Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Christmas Morning Blessings
Until my son was 5 years old, I was a single mother. I had escaped an abusive marriage, and it was now just the two of us. The emotional, mental, and physical abuse had been happening for years. Once I had given birth to our son, I kept him close and never alone with his father. However, one time I asked my husband to hold his son while I ran to the bathroom. It was early on a Saturday morning, and most of the lights in our apartment were off. On my way back, something told me to look before reentering the room. There, my husband held our crying nine-month-old son.
By Cindi Goodeaux5 years ago in Families
My Daughter and Her Husbands' Holiday in Iceland
We arrived at Keflavik International Airport in November, from England where it was 12 degrees. When we landed, it was -12 degrees and the 24 degree difference could be felt in every bone in your body. Suffice to say it was absolutely freezing!
By Kaarina Vanderkamp5 years ago in Families
The Free Birth of Everett
a EsViMonday, January 6th 2020 I woke up and it started just like any other day, my 2 year old and 3 year old needed breakfast, RV needed cleaning, husband needed breakfast and coffee before work; just the usual weekday routine, except that I had been having prodromal labor for the last 6 weeks and today was no better. By lunch time I noticed the contractions were almost around 30-40 min apart but today they felt real! All day that day they stayed the same length apart but were noticeably stronger than any of the other previous days. That night, I woke up every 30 minutes with strong contractions that got me up and walking around and sitting on the exercise ball to ease them.
By The Hebrew Homemaker5 years ago in Families
A day in the life of a lonely stay at home mom.
So today like many Others Robert came home with an attitude. I don't meet his needs? I left garbage on the floor in the bathroom, I don't put his clothes away. I don't take care of the kids right either. I'm one person In a-house of 5. Maybe I should start by explaining the boys. We have 2 boys Jeremiah(Jt) & Noah. Jt has ADHD, DMDD, and Asperger's or ASD/ High functioning Autism. Noah has been diagnosed with ASD, mixed receptive language disorder, ADHD, and global development delay. He also has Severe asthma due to being born at 32 weeks. I quit my job back in January of 2019, rob and I were separated then and I was working full time, Jt was in private school, and we lived with my parents( just me and the boys), Noah unfortunately due to his asthma could not be in a daycare setting, he kept getting colds that caused his asthma to flare up, noah (1.5 at the time) saw PICU 7 times in just 2 months, and that was the just withinh the last 2 months of the year prior. I begged rob to help and stay with Noah so I wouldn’t lose my job, but he didn’t, so instead of being fired I quit, I knew it was coming, I had just had a meeting with my boss 2 days before noah’s last hospitalization. You know the spiel, “ your an amazing worker” “you do twice as much as everyone else” “your a great asset” “your our best collector”. Also I would like to add that i was able to work remotely only for overtime, yeah I know makes no sense! Any way, all the hard work of me working on my credit, and everything went to crap because I could no longer afford it, but I thought oh well, it’s my kids, my credit can suffer, my stuff can be put on hold. I’m a stay at home mom now anyway I don’t need to worry about credit or a Career. Noah does get SSI, so that’s all we got monthly plus food stamps, it’s not a lot, ha its pretty much nothing, so rob and I decided to work it out and I moved back in with him. However, nothing changed (maybe I’ll write about our issues another time) So now we are at the present day, Jan 3, 2021, after crying and going for a drive downtown, I decided to write, write everything, first off, we wake up at 5 am we are out the door by 7 am I drop Jt off at 7:45 am then Noah at 8:30 am, my boys go to 2 different schools, Jt gets dropped off first, his private schooln is 30 min from our house and Noah's is downtown where he gets ABA, Speech, OT, PT, and social work, plus preschool. Then I drive 45 min back home, it is about 9:30 am when I get home. Anyway, when I get home, I do laundry, I put away what I can, I clean up, toys, toys and more toys, I do dishes, the old fashoion way, our dish-washer broke months ago, and no one else knows how to wash dishes, we live in a tiny trailer, there's no room for anyone, or anything, no closet’s either so whatever clothes don’t fit in the 1 dresser each person has then they sit in baskets. By the time I’m done its 2 pm time to leave to get Jt by 3 and Noah by 4:30 pm, we always have some time so I stop at McDonald's to get them food, then we sit in traffic from downtown to where we live, we get home by 6 pm. Noah is Exhausted, Jt has homework or boy scouts. Then it’s getting ready for the next day, and I do it all over again, let me add that due to COVID, Jt is not in sports, if COVID was not here, we’d have basketball, track, alterboy on sunday and possible crosscontry. Now, in between all of this, I volunteer at church to clean pews as part of the reopening, I’m on the school board at my son's school, (secretary now) I am the president of the fundraising Committee. I help supervise lunch some days, I’m also a room parent so if the teacher needs assistance I help rally the other parents. Also, I handle all phone calls and problems with my husband's 4 unit building he decided to buy. the tenants call me for everything, not him. But that’s my fault. If it was up to him they would be ignored. Oh, I also have my dad, who hasn’t worked in yrs, living with us. (That's a whole other issue). So you see I don’t understand how he thinks I don’t do enough or that 1 person should be able to everything in 1 day? I’m not Superwoman I try but I’m not I fall short, he said if I did all these things maybe he’d help fix my credit or pay for my nails. Like what I do isn’t worth that already? I understand he wants a hot meal, but making sure our children have the best shot at life is important, which is why I do what I do, unfortunately, dinner is not done for him, or me asking for him to put his clothes away like I do a lot can you at least put them away? I fold them, I wash them, damn!! I hate feeling like this is all my fault Like I’m inadequate, am I? Is he right? Am I’m not good enough? Am I doing everything wrong? I’m so lost. I wonder when will I wake up and see my worth? When will I stop letting him do this to me? I know, never, he's right, I’m weak, I’m not strong enough, and I know why. I’ll have to write about why another day.
