Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Single Parenting
So I noticed on Facebook or any social media site that not very many people will post the bad things that their kids do and only post the good. Well here's a news flash: it is okay to post the bad. Do I discipline my kids? Yeah I do. Do I spank them? Yeah I do. Do I take toys away? Yeah of course. Do I use timeouts? Yeah I do, just to change things up. Granted, I don't like spanking my kids. I don't like doing it one bit, but sometimes a time-out doesn't always work, and neither does taking toys away. So no parent should feel ashamed to only have to post the good.
By Barbara Carley8 years ago in Families
Mastatic Neuroblastoma
I don’t have custody of my son. His name is Easton, his birthday is September 15th, 2015. I was struggling with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and I just couldn’t give him the time and attention that he needed, so I signed him over to his grandma and grandpa; his father's parents. Last Thursday morning I decided to sleep in. I woke up around noon and checked my phone. I had numerous calls and messages from his aunt Shonda saying I needed to call her ASAP. I jumped up and started panicking. I knew something was wrong with my baby Easton. She told me that she had a cold and was around Easton and he started to show signs of being sick so his grandma took him to his pediatrician. They said he had a viral infection and sent him home with antibiotics. Then he fell off his grandma's bed, so of course the next day he was limping so she rushed him to the doctor and they scanned his entire body and found out he didn’t have any broken bones, that maybe the infection he had was affecting his leg, to give him Motrin and ice packs and he would be fine.
By Hannah Searcy8 years ago in Families
Three Things We Can Learn from a 3-Year-Old
There are few things that allow a person to pause for a moment and really understand that they are still learning. It's like a piece of clarity washes over the brain and you see that you are not actually teaching the three year old to build blocks, you are being taught EVERYTHING about life while a future decision maker plays with simple foam blocks.
By Jessie Malulani Cleveland8 years ago in Families
You Hate Yourself, but I Hate You More
Before you dive too deep into my past, I must warn you that this piece is an emotional one, and it is a true story. I don't get the opportunity to discuss my childhood much. I mean, upon meeting new people, I assume that the last thing they want to hear is my sob story. I don't have too many close friends that I am comfortable carrying on personal and disturbing conversations with, and I learned firsthand that my experiences cannot be trusted with the men that I engage with, as it's the first thing they love to turn to the moment I upset them. And let's face it, therapy isn't cheap, and the thought of having to pay someone to listen to my problems is depressing all on its own.
By Jeannie McDaniel8 years ago in Families
1 Month Postpartum With a Newborn
No one prepares you for how hard raising a child can be after you leave the hospital. They say it takes a village to raise a child, so use your village and get all the help you can, because the first few weeks are the hardest— but it gets easier.
By Aspen Murphy8 years ago in Families
How To Keep Your Babies Cool in the Summer, According to Pediatricians
When my kids were babies, I was always on the hunt for multiple ways to keep them cool in the hot summers. They are super sensitive to the sun and they'll instantly get red if they aren't coated in sunscreen. Drenching my babies in sunscreen couldn't be the only thing that could keep them cool though, and I noticed this a few summers back. Even with the sunscreen on, they were still irritated and felt bothered whenever they spent around 30 minutes outside.
By Jennifer Violet8 years ago in Families
Victim, Survivor or Fighter?
This is not a story for the weak minded or for those of a softer nature. This is the short biography of a women who has struggled through more hardship in her young life than most have gone through in the span of a lifetime. Although she herself is also flawed and has made mistakes. Some may be so bad, they will surprise you. But it is all true. And it is through these trials, tribulations and sins that she finds out exactly how strong she is and what amazing things she is capable of. It may have some sad moments, and it may make you angry at times. But this is not what I want you to take from it. By the time I have finished telling this story, I hope you have found the "Fighter" within yourself, and the determination to keep your head up no matter what life throws at you.
By Tessa McGarity8 years ago in Families
Turning Two Worlds Into One
Ever since I can remember, I have dreamed of becoming a mother. When I was little I would cater to my baby dolls as if they were real life, fragile babies. I couldn't wait until I could have kids of my own one day. It's like I've had baby fever since I was just a little girl.
