Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Mom life
I been a single mom for 7 years almost on the 22nd of March . When I had my kids I knew I was gonna be a good mom . I took care my 2 younger siblings at a young age . My mom was going through a depression with being a single mom and like most mothers back in the day went to drugs for a get away. I was forced to grow up fast I didn’t have it easy coming up. But I love my mom to death ! And I thank her so much for showing me to be independent and strong. I have my days now as a mom where I wanna give up but I can’t . I look at my kids and realize that I have a job for life and it motivates me to go so hard. So I am now here single mother of 2 . My kids father is locked up. Nobody knows how long he is doing . All I can do is pray for the best and prepare for the worst and keep going. Nobody taught me how to be a mom I pretty much learned as I go. Of course we all say we want this perfect family but nothing or nobody is perfect . So yes I fail sometimes, but like they say “ you may bend but you will not break “ . That’s me I’m a young mom I screw up sometimes I lack at something’s but I fix them as I go. I feel like all the mistakes I made in life was a lesson learn . That’s why I don’t regret anything . I just learn . That way when my kids get older they know how to push forward if they make a mistake or I can protect them the best way I can to not make those same mistakes. You ever hear that saying “ it takes a village to raise a kid “ ? Well I guess I’m the village lol. And Yes I’m proud to say that because this wasn’t a choice god made me a single mom for a reason . He knew that my kids would be in good hands with me . And I say that because a mothers love goes along way💕 with me I know they safe, fed, washed, learning and clothed and sheltered. My kids are my life . They are my best friends . It makes me proud when they come home with good grades and good reports . That’s telling me I’m doing a awesome job as a single mother .Can you believe I didn’t know how to cook or teach someone to walk or use the toilet until I had kids of my own and I’m loving every minute of it . This is my life being a mom cleaning and going to school to provide for my family . It gets no better than this . We are blessed ! I hope any single mother out there going through what I’m going through and reading this smile and feel so much better if they having a bad day right now . This is something to remind you that you are not alone and it gets better . I moved from Philadelphia pa to Portage pa with my 2 children in 2017 it’s now 2020 . I never thought I could do it but I’m here doing it and I been the happiest woman since then . When I moved here I had No money . Had to quit my job. We had the clothes on our back all our important documents in my purse, $300 in food stamps and $10 in cash and car ride and now look a 3 bedroom house now enrolled into college going for medical coding and billing and soon ima be running my own business working from home . Just so I can continue to build with my kids. So yeah if you need to cry Cry . Let it all out. But don’t ever feel like you are alone and it all ends there . It’s never ends there , it gets better. You grow you live and you have fun . Even if it’s just with your kids 💕
By Jade Thompson 6 years ago in Families
The Londoner's England
I must be honest. It took me a while to fully appreciate why this collection of pictures accompanied by short write ups on each has the title “The Londoner’s England” but I reached that conclusion; eventually. The book takes the reader to eighty-nine locations. Over half of them are in London and the remainder are in what are referred to as the “Home Counties”. That is those counties that border London or border counties that border London. The book was designed as a type of guide to locations accessible by Londoners by car, on public transport or on foot.
By Alan Russell6 years ago in Families
Strength in the Shadows
Start writing...Inspirational women in my life have been numerous,however three stand above all others. I was eleven when life drastically changed& I was in desperate need of guidance. My father lost his eight-year long battle with cancer leaving my mom to raise us three children alone. I would never fully grasp the depth of this challenge till I was grown,reflecting back on how we were brought up with love,never having much,but always managing to get by,relying heavily on the shared trama that loss brings. Despite mom's depression&driftlessness that would be a part of all our lives for the next decade,we grew together bonded by our suffering.Death is an amazing glue to those that remain,it was in our case anyway. Our family relying heavily on our humor and sarcasm. My mom's strength&determination to go on has been an inspiration to me my entire adult life.Seven years ago she fought her own battle with breast cancer as my sister&I stood alongside her lost in a fog of disbelief.We all made our way through despite our newest scars. Losing one parent put a profound amount of fear in our minds and hearts as we hoped for the best.It has been five years and we still have our family happily intact with mom being the intracal heart.My younger sister by ten years is not only an amazing inspiration to me,she is my truest friend. Anna was the gift that entered our world when my father was leaving ours. She was six months old when dad died and the one light we had at that dark time.Highly creative,she is an amazing pianoist,painter,and writer. Having a gift as an entrepreneur,she started her own jewelry business at the age of 22,selling her handmade pieces of art at local independent shops and atCrystal Bridges Museum store. Despite her depression&anxiety,she has arisen from the ashes to be a woman that has no recognition of the true inspiration she is. I admire how she continues to fight,despite everyday being an uphill challenge. Anna gives my life color,she adds humor&depth to every day.The world through her lens is such a uniquely beautiful one that I value getting to have a glimpse through. When you are a highly private person who has a small circle of trust,to have a person understand your mind is a raregift. We are true regency era sisters,equally loving to read,create art,take afternoon walks,drinking tea with paintbrushesin hand. Loving our solitude almost as much as each other,the quiet peace of our lives suits us very well. I come from a extensive family with my dad's sister,my aunt Yvonne,soaring to the top of my favorite people list. Standing beside me through the roller coaster of life has been my second mother for as long as I can remember.Living half of my life in central Wisconsin on a farm,she taught me lost skills of survival long before it was popular,besides being a Jill of all trades,it's her kindness that sets her apart as a powerhouse of a woman.Auntie's empathy&love for everyone makes her stand out as an inspiration of what the world is desperately lacking enough of. The values and qualities I admire most are embodied in her,love runs through all of her veins felt by all she meets. How a person treats another person is how I measure quality of character,and in this she taught through example what love is. I feel as women,we all come from a long line of strength,we just have to tap into it,with the realization that it too,resides in each one of us.
