Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
My Life As I Know It
My life started as most other people's does... guy meets girl... they fall in love and get married and had a daughter (myself). My mom already had my oldest sister and my younger sister would come later. Happily ever after, right? Wrong. My parents never got along and for the life of me, I can't understand why they got married. After fights, lots of angry screaming, and so many other things; they got divorced. All this happened before I even remember. I never knew my parents together, only of them hating each other.
By Lacey Cohran Kines5 years ago in Families
The Value of the Letter Q
THE VALUE OF THE LETTER "Q" A Short Essay By: Char Wilcox December 16, 2011 Re-visited: November 7, 2020 Note: This is not an official Essay, I'm sharing it because it makes me giggle to have written such a silly piece. Oh the things we will do as parents to help our children along.
By Char Wilcox5 years ago in Families
Boyhood to Manhood
I new it was our last Christmas with him. With that in mind I had an overwhelming desire to do something memorable for him. I went shopping and bought him a Montreal Canadians Jersey, because I knew how much he loved hockey. I bought him a card as well. When I arrived home I sat in my office and began to write. I felt my mind become emotionally guarded when I began writing. I was doubting if I should write the things I wanted to say. I was unsure of myself and perhaps a may be going a little over board with the emotional thoughts on this paper. Eventually I said SCREW IT! I freed my mind and just let my thoughts and emotions just go and wrote how I really felt. Christmas Eve finally came. I wrapped my presents put them in my backpack and headed over to Mom and Dads for dinner. A week before my mother told me NOT to give Dad a Christmas present this year. He knew it was going to be his last and all he wanted was for us to all be together, he did not want material objects. I thought about what my mother said but in the end I decided not to listen. I knew this was going to be his Christmas so I was going all out in showing him how much he means to me and the value that he added to my life. When I arrived at the house on Christmas Eve I greeted Mom and found Dad in his recliner like he always was. He looked tired worn down eyes were dazed from exhaustion, his back was hurting and God knows what the cancer inside his body was doing doing to him. However no matter how he looked or he felt he still maintained a beaming spirit. That is what impressed and inspired me the most. The fact that cancer was tormenting his insides but he never complained or got angry or frustrated about it. When we entered the house he put all is positive energy onto us. After we had our turkey dinner it was time to open our presents. I was nervous about giving my Dad his gift. I was not sure of how he was going to got respond. The response that I got was way beyond anything I could have imagined. He opened up his present he was thrilled. He loved The Montreal Canadians sweater. However now came for the emotional part. He opened the card and began to read it. As he began reading the Christmas Card he got two sentences and his voice became very shaky, his eyes started tear up and for the first time in my life he saw cry. I may have refer to him as my father but he was my step father that came into my life 12 year earlier. When I first met him I was apprehensive of attempting to build a connection with him. I was not a lucky boy when it came to strong reliable role models in my life. It took many years of consistency and devotion to building a connection with me. My step father never lost patience with me and allowed me to come to him at my own pace. When we arrived at the last 6 months of his life and really dawned on me of the positive influence that he had on my life. I finally came to the realization that he was able to be the strong reliable father figure that I never had. From what I understood from his tears when he was reading my card was he was waiting for my stamp of approval for a very long time. He yearning for me to finally accept him as the father that I never had. I realized in that moment that he earned from me. He established a fatherly son bond with me that one else was ever able to do. After he was done reading the card we both stood up and hugged each other and told each other "I love you". That was very first time in 12 years we have said that to each other. From there we enjoyed our Christmas dinner. After dinner my mother pulled me aside in the kitchen and as my father was taking a nap in the living room. She told me that she had many conversation over the years with him that he was waiting for the moment of acceptance from me for a long time. Before I left that evening my father told both myself and my mother that it may be his last Christmas but it was also his favorite Christmas and I was an enormous contribution to that happiness. Every single day I pattern myself after his example. He was my constant and now its my turn to be the constant for someone who needs it just as much as I did.
By Logan Rider5 years ago in Families
My Life As I Know It
Not long after I turned 14 and my mom went to jail again, my dad was contacted to come get my sisters and me or else we would go into foster care. So he came and got us and had to hear about all the times that we were left alone and everything else. I had to leave all my friends behind that had my back no matter what. They would bring us food, keep me company when my anxieties would get too bad, and when my older sister moved out to be with her then boyfriend and father to her 2 oldest kids. They were my rocks and I had to leave them because my mom messed up AGAIN?!
By Lacey Cohran Kines5 years ago in Families
35 Things they don't tell you about childbirth.
As a mum-to-be, you've most likely heard the generic comments thrown around by family members and other mums. "Just you wait, Your life will never be the same again." And "Make the most of sleep because you won't get any when the babies here!" Unfortunately, people don't seem to be as quick to tell you useful information, things they wish they were told before they reached labour day.
By Lana Jayne5 years ago in Families
Popular Childcare Providers
Childcare Hamilton has one of the most popular childcare providers in the United Kingdom. It is one of the main providers of child care services for the region. The child care professionals at Childcare Hamilton have made it their business to offer an effective and safe service for families.
By RealestateMarket5 years ago in Families
A better place
I don't know how to grieve my father. I think about different things I can do to get the mourning process over. His phone number is still in my cel phone and when I skim across it, I always hesitate thinking one day i'll dial it. Maybe he'll pick up.
By Carla R. Herrera5 years ago in Families
The impact of infant loss.
The losses we feel everyday in our lives are not insignificant, they all hurt, sting and make us feel extremely lost without that person. Although everyone has different views on loss, those that hurt the most are the loss of an infant. A spectacular blessing that has brought so much joy in a short amount of time. For a mother that time is including the nine months she carries the infant as well. However, losing that blessing is the most soul crushing feeling ever. I remember the night vividly everyday, I remember the feeling of guilt, and feeling like my heart was shattering. Waking up to my husband saying " dear there is something wrong with the baby". Immediately grabbing my glasses off the stand beside the bed grabbing our little boy from him, Immediately starting CPR even though with a medical background they say you are not allowed to work on your own family. I was the only one trained to respond to this type of situation. That situation is completely different when its your own family, the amount of guilt you feel, the constant battle inside of you, wondering everyday if you did everything you were trained to do. Those are things I do not wish on anyone else to ever know what it feels like.
By Sarah Sebastion5 years ago in Families
Diary of a Farm Girl
Diary of a Farm Girl Monday — I’ve been a lot of places. Rocked on the front porch swing in the Arkansas summer heat. I’ve tasted Smoky Mountain rain as I scaled the treetop ropes under twinkle lights. I have all but touched a Colorado elk in the wild. Still, there isn’t anything that comes close to a crisp Fall in Kansas. It tugs on one’s heart strings to hear the crunching of leaves underfoot. Crisp air biting at your nose, as it cleanses your lungs. Breathtaking views of endless hues, as maples and oaks say goodbye to Summer. Watching smoke roll from rooftops as you drive by homes. Watching as birds flutter in search of last bits of fruit and seed. You can feel the cozy and the peace. Everything else in the world can feel unstable, but when you’re standing on the blessed ground of Kansas in the fall… all is still. Pure bliss.
By Brittany Pennel5 years ago in Families
