Thank you so much for this sweet and beautiful reply! Big words from someone I consider to be one of the most beautiful writers on here! I agree that mothers are superheroes! I'm a big advocate of honoring that which women do, including mothering! I have a special knack for finding partners that leave the work to mamas! In this case, he was not the father of the oldest, and while he wasn't technically the father of the younger one either, we were together from early in my pregnancy, he was there at her birth, and he's the only father she has ever known. And the oldest also called him Dad for most of those seven years, but he used those technicalities to opt out. He always did half the housework, but he never considered my mothering as work. He also insisted I bring home half the income. He was one of those that was all about equality without any honoring of the unspoken and unnoticed work many women just do. My daughter is now 15, and she is a powerful force. She goes toe to toe with him often, but he's pretty thick. He did help me learn to take care of myself just by watching him do it forever. And he helped clarify my passion of shifting the world to honor feminine work. I had to laugh about the tiny fish bit. There are fish in the rivers here that do that, but I never knew it was a thing. I'd love to have that whole bit. I'd give my left tit for even a weekend! My older kids are now super passionate about helping me have that life. My son is going the route of shifting the world, and my daughter is planning to be a super successful artist and/or baker so she can spoil me. Of course I'm planning to get there through Steemit before any of that is necessary. I decided early on to forego income so I could spend time with my kids, especially when they are little, and that's why I love Steemit. I can do both. This is the first place I get rewarded for being a mom and rambling endlessly about it.

I am so glad you pulled through the darkness. You are truly an extraordinarily beautiful woman, and those spaces are so dark and painful. I hope I have enough practices and awareness in place to never let that happen again. If you ever find yourself there again, please know I am always available. Sharing with others is what ultimately brought me out.

And oh my goodness don't worry about where your power is at for my sake! I know how it goes! I have a time keeping mine at a good level. I used to upvote everything, but I have learned to be a little more selective. It's hard though because I just love almost everyone here.
Thanks again so very much for such a loving and thoughtful reply. It brought a tear to my eye and means so much more than anything else!