Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Get a C-Section...
If I hear or read this stupid fucking shit one more time I'm going to throw an adult temper tantrum. Because the reality of a c- section is that it's major surgery, and it was the worst and most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life. And I say this having had both types of deliveries. An emergency c-section and a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarian), in case you didn't know what it stood for.
By Shana Nizeul8 years ago in Families
The Stars are Dead
||Two girls sit on a bench(Center Stage), gazing at the stars in the sky.|| //Lilith is seventeen; dark hair, a neutral-bored look on her face. She wears black sweatpants and a hoodie. She is a senior. She is very sarcastic and depressing. She has her father, his wife, and their son. She does not like her family and spends all her time with Mary and at school. She loves astrology and geology.
By TrojanRhythm8 years ago in Families
Half-Sibling and Full Trouble
As my oldest half-sister passed me on the way out of probate court, she hissed to me that she wished I was in a coma. Our stepmother lay in a coma in a nursing facility, the result of an accident she would never recover from. My half-sister was trying to take advantage of the situation by making a bid to grab whatever she thought my father had left behind when he passed on years ago. She made sure that neither the judge, her lawyer, or our stepmother’s lawyer could hear her comment to me. I did not reply. It was the first time we had seen each other since our father had passed on twelve years earlier.
By Hillari Hunter8 years ago in Families
Love Always, Grandma
A new favorite song of mine is "Pray"by Sam Smith. I don't know if you've heard it or not, but if you haven't you definitely need to. He sings about how he doesn't go to church and that he's never believed in it all, but that he is still a disciple of the Lord and he needs his help. He sings about how everyone prays in the end and I couldn't find a more true statement.
By Bryanna Burshnick8 years ago in Families
Imperfect
So, the football game was on last night. It was one my father just had to watch with the TVs on full blast (that’s right, two of them). His hearing’s bad and he refuses to wear a hearing aid, even one of those subtle ones that are flesh-colored. I closed the door to the office I was working in and managed to sneak my dinner in there too. One of the rules of the apartment is not to eat in the office, but I made an exception for myself since he was blasting the volume on the two TVs and I didn’t want the headache I’d surely get if I went out there to eat or if I left the door open.
By Alexandra F8 years ago in Families
Six Lovelies and How They Grew
My husband and I have six children, five of whom are adopted. Our three eldest, adopted children all have a variety of diagnosed irregularities, including: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiance disorder, prenatal exposure to alcohol and/or drugs or both, resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), or learning disabilities, complex behaviors and attachment disorders—in no particular order. We have dealt with many challenges over the years!
By Joyce Hamelin8 years ago in Families
The Carnival
The night of the carnival that everyone had been so anxiously waiting for, for months now, had finally come. The thrilling annual small-town carnival that my friends and family members get so hyped up for. My mother, my father, my two sisters, and their friends all piled in the car, ready to go, getting crazy-excited to ride the salt and pepper shaker and the swings. Only, there was one thing.
By Samantha Brinker8 years ago in Families
My Journey As a Mother
My journey as a mother so far has been amazing, hard, and frustrating all at the same time. You hear from other mothers the terrors and pain and all the negatives. Yes, I had the symptoms and pain, however, those symptoms were bearable and wonderful. What made the pregnancy hard for me was waiting to give birth to my daughter. The anticipation of seeing my beautiful little girl and getting to hold her is what made pregnancy difficult for me. I am an impatient person and this time was no different. I wanted to see my daughter now, but I had to wait. I went through the pain of my chronic back pain getting worse and morning sickness; it was all worth going through to get to be with my daughter.
By Brittney Gellentien8 years ago in Families
The Day My Heart Broke Forever
I remember the day it all happened, just like it was yesterday. Just days before I got that call, "Jessy your brother is in the hospital." "He is very sick you need to come see him." So I called my dad so he could take me as soon as I got home. We made the long drive to the children's hospital, as we parked I had this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. But I walked towards his room down the longest hallway of my life. Nothing prepared me for the feeling I would have the moment I stepped in that room. There he was, my brother and best friend laying in a bed. He was covered in wires, a breathing mask and so many machines all around him. I completely fell apart the moment I saw him like that. See, my brother was the kind of person who was always smiling and happy. He loved to do whatever he could to make other people laugh and in that moment I didn't see any of that in him. So, after I composed myself I went over to talk to him and for the first time in what felt like years, he smiled at me. Which made me giggle and cry a little again. I spent as long as I could with him that day by his side talking to him, giving him sips of water and laughing at things. Later that night I was in my bed just hoping and wishing that my brother wouldn't be taken from us. I went to school in a fog I was so worried about him, and honestly I'd rather be by his side. By the end of the school day I got another call from my mom saying he was doing better. My heart was so happy that it could've burst from my chest. I spent the rest of that day and night in the happiest mood I had been in a very long time. That happiness spilled over into the next day, I went to school and was ready to tackle the day. The first class of my day went by so fast, so I had moved onto math class. On this particular day, we were taking a test and in the middle our teacher's phone rang. She answered it, we couldn't hear what was said but when she looked at me I knew it was for me. I felt close to this teacher, so she did know about my brother and what was going on. I tried to finish that test but it was very hard. So I just rushed, putting down anything. I got up, walked my test to her desk and that's when she said they need you in the office. She was clearly trying to hide the sadness for me but I could still see it. I gathered up all my stuff to walk to the office and was hoping I wasn't right about why. I stepped around the corner to see my dad standing with the guidance counselor. They were all looking at me with this expression that I can't exactly explain. But I can explain in that moment my heart broke into a thousands pieces and would never be the same again. I didn't know what to do or how to handle that he was gone. We were never gonna play a game together again, never would we laugh or enjoy a horror movie together again. I walked up to my dad and just collapsed, my legs no longer wanted to work. In that moment just wanted to stay were I was. Eventually, my dad drove me home; the school gave me some time off to grieve, not that any amount of time would help with that. To this day I miss him, just the same David Allen Shotts Jr. A.K.A Bubba, will remain my best friend for all time. He was taken way too soon, he was born April 15, 1992 and passed May 8, 2008. He just had his sweet 16 shortly before. He will forever me missed by everyone who ever met him.
By Jessica Keller8 years ago in Families
Life as a Daughter of Agent Orange, Part 4
Well, after that previous part, I guess we are all still here! I never thought in a million years I would be sharing my story, let alone some intimate parts of how I dealt with the stress and upheaval. I know what I have gone through is for a purpose and a reason, but there are days and moments when I wish I could take a magic wand and make it all better. My late teens to early 20's were the years where I would wish that the most. During my last two years of high school, dad's side effects grew evermore fierce. It was getting to the point where he could not be in large crowds because just a tiny whiff of the wrong chemical makeup would cause his blood pressure to change dramatically and it would take a couple of days for his body to go back to normal (including his moods). Trying to get dad to come to my band and choir concerts was a chore on its own; I knew he could not handle the smells, but I still needed my dad there. The few he did not attend I spent the night watching and waiting for him to step into the gym's doorway (he would always stand in the lobby to be away from the smells) and my heart would sink when he never showed. My mom always came and later I found out that my desire to see dad there overshadowed what mom was doing; she was showing me she was there as both parents and did not receive thanks for it until years later. When it came to high school graduation, I flat out told my dad he would be there. In my mind if he did not attend, he was not proud of me. You could say I had a bit of Stockholm Syndrome at that time in my life; I thought I simply desired his approval, but I think it was more than that—I was trying to be who I thought he wanted me to be.
By Elizabeth Kozlowski8 years ago in Families
