Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Baby Loss Awareness Month
My miscarriage story continued: On Monday they confirmed I had a complete miscarriage. The cramping has gone, the bleeding has gone and my little Bean; that I loved more than I thought possible, has gone from our lives.
By Aimee W7 years ago in Families
Neighbors (Chapter 1)
Henry and I moved into a small town. A nice neighborhood and a nice house. I was a single mother with a two-year-old son. Henry's father had died in a car accident when he was just a baby. Henry doesn't remember him at all.
By Nikki Kattamuri7 years ago in Families
Being a Stay-At-Home Mama
Being a Stay-At-Home Mom (SAHM) can be a very tricky and, sometimes, very lonely job. Growing up, I always knew that when the time came, I would be a SAHM because I knew I wanted to be there for all the things my kids experienced growing up.
By Tabbitha Ingram7 years ago in Families
Family Vacations: Making Memories on a Budget
When deciding to take your first family trip with a child, all the activities done will revolve around your child’s interests.The biggest question parents wonder about is, “what’s the perfect age to travel with a child?” Just like myself, many families wonder when the right age is to take your child to Florida to maybe embark on the Disney World experience. Before my fiancé and I decided that we were actually going to make our first family trip to Florida, I read a lot of articles that talked about the perfect age to take your child so that they will have the ultimate experience, but unlike those parents and my own, I didn’t want to wait until my daughter was 11-years-old. So after researching ticket prices, hotels/ resorts, and plane tickets, I also looked up other activities to do in Florida with children outside of Disney all while trying to stay in our budget of $1,100 or less.
By Heyy Bam7 years ago in Families
How to Survive Having a Baby in NICU
As women we all picture this perfect pregnancy, having our water break and rushing to the hospital. But, like many, that is never the case. I was hospitalized at 34 weeks into my pregnancy due to preeclampsia, which didn't even come on until a couple of weeks before and then all of sudden became severe and they sent me to the hospital for evaluation in labor and delivery.
By Nikki Sanger7 years ago in Families
Teen Mom to Suburban Wife
My name is Jesica, I have two daughters, eighteen and thirteen. I became a mother at seventeen and again at twenty one. Raising two girls scared the Hell out of me. You see, I didn't have the best parental examples so I kinda had to just figure it out. Of course there's never been a handbook for raising kids but at least most people (if you're lucky) have people in their life to help guide them. My parents divorced when I was five years old, their relationship was a toxic one and definitely not a great example of what a marriage should be like. Cheating, drugs, alcohol, you name it, they did it. Most kids pray that one day their parents will get back together... Not me. The thought of them reuniting terrified me. When they divorced, my mom was granted full custody. I always resented my father for not putting in the effort to fight for me. Living with my mother was far from easy, we never had any resemblance of a stable life. We bounced from home to home or hotel, whatever we could afford at the time. Then of course there was the revolving door of men. When I was ten years old my thirty two year old mother married again to a eighteen year old guy that she knew for about six months. He barely spoke any English and hated working. As an adult myself now, I really don't understand what she saw in him or what she was thinking. When they married, my mom and I lived in a studio apartment and once they married so did he. Needless to say, it was cramped. I always looked forward to summer so I can go be with my dad, especially this year. Anything to escape my life. As time grew closer to summer my dad decided to finally tell me that he had gotten married as well and that his new wife had just given birth to a baby boy. I was so excited to meet my little brother but at the same time was upset that I was left in the dark. At ten years old I thought, Yay! Maybe we can be a normal family and maybe my step mom will do things with me my mom didn't. I was so determined to convince my father to let me move back home with him and our new family. When I got there it definitely didn't go the way I had envisioned in my mind. My step mom and I got along fine and I adored my little brother... But when I begged my dad to keep me he said I could stay for the next school year but after that it would be better to go back because my step mom had two other kids that were gonna be moving in eventually and there wasn't enough space for me to move in permanently quite yet. Of course I was devastated... In my mind at that age, I thought that he was just trying to find another reason to not keep me. I couldn't understand why he was ok with the way my mom was raising me. At the time I thought he knew everything that was happening but of course he's not a mind reader. I would tell him some stuff but not everything and it's not like my mom was calling him to tell him how awful everything was. He didn't know how my step father would get drunk and beat on my mom. Or that we had no electricity for days but that my mom always found a way to get high. And worst of all he definitely didn't know that I would wrap myself up in my blanket as tight as I could when I went to bed, praying that my step father wouldn't try to lay with me again and try to force me to do what my mother wouldn't... How could he know something that's never been said out loud?
