Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Life Is Truly Simple
Seasons of the Navajo showcases an interview, a year in the life of Dorothy and Chauncey Neboia, an elderly Navajo couple and their extended family who live on the vast Navajo Reservation. The Navajos see life as a communal effort, being there for one another and taking care of their common goods to the best of their abilities, while utilizing the minimal resources they have at hand.
By Simply Soly8 years ago in Families
Happy 24th Birthday, Mom
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday dear mom, Happy Birthday to you. Usually we sing this beloved song to someone celebrating a birthday and while my birthday is coming up on November 30th, I'll be singing that song to somebody else... my birthmom.
By Irina Lessne8 years ago in Families
We All Kinda Suck
My bad. I am totally the worst. A hypocrite to the MAX. I spend my entire time worrying about how moms are being judged or shamed—trying to give okay moms a voice. Trying my hardest to tell moms from every walk of life that it’s okay to be okay—to ignore the perfect instagram mommies because there’s a lot we don’t see behind their perfectly filtered pictures.
By Hannah Howard8 years ago in Families
Love at First Sight
Some believe in soulmates, some don't. Nobody really knows for sure if soulmates exist, but I'd like to think that they do. In my opinion, though, they're rare. Maybe there isn't somebody out there for everybody, but it's also a pleasant feeling knowing there very well COULD be somebody out there meant for you. Plenty of people spend their lives trying to find their "soulmate." Everybody they get feelings for or date or love or even marry, they wonder, "IS this person my soulmate?" My very thought, is this: if you have to wonder, then they aren't your soulmate. Soulmates aren't just the person who gives you butterflies or puts a smile on your face. They're not just the person who inspires you to get out of bed every morning. With soulmates, it's powerful. The bond is so strong that nothing, not even death, could break it. When somebody is your soulmate, you just know and they know, too.
By Katie Schmidt8 years ago in Families
A Mother's First Thought
There is something about an infant’s smile. That very first one, where the edges of their mouth can’t quite make the right shape. You know they are trying though; you can tell by the slight curve of their lips, and it is precious. You wonder why people over use “my pride and joy” when referring to their child, that is until you have children of your own. At that moment, you wonder how anyone could mistreat their own child. But you don’t wonder that in the way you did as a child, oh no. You wonder that as you do now, looking into the eyes of a little being that is half of you, and half of someone else.
By Misty Kate8 years ago in Families
Daddy's Little Girl
For as long as I can remember, my dad was always going out of town for work. He'd leave the state and he'd leave the country. A lot of my memories of him were either him leaving for a business trip or coming back from one. I remember my 5th birthday. My mother asked if I wanted to celebrate my birthday the weekend my dad left for a business trip or the weekend he came back. Naturally, I chose the weekend he came back. I didn't want to ruin my 5th birthday party by being sad about my dad leaving, AGAIN. As a little kid, I had no idea how long he'd be gone. In a way, I guess I became accustomed to him not being around. I know it wasn't his fault, though. He was just trying to make a good living for his family.
By Katie Schmidt8 years ago in Families
Too Tired to Pretend
I am a stay-at-home mom of two, if you include my husband, three kids. Let me start off by saying that we have a very traditional household. My husband goes to work for 10-12 hours a day. He has a very hard, dangerous, high stress job, and by the time he gets home, he's tired, stressed, and ready to relax. I, myself, never had a good paying job. We decided long ago that if and when we had kids, that I would stay home with them because my working wouldn't be worth the money we'd have to pay for childcare. I was happy with this because I wasn't ever one to "want" to work anyway. His job pays enough that we can live comfortably, so what's the point? I'd rather spend the time raising our children than having someone else do it anyway.
By K.B. Andrews8 years ago in Families
"The Burn"
When I was around 19 years of age, I was told that I would find it difficult to conceive naturally and that I would need help from the hospital once I was ready. I was told that I had a very common condition called PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Over here in the UK I think the statistics are 1 in every 5 women, so quite a number! A whole 20%, in fact! I'd always imagined being a mom, right from being a little girl so this news was not something I had ever wanted to hear. As I grew older I had decided that, once I met my soul mate, I'd like to adopt as I wouldn't want to put my body and my mental state through all of the heartache that comes with disappointing IVF results or the negative pregnancy tests month after month so I had mentally prepared myself to never have to give birth! I met my soul mate and we discussed it. He was happy so long as I was in any way we decided to be parents, we would be parent nevertheless. Well, in the October of 2016, me and my partner found out we were pregnant! Naturally! No help, no doctors, no pills, and no IVF! My partner was over the moon, almost passing out all whilst I sat on the toilet repeating "shit, shit, shit." After all, I had never mentally prepared to grow a human, to give birth to am entire human! I was, well and truly, PETRIFIED!!
