Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Alzheimer’s...
My mom was diagnosed at 70 with Alzheimer’s Disease. I was a nurse, my mom was a nurse, her father a surgeon... medicine ran in our blood. So did the disease. Mom remembers her Aunt Ruth having Alzheimer’s. Mom was tested and found to have the Alzheimer’s gene that demonstrates an increased probability of the diagnosis. This was after I found her. I found her at the fairgrounds. She and my dad had taken some of their grandchildren to the fair and she had returned to her car to gather her rain coat. My husband and I were arriving later and found her wandering the large lot. I rolled down my window and asked what she was doing.
By Hannah Brice Smith7 years ago in Families
Time and Time Again
My son asked me what I liked most from being a kid—as in, what I had then in comparison to what kids have now. I thought about it for a little bit and said this:
By Thomas G Robinson7 years ago in Families
Living After the Death of a Loved One
Almost 14 years ago, we got married in New Orleans. It was four days before Hurricane Katrina came through and we ended up losing everything. But we fought through it and managed to come out on top. Little did we know that in 201,5 she would have been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of uterine cancer that would change our life completely.
By Mike Cunningham7 years ago in Families
Reclaiming Your Home After Your Divorce
You’ll either have to work with your ex to decide who gets what, or the two of you will have to allow the court officials to decide for you. If the court has to get involved in deciding how your property will be divided, state law governs the division. In many cases, you and your ex would each be able to keep any furniture or other property that was yours before the wedding. However, depending on the circumstances, you might have to provide receipts or other documentation proving that your property is really yours.
By Andrea Dawson7 years ago in Families
'Lucy Green Eyes' (Pt. 2)
Walking those never-ending, red dirt roads wasn’t always fun, or even safe for that matter, especially for young black children in the South. Mama had taught me from a very young age to be careful of white men in particular.
By Paulette Benjamin7 years ago in Families
I Saw You Today
I thought I saw you sitting there on the bench inside the airport. I was rushing to get put my shoes back on, my coat, make sure everything was in place after going through the Security checkpoint. I look up and there you were sitting with two little kids on each side of you. I could barely breathe, my eyes filled with tears as you turned towards me laughing except it wasn't you.
By Jen Lyon7 years ago in Families
'Lucy Green Eyes'
Why don’t you want to play with me? I’ll let you have a piece of my sandwich if you’ll play with me. It’s a fatback sandwich. Sure, I’ll be happy to have a bite of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mmm, it tastes good. You can take the rest of my fatback sandwich. I’m sick of it anyway.
By Paulette Benjamin7 years ago in Families
Short Stories - Chicken Run
I grew up on a poultry farm. We had over 200 hens. Every morning, me, my brother, and my father would go out and gather eggs after we had let the chickens loose in the yard. In the evenings, we would round up all the chickens back in the henhouse.
By Andrew Hoover7 years ago in Families
The Summer Holidays Are a Whole Different Ball Game as a Disabled Parent
We are now in week two of the long, oh so very long, summer holidays. Most parents are either tearing their hair out wondering how to entertain their little terrors (this only becomes a phenomenon in the holidays and weekends, they are perfectly normal human beings at school) or perfectly planning a strict timetable of activities to keep their little angels entertained.
By Katy Mann7 years ago in Families
Lorelei's Letter - Letter Eight
Lorelei's Letters is a series of posts addressed for my daughter, but that have general statements that I believe everyone should hear from someone, at some point in their lives. Basically, they are letters from mother to daughter, trying to explain this crazy world, and give some advice. A lot of them are on dark topics that I hope my daughter will get through with no scars. I hope you enjoy, or at least take something from the letters. Know that no matter who you are, where you are, or what you've done, you are loved. - A mother
By Michelle Schultz7 years ago in Families
Single Parent (Pt. 2)
My first appointment with my OBGYN, I heard her heart beat, so exciting, I'm excited. I lived with my brother and his then girlfriend and my niece, who was just recently born, throughout my pregnancy and for about a year after Jessica was born. I did have a girl, but more about that later.
By Nicole Cormier7 years ago in Families
My New Normal
“For as long as I can remember, Mom and I spoke at least twice a day. She did the same with my sister and we always managed to make each other laugh. She often started the conversation with, “What’s happening today? I need to get a sense and a visual of the scene.” She called at 10:45 that morning, and, after giving her a hard time for not calling earlier, I readied myself for our predictable silly banter.
By Alli Mang7 years ago in Families