By Jesica Anzaldo Bonsante7 years ago in Families
Before and After Birth
I was not prepared to be a mom, not at all. The good news is, no matter how prepared or unprepared we are, we have about 8-9 months to prepare ourselves for our little one's arrival!
By Cassidy C Pelletier7 years ago in Families
Getting Through Loss
There is no getting through loss, there is only living with it... Sharing your story, and hearing others share their stories, it helps to know you are not alone. That others are dealing with the pain of losing a child and still making it through each day. Here is part of my story...
By Sylvia Martin7 years ago in Families
Turkey Twizzlers or Chia Seeds, You're Probably Doing a Good Job
Today, I had a moment of wonder whilst watching my children play. I was in the (lovely) house of my good friend, our other good friend was there, along with three two year olds, one one year old, a nine week old and a baby belly (mine). I looked at them as they scattered stickers all over the place, making a trail of mess, and felt so full of happiness.
By Jaz Johnstone7 years ago in Families
Childcare Nightmare
I'm a working mom. It's awful. However, I have no choice. I have yet to accomplish my dreams of writing the next great book series like the Harry Potter series, so until then I must go to work. My daughter is of course, in a daycare program and while they suck almost every last dime out of my pocket to basically expose my daughter to every disease imaginable, they are not open on weekends. I'm not required to work on weekends. Only if I want to eat. The loop of constantly trying to find a babysitter so that I can go to work travels around and around. It's a never-ending horrible cycle.
By Michelle Schultz7 years ago in Families
An Open Letter to the Boy Who Decided to Opt-Out of Being a Father
I don’t hate you for walking out on my child, I’m not even mad you decided to leave. You made a choice I would have NEVER expected from you, but I can also say I'm not surprised. You never stuck around when times got hard. I just never thought you'd leave your child in the process. But it’s nights like these that the resentment hits me. The nights when my son is sick and after a long night at work, I’m still up til the early hours of the morning because he’s so uncomfortable he can’t sleep. The nights where I can’t seem to get him settled down because having a cold— everything in his little body just aches and feels terrible. The nights where I fall asleep for 5 minutes thinking he’s finally ok enough to get some rest, only to be woken moments after dozing off. It's the days where I am worried all day at work, with my child in the back of my mind. Calling every break I get to see if there's any improvement. You don’t even care to check up or ask if he’s ok. You have absolutely NO idea when he's even sick, or getting an immunization, or needing daily (expensive) probiotics. You know nothing about his health, nor do you care. He's been to the hospital twice, do you have any idea as to why? Of course you don't. Don't even get me started on the financial aspect of this. Co pays, pharmacy costs, otc medicine—that’s all on me because fuck a job when you’re put on child support right? Instead of supporting and financially helping, which is the least you could do—you quit your job and claim you cannot find another. But that's a story for another time.
By Mar Ta7 years ago in Families
My Child Is Diagnosed with Autism, Now What?
The percentages of Autism are growing rapidly. No one knows exactly why their child was diagnosed. Sure there are beliefs out there that vaccines cause autism, or that it is genetic, but there is no scientific research to show why people are diagnosed. The important question is what do I do after the diagnosis? My child was diagnosed by Riley’s Hospital. Although it was a bit of relief lifted off our shoulders, they didn’t give us any answers on what to do next. They gave us piles of papers and resources instead. That is what leads to the first step...
By Alyssa Baur7 years ago in Families