Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

Natural Home Birth Story
When I told people that I was planning to have a home birth, I got a lot of bewildered and shocked reactions. "What?! For your first child? No Drugs?!" followed by a very sarcastic sounding "Gooooood luck. You are BRAVE!" I wrote a lot about peoples reactions in my journal, but chose not to share it here because I hadn't given birth yet, and didn't want to jinx anything. Besides, for all I knew, all of my criticizers were right and I would demand drugs and be rushed to a hospital to give birth like the vast majority do.
By Cassandra Boom8 years ago in Families
Inner Strength for Pregnancy and Beyond
Getting pregnant and having a baby is one of the most beautiful milestones women achieve. This process is glorious; however, it can cause significant changes in our bodies that can last beyond pregnancy.
By susan winograd8 years ago in Families
Six Tips to Help Strengthen Your Family's Bond
Between work, school, errands, and extracurricular activities, family life can be a whirlwind. Spending time to reconnect with your loved ones can help you enjoy a more meaningful and deeper relationship with your family. Here are six tips to help you strengthen your family's bond.
By Andrea Dawson8 years ago in Families
Brown Girl: No, I'm Not Adopted
When I was in kindergarten, a girl in my class told me that if my mommy is really white and my daddy is really black, I should be grey instead of beige. At five years old, this comment wasn't particularly concerning to me, because I had never put much thought into ethnicity or race, especially not my own being biracial. The only meaning her question held for me was that this girl was excelling in our colour mixing unit in art class.
By Maya Price8 years ago in Families
Pregnancy and Life
As we all know life can get hard. What they don’t tell you or what you don’t think about is how life is a different hard when you’re pregnant. It’s harder than I thought it would be. Emotions. Emotions are a huge part of all of it. When you’re not pregnant you get mad or frustrated about things going on in your life; in my case I would get mad and rage out of frustration and immaturity. After every situation we go through, whether we try to understand what made us angry in the first place and how we could have handled it differently, we sometimes sit there (at least I do but everyone is different) and contemplate whether we need changes or we need to find a better sense of ourselves to help us get through those situations and not act out like before. I hope this is making sense 'cause it does in my head but then again I am pregnant and when they say pregnancy brain is a real thing, it’s unbelievably true.
By Lindsey8 years ago in Families
Pregnancy
Even if you've never been pregnant before, you may know how scary pregnancy can be. Here is a week by week breakdown of the entire pregnancy from start to finish to help ease your mind.
By Tori Lynne8 years ago in Families
Life as a Daughter of Agent Orange, Part 9
As I was working on homework tonight, the swirl of emotions filled me to the point where I realized I desperately needed to work on this next part of my story. Then I realized how school, work, my photography, and my sister's wedding planning put writing on the back-burner. So, without further ado, here I go!
By Elizabeth Kozlowski8 years ago in Families
Start With What You Know
The night I learned my dad died I had a nightmare. My teeth kept falling out. My mouth was so delicate that every time I turned my head or whenever my fingertips barely brushed the tip of my jaw, a new tooth would fall out in a bloody mess. I was horrified. I tried desperately to keep the remaining teeth in, stricken with the idea that I wouldn't have a smile anymore. It’s easy to psychoanalyze the dream in retrospect, but at the time I woke up confused, panicked, and anxious. Those feelings stayed with me long after that fitful night of sleep.
By Charis Kaltenecker8 years ago in Families
A Letter to My Narcissistic Father
Dear daddy, I want to start off by saying I’m sorry. You made me who I am today. I should’ve told you thank you for every little thing that you have ever done for me. When I was a little, you were all that I had and all that I would have ever needed, and you knew that. I honestly don’t know where I would be in the world if it wasn’t for you. So, I’m very appreciative of you and for being the person that you are. Growing up, I always knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that you would always be there for me. You handled everything that needed to be handled for me, for your daughter, your first born. You were always my number one, even though I probably didn’t make you feel that way. I was mean and said things to hurt you, as you did me. I thought all of your punishments were stupid and still do, but like I said it made who I am today, so in a way, I guess, thank you. Through 17 years, I needed you more than you could’ve ever known. I needed you to make me smile when I was down (because you always could without trying). I needed you to tell me that things were going to be ok when I felt like the whole world was coming down on me. You were my hero and my everything, and for that I want to tell you thank you.
By Taylor Olson8 years ago in Families
My Struggle That Turned into a Blessing
It all started as an average day. I stumbled out of bed, showered, got dressed, and headed out for work just like any other day. It wasn't until I was at work, hovering over a stick, in a tiny bathroom filled with hardware, when everything changed. This was the day I found out I was pregnant.
By Tori Lynne8 years ago in Families
The Exchange
"They're just underhanded remarks. You don't have to respond to them, or nothing. They don't mean nothin'. You can just ignore them."
By Regina Stone-Grover8 years ago in Families
Dear Mom
Dear Mom, I'm so sorry I can't be the perfect child. I'm sorry I'm not smart like everyone around us. Also, I know that I am short. I know that I am fat. I know I have acne. I know I am not beautiful... I already know everything that's wrong with me; and that's pretty much everything.
By N T8 years ago in Families