Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Best Places to Adopt From in Utah
For many, the decision to adopt a child is not an easy one. If you have decided that you want to adopt a child, you may have struggled to conceive your own child, or you may have spent time worrying about the children in need of a home and a family. While there are hurdles to get past during the process of adoption, the rewards can be immense for your family, and for the child. However, before you can reach the rewards of adoption, you must first find a child to adopt and work through the system. So, where can you adopt a child in the state of Utah?
By Kevin6 years ago in Families
Nonni Exuded Peace and Contentment while having Plenty of Smarts
“Two years ago, this shy little miss came to us directly from Italy. She seemed to fit right in, and has distinguished her stay in Classical High School by her good scholarship. We who are acquainted with know her as an excellent little friend, always ready to give any help she can when it is asked for, yet too shy to intrude. Anna says she likes America, and our school very much but some day hopes to return to her beloved native Italy.” So says Nonni’s high school yearbook, and it sounds about right. I said as much at her wake in 2007
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Families
How to Choose the Right Type of Adoption
With so many types of adoptions available it may feel overwhelming to choose the right one for you. Information is key in deciding which type of process is best for your family. Make sure you do enough research about each type of adoption and weigh their pros and cons. Ask your adoption agency, family lawyer and other experts about the costs of each, how much time the process will take, the risks associated with the process, and any other question you may have. Talk with other adoptive parents and ask about their experience, join Facebook groups, look for bloggers online and YouTube videos. Keep in mind that everyone has their own expectations about the process and every adoption will not always be the same.
By Mariela Corella6 years ago in Families
Olivia
Olivia lived in big gigantic house in the beautiful countryside. It was warm and breezy most of the time but the sun made her happy when it shined upon her. Olivia was just about to turn eleven and the only thing she wanted was a pair of yellow shoes. Fancy ones with a cute little buckle on the side. She had seen them in a department story her mother took her to just yesterday. She had to have them she thought. She asked her mother for them for her birthday party. Mother thought for a long while but finally bought them for her. Olivia was so excited and could not wait to get them home. But what Olivia did not know was that these shoes had magical powers. On the long drive home Olivia imagined playing in the shoes and dancing around her room in them.
By Theresa Renteria6 years ago in Families
Gnome Comforts - A funny short story for lockdown life
About this Story When I was in primary school, my class used to receive homework that involved practising the words for our weekly spelling test by putting them into sentences. However, this was quite a dry task and my dad was getting sick of helping me do this. So, we decided to start making these sentences into stories that made sense as a whole, much to the delight of my teachers. But this was only impressive for so long and so the stories had to get more and more ambitious. This culminated in the story written below — which, as you may notice, contains a lot of spelling test words with silent ‘H’s and ‘G’s. However, I have improved as a writer since then, being as I am, a 22 year old English graduate as opposed to a 10 year old child. Thus, I have made a few tweaks here and there to make this an even better story.
By Marco Cardoni6 years ago in Families
7 Tips to Teach your Child to Ride a Bike
Learning to ride a bike has become more or less a rite of passage for most kids. It builds their confidence, helps them learn better and make more friends.
By Martin Bagel-Brown6 years ago in Families
Understanding The Mind Of A Teenager.
This day in age teenagers are seen as the little demons amongst society from the way they are perceived in the media. YOU might have a teen who is becoming more moody and hormonal each day and you just cant get your head around why this is. Don't fret, there are more reasons as to why this is not just about chemical imbalances. Teens become this way from contributing factors such as school, change of friends/social groups, pressure from the parents to do well, stacks of homework, fear of finding ones self, lack of physical activity etc.
By Daina 6 years ago in Families
TᕼE ᗷEᗩTᔕ Oᖴ ᒪᗩᑎEᗩᑌ᙭
The Beats Of Laneaux ‘Every morning it happens like this.’ Tabatha thinks to herself as she wakes up with a splitting headache. The house bumbles of a thunderous noise. “Ugh!” Tabatha yanks herself out of bed pissed, frustrated, but most of all annoyed. She quickly puts on her robe, bolts out of her room, runs down two flights of stairs, then kicks open the basement door. ‘I’m going to ring this little mutha...’ Her eyes are in disbelief when she notices that on this morning it is not only her little brother beating away at the drums, but also her older sister on guitar, her father blowing a saxophone, and her beautiful mother on vocals. It was at this moment that Tabatha realizes that her family was much different than most.
By Mad Malic6 years ago in Families
Dear Mama.
Dear Mama, You worked 10 hours a day as a food courier before this pandemic broke out. You tirelessly put your life on the line even before this viral virus; praying every time you jumped behind the wheel that the feeble Fiat would last just one more day. I didn’t need this illness to know just how much I appreciate you.
By Selei Cho6 years ago in Families
My Grandfather’s Depth of Feeling made a Life for his Whole Family
In the first 18 months of my life, My Nonno was a constant presence. However, he would leave for an extended return to Italy with my grandmother in 1966. The departure must have left a pretty big void. The year and a half absence had to have been long forgotten by the time he came back, though. The assumption - it turns out - is glaringly incorrect.
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Families
Hey dad did you get my text?
My mother & step dad have been together since I was about 6 years old. He has basically been my father figure since my biological one was absent. I am now well into my early 30,s now and my step dad is still one of my biggest support systems. My step Dad is a strong but gentle man. He has the biggest heart and has no animosity in his heart towards no-one. A few years back my mother unfortunately passed away. We both took this very hard and was not sure how to heal from such a sudden lost. My Step Dad then decided to move down south. Leaving me to heal on my own. I could not be angry with him because I understand it was too much for him. I lost my mother & he lost his soul mate. He decided to move down south to be with his sister and family. I felt it was the right thing to do since he was feeling lonely and I had already fled the nest some years prior to my mother passing. I helped him move and went down to visit him for the first year several times. As time went on I noticed the constant daily conversations between me and him slowed down due to the distance. Everything slowed down till the point we spoke once every other month. On my dads part he was not happy. on my part I was in my mid 20’s living my best life and would talk to him when I felt like it. My dad was not having that anymore. It was not that I did not want to talk to him it’s just that certain parents when they loose their partner thier sadness can make you sad as well. I was already miserable because my Mother was my best friend, so to constantly go down memory lane and end up crying for hours as not how I wanted to spend my nights. After a few of those conversations I would try to avoid them on all accounts.
By Serafina6 years ago in Families
Joy Is Not Cancelled
Recently, I found a tremendous amount of love and joy in the pictures and social media account of a Prince Edward Island photographer. Let me explain:
By Heather Down6 years ago in Families