By lakishia partridge5 years ago in Families
Recovery
Today is when I start. For a long time I have knew that there was a reason for the continuous suffering. Even still as I begin, I don’t know where this road will be going, but I do know that I was the one chosen to travel it. I have found myself asking why, what was I supposed to learn or accomplish from years of loss, tragedies, suffering, and pain? Why was I having to battle everyday with new suffering, year after year? Would it ever stop? Now in my older ages, I have finally realized that none of it was really all about me at all. This life that I am about to share with you, turned out to be about us all. Everyone that I ever saw or made contact with. Even you, as you read this page.
By Lisa Buffington5 years ago in Families
If This Isn't Love?
Love isn't supposed to hurt but then again "...If this isn't love why does it hurt so bad?" I cannot begin to tell you how long I have struggled with this concept of loving my mother and not feeling loved by her. But I can tell you where it all began. My mother is now “saved” but outside of that continues to backslide because as she puts it "I'm not perfect and “He” is still working on me".
By Yemoja Oya Iyansa5 years ago in Families
My daughter was born without a brain.
As I approach my daughter Raelyns 1 year birthday and also 1 year anniversary of her death. I decided I will write about her for the world to read. She was one amazing little girl she lived for 23 days! I was very lucky because most only live for an hour if they even survive the pregnancy. Rewind to Labor Day 2019 my mom came and picked me up to go to the 3D ultrasound. I was very nervous because my second born was born just a few months earlier and she was born missing huge patches of skin among other problems with the placenta detaching at 32 weeks and having a surprise birth where she was flown to Seattle children’s for care, but this is another story for another day. Back to Labor Day my mom picked me up and we headed too sweet pea a 3D ultrasound place the special kind like the ones you pay cash for. Anyways I layed on the bed and she put the wand on my belly we confirmed she was a girl my third we laughed, but then the ultrasound tech got very quiet and I saw tears in her eyes and she said who is your doctor ? I asked if something was wrong and she said I believe your daughter has anencephaly she doesn’t have a brain, or a skull and her head is open. We all bawled and she suggested I get her heartbeat and put it in a little bear I chose a lama. I remember just screaming once I got home she has no brain , she has no brain it was awful I was hysterical once I got home and told almost everyone I knew. My sister decided to take me to the doctor to confirm and I got my confirmation. My doctor called and said she was incompatible with life and I had two options abort or keep going on with the pregnancy. I chose to continue I kept praying this was all some big mistake I actually got myself believing Jesus was going to heal her and told everyone I knew she would be a miracle. I even went on stage at a church and the guy prayed for her to be healed. I truely believed it and fought with everyone who said differently. Fast forward to January 13th 2020 the day of my c section. I was so scared I ran in the bathroom first thing and didn’t want to come out. I didn’t want my baby to die, I debated running away and keeping her inside me as long as I could. 12 pm came and they took me to the operating room where minutes later my baby girl Raelyn was here and she was just how the doctor said but she did everything they said she wouldn’t she cried, moved, went to the bathroom, and even breastfed. She was amazing . I was so scared she would die any minute so I spent as much time as possible with her minutes turned to hours and hours turned into days. My heart was full I had all three of my girls in one house life was great. Then February 5th rolled around 1 day after her biggest sisters birthday she didn’t feel right, she felt like she was full of water I didn’t understand then around 10 am that morning she started spewing what smelled like acid from her nose eyes and mouth. I kept trying to suck everything out and was screaming no not like this please Jesus not like this. I called the hospice nurse thinking she would help me revive her but she told me to just hold her about an hour later she took her last breath and was gone. I kept her for the rest of the day until evening and then took her to the funeral home . I didn’t want to leave her it felt so wrong. Her funeral days later was beautiful my friend Katherine did everything for me because I couldn’t bear. I miss her so much and tell her story whenever I get that chance. In the beginning when I first found out I thought this was a curse but in the end it was the biggest blessing of my life .
By Krystalyn Trammel5 years ago in Families
Betrayal
What would you do if you were driving home from work and you receive a text message from your son. The text message was a video of your sister and father of your son talking horribly about you for a good ten minutes? We all know there’s plenty more where that came from. But seriously, what would you do?
By Laura Ortiz5 years ago in Families
Memories of my Father
As I sit here in front of my computer screen, my heart is breaking, and I feel a sense of loss of a man I looked up to and respected for all of my life. My mind began to raceway back as far as I could remember. The first memories which came to my mind were when I just about lost my life at four years old.
By Lorne Vanderwoude5 years ago in Families
Meet All 8 Children of Nollywood Actress Patience Ozokwo (Photos).
Her first daughter is a carbon copy. Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwo is unarguably one of the most celebrated, most loved, and most popular actresses in all of Nollywood history. Most popular for playing the very iconic role of Mama G, Patience Ozokwo has become a staple in the Nigerian entertainment industry space starring in multiple beloved roles, making some of the nation’s most memorable music from that year and generally being a household name.
By Jide Okonjo5 years ago in Families
FOR REASONS BEYOND CONTROL
Naming the location where everything that follows took place would only exonerate other places just as culpable of atrocities such as those described here and perhaps worse. You might say, “Oh see, that’s not us, that all happens in other places.” No, what follows is an eye-opener to the disregard of basic human decency that is ignored by those who perpetrate brutalities daily. These culprits either choose to remain ignorant or close their eyes to what transpires right underneath their noses. They turn a blind eye because they have resigned themselves to a status quo of cowardice that keeps them precariously safe in an existence riddled with misery, hopelessness, and ignorance.
By Pedro A. Idarraga5 years ago in Families
