Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Critics Hate Hillbilly Elegy. Top Story - January 2021.
First a book, then a New York Times Bestseller, now a Netflix film, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of A Family and Culture in Crisis , depicts the abuse, drug addiction, and overall redneck fuckery that occurs in my home state, Kentucky, and other parts of Appalachia.
By Jessica Bugg5 years ago in Families
"I think I saw you drop this."Wink Wink
"I think I saw you drop this." Wink WINK When a stranger unexpectedly saves the day and fixes a mothers mistake. The holiday season seems so overwhelming and misdirected energy being wasted all over the world. Many forget it's not all about gifts with high price tags or a tally of how many gifts under the tree.
By Zoetic Shyne5 years ago in Families
Wanting More Than One Baby
Many people say they want more than one baby but do not think about the responsibility of having one. Some people believe starting with one baby would demonstrate if you are ready to have another baby in the future. You have to understand that it all begins when you end up pregnant. The difficulty of getting up when you get hungry, showering, and have everyone support by doing groceries and lots more. Then you give birth, depending on whether it's c-section or natural birth. Natural is painful when getting stitches since you can not move or sit down. C-section, you are on bed rest for three months. Nursing or giving them formula requires them to get up every two hours and feed the baby. Early morning you need to nourish them again, or they will keep crying louder. Then as they get to teething, babies end up super fussy and doing more tantrums. Babies have diffusivity sleeping when it comes to them trying to soothe themselves to sleep. Then comes the period where your baby is eating solid food. You need to find the time of day to feed them. When you are trying to work on something, the baby comes first. You are not able to do anything unless your child is satisfied with their needs. When it comes to satisfying their needs, babies need to have their diaper change, well-feed, have their toys with them, or want attention. Babies at eight through nine months, babies start to crawl, end up getting cords, going under the bed, and cry when they are tired of being on their tummy. The hardest part of having a baby is trying to clear their nose from sinuses. Babies are so used to using their noses to breathe since they were out of their womb. Usually, when babies can not breathe through their nose, they wake up and become very irritable. Having them on a schedule would help them sleep throughout the night. Then soon, babies will start to walk. That's when they start grabbing and going through everything that they can get their hands on.
By Vicky Alcazar5 years ago in Families
5 Ways to Keep Your Family Happy This Winter
1. Fuel Winter Activities A proper diet can help everyone have consistent energy and mood levels throughout the shorter, darker days of winter. Try to eat more fruits and veggies as a general rule, to boost fiber intake and improve gut health. Try a few novel items you find in the produce section to make it more interesting. Don't just focus on the human family members, either. Since pets need proper nutrition to handle the changes in weather, too, the right food can make a huge difference in how they feel and behave. Dr. Marty Nature's Feast ingredients show that real meats and vegetables are also good for your furry friends.
By Robert Cordray5 years ago in Families
As The Heart Heals
"Mommy, can I do your nails?" My six year old daughter comes out, holding her package of nail polish in her hands. Her brown eyes are alight with hope and “please”-yet there is a hesitancy that resides within me. The inner girl in me wants to say yes, the outer woman in me tries to wall out the wound and say no.
By Nicole Elizabeth5 years ago in Families
This is only a test...
I’m not really sure where to start because I’m still unsure of what I am doing here. The likelihood of me even following through with this “blog” is slim if I’m being honest with myself... but that’s probably my goal, honesty... to be completely transparent and honest with myself.
By Jessica Roberts5 years ago in Families
Unwanted downtime
So, as most of the people I know, they know that I'm practically in a dedicated/long-term relationship with my job. Full-time hours, decent pay (despite being majorly underpaid and under-appreciated), loving schedule, crappy benefits, but just enough downtime to where I don't feel like I'm not spending every second at work instead of with my son and the pups. I've missed out on countless PTA meetings, school functions and fairs and fundraisers, helping out with homework, putting my son to bed, even going as far as missing out on teaching my son to ride a bike or how to fish (properly.)
By Elizabeth Fitz-Gerald5 years ago in Families
Surviving The Murder of An Adult Child
Zachary was a wonderful and happy soul who battled inner demons that, in my opinion, were generational in nature. Zach had co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, (depression, anxiety, and substance use). He had been a victim of the "Kids for Cash" scam in Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. This messed him up mentally and emotionally, but at the age of 27, he was doing well. He was getting his life on track. He was working, had his own rental home, and had his very first car. He was doing everything a healthy adult should do. He was in a relationship with a young woman he truly cared for, and they were expecting a child.
