Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Ever Wonder What Infertility Feels Like?
As I sit here thinking, wondering, pondering about what I should write, I'll be honest I'm not sure where to start, but I want to talk about something close to my heart. Something that some people take for granted. Some look at it like a burden and some are shocked by it, but I'll begin.
By Rhonda Carr8 years ago in Families
Pros and Cons of Binkies
There isn't an easy route for making the trials and tribulations of toddlers any less complicated, especially when any single misstep can have lasting repercussions on the state of your newborn into child growth.
By George Herman8 years ago in Families
The Mom Who Is Always Yelling
Today is a bad day. Why am I yelling so much? Did I sleep enough? Does it make me a bad mom? Am I a bad mom...? I yell so much lately that some nights my throat is raw from just trying to get my kids to stop hurting each other, me, or really just to listen. Excuses... that's all I see: my childhood maybe—it was rough, a lot more so than others; maybe it's just who I am—the mean mom who always yells at her kids....
By Kat Peirce8 years ago in Families
You Were Only a Little Abused. Top Story - October 2017.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," I cried. These words frequently echoed off my lips, resounding in a deafening silence from my mother. Most kids in my generation feared being grounded, losing privileges, or some form of physical beating, but I would have preferred those over what my mom typically had in store for me. I would have understood being sentenced to sit silently in my room. That was a punishment that most, if not all, kids went through. I would have understood not being allowed to watch TV or to use the computer, for those were good things that I, in my bad behavior, didn't deserve. And even a spanking with the wooden spoon...I'm not justifying physical violence or abuse, but at least these consequences would have been more typical of the average kid in the 90s.
By Matthew Eyler8 years ago in Families
Blow Hard, Bud!
Being a mom is never an easy thing. You often feel as if you have failed in some way, question, and doubt yourself. Those feelings only get worse when you live not only with anxiety but with kids who are hyperactive as well.
By Kat Peirce8 years ago in Families
The Sh*t They Don't Tell You: Lesson #2
Death by Laundry I was once a young, wild bachelorette, whose main purpose in life was partying, concerts and, due to the lack of rich relatives to inherit from, going to work, to earn more money for the partying and concerts. (Let's not kid ourselves, I paid rent once a month too.) (Much to my disdain.)
By Tiffany Wade8 years ago in Families
Cope
Losing somebody you love changes you. It changes the person you are at that time, and the person you’ll be in the future. It’s something that you must cope with, but that’s something a lot of people can’t do. But I did. And because of that, there is nothing in my life that I am any prouder of.
By Cassandra Slade8 years ago in Families
Special Days
I am two days away from marrying the man of my dreams and I could not be more excited. I am also having a difficult time because two years ago my dad passed away because of cancer.
By Melissa Balthrop8 years ago in Families
Coming Out
My coming out story happened in two stages, and the second stage is still happening. The first stage was coming out to myself, which was very difficult. I didn’t grow up in a horrible environment, but I didn’t grow up in the most supportive environment either. I was shielded from just about everything related to the LGBTQIA+ community. I can even remember my mom getting frustrated when she saw Ellen DeGeneres on TV and made me turn the channel. During my freshman year in high school, people told me not to hang out with certain people because they were gay. As it turns out, the person that they warned me to not hang around with is straight, and I am the one that is a lesbian. All I knew at that point was that being gay was not okay. Not at home, not at school, and not at church. Once I reached my senior year of high school, the constant suppression finally broke me. I tried so hard to be straight, I prayed every night that I would like boys instead of girls. But, I eventually started praying that I wouldn’t wake up the next day. I literally cried myself to sleep every single night. I was very depressed, suicidal, and even started drinking alcohol secretly. For the last half of the school year, I skipped breakfast because I felt nauseous. I ate my lunch in the school bathroom because I didn’t want to be around other people. Then, I would sit in class and think about the best place that I could crash my truck on the way home so that I would die, but not hurt any other drivers. I would cry the whole way home, then when I got home, I would drink alcohol until I felt numb. There were a few times where I got the gun out of my parents’ closet, but I luckily never committed suicide. In those moments, I thought that my parents would rather have a dead child than a gay child.
By Emily M8 years ago in Families
They Called It...
Just over three years ago I, for the 1 million-and-tenth time, had to explain to my baby girl how her daddy wasn’t actually coming to get her again. That was the day I decided enough was enough and he wasn’t going to hurt her ever again. Not if I could help it.
By Secret Serenity8 years ago in Families
Thoughts from an Adoptee
Adoption. Most people don't really know what it's like to be raised by parents who aren't truly blood related. But with myself, I grew up only knowing this life. I can't really remember a time when I didn't know that I had a second mother and father. My adoptive parents always raised me to know and understand that I was adopted. Growing up with this sense of mind, young me thought that everyone knew what adoption was. Since I was a 90's baby ('98 to be exact), most adoptions at this time were closed adoptions. This means that once I was put with my adoptive parents, I would have no contact with my birth mother. So my whole life I grew up knowing very little about my birth mom, so my mind would always wander and ask questions that turned into crazy dreams and ideas.
By Ellen Meissner8 years ago in Families
The Expectations of Children
Parents or guardians expect a child to achieve specific goals in their life. If the child shows signs in their early childhood years that they are not heading toward the straight path to these life goals the parent or guardian can become terrified of the unknown and deem them a disappointment. Additionally, this child is often treated unfairly, isolated, and neglected by the same people who are supposed to support him or her with unconditional love and understanding; that they will not conform to the life that their parents expect. In The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, the main character Despereaux is a non-conforming individual who naturally is not born with the mice-like instincts that his mom, dad and two siblings ascribe to. His mother states very early in his childhood to “please look for crumbs. Eat them to make your mama happy. You are such the skinny mouse. You are a disappointment to your mama.” (Di Camillo, 18) Despereaux, being a non-conformed mouse, is expected to be like all the other mice and follow all of the mice rules. When he does not follow the rules she and the rest of the family fear that he will become a disappointment and shame the entire family. This leads to Despereaux’s brutal treatment, isolation and neglect. Why does his family treat him negatively? Their expectations of Despereaux are not met and therefore, they fear that he will bring shame to their family. The author explores the ways in which Despereaux is treated when his parents and siblings don't accept the rambunctious mouse.
By Traveling From Heavenly Places8 years ago in Families