Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Oops! I’m a Mom 🤷🏼♀️
I have a huge secret. I am such a wonderful procrastinator, I mean making up excuses is practically a part of my job but that’s not the secret. I keep telling myself I needed to write all of this crazy secret down, like “Hey Brianna, this shit is real, it’s happening and you better document it because you're going to forget all of the insane ridiculous details in the next few months, so get it out of your jumbled up yet simultaneously vacant mind!” This secret is big. It’s fun, it’s terrifying, there’s not really a manual on how to go about dealing with it… well, scratch that. There are lots of books about it. There are lots of opinions and “go to guides” for secrets like mine but not exactly mine.
By Brianna Rettig8 years ago in Families
Unnoticed
Chapter 1 Screaming. That is all Sam would hear through the night. At eight years old, Sam lies in bed listening to the slamming of beer cans on the hardwood floors and the crackling sound of the lighter as her mother, Melissa, lights another cigarette while sobbing in tears. I’m used to it by now, Nicole would think to herself. But the constant sound of breaking glass lies in her mind as she lays in bed, wondering if it will ever stop. Sam’s parents knew she had school in the morning, but her father, Larry, seemed not to care. The tone in his voice scared her so badly saying, “If you would put down those damn cigarettes Melissa, maybe our marriage would be worth saving!”
By Amber Crist8 years ago in Families
Why We Need To Stop Using the Term 'Daddy Issues'
My father is a sociopath; maybe not clinically proven as such but all the traits and qualities of a sociopath, well, my father has had since a young boy. He was emotionally and physically abusive to me and my family for 17 long years until he walked out on us. Then one day he walked back in expecting us to worship him and has had a stalking relationship ever since.
By Ashlyn Harper8 years ago in Families
Isn't It Annoying?!
It’s kind of scary when you find out that you’re pregnant. You get all these mixed up emotions, you start to panic, you start to plan for money saving and baby shower celebration—it just gets really messy and stressful. At times we don’t really get to rest simply because of all of that stuff happening at once.
By Vanessa Lee8 years ago in Families
First Year Survival Guide
Okay, first of all; there is no survival guide... Seriously. I wasted too much money and time on baby books. Put them down. Throw them away. Or keep them to wipe your postnatal tears with, whatever. But they are useless. Fuck them off.
By Jordan Kindersley8 years ago in Families
Co-Sleeping
When you're a new mom, everyone is going to throw scary statistics in your face and tell you what worked, or rather didn't work, for them. It gets pretty overwhelming. One thing that always terrifies me is SIDS. Sudden infant death syndrome is something EVERY person caring for an infant or small child should know about, if you don't, I suggest doing a quick Google search before you continue reading my ramblings.
By Sarah Alexis8 years ago in Families
What They Don’t Tell You...
The Anticipation... First, you wait for the arrival, nervous out of your mind. You don’t know what to expect. They load you with all information but it’s a lot to take in. But it’s alright, motherhood is a lot to take in :). They wheel you back to a cold room where you sit on the table while they talk making sure everything is okay and prepping you, then you sit on the bed with your feet on a chair while they find the best place to insert the needle. With your head to your chest, it’s a little uncomfortable but it’ll be over before you know it. You're probably freaking out by now hoping everything will go well. Just try and relax. Then you lay down as they make sure you can’t feel a thing. If you can’t feel your legs it’s probably done right haha. Then they put a drape in front of your face but if you look close at the light you can see it. They cut a layer of you and remove what they need to get to the baby. It just feels like tugging, not painful but weird. Then once there, get ready, they push on your belly to pull her out. While she’s coming out, the pressure almost feels like the wind knocked out of you for a second, then everything’s fine. Then you get to see her. They tell you look up and she’s there! Then they clean her up while you're getting layers of stitches you feel like it’s taking hours. But remember it’s layers, they have to stitch up and put everything back. So when you are healing try not to laugh, cough, or sneeze because it’s a whole world of pain. Then you're off to your room to heal :).
By Dominique Wilson8 years ago in Families
In My Genes
I always thought that my mother was a superhero. Not that she could fly, or shoot lasers out of her eyes (although, I have been on the receiving end of a few looks at the store that would beg to differ), but because my mother never ran out of room in her heart for anyone, or anything. My mother, Lee-Ann Huffman, is a mother to two children and two fur babies, a wife, an aunt, a best friend, a role model, a hard worker, and the most patient person that I have ever met.
By Cheyenne Huffman8 years ago in Families
Why I Am Who I Am
My name is Derek and I was born in Kitale, Kenya. When I was around 4 years of age I realized that home was not a safe place for me so I walked into town to see if I could have a better life there. My mother had abandoned my brother and I as babies and we were living with extended family that didn’t have the capacity to care for us. I knew I had to find a better life for us if we were to survive. I lived on the streets for over a year and made many friends with the other street boys that lived there with me. Some of them were nice to me, and some of them weren’t. Life on the streets was hard but friends made it better. I had a friend named John Pokot. He was a few years older and had lived on the streets much longer than me so he showed me how to survive on the streets.
By Derek Hamer8 years ago in Families
