Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Black Girl Without a Dad
Why didn't you see, you should have been my first love? You should have been the first KING in my life. Yet you walked away and denied me. Was that DNA test not good enough for you? Growing up without a dad is bad for any child. For a boy... he doesn't have the right skills it takes to be a stand up man. He learns how to walk away and how to give up on his family. You teach him how to disrespect women and how to get what he wants, without giving anything in return... His mother can only teach him so much for she isn't a man.. And for a little girl... well, for us we learn young that men will walk away, disappoint us, treat us like we don't matter and maybe only show up when they want something. Why can't you see, you should have opened doors for me? Pulled out my seat? So that I would have standards for the men that came into my life. Why can't you understand, I needed you to tell me to keep my "honey bun" to myself, because it is special and no man should touch it or me until he is willing to put a ring on my finger? Why can't you see my mother couldn't do alone? She was working hard to do her best, but I still ended up between worlds, trying to be the good girl, with good grades and great friends, but at the same time looking for a father in this boy or that man... hoping he would love me unconditionally (you know, the way you didn't?)
By K J7 years ago in Families
My Journey Through Infertility
"I do," I said on that beautiful spring April day in 2012 as I finally, finally got to marry the woman of my dreams. We were pronounced married and we walked down the aisle with the biggest smiles, in great anticipation of a weekend of peace, quiet, and each other. Our honeymoon was perfection: quiet, laid back, with plenty of time to do whatever we wanted or nothing at all. Coming back home made reality set in and we soon became bogged down in unpacking, organizing and money struggles--you know, first year of marriage things.
By Erica Hale7 years ago in Families
Home Grown
“Where are you from?” Is a common first question people as when getting to know you. This is because where you come from and how you grew up plays a huge part in who you become.
By Meg Sarai7 years ago in Families
Reading Over the Screaming
I have a two-year-old. The terrible two's are real. I don't give a damn what anyone says. My child is adorable and I love her with all my heart... but holy shit there are moments I seriously think about selling her on the black market. I won't, but the thought is there at times. The screaming, the tantrums, the biting, is nothing compared to when someone else tells me that she was an angel while they watched her. I was seriously hoping I would be able to skip this stage. I think every parent hopes that though. That if they discipline their kids just right, maybe, just maybe, they won't go through this god awful fucking shit box of a phase. Is that just all imagination? Wishful thinking? Probably. I genuinely enjoy when I put her to bed and an hour later she actually goes to sleep. It is pretty much the most peaceful moment of my entire day.
By Michelle Schultz7 years ago in Families
When You Want Kids and Your Spouse Doesn't
Kids. They are the epitome of our existence. We all were kids once, but deciding to have a child is a completely different burden. Sometimes I envy people that "accidentally" have a child. Although, there is no accident when it comes to doing, what I like to call, the "baby dance."
By Melody Rodriguez7 years ago in Families
The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
When you say your "I do's" or "Till death do us part" and start a family not in a million years would you think this marriage wouldn’t last. The hardest part was trying to hold it together to co-parent our three minor children. My ex moved back to New York and I remained in Texas with the kids while the divorce was coming along. I remember the judge telling me that I was being too gracious in asking for joint custody. If I had it my way I would've filed for sole custody, but I had to realize that it wasn't about me. He may have sucked as a husband, but he is a great father to the kids and in the end that's what really matters.
By Tania Gonzales7 years ago in Families
The Reason I Cried
It wasn’t until the music that they chose started playing that I realized how moved I was about to become. My little brothers and I had grown closer throughout our years entering adulthood. He is six years my junior and as a teenager I was lost in a swirl of anger and confusion. Our mother had been given the job of acting as both parents on top of trying to continue creating her own life. I was navigating a middle and high school where I never felt that I fit and began realizing my sexual orientation was not the same as everyone else around me. My brother was busy with struggles of his own as he developed his identity and sense of self without the frequency presence of our father.
By Odette Rhodes7 years ago in Families
To the Exclusive Pumping Mama
Dear fellow pumping mama, I know what it feels like. You have given up your body for your little one to thrive. It's hardly a sacrifice; that's what we constantly tell ourselves. We know how much our little ones are worth it. You are doing amazing.
By Aria Cutamora7 years ago in Families
A Day in the Life...
A day in the life of a homeschooling mom of three... and the challenges that involves. When your oldest loves to create her own stories and hear books read aloud... but keeps mixing up simple four letter words because her brain plays tricks...
By Liz Harmon7 years ago in Families
Infertility
Infertility... Stillborn... Perinatal loss... These are words that haunt thousands of women every day. Families struggle with the fact that they cannot conceive a child without the help of over price medication and injections. They go through the ups and downs of the process... pay an arm and leg for the injection, wait the for the exact time to take the injection, mood swings, the anxiety of waiting for the doctor to return to your from your bloodwork, and then the devastating news that it didn't work and you are still without child and need to start the while process over and over again, hoping that this time will work.
By Amanda Wannike7 years ago in Families
Why Box Kids In?
When I was a child my experience was that I had all "girly" items. Dolls, makeup, pink clothes, and barbies. While my younger brother had nerf guns, trucks, and blue clothing; that was in the late 1990s and that's all people knew at the time. Pink would be the color girls are associated with and blue would be the color boys are known for. Girls shall play with dolls, boys should play with truck gender equality was not an issue back then. But 22 years later here I am raising a 3.5-year-old girl. But I don't want her to experience that challenge in her life. So how can we teach gender equality to our children?
By Tess Q7 years ago in Families
Life with Chickenpox
First off, I am not writing this to Mom shame because I honestly believe we are all doing the best we can. With that said, my adventure begins... So, this past Friday I thought I was a horrible mom who let her infant get her face bit up by mosquitoes. As luck would have it, I did not let my daughter get bitten by mosquitoes. It turns out my pretty little princess has chickenpox. What how does this happen? Who actually gets chickenpox nowadays? The answer—my daughter, that is who. I wish I could say this has been a relatively easy thing to go through, but I would lying.
By Karla Nabert7 years ago in Families