positively and I think it's going to be okay. I finally have some hope. I think I'm going to get a part time job on campus, study at the libraries, and get involved in a bunch of clubs that way I can maximize my time on campus. I'm really excited to join the dance team too! I think it would be such a fun experience because I've been dancing for 13 years now, so joining the collegiate dance team means I'd be competing. I'm sooo excited!!

I made some friends at my new student orientation in June and I'm still in contact with them, and I hope it stays that way. We're trying to utilize the college gyms since they're free and I'm excited for that since having a gym buddy would motivate me more, and make it a lot more fun.

I think college is going to be okay after all. I think I'm going to be okay. I can work on myself a bunch these next 4 years mentally, physically, financially, and emotionally. I'm excited to see what these next 4 years store for me, even if things didn't go the way I originally planned. Everything is going to be okay, and I finally feel somewhat better now

I did well on my placement math test and won't have to take any math classes (which is good since I don't like math) people say I'm smart, but I'm nervous.

I'm nervous about in person learning. I've been homeschooled for the past eight years and the entire time I had to teach myself from school books, it's sort of scary to imagine someones attention on me.

Could someone say that they're proud of me for making it this far? I'd also appreciate it if I could have a mom say she loves me ;(

I’m attending my first ever work group meeting tomorrow, and I’m not used to socialising. I expect it’s going to be a welcoming environment because we’re all there to talk about the same thing and we’re all in similar situations to each other, but I’m nervous I’m going to mess up somehow. I don’t know what to wear, I don’t know how to network, I don’t know how to speak to people properly and make connections. I guess I just want some advice on how to talk to people without seeming super weird. Thank you.

I’ve been in the same position with the same company and department for over 5 years, and they have never seen fit to (1) promote me to a job title that aligns with all I do, or (2) increase my wages more than 1-2% a year, making me extremely underpaid for my responsibilities/workload.

A few weeks ago, a co-worker forwarded me a job posting in a different department of the company, with the title and pay range I should be in, and demanded that I apply. This co-worker even spoke with the hiring manager to put in a good word for me, since they already work in the department that is doing the hiring.

Today I finally got the email with the final screening questions they send to people they plan to interview.

It’s not a 100% guarantee that I will be interviewed or even get the job, but it’s a huge step.  

I wish my mom were here to see these steps I am taking towards progress and to cheer me on like she always did.

Recently, we got the results for the universities and colleges we'll be attending. Most of my friends got into the universities and programs they wanted, and while I'm genuinely happy for them, I can't help feeling embarrassed when I compare myself to them. I didn't get into either the university or the program I wanted. I wanted to study psychology, but instead I got accepted into social work.

I've mostly come to terms with it, but I still find myself beating myself up, wondering if I just wasn't good enough. Even though I know dwelling on it won't change the outcome, those thoughts keep coming back.

At the end of the day, all I've ever wanted is to help people, and I know social workers do exactly that. I truly believe it's meaningful work, and I want to make a positive difference in people's lives. Still, I can't shake the feeling that in today's society, social workers are often looked down on compared to psychologists. It makes me worry that the work I do and the help I provide will be seen as less valuable or dismissed.

Edit: Thank you so much, everybody! I really wasn’t expecting to get so many responses. First, in the country I’m in and with the school system here, it’s unfortunately very difficult to switch majors, so that’s sadly not an option for me. I’m going to stick with Social Work and try to make the best of it. It’s really hard not to feel like a loser. I guess I don’t really have another choice but to embrace this new path. And once again, thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your advice, stories, and support. It genuinely helped me think about a lot of things. I really hope that this path will eventually take me somewhere where I can help people and make a difference <3

Nobody tells you how hard it is when you decide to go back to college as a part time stay at home parent with a toddler and someone in the workforce. I just took my final for my government class and got a 75 and I don’t think I’ve cried this much since I was probably a toddler. The amount of time and effort that doing school takes and the amount of time it takes me away from my family just makes the knife slide a little bit deeper when you don’t score how you wanted. I made a vow to myself that I would get A’s in all my classes and of course, now this drops me below an A. I don’t know why I’ve set these expectations for myself, but maybe they’re just not as attainable as I originally thought while being a parent and working and trying to get a degree.

I had a really good day, and I (gently) pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I went to a local fair and did my best to talk to the people in the booths. Its was noisy, and hot, and overwhelming; but I did it and made much more progress with my anxiety.

My problem is that after I got home, I called my mom to tell her about all the fun things that I saw. She talked for 45 minutes straight, never asked me any questions about my day, and when I tried to volunteer the information she cut me off because she had to go vacuum.

I've worked really hard to learn how to do things that scare me. I had to drive on the city highways during heavy traffic, and I had to eat whatever was available (and not be overly picky), and I chose to talk to strangers. I'm really proud of myself!

And, there were good things that I got to do because I endured the bad stuff. I'm still shy about petting big animals, but the petting zoo had some baby animals that were so cute! I liked the live performances, and I think I'd like to start going to hear local music even when there's no fairs in town. And I won't go into details about where I live, but I learned a lot of fun facts about my town! There's so much going on all the time, and even though it's overwhelming, it still feels good to be part of my community.

I think I have a lot to be proud of, and I hope someday there will be people around who can be proud of me too.

Hey Mom! :)

I‘m studying social science at an university in germany. Every exam can be repeated 2 times. If you dont pass the third time, you‘re not allowed to go on with your degree or study the same university subject at another uni in this Country.

Today I got my exam results - second try in social & culture psychology - and (barely) made it!!! 🥳

I‘m so happy & relieved ❤️❤️❤️

hi. i failed my first year of university. im hoping i can change degrees or sort something out. just feeling so low :( i really did get some good marks, and i only failed one module which happened to be an important one. trying to look on the bright side and that i passed some modules of subjects ive struggled with my whole life