Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

I'm Only Second Best
The December morning began with a soft glow of morning light, peaking out through snow clouds, desperately trying to shine for attention. Flecks of white powder sprinkled across the horizon, already coating lights, reindeer, and Santas, all set for display, all clearly seen from the little front window. The room was filled with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies, freshly out of the oven. The front room was warmly decorated with soft beige walls, a wreath on the front door, the blue and silver Christmas tree, bathed in white lights, in the back-right corner beside the window, the television on the left side of it. The black coffee table in the middle of the room was covered in glitter and little pieces of white paper, left by a little girl too excited to clean after her night of Christmas card making. Linda took a deep breath, wanting this moment to be ingrained in her memory forever. A first Christmas with her little girl, Marissa, one without her rat-bastard of a cheating father, Glen. He just could never keep it in his pants, and she was just never enough. She’d never be enough for him. That’s why his stuff was thrown into the lawn, covered in mud, sludge, and whatever garbage she could draw up before she, a now single, 25-year-old woman, took Marissa, her little angel of five years, and left.
By Lulu Rose8 years ago in Families
Breastfeeding
So, you've waited the nine to ten months to greet your little one. Your body has changed in ways that you hadn't imagined it would. You've experienced things that you hadn't imagined you would before. And now it is finally time to meet your little person.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Families
Making Peace with the Fact That Your Child Needs Friends, Other than Yourself
I have tried to avoid eye contact with mothers wanting their kid to have a play date with my son for long enough. It’s not that I’m a self-controlling mom who wants her son all to herself, dooming him to a life of ongoing therapy. I’m not that needy, seriously. The dream of watching my son become a responsible man and leaving the nest as soon as possible is real. My issue is discovering how to maneuver my way around the land mines of guns, drugs, pedophiles, and thieves.
By Pamela Henry8 years ago in Families
Emergency C-Sections
I went into my labour and delivery being afraid of the potential for a c-section. I had no plans on having one, but things don't always go as planned when you are trying to bring a small person into the world. So, as much as part of me feared the idea, the logical part of me embraced that it was a potential end to this sequence of events in my life.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Families
Things My Son Says
Have you ever noticed how profound things can suddenly come out of a child's mouth when you least expect it? It's almost as though they are revealing the old soul that's trapped inside their little bodies. This has always fascinated me, so I decided to take a year and write down every funny thing my son said that totally cracked me up. He often catches me off guard with the witty things that he says, and I felt that I should record these lines so I could show him the evidence of his amazing calculating mind when he becomes an adult. I think he will be very proud that his innocent thoughts brought his parents joy and laughter at a very young age.
By Pamela Henry8 years ago in Families
Go With the Flow
As I approached my due date, everyone kept asking me if I had a birth plan. People kept inquiring if I'd talked to my doctor about how I wanted the birth to go and what things I wanted done. The more people asked me, the more I realized that I didn't have a birth plan.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Families
An Open Letter to My Dad
Dad, I can remember when I was little and only had eyes for you. You could do no wrong, you were my superhero, and if anyone asked who I was going to marry when I was older, I told them, "my daddy!" Of course as I have grown up, our relationship has changed, but you are still, and always will be, the man who has my heart.
By Paranneting/Anne Reboa8 years ago in Families
Anything Can Happen Wednesday
"Today is a day that is filled with surprises; nobody knows what's gonna happen!" These are the words that opened the Mickey Mouse Club on Wednesdays in the early 1950s. Like all small children then, I loved the show, but Anything Can Happen Day was my favorite. So, when my children were young, I instituted this day to be fun, unpredictable, and interesting. What we actually did was dependent on how much money was available. There was never "extra" money. If we spent money then, it meant something was going unpaid, or we went without later. Still, I felt the need to bring a sense of adventure into the lives of my children.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Families
700 Telephone Poles Down
This was the blizzard that made me very afraid of blizzards. My sons were eight, seven, five, and three. I was teaching at a private school an hour drive from my house. My husband didn’t have a job. Only my seven-year-old went to the school, a school for advanced students. He wasn’t there that day for some reason though. I can’t remember why. They let us leave work early, but I almost didn’t make it home though. It went from barely any snow to blizzard very quickly. When I got close to my house, I almost went off the road. The roads were terribly slick and it was very difficult driving in it. I was so thankful I made it home.
By Alaequah Moves Camp8 years ago in Families
Things They Don't Tell You About Raising Your Grandchildren
She has been crying silently in the back seat for ten minutes. She is trying to be brave for her brother and sister, so she keeps her head down. She is confused and sad. My heart is breaking into pieces as I try to drive us home. I keep telling her that I know she doesn't understand, but she will be ok. I also tell her that her daddy loves her and she will see him again.
By Christina Gonzalez8 years ago in Families
Sisters, Misters, and Blisters
They dressed in black and had wimples that made even the shortest seem tall. The school looked as foreboding as its masters. I was only seven, but I felt an uncomfortable mixture of doom and hopelessness as I walked through the door. This was Catholic school. My parents got me in after first grade, and it was clear to me this wasn't Kansas anymore.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Families
Dear Dad
Dear Dad, You might remember me but then again you may not so I thought I'd re-introduce myself again. My name is Audrey Hardwood and I'm your daughter. I was born on the 3rd of March, 2001 in the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital. My mum's name is Nina Mueller; you were married for ten years but none of them were blissful. I have long auburn curls like her which often tickles my face when I don't tie it back. I always were concealer to hide the black lines under my pale blue eyes. I'm 5'4" and my shoe size is an eight in women's and I own a pair of socks in every colour of the rainbow. My favourite subject is biology as I want to study to be a vet in my tertiary studies, but I also like to draw. I like the way the pencil sinks in the page and I like the marks that it leaves. When I'm not studying, I like to drink lots of coffee and drown in a tale from a far off land where both the prince and princess save themselves. I like stories that have places that aren't black and white, but are grey and brown.
By Virag Dombay8 years ago in Families