By Hannah Schofield8 years ago in Families
What Happens If Your Baby Is Born Earlier than Expected?
My friend Karen discovered this when she went into labor several weeks before her due date. Her husband was at work at the time, so she took a taxi to the hospital. After a substantial wait at the hospital, staff told her that she was several weeks too early. They sent her home.
By Andrea Dawson8 years ago in Families
Raising a Family in a System of Division
I don't want to talk about the things that affect me or hurt me for others to say things like I'm so sorry you're going through this or you are so inspirational to me. When I speak about the hard topics I speak about them in hopes to provoke change. To provoke a new way of thinking and a new approach that will not only benefit me but benefit those around me also affected by the hard topics. I am not looking for sympathy. I'm not looking for a hand out. I am simply telling it as it is. I've heard things like what do you expect, you decided to subject yourself to discrimination by living in boonie town. Well my response to that is this; I have experienced discrimination in boney town and in very diverse populations. It makes no difference where I live, the discrimination will always be there because my skin will always be brown. I have had coffee thrown at me while being told go back to where you came from while driving in Toronto, Ontario, a very diverse area and plenty of people of color. I have had someone stop their car, come out just to throw racial slurs at me out of the blue, me just minding my own business, oblivious of this attack. I have been told I was: a coon, a monkey, a nigger, a drug addict, all in a very culturally populated area. I have had smoke blown into my face while standing in a bus shelter and told that the welfare system is corrupted because of people like me and the other niggers who don't pay taxes (Wasn't even on the system and paid my taxes). I chose not to have my children be subjected to racial slurs and tensions by removing myself from this area. The incidents happened more frequent than I could wrap my head around them. I wanted my children to have the same or similar advantages of the average Canadian child. Not the average black child but the average Canadian child. So I moved to the boonies. In the boonies my kids have been able to utilize the extras the inner city schools won't get, like a decent education, access to music, sports, technology that they wouldn't otherwise had gotten in an inner city environment. I raised my kids to be the best them they can be, not to be the best black kid they can be. Race has been such a big issue lately that it causes some uproar of conversations at my dinner table. It causes tension within my own household because of the varying responses towards it. I have been silent for a long time while I mend the hurt feelings of my kids from being told they couldn't possibly have done an A plus job on an assignment because people of your color cannot possibly have the understanding to complete such complex things. I have had to simmer rage between siblings who have varying views on how a racial incident should be addressed. The unequal treatment of black males verse black females. I have had to deal with unresolved feelings from my children when called niggers, monkeys or pretty for a black girl. My kids have triggered this post because I have always said I will protect my children no matter what and help them be the best they can be. I write this with feelings of disservice to my children for not teaching them how to be black while growing up. My eldest said to me that she was happy to not be taught to be different because it allowed her to see herself for who she is and what she is capable of rather than a black girl plus whatever the title is that may be added. She believes that because she is able to see herself for her and not limited by her skin she is able to fight through the labels and barricades that society tries to place on her. My children are thriving despite the racial attacks whether passively or aggressively thrown their way. Why do I write this then some may ask. I write this because the first insult/swear words that my youngest has ever dealt with is being told she's a nigger. I write this because instead of the typical conversation of counseling my child on why people say hurtful things I have to add racism to the hurtful things. I write this because my kids cannot go anywhere without me knowing where they are for fear that them being late or unaccounted for could mean they were lynched or arrested (yes I worry about that in Canada). I write this because they fight. We fight for everything and or paths are constantly blocked. I feel defeated most days. I don't know how many different ways I have tried to be of comfort to my kids through everything they go through. I feel broken most days but I still have to build them up. I don't know how to continue to do this for them, my heart is hurting and I feel broken. When I advocate for my kids or I expect policies to be followed, our human rights to be granted, I have been told you're asking the right questions and these are the questions that needs to be answered. So who is going to answer the questions that mothers and fathers of color have about the injustice they experience and now their children experience. How can we stop talking about change and actually change something. Report and statistics will not change the emotional damage racism has on our entire society. This is not a black problem this is an everyone problem. I'm going to just end this by quoting one of my favorite quotes: "Be the change you want to see in the world".
By Trish Nala8 years ago in Families
Get Organized!
If you had told me a few years ago that I would become a mother at the age of 18, I probably would have laughed at you. In fact, even now I sometimes find my current life situation hard to believe. My life now consists of diapers (36 a day to be exact), nine or ten bottles, 12 sippy cups, and lots of naps. I have a two-year-old son, a one-year-old son, and a daughter who is a month old as I am writing this. Life can get pretty crazy in my house, I'm a stay at home mom whose main role in life is "mom." It can be easy to let yourself become overwhelmed if you have one kid, let alone three, so here's how this momma survives.
By Jessica Feral8 years ago in Families
