Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Quarantined and Working from Home, with Kids
I am not sure what day of lock down this is. I can't remember if I social distanced before the shelter in place started. The reality of what is happening right now is so surreal that I can't do much besides function day to day in a weird twilight zone world. Grabbing groceries makes me feel like I am in Outbreak, or some movie about Zombies. What I do know is that it feels like eternity that my kids and I have been in close quarters. They certainly do not understand social distancing. From other people, absolutely. But from me? Nope.
By Jenn Pautsch6 years ago in Families
Becoming a Heart Mom
Earlier this year, my family experienced one of the scariest moments of our lives. The series of events that occurred were things we never thought we’d have to go through, but that happen to hundreds of families across the globe. Before this experience, I was just a mom. My son was just a regular 7-year-old kid. Although I am still a mom and he is still my son, a few things have changed, and I’d be lying if I said it isn’t scary.
By Shaley Speaks6 years ago in Families
My Great Grandmother Held her Own
Carmela Ancora grew up in Franca Villa, and her grandmother owning a successful business, the family had an upperclass lifestyle. So Carmela graduated from High School and played the piano. Carmela married Belasario Ancora in 1885 at the age of 16 and had seven children. But while circumstances bigger than the family led to a life of seperation for the three surviving Ancora children, my great grandmother lived a rich fulfilling life
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Families
Great Reasons to Have a Family Game Night
1.Board games teach valuable soft skills Board games help to teach a wide range of skills applicable to all ages. They teach simple things like learning how to take turns and having the fine motor skills to pick up and roll dice. They also teach help to abstract concepts like probability, long-term planning, and teamwork.
By Catherine Melanin6 years ago in Families
Nursery: A Short Story
Jonathan Sommer was born in a nursery, a home birth. It was all the sommer family could afford. He had ten sisters and twenty brothers, all of whom were born just like Jonathan, in the nursery. The day Jonathan turned two years old, his mother and father knew he was different. Each of the boy’s siblings had their own delicate airs about them, like they could float away like angels instead of children. All born with smooth, translucent skin showing off the healthy veins in their faces. But Jonathan was not as delicate and lovely as his Siblings, he could not swing from the mobiles in the nursery like his sisters and he could not see the beautiful lively veins in his skin like all the other boys could. Jonathan's complexion was peachy and soft, a genetic anomaly in the Sommers family. Too, the little boy was much fatter than his siblings. Only two years old but still much too heavy to sit in a hanging basket like his siblings. Jonathan cried when he found out he was not allowed to play with his brothers and sisters anymore, he was simply too rough with them. The boy’s incredible strength would tear the other children’s skin and stain the boys skin with greens, reds, purples and yellows. Eventually Jonathan was moved to his own bed to avoid crushing the other children under his weight. Everyone else shared large soft beds and perfectly laid side by side leaving their neighbor unharmed. But Jonathan had to sleep on the big sacks of soil his parents could provide for him. Even at four years old, Jonathan was bigger and stronger than any of his siblings. The Sommer family fell behind the boy, unable to keep up with his massive appetite. “The boy’s eating us out of house and home!” His father said, Jonathan's mother could only weep, exhausted of options and without any idea of what to do with poor Johnathan. Through tearful sobs Jonathan's mother proposed to her husband the only thing left to do, the boy had to go but to where? His mother pondered what kind of respectable person would take such a burden onto them, none came to mind. It was then that Jonathan's father took his frail wife to the tool shed. “A Hammer to break the skull” he said to her, “a saw to sever fatty limbs” His words bringing about more tears from mothers' eyes. “And thirty hungry children '' this caused his wife’s head to shoot up and stare curiously into his eyes. “It isn’t right! No there must be some other way!” Her eyes are holding more anger than sadness. “There is nothing else we can do! It be us or him! In due time the boy will eat our thirty children and then us!” His father was shouting now. Frustration boiling in his blood, he grabbed his best hand saw off the rack and shoved it into his wife’s shaking hands. Before ushering her out, he chose his heaviest hammer for himself and the two set off to their beloved nursery. Mother’s tip toes felt like stomping feet as she inched her way closer to the sleeping children. Father held no hesitation in stepping hastily up to the soil sack bed his son lay on, on a silent count of three, Jonathan's father swung his deathly hammer down upon the sleeping boy. Jonathan’s mother screamed a wild banshee scream but was unable to turn away. The other children did not wake, too immersed in sweet dream land to rouse to the guttural scream of their mother or the wet blunt sounds of their father’s best hammer colliding with their brothers head. Mother stifled her sobs on the sleeve of her warm nightgown and slowly stepped toward her youngest son, knowing it was her duty now to sever each of the boy’s limbs. Limb by limb she crunched through bone and squelched through bloody muscle. First she squeezed the blood from the left arm onto Jonathan's sisters, then using her long fingernails, scraped tissues from the right arm onto his sleeping brothers. Then finally buried both legs in a bed of new soil to bring new life to the nursery. The deed was done, the boy gone and out of sight. The next day was peaceful, quiet, as mother and father ate their minuscule breakfast of eggs and toast. Johnathans siblings awoke and stretched taller than ever before. Though it was no mystery to their parents, “must be the boys doing” mother mused “I always knew he’d be good for something” she bit into her boiled egg but felt a rotten familiarity in the squelch it made. “Indeed my dear, a worthy sacrifice to see our children so happy and healthy, not to mention the quiet is quite nice, don't you think?” Father added. “Yes, indeed” mother spoke but her mouth held the flesh of the egg in her mouth, eventually spitting the remnants of it into her napkin, a glob of white and yellow though all mother saw was red pulsing muscle. Excusing herself from the table, mother made her way to the nursery for some fresh air and happy smiles from her children. They had all gotten so big just overnight! At first mother was pleased but remembering the deed they had done to achieve such a prize left her feeling sick. She sat on the bench next to her eldest daughter and shut her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of clarity rather than foggy guilt. It was only then that her children seemed to speak.
By Paige Osaroth6 years ago in Families
Churchill Garden: A Short Story
My mother was just like me, a beautiful girl who loved nothing more than to play out in her garden. She planted roses just for me, they were her favourite and when she realized I was to be born, she littered the large flower beds with roses of all colours. Red, yellow, white, just everywhere. I spent my childhood watching buds burst into bloom, and letting the overgrown ivy hang down from our canopy to tickle my nose. Mother would sometimes cut the biggest brightest roses from their stems and arrange them around my crib. I was her little rose, so it is only fit that I would be surrounded with creatures like me. She told me everyday that I was her beautiful little rose.
By Paige Osaroth6 years ago in Families
Tips and Tricks for Designing Your Baby Nursery
Welcoming a tiny human into your life can feel daunting and amazing all at the same time. Creating your baby's nursery doesn't have to be complicated. The most important thing is to create a space that invites you and your baby to relax and enjoy. After all, you will be spending lots of time in there together. Not sure how to get started, and have fun while doing it? Here are some tips and tricks....
By Tamara Jacobs6 years ago in Families
Stop Telling your Kids The Easter Bunny is Real
I think we've all heard or asked the question "When should I tell my child that Santa(Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, etc) isn't real?" It might break our baby's heart. It might take away some of the "magic" over the holidays. Well there's a simple solution to this issue that we might all want to get on board with! Stop letting your children believe myths and lies that aren't true.
By Stephanie Nail6 years ago in Families