By Inga S Christianson6 years ago in Families
Goodnight Stories for Multiracial Children:
Breanna Carter Graduate Student at the University of South Florida Abstract: This critical content analysis examines two children’s books made for multiracial children that were published between 2013 and 2015 and how they can be used as tools for mothers to guide their children through the racial climate of the U.S. today. These books can be used as tools for mothers of multiracial children to help their children self-identify as multiracial. The theoretical framework used in this study is social identity theory (SIT) (Bilig & Tajfel, 1973; Hogg, Terry, & White, 1995). The results of this study indicate that (1) hair, (2) outside perceptions, and (3) multiracial celebration/positivity are found in the two multiracial children’s books to be used by mothers to help multiracial children identify in U.S. culture.
By Breanna Latoi6 years ago in Families
Signs that your marriage is at the verge of divorce
However, if you see that you truly love the person, you will have enough bravery to be able to marry. And it is awesome if you can live a happy life together with that person. Yet, what you may not expect is a situation where you have to divorce.
By Molly Allen6 years ago in Families
The Butterfly/The Dove that emerged
This is a story of a little girl who was unwanted from the time her mother found out she was pregnant. It was first thought this precious little girl was a tumor in her mother’s stomach, her mother rushed to the hospital to have an X-ray done to determine just what was going on inside her body. After the X-Ray Dorothy anxiously awaited the results of her test, as the doctor came into the room, grinning with relief, believing that he had great news.
By Cyndi Leist-copley6 years ago in Families
She Keeps Fighting
In a world full of wonderful and beautiful women, it takes a strong and powerful woman to make a difference. It may be in small ways, or in huge movements, but as a woman we always touch someone in some way. Growing up, everyone has ups and downs, good and bad, happy and sad memories. My mother always taught me that my past does not define who I want and can be. Inspiring others is not just something she does, but it is a part of her being. She has been my rock, my life preserver, my home ever since she gave birth. For about 20 years, she lived with a textbook Narcissistic Sociopath. That means not only did he abuse her emotionally and physically, he would isolate her and make her and others around her think she was crazy. People of this charisma seem to fall into our life’s path like bugs are attracted to light. For years and years, having a certain facade out of the house compared to what life was like behind closed doors was normal. Through all of these terrible and monstrous things that he would do, my mother still taught me to be kind and to have compassion for those who are going through a rough time, even though it may seem like a small problem to me, it may be huge in their eyes. I remember we would have little ‘vacations’ from him during the weekend. We would go out to town and spend hours and hours looking for cute little shops and local businesses to explore. In each shop my mother would always take the time to talk with the owners and workers, getting to know them and listening to their problems, always have a kind smile and words to offer them. This has always stuck with me through everything, it did not matter what was going on with her life, and she would always strive to help these people no matter what her emotions were. When everyone left us, she became not just my mom, but my dad as well. Being the powerful and strong independent woman, she finally fought for her freedom from an extremely unhealthy marriage and succeeded. My mom graduated from college for her counseling degree, which she has always dreamed of helping others in need since she was little. I know for a fact, every day she went to work, she worked extremely hard to give people the correct care they needed. She does not gloat about her achievements but is humble and barely accepts praise for all of the hours of care she provides. For all of this and more, she inspires me to keep fighting, to keep being kind, to keep believing in myself even when others doubt. Not a lot of people can say that through all that she has gone through, they have succeeded and turned their life into something worth fighting for. I take that back, all of our lives (shitty or not) are worth fighting for, for the chance to make it better. And this fighting chance is what she has given myself and countless others. More recently she was hospitalized for a while due to a series of unfortunate events and with the final diagnosis being Pre-Leukemia. And throughout this whole process, it has opened up my eyes even more to see all of the beauty she has inside and out. It has been tough to see her fight with a reason to keep on living, not being able to work for others to provide a way to make her life mean something. Through the struggle, her final outcome was to say and think was ‘No. People need me so I will stay.’ With this new and refreshed thought process, she has gone through chemo and a transplant with a new found determination, the only thought is of how many more people’s lives she can touch and change with this new renewal of life. Seeing her give and give when she herself has nothing left, is such an aspiration not just to me but for others as well. I hope to become even half the woman she is. Independent, strong, powerful, are all words that are perfect descriptors of why she inspires myself now and for the rest of my life.
By Petunia Ashley6 years ago in Families