By Lauren Haley8 years ago in Families
Odd Wo(man) Out
“A daughter is just a little girl who grows up to be your best friend.” Well, that wasn’t true for my mother and I. I always knew that my mother loved me. She did after all raise me to be the smart, beautiful, strong, and amazing woman that I am today. However, I never had a close relationship with my mother. I am my mother’s only biological daughter. But when she met my father, he had two children, a son and a daughter. When I was born, my mom wanted to make sure that I had a relationship with my older siblings no matter how far away they were. She took in my siblings and cared for them like they were her own. She was always good at that. She always looked out for people and she was always someone that people could depend on. I got that trait from her. But there were a lot of other things that I did not get from her, such as her affection and attention. She gave most of that to my sister. This made me envious of my older sister and as you can imagine, it put a strain on us growing closer. We didn’t get to be each other's best friends as sisters are supposed to be. Instead, I grew up hating her because she had my mother wrapped around her finger. Even to this day, my sister and my mother are closer than I am with either one of them. My sister and I’s relationship did get better. I started to feel like I could go to her and confide in her. My sister is the only relative that I have that I have ever told about my suicidal thoughts. Who knows if she ever told anyone but she was the only person that I was close to at that difficult point in my life.
By Shanita Marshall8 years ago in Families
That Night
[THAT NIGHT] What happened that night? On the sixth of this month? I inhaled twice and dropped my body weight onto the mattress. As I sank and closed my eyes, I heard my name. I heard a desperate call yelping through. I twitched and jumped put of bed, banging on my annoying wooden floor. Annoying because everyone downstairs can hear the thumping of my feet as I leaped towards my sister’s room. The run seemed like a marathon. Why was she calling my name? The door was locked. I heard my sister groaning as if they had severed her leg and she was witnessing the gushes of blood squirt out. I desperately tugged the door back and forth. It was locked. I exclaimed, “Lyny thie door is locked! You locked it!” No reply. Just uncomfortable and disturbing yelps for help. The groans came in intervals. I heard her for two seconds, then she paused. The pauses were eternal and I on the other border was helpless. I could not see what was happening inside that dark room. Feeling the thrashing pounding against my chest, I lost consciousness and realized there was no escapism.
By Clari Garza8 years ago in Families
Why Being Childfree Is Better
Recently, I read this book, Selfish, Shallow, and Self Absorbed, on sixteen writers—male and female—on their decision not to have kids. These writers are mainly middle-aged to old, but if anything, this work only enforced my own feelings I already had on the idea of being a mother.
By Jules Poucher8 years ago in Families
A Mother's Cry for Help
Have you ever wondered to yourself as a parent if you are making the right choices for your child? Have you ever felt like all is currently lost and you find yourself searching for that solution called "Hope" in your darkness? I regret to inform you all that I am one of those people. I had second thoughts about even typing this article but I am doing so in hopes that someone else out there will realize they are not alone. I am a mother to a wonderful four-year-old daughter and she is my absolute world. I live every day for her because sadly, if not for her, I may have not even have been here to be telling this story. She was my salvation to change my life around when I was in very dire need for a miracle. So, in a way, she is my hero. Her being only four, she does not quite grasp the severity of the emotion I feel every day. However, even the greatest of people have their breaking points and I hate to admit that this is mine. Do not take me as some mental tragedy though. I am conflicted emotionally about even typing this because I see myself as a strong individual and everyone will say I am not one to just give up easily. I am always the one the keeps everyone in high spirits and tells them there is always another way. Ironic that now the savior of others needs saving from herself. Being a mom day in and day out is a difficult job in itself, and now I have to worry about not only my mental and emotional state but my child's as well. I do this to hopefully gain some peace for getting everything off my chest but to also seek some guidance. I would go to the moon and back for my child, she need only to ask.
By Alycia dasilva8 years ago in Families
