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Most recently published stories in Families.

How To Convince Your Kids To Stay Hydrated
Water has many benefits. It regulates your body temperature, hydrates the skin and flushes away waste. Your body needs plenty of water to stay healthy, especially when you sweat and move around a lot. Kids are very active, and they need to stay hydrated as well. Sometimes kids find excuses to avoid drinking more water than they have to, and they often avoid it when they can. Here are two of the biggest excuses why some children avoid drinking water and what you can do to solve it.
By Sasha McGregor5 years ago in Families
That's me in the corner
“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ― Mark Twain
By Meadow Leight-Bell5 years ago in Families
Always Drive Behind the Snowplow
I admit it. I am a total wimp when it comes to driving in the snow or ice. I could be in a tank and still not venture out into the snow. My mother, knowing this about me, never chided me for my so-called weakness. She always told me to be careful of my own driving as well as others on the road and in case of bad weather to always drive behind the snowplow. That way they will clear a path for you, and you know the road will be safe for travel. This is also good advice for life.
By The Writer Chick5 years ago in Families
Worst Day of My Life
October 27th, 2012 was the fifth day back at work for me after having recovered from having an appendectomy and 2 hernias removed. Some things at work got messed up on my shift so I ended up having to stay over longer than normal. In all I worked around 14 hours that day. At the time I was living in an apartment with my Mom to help take care of her because she had been ill for some time. I got to our apartment around midnight on that day and was completely exhausted so I went straight to bed. My nieces and nephew were staying the night there with us. Around 4:00am my oldest niece came in my room to wake me to tell me that my Mom had tried to get up out of the recliner to go to the restroom and had fallen and couldn't get back up. I got up and went in the living room to help her get to the restroom and back to her chair. Something seemed off about the way she was acting. I asked her if she was feeling ok and if she wanted me to take her to the hospital. She looked at me and smiled and said "I'm fine baby. You've had a long day at work so go get some rest." Honestly I was so exhausted I didn't argue with her and went back to sleep. Around 8:00am that morning my niece came to wake me up again. Her voice was panicked and she was crying. I'll never forget her words that morning, she said "Uncle B. Jay please come help. Nana has her eyes open but she isn't moving and I don't think she's breathing!" I ran into the living room to see my Mom curled up in her recliner, eyes open but her body was motionless. I went over to her and shook her but got no response. I checked her for a pulse but couldn't find one. My niece called 911 as I was doing CPR. It seemed like forever that I was trying to bring her back until the police and ambulance arrived. The officer was in the apartment before the paramedics and pulled me away from my Mom. Then the EMT's came in and just looked at her. The lady EMT looked at me and the officer and said "I'm sorry but she's gone." I took my nieces and nephew into the kitchen away from her body. They were all just crying and clinging to me. A few minutes later I had to make the hardest phone calls I've ever had to make. First I called my Dad and told him. Then I had to call my two sisters. It was all I could do to get the words out. The rest of that day as well as the next few days it seemed as though my body and mind were running on autopilot. I don't recall hardly anything that happened in that time. The biggest regret of my life has been not making her go to the hospital that night. Everything may have turned out exactly the same, but that is something I will never know and never forgive myself for. I know that none of my family blames me but I hate myself everyday for it. Now I'm just trying to live my life in a way that I know will make my Mom proud of me.
By B. Jay5 years ago in Families
Baby Boomers and the Retirement Crisis
Baby boomers currently constitute a massive proportion of the developed world today. As many as one fifth of North America are baby boomers. As we live longer and are able to exist far longer than we ever did due to great advances in medical care, the demographic that outlines our national statistics is somewhat skewed.
By Kevin Roache5 years ago in Families
Frugal Living in Retirement
Many older adults feel satisfied with their lives and are ready to settle for a simpler lifestyle. A frugal lifestyle may be something you are considering as you approach retirement. Like with any decision, frugality may not be for everyone. Some decide to try a frugal lifestyle to stretch their savings as much as possible while others feel that frugality is in harmony with their values.
