Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
You Never Forget Your First Time
My Grandpa died last month, just like the typical way all grandparents do eventually, taking secrets and stories along with them. It never actually hit me I don’t think. Not the way it did everyone else. Or maybe it did and I just didn’t want to show it whilst everyone else was sobbing. In a way—that I wouldn’t admit to anyone—it was terrifying. I try to act like I’ve seen it all before and that I’m more grown up than I am. I’m totally adamant to other people that I’m okay, I’m fine, it doesn’t bother me. I’m not really sure why but honestly I never saw it as a bad thing anyways. Not until every time I was about to cry I had to force it back down my throat with a reminder that I had to be strong because my family needed me. I started to realise that it didn’t feel okay and it actually hurt to make myself “un-sad.”
By Sophie Young8 years ago in Families
Top 5 Items to Survive the First Month After Birth
Having a new baby can be very challenging, especially if you already have other children to take care of so I decided to make you all a list (in no particular order) of the items that truly helped me after I had my babies!
By Charley Bennett8 years ago in Families
Suicide
Death is painful, period. But suicide, it's different. Suicide leaves individuals with this void, this emptiness. With death, whatever the cause, it hurts; but for many, they have answers, maybe even a little more time with that certain someone. With suicide you literally wake up one day, everything's good, then the next your world was ripped out from under you. You don't know which way is up, down, left, or right. The amount of questions running through your head is enough to make a person snap. Why? How? Was there a note? When? Were they alone? Did they suffer? How is so and so? Could I have done more? Did I do enough? Why didn't they reach out? Did I miss something? A sign? The list is endless. To continue to function, you rely on medications: one, two, maybe even three different kinds including sleeping meds. Months/years later, you'll find yourself still asking questions, some the same some new. Suicide in my personal opinion and personal experience is a very different kind of death. It doesn't take that person's pain away, it's takes that person away and gives their pain to many others. August 25 used to be just another ordinary day, that is until four years ago. Four years ago my life changed. Four years ago my then 17-year-old niece committed suicide. August 25, 2013 is just as vivid in my mind as if it were yesterday. Still to this day I can hear my scream when my sister phoned us with the news. My fiancé grabbed me and my phone before we both hit the floor. You learn to mask the pain, hide it, function because you knew you had to. The anger, that's what had me; still to this day I'm pissed. I was only depressed oddly for a short period; thus I swore was because I was at peace with her passing. I carried no guilt, no regrets. She and I were close. Sisterly close. She confided in me, trusted me as I did her. When she died, I knew she was finally at peace. She wasn't hurt, angry, disappointed, bullied, pressured, hated, mislead, forced, these are a few of her feelings before she died. My anger towards her is still to this day my biggest battle. Because we had such a special bond. Because we told each other everything good or bad. Because we never judged and always loved. Because she knew I would have done any and everything to stop her and that's why she never reached out to me; she didn't want me to stop her. Because facing these harsh realities has nearly killed me. Because I'm pissed she felt taking her life was a better option than asking for help. Because on August 25, 2013 she died. A piece of myself died, as did piece of every single person in our family. Our family is not, nor will ever be, the same. I'm sure they'd all agree. Suicide IS NOT THE ANSWER. This is for anyone who thinks taking their life is the only option. Or taking their life will make everyone "happier." This is the side suicide doesn't see. This is the aftermath of suicide, the effect it has on its victims family and friends. Suicide is 100% preventable. Speak out, ask for help. Educate your minds, know the signs, know what to look for. Speak to your loved ones, ask questions, and never assume; looks are very deceiving. #suicideispreventable
By Sasha Shell8 years ago in Families
Everyone Else Was Grieving
Everyone else was grieving. I wasn’t. Who would have thought that the daughter of the man who died was not grieving? When it came time to say my final goodbyes, I stood by his grave. I stood by my family and friends... and I cried. Months go by, I am okay. I can do it. I can survive. Yet on days like today, I wake up with a hole in my heart and what feels like a bag of bricks sitting on my chest. Many times at night, I stare out the window, perfectly angled to see the moon. I know my father is always looking over me but that is not what bothers me. Is he proud of who I am? Is he mourning with me? I may not know those answers but what I do know is that I am trying my damn hardest just to get up and even take a shower. Even if getting out of bed for fifteen minutes, and I MEAN only fifteen minutes, then I can be proud of myself for taking a step towards a stronger tomorrow.
By Alexa Stephanie8 years ago in Families
Our Last Game
On Tuesday, August 1, 2000, 17,469 people walked into Oakland Stadium to watch the hometown Athletics take on the Toronto Blue Jays. The Athletics were two years away from the famous, or infamous, Moneyball years and the Jays were seven years removed from their back to back World Series titles. While the A’s would go on to win 97 games that year and win the AL West, little suggested that either of these teams were a World Series contender. And so I didn’t bother turning on the game. I was slightly preoccupied.
By Mike Tanner8 years ago in Families
Our Adoption Story
Three years ago, my wife and I decided to start a family. It was the right time for both of us, and we wanted a child. Since we're a lesbian couple, we can't just have a child like most conventional couples. We turned to adoption. However, this isn't your typical happy adoption story. This is the side no one really likes to talk about.
By Linda Belcher8 years ago in Families
Pink Clouds
When I was nearing my tenth birthday, my older sister Ingrid had just turned sixteen. She attended the school across the street from our church, where the teachers allowed you to call them by their first name and art was an integral part of the learning curriculum. I practically begged Ingrid to show me her homework, and after teasing me for being a dork, she would pull pages upon pages of beautiful sketches and colorful paintings out of her book bag. And once my mother had tucked me into sleep at night, I would wait to hear Ingrid give a kiss and hug to my parents before going into the room across from mine for bed. Some nights, it took what seemed like hours for my parent's to go to sleep, but every time they did I would tiptoe over to Ingrid's bedroom and crawl in her bed.
By Megan Leahey8 years ago in Families
Snowflake Memories
Experiencing the death of a loved one is hard, to put it plainly. My first real experience with death was my mom when I was five years old. It is difficult to process feelings of any kind at that age. Let alone something as profound as death. It has taken years to comprehend and accept my feelings and emotions. I am, at long last, finally able to write down those feelings in a way someone looking in from the outside would understand. Perhaps, this will help anyone else dealing with a similar loss; just as writing it has helped me.
By Anna Themas8 years ago in Families
