Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

17 and Pregnant
April 15, 2012 was the day I found out I was pregnant. Only 17 years old and unsure what I wanted to do with my life. I was scared, wondering what I was going to do; abortion? No I don't believe in that. Adoption? No I have to at least try. I got in this mess, I have to raise this child. What if I don't have a choice? No I always have a choice. My choice is to raise this child I created.
By Visionary Ghostwriter8 years ago in Families
Tips for Breastfeeding
Nursing your baby can be more difficult than you might think, so it can't hurt to pick up some tips for breastfeeding. You're a new parent, so you've got enough to be concerned about already, you shouldn't have to worry that your baby isn't getting enough breast milk on top of it all.
By Amanda Stamper8 years ago in Families
The Day My World Spun Out of Control
My life changed the day I saw those two lines on my test. That day I didn't know my whole future would change forever. September 12, 2016 was the day my period tracker told me to take a test. I didn't think anything of it. I went to the store and took a test. I headed for my family friend's store and went to the bathroom and took it. Two lines showed up before five minutes. I sat there, scared and excited for what was about to come, and stared at those two lines that just seemed to look back. 'Everything happens for a reason,' I thought. 'We were using condoms and birth control, something must have failed.' I finally went out of the bathroom and told my boyfriend to come with me. He was there hanging out with some buddies of his, and we went outside. I told him about the app and how the test was positive. He hugged me and told me we would talk more when we got back home.
By Visionary Ghostwriter8 years ago in Families
God of the Storm
The following is a story of time I spent with my dad. A few years after these events, he killed himself. He was a depressed, recovering alcoholic who took his own life for reasons I sometimes feel I fathom, but can’t agree with.
By Zachariah Wahrer8 years ago in Families
5 Ways to Be a Better Parent
Just remember to breathe. Parenting is a journey with so many paths and roadways, sometimes the way isn't clear and we may need to pave our own, but ultimately it is a learning experience for you and your child. Parenting can be done a number of ways, some good and some bad, but in the end, the goal is to create a productive and positive future for your child. These five tips are not concrete guidelines but are tools that may prove helpful in your life, within or outside of your parenting life.
By Sam8 years ago in Families
Being Adopted
Take a deep breath, close your eyes and think back to when you were ten months old. Do you remember anything? If you say yes, you’re lying. Few adults can remember anything that happened to them before the age of three. A new study has documented that it's about age seven when our earliest memories begin to fade, a phenomenon known as “childhood amnesia.” Sounds like a stupid question, right? Yeah, well you’d be surprised. 99 percent of the time I tell someone I adopted, I immediately regret it. I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was adopted when I was ten months old. So, please don’t ask me if I speak Amharic or if I remember what Ethiopian food tastes like.
By A Person8 years ago in Families
The Participation Trophy and How It's Ruining Everything
I'm not a dad yet, but I'm going to be soon. I do have nieces and nephews and I see children out in the world. It's kind of made me afraid to be a dad. It seems like every time I leave the comfort of my own home, I'm confronted with the behavior of some spoiled little asshole. You all know what I'm talking about. It might even be your kid! Before people get offended, I want to make it clear that I don't place sole blame on parents for this. I blame the direction our society has gone in and is still going in.
By OJ Diomedi8 years ago in Families
Healing From a Toxic Parent. Top Story - November 2017.
A toxic parent, by definition, is someone whose negative behaviour inflicts emotional damage on a child's sense of self. This negative behaviour can come in many forms (emotional, physical, ect...) but regardless of how the behaviour manifests itself, it can go on to affect a child throughout their entire life.
By The Talented Teapot .8 years ago in Families
Autism & Us
I have two daughters, aged 4 and 6, both diagnosed with autism, with the youngest (Lilah) also having OCD and pica. At the moment, Sophie is non verbal, though spouts random words and nods her head at every question. Lilah has just started to say “do want” “I want” “yes I want...(insert item)” and has come on very well with her communication in these past few months.
By Laura Lewis8 years ago in Families
Things My Mother Told Me That Turned Out to Be True
Oh, Mommy dearest, how often did I doubt you. Not only did I think I was the smartest kid around who knew better than any adult, but back then I truly believed that everything you predicted and advised was wrong. From the boyfriend you assured me was bad news and the shoes you said would kill my feet to the bigger things in life like being a mother, a wife, and an intelligent human being, almost everything you said had some merit to it. That's right, Mom, you aren't reading this wrong, I am here to say the three words you so absolutely deserve to hear: YOU. WERE. RIGHT. Of course, many of life's lessons I had to learn on my own and I do believe that's how children should, but there are those few pieces of wisdom and experiences you lived through that you shared with such strong persuasion that I should have listened to. Here are just a few.
By Jus L'amore8 years ago in Families
Mom of Twins at 17
As my title suggests, I am a young mother of two beautiful children who are twins and I am going to discuss some of the ups and downs that I have experienced.
By Katrina Chamberlain8 years ago in Families
Two Women and a Baby
It's a daunting thing to accept when you realize you're a lesbian that having children may have well been either put on hold or taken completely off the table. That's what I thought at least. My girlfriend and I had been together for seven years when we decided it was time to expand our family. We looked around online at our options, and holy heck, we were out of our league. The prices seemed outrageous. What two heterosexual people, medical reasons aside, can typically do for free, or at least keep making attempts, would cost us an arm and a leg. We gave up hope for awhile that this would ever happen for us.
By Heather Martin-Miles8 years ago in Families