Mom With a Mental Illness Posts Honest Selfie for People Who Think She 'Has It All Together'

Cierra Lyn Fortner, a mom from Kansas City, Missouri, has a powerful message to share about looking like you “have it all together.” Fortner, who has two young sons, was shopping at her local Walmart when a cashier told her “I see you in here all the time, your kids are always dressed cute, behaving and you just seem to have it all together.”

The comment stuck out to Fortner, who describes herself as a two-time suicide survivor living with a personality disorder as well as depression and anxiety. When Fortner returned home, she shared an open letter to the cashier on Facebook, letting the cashier know there is more to her than meets the eye.

“I want her to know that I can’t always get myself up off the couch to feed them anything more than frozen pizza and cereal,” Fortner writes. As well as, “I want her to know I have those ‘I’m losing my sh*t’ moments when I have to lock myself in the bathroom and cry.”

Fortner’s post, which has been shared more than 90,000 times since it was posted last Friday, has resonated with other parents due to it’s honesty.

Fortner closed her letter with a piece of advice, “From one exhausted mom to another, you’re doing great, have that melt down, let your kids eat the crap out of that cereal and take care of yourself always.”

You can read Fortner’s full post below.