Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
The Family Life
I had been a single mom since my youngest was two. Until about four years ago, it was just the three of us against the world... sort of. Maybe more them against me. If they could get into it, whatever it was, they did. I woke up one morning to find the entire contents of my fridge behind my couch and my son telling me he was trying to make breakfast. I’m not sure how he was trying to make breakfast behind the couch or what he was making, but it didn’t work out. Two hours and a lot of elbow grease later, the disaster was taken care of by yours truly.
By Leah Burton8 years ago in Families
Gratitude Is the Attitude
As a parent, one of the worse things you can have to deal with is the illness of your child. When one of my children was diagnosed with a rare and serious brain disorder at the age of four-years-old, I felt as if I had been picked up by the legs, swung around, and flung onto another planet. I spent a good few days writing out questions for doctors, who couldn’t answer them, drinking large amounts of wine after the children had gone to bed, and researching everything I possibly could about this illness that had suddenly cast a dark shadow over our lives.
By Samantha Lloyd8 years ago in Families
Who Am I?
Ever sit and question who you are? Where you came from? Those are questions I asked myself everyday for 30 years. Growing up, I always knew I was different. I didn't belong to the family which I grew up with. Something wasn't right and I needed to know.
By Sally Hands8 years ago in Families
Children Over the Holidays
There is something to be said about spending the holidays with family. There is something to be said about visiting distant relatives and watching your children open presents. There is something to be said about time with grandparents and letting your child be a little spoiled because, after all, it is the holidays.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Families
Post Natal Depression
It’s funny, I always wondered why mums had post natal depression. You have a beautiful new baby, some women would give their right arm for a child, so what is there to be depressed about? You come home from hospital with your bundle of joy and the house is full of flowers and visitors and Dad is home on paternity, the grandparents practically move in and the neighbours drop in a casserole. Your 4 year old is whipped away to McDonald’s so you can have some peace and your reassured the school runs are taken care of for the week. Bliss! Then a fortnight later everyone stops calling, Dad's back at work and you can’t wait to get back to “normal.” Except normal isn’t normal anymore because now there’s another person in the mix. A person who needs you 24/7. Which is fine except your 4 year old needs you too. At first you carry on as you already know how, your well placed routine, but that doesn’t work anymore, but you know you can do this. Next door does it, umpteen mums at the school do this hell the woman opposite has nine children this will be a breeze!
By Julia Spring8 years ago in Families
'I'm Going to Be Different! Just Wait and See!'
We learned our son was special sometime during his second year! We didn't quite understand how special at that point and, in retrospect, we should have figured it out quite a bit sooner...but with him being our first and only being 19, we honestly thought that all babies could talk in full sentences and comprehend complex ideas by one. We now have a 20-month-old as well as our six-year-old, and he is slowly teaching us that WE WERE WRONG! When our oldest turned one, we took away the bottle and binkie, just like we were told was best, and HE decided that we would send them to a little boy who needed them more than him and that was that; no more bottles no more binkies. Like I said, our youngest is 20 months and our six-year-old likes to tell me that we should have saved his for baby brother because boy does he need them when they go away!
By Rachel Ferrell8 years ago in Families
Life as a Daughter of Agent Orange, Part 2
There comes a time in any situation where one has to wonder if one is going crazy because of outside forces. Since middle school I have often wondered if living with this Agent Orange version of my dad has influenced a few weak moments where the outside world would perceive me as crazy. Once we found out what was causing the mood swings and the diabetes, it was as if we had entered a special club that nobody knows about and nobody wants to be invited in to. There is a specific chemical my dad reacts to called formaldehyde; the reactions vary from horrible mood swings to having his blood pressure skyrocket. We quickly learned about which products had formaldehyde in them. I could no longer paint my nails, wear perfume, buy shoes that had a smell similar to jelly sandals, and could not buy certain shampoos and conditioners that combined with my own chemical makeup brought upon his attacks.
By Elizabeth Kozlowski8 years ago in Families
4 Top Tips for Tackling Toddler Tantrums, Plus the Top 50 Baby Names of 2017
So here's the thing: I have wonderful twin boys ❤️. They are three and their "terrible twos" has arrived late. We've had some pretty award-winning performances from our angelic-faced boys at home, in public, ...anywhere. I know how you feel about being stared at!
By Hollie Taylor8 years ago in Families
