My birth parents, Katie and Taylor, were only 17 at the time, so, after staying with me for two nights, Taylor carried me from the...

My parents—my father especially—were very liberal for the society in which we lived. A retired army officer, my father was well-educated...

My mother took the highway and never looked back, not even at me! My father was left to care for me alone and since he lacked childcare...

For as long as I can remember, all I desired was a simple life for my family, alone in the wilderness. This wasn’t without struggle...

Growing up, my parents encouraged me to pursue all the dreams I could think of. I remember my dad’s words that have always stayed...

I always looked up to him, though I must admit I played the part of an annoying little sister perfectly. He teased me mercilessly—not...

Nothing is as exhilarating as feeling the wind against your face on a speeding motorbike. It’s a power only the rider controls. I thought...

As with everything in life, we plan ahead, and things appear to be completely fail-safe. But sometimes the unexpected happens, and it...

My parents were not rich, but we had enough to go around. My dad was a businessman, and my mom taught at a primary school. In the absence...

My father refused to work because he believed if we had too much money, we would be damned, so my mother and I would cut dry wood to sell...

But as it goes, an unrest seemed to clench my heart, and being so young, I did not know what that feeling even was or why these answers...

When I accepted myself as a lesbian, I was in my 30s, married to a man for 10 years, and had two children. It was the first time I had...

While my work has brought peace to my soul and the wonderful feeling of helping others has always been present, much of my career was...

And while both were “uneducated” (in the sense that my father dropped out after 8th grade, and my mother had never been to school a day...

My grandma remembers coming over and noticing how pale and sickly I looked as a baby. She would ask my mom, “Aren’t you going to feed her...

When I was a child, I would walk the streets of Lahore, Pakistan, while staring at the dusty pavement below. I did not want to look...

My dad worked at IBM as a programmer and was a protective, caring, and loving man. My mom was a professional pianist and the choir...

“I’m kicking you out. Come get your stuff.” I was 16 when I read this devastating text from my stepfather. No money. No job. And now ...

My childhood was a long-term nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. My father was very violent and abusive, so I never had a chance...

People around me see a beautiful picture of my life. They see a young entrepreneur who owns a nice flat and went to Dubai for her...