By Bridget J. DeFalco5 years ago in Families
Wasting life 2
Honestly, My life could’ve continued to get even worse at that point. It started off pretty horrible and traumatic but it honestly got better (for awhile). I lived with my grandma and we pushed through everything together. Never really heard from my mom. It bothered my little heart for awhile but honestly I forgot about her for a period of time. I had two friends I would spend almost everyday with due to my grandma working constantly to support me and her. One was named Melanie, she was about a year older and her family took good care of me while my grandma was always working. The other was Susanna, she was a few months younger than me and she was probably the closest friend I’ve ever had. I sometimes still miss her but we’re two extremely different people now, I was basically always with her and her big crazy family everyday. I felt like I belonged there. She had everything I wanted, a mom and dad together and brothers and sisters. However, By the time I was 9 I had a desire to know what happened to my birth mom. I would see her dad a few times a year but we never talked about her. He would take care of me by buying me clothes a few times a year, and we would talk about everything but her. I never had the guts to ask him about her until I finally told my grandma I wanted to ask him. She didn’t encourage or discourage it but simply said I should ask him where she was. Well, I finally got the nerve at 9 years old to ask where my mom was, all he did was pull out his phone and read a number to me. I wrote it down, never called or texted. I fantasized about calling or texting her and meeting her but didn’t want to scare her off. The thought of her possibly rejecting me scared me enough to be satisfied with the way things were. But later that same year, I made a Facebook account to play games on the computer at my grandmas office. Well guess who popped up as a suggested friend? My mom. I remember freezing and not knowing what to do. I showed it to my grandma and she told me to leave it alone and “don’t send a friend request”. Well, I guess this was my first real rebellious act...I sent the friend request and closed it super quick so my grandma wouldn’t see. However, I didn’t know I should’ve logged out and my grandma saw the accepted friend request a few days later and came to me asking why I did it. I remember crying and just saying how much I wanted her in my life. My grandma was very understanding and actually encouraged me to send her a message. Before I did that though I went through her pictures and I saw lots of pictures with a little girl who looked just like me. I was going to send her a message first but she had already sent me one asking if my grandma knew I had contacted her. I replied with yes and a bunch of questions I don’t remember. The main question I had though was who the little girl was. She told me her name was august and she was my little sister. She was 3 years old and the most precious thing I’d ever seen. I remember falling in love through the screen. All my life I’d asked my grandma to adopt me a little sister. Obviously it never happened but now I had better than an adopted sister I had a real sister <3. I was so happy to finally know my mom wasn’t alone without me. My mom and I talked for a few months everyday. By this time I was 10 and in my final year in elementary school. At this time, I was starting to become very confused about my life and where I belonged in the world. I noticed how I had an attraction to this girl and also a boy in my class. It scared me because I was raised in a religion that says same sex relationships were a definite no. But when the girl told me she liked me back I guess all that I was taught went to waste because I had my first little girlfriend... I realized pretty quickly I was bisexual. Thats what started a horrible downhill spiral for me.
By ))))):5 years ago in Families
3 Things You Should Have Learned About Your Kids In 2020
For many, 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. It symbolized job interruptions, education nightmares, public restrictions, sickness, financial horrors, and more. But for families with kids who were forced to stay home when they normally wouldn’t, it should have been an amazing chance to bond and make up for lost time. From a mom of 7 who has been homeschooling on and off since 2003 and running her own business at home since 2005, here are three things I feel parents should have learned from their kids in 2020.
By Lyn Lomasi5 years ago in Families
Happy New Year !! Here's to 2021 kicking 2020's a**
SDear Dad, Today's is our favorite holiday New Years Eve. I really wish I could get myself up out of bed. I wish I could get myself to have enough energy to take a shower and get dressed for today like before but unfortunately I just can't seem to find it in myself to. It's almost crazy to me how little control I have over my own emotions these days. My mind is screaming at me to try and enjoy today like any other year but my heart just won't allow it because normally by now my phone would be blowing up by you asking me millions of times why I haven't showed up to your house yet or am I bringing ALL the essentials for tonight. You were always yelling at me for never being on time but yet when I showed up finally it was like the best moment for you. I'll never forget you coming up to me with your arms wide open and saying "About time you have arrived almost midnight" even though it would be literally seven o'clock haha.. you were so silly just always making me laugh even when I didn't want to. My body is so weak all I wanna do is sleep all day but I refuse to because I know how disappointed you would be looking down on me. So I am writing this in hopes it will give me the strength to finally start my day. I shall rise up for you and live in your name dad. I shall find it in me to celebrate life and the new year for you tonight. I hope you can be proud of me now; you always told me I needed to enjoy life more. All the things you would be so proud of me for that I finally found the strength to accomplish this year even if it was one of the worst years in decades ha surprising right? It just eats me up knowing it took you passing to actually get that power inside for myself to do all those things finally but I also thank you because it was as if you were giving me all of your own strength that you had left since you saw no reason for it now as you are stronger then ever before.
By Amanda lynn5 years ago in Families
Reality About Growing Up
Ever wonder how you started as a baby and always imagine how you went from a minor to an adult. How you use your mother a hard and make a mess argue a lot. Everything that happened in your life vanishes, we wake up to being an adult and having your own family. Like, what happened to not paying bills and having to think when your next paycheck would come knowing it will either go to your house or car insurance and a whole lot of other things. As a child, they have nothing to worry about in life. Your mind is just what happened? So much fun and all the other great things in life as a kid. But no, at some period of being a child, we wanted to hurry up and grow. But are we ready for the responsibility? Were we just angry at our parents because we did not do what we wanted at that time? We are stuck. Arguing with our parents were worthless because they know about life more and that we were too stubborn to listen.
By Vicky Alcazar5 years ago in Families