MY DAUGHTER CAME HOME CRYING—AND THE TRUTH BROKE ME MORE THAN HER TEARS

My 7-year-old daughter, Maren, came home crying because her teacher, Mrs. Linton, said I regretted having her. Furious, I confronted the teacher, who showed me a note in my handwriting: “Some days I wish I never had her. I can’t do this anymore.” It was from a breakdown weeks earlier, scribbled in frustration after exhausting shifts and personal struggles. I never meant for Maren to see it, but she’d accidentally taken it to school and read it aloud. Devastated, I apologized to her in a meeting with the teacher and counselor, explaining it wasn’t about her but

my own struggles. I started therapy, cut back on work, and accepted help from my sister. Maren began healing, leaving me encouraging notes. Weeks later, she called me her hero in a class card, depicting me with a cape. Life’s still messy, but I’m present and trying. Parents: your kids don’t need perfection—just honesty and effort. Ask for help when you’re overwhelmed; you’re not alone.