15 Snapshots That Summed Up Parenthood In 2015

Dad Greg Wickherst was clueless when it came to doing his daughter's hair, so he sought formal training from the cosmetology department at the college where he works.
"In no time, I was able to do a simple braid, then a fishbone braid, and a French braid," he told HuffPost in February. Read more about his story here.

In March, new father Ashton Kutcher created a petition calling for more changing tables in men's restrooms. The move came after his Facebook lament about the lack of options for dads in public with their kids went viral. Read more here.

In March, mom Rachel Hollis posted a Facebook photo of herself on vacation, wearing a bikini that showed her stretch marks and loose midsection skin.
"I wear a bikini because I'm proud of this body and every mark on it," she wrote in the caption. "Those marks prove that I was blessed enough to carry my babies and that flabby tummy means I worked hard to lose what weight I could." Read the full post here.

North Carolina moms Melanie and Vanessa Iris Roy each gave birth to a baby about a year apart. The couple posed for maternity photos together for both pregnancies, and later shared two of the photos side by side. The powerful image touched viewers around the world when it went viral in April. Read more about their story here.

When the organizers of the Breastfeeding Mama Talk support group came across a sign telling moms to cover themselves while nursing, they had a brilliant response: In May, they posted a photo of the sign on Facebook, along with photos of breastfeeding moms literally covering themselves. Read more about it here.

Dad Brian Gordon skyrocketed to viral fame in June with Fowl Language Comics, a funny, sweet and sometimes expletive-filled look at parenting. See more of his hilarious comics here.

Mom and photographer Neely Ker-Fox created "Perfect Imperfections," an empowering photo series to celebrate women's postpartum bodies. "I was compelled to bring the same opportunities for women in my own community to have access to a chance to embrace their bodies, address their insecurities and hopefully feel empowered," she told HuffPost in June.
Ker-Fox said she wanted "to make these women see how beautiful they were, to truly do something empowering with their vulnerability and bravery." See more photos here.

In July, a Chinese ad campaign called "Phone Wall" sparked a conversation about screen time for parents, as well as kids. See more photos here.

Australian mom Annie Nolan was fed up with strangers' questions about her twin daughters, so she jokingly created some informative signs to put on their stroller.
"As a twin mum, you get asked a series of questions/hear a series of statements EVERYTIME you go out," she wrote in a July Facebook post that went viral. "I know most people are coming from a great place and are just curious however many can be quite intrusive and after a while it's just plain exhausting." Read the full story here.

Photographer Caitlin Domanico's "United We Feed" series supports all moms, however they nourish their children. In June, she shared photos of women breastfeeding, pumping, bottle-feeding, and tube-feeding their babies, and in August, she brought together a group of 19 mothers for an epic group feeding photo. See more photos here.

Texas mom Dee Wise Heinz was pleasantly surprised when her daughter's middle school PTA sent home a form for an "alternative fundraiser" this August.
The refreshingly honest approach gives parents the option to donate money outright, with spot-on descriptions for each amount. For example: "$15 -- I do not want to bake, so here is the money I would have spent on those cupcakes." Read more here.

In September, mom blogger Chasity Boatman shared a Facebook photo the felt illustrated the idea of rainbow babies -- children who are born child after a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss. Just as a beautiful rainbow gives people hope at the end of a storm, a rainbow baby gives parents the hope of life after loss. Read more about the photo here.

In October, actress Olivia Wilde shared a frazzled selfie that truly resonated with parents. "I call this hairstyle, 'keep the kid alive,'" she wrote in the caption. "Products you'll need: sweat, string cheese, diaper rash cream, chewed up crayon, snot, and an enthusiastic spritz of panic." Read more about the photo here.