By Kevin Roache5 years ago in Families
Dear Lykan
*Content warning: The photos shared below are of a highly sensitive nature and may be considered disturbing for some. Please scroll with caution. *
By Cynthia Espinoza5 years ago in Families
What are The Most Common Baby Care Questions of First-Time Parents?
The birth of your first baby is always memorable in your life. However, most of the first-time parents do not have confidence in how to make their parenting successful and effective. As they feel embarrassed, they speak to pediatricians and other child specialists. Still, they cannot find answers to all their baby-care queries. That is why we have found out the common questions, raised by the first-time parents.
By Camelot International Infant Care Centre5 years ago in Families
How Should The Parents Boost Brain Power and Memory Of their Infants
Do you know the scientific fact that an infant’s brain has billions of neurons? During the first years of his life, a baby starts growing neural synapses, the connection of brain cells. This brain wiring has to be hard to strengthen his capability of learning a language. Surely, a baby may not learn anything instantly. Still, the number of neural connections of a children’s brain is more than that of the adults.
By Camelot International Infant Care Centre5 years ago in Families
My Heart
The Children in the top photo are my niece that taught me how to be a mother I have been with them since they were born and have helped every step of the way..... The child in the suite and the two girls at the bottom are my bonus children and I love them with all my heart and have watched them grow and have been in their lives for the past 7 years. Then there is the little girl in the center and the last little boy I birthed them both and they have brought me so much joy to be a mother... I was not suppose to have any children of my own as I was told by the doctors and in February of 2015 I had Joseph he was 5 weeks early and was so so small he was only 3lbs and 9oz but was a fighter from the start. He had an IV in his head to do platelet transfusions the day he was born, then at a month and a half old he had surgery for two testicular hernias' and had those fixed, then at the age of 2 he was going in for another surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids taking out so he would be able to breather and get a better nights sleep and come off the bottle. Now he is 80lbs and 4ft tall and a healthy happy 5 year old boy. He was my rainbow baby. He looks like me and acts like his daddy. Then in October 2018 I became a mother to a beautiful baby girl Lena and she filled our house with more joy and love. She is a sassy little 2 year old now. She looks like her father and acts like me sometimes. My niece's Ashlyn 17 years old and has turned into an amazing young lady and has her mind set about what she wants out of life and Justiene 15 years old is starting to become a amazing young lady she is just not sure which way to take yet but in due time it will come to her. I thank them every day for helping me get ready to be a great mother to my own children. They also help me with their cousins when needed that are amazing I also thank god that he gave me three bonus children Briana 20 years, Brittany who would of been 18 years old this year and Michael 11 years old now. They are amazing with their little brother and sister. Briana has had her ups and downs as do all children but she has turned into a loving caring and all together amazing young woman and has her life all planed out. Unfortunately my husband and I lost Brittany in April 2019 at the age of 16 to a car accident, and it has been hard for us and all of our children to coop with but with the strength of GOD and the support of one another we have been living day to day hour by hour, and know that life is priceless and live it to the fullest. Always Always say I love you every chance you get cause you do not know when it will be the last time you get to say it. Michael is special in so many ways he wants guidance but then shy's away from it, he is silly and can be a soon to be teen boy and hopefully he finds his what he is meant to be. He gets mad easily and loves gaming. I believe that is what he is going to be doing when he gets older. I love all my children and would give them the world and then if I had the means too. They are gems and they learn from us what we do they see what we say they end up saying one day we have to mold the minds of our Children and make sure they believe in themselves.
By Brandy Sweeney5 years ago in Families
SELF-LOVE
"This post I wrote for you Grandpa, the model, my model of true love." "I was looking for something to write about it, an old friend told me, write about self-love, well, how could I not talk about grandpa, the man that showed me to never settle for less than pure love"
By LENE - Erislene Brito5 years ago in Families
Always Put The Knives Away Before You Go To Bed
My mother had a fear of someone breaking into our home, seeing a knife on the kitchen counter, and doing whatever they had to do to rob us. She insisted all the knives were put away neatly in their drawers before we went to bed.
By The Writer Chick5 years ago in Families