children

Children: Our most valuable natural resource.

Katie's Secret Garden
Eight-year-old Katie looked up from her coloring book when she heard her parents’ angry voices. This made her sad. Her parents were fighting more often lately, and she didn’t know why. She felt very uncomfortable. Slowly she closed her book and put her crayons away. She knew exactly what to do.
By Caroline-StoryGirlCA4 years ago in Families
The Job of a Mom
I love my job because I am changing the lives of others. When you think of a job, you tend to think about a job that pays money. However, my main job is like no other, and if you are a mother, you know how true this is. This is a job you can never check out from. You can not just quit and walk away and find a new job without the responsibilities of being a mother. While I am not paid in money, I am paid in love. I am a mother of two autistic boys and three girls. My days are long, and sometimes they never end. Most nights, I am up until two in the morning and sometimes later.
By E.G.4 years ago in Families
The Misbegotten Pear
Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted a pear. She wanted a pear because she wanted to share pears. You see, Penny had recently discovered the sweet wonder of a perfect pear. It made her feel peaceful and alive. Penny thought the best thing for everyone was to try a pear, just in case it could make them feel the same.
By Jordan J Hall4 years ago in Families
Tisha's Predicament
She never intended to get stuck in the fork of the pear tree. It was a little embarrassing, her bottom sticking through the two limbs like a great, big pimple. Ready to pop. Disgusting.
By Debora Dyess4 years ago in Families
And Then We Were Six
1966 was, in today’s terms, a breakout year of firsts for me. First college, first girlfriend, first wife, first time father to be, first time living apart from family; all under blue skies with only a great future to look forward to, my life was good. By October, “Cherish” by The Association, seemed a reasonable word.
By David X. Sheehan4 years ago in Families
Idyllic Afternoon
The beauty of winter had long since melted away from the countryside. The surface of the little pond that had been frozen months ago calmly reflected images of the trees growing tall along the opposite bank. The stillness of the surface of the water was only interrupted when the boys cast their lines and the bait and bobbers hit the water. Momentarily more interested in the cookies, slices of chocolate cake, and orange pop Grandma sent with them, Theodore and Oliver let their bobbers rest quietly in the water.
By Thomas Durbin4 years ago in Families
The Pear Tree of Life
CHAPTER 1: A REALIZATION I wish I were a pear. Doesn’t that seem so freeing? I ain’t, I mean, I shouldn’t wish for my life to be any different than it already is. At least that’s what mama says. But sometimes when I sneak away from the plantation to my sacred pear tree, I try to imagine that I am anyone but myself.
By Maya Pilgram4 years ago in Families
Never a Pirate
I couldn’t remember when he stopped leaving the porch light on for me, but he wasn’t even leaving the mudroom light on anymore. With the street light out front, and some nights the moon, I guess it didn’t really matter. When I came home that night, I tripped on Margo’s hot pink rain boots, and my hip hit the corner of the console table. “Fuck,” I said, pushing two fingers into my hip to pop the bubble of pain, but it never worked.
By Michelle Renee Miller4 years ago in Families
Fei and May
Fei and May By Faith Stuard The pitter patter of little feet echoed in her mind’s eye; she could remember the sounds Fei made as he made his way around their small studio apartment located above the local bodega. Every inch of the space made her think of him no matter where she looked from the ceiling to the floor his presence was there, his laughter echoed off the walls. May wrapped her arms around her self as she sat on the cold floor in the corner of the room, she was thinking of all the things that she should have done with Fei, played with him more, yelled at him less about leaving his toys on the floor, kissed and held him tightly, laughed and sang louder, took him to the park to play on the swing and slide his favorite things to do he was only four years old when he was taken from her. It started out when he forgot how to walk and started to cry whenever she touched him those were the beginning signs that something wasn’t right. May took him to the hospital right away. At first, there were no answers the testing didn’t tell them anything about what could be going on, he was in pain all the time and just cried and groaned as he writhed his body racked with convolutions and seizers, they sedated him and gave him pain medications to help ease his hurt and with that, he slept the days away laying still in a large hospital bed machines whirling and beeping around him sometimes the only sign that he was still with her was the slow beeping of his heart and the small movement of his chest as he breathed in and out. May cried and cried and cried some more praying for some sort of miracle that he would be saved. That day that she found out that he had terminal cancer and would likely not make it through the month, she screamed out in agony that this was happening to her Fei, to her little man, he was so small and fragile and she knew that she wanted to spend all of her time with him no matter what the doctors said, she waited on God for a miracle and It never came well not in that way anyway. Fei died exactly 3 weeks after he went into the hospital and May held him in her arms as long as she could until the hospital staff took him from her the thought of him in that cold morgue all alone made her heart cry out but there was nothing left to do but gather his things, his small toy cars and other toys she had brought to the hospital hoping that he would want to play with them and that they would somehow help to heal him and bring him back to her but they didn’t they had failed her and that was it or so she thought it was, for weeks after the funeral she was a zombie just walking through life. Some days she would roam the city and just walk and walk until she could barely stand up she would cry as she walked and call out his name Fei, Fei where are you my love? come back to me she would say over and over, one night as she was walk through the park where she used to take Fei to play the place where she felt closest to him she heard something that she remembered from four years before as she labored thought the birth of Fei when he took his first breath and whaled out the sound was an infant’s cry. May looked all around frantically searching for the source of those small sounds she looked by the trash cans than by the swings and the slide, the playground was empty and it was late at night but the sound was still there that’s when she looked up in the night and the full moon and all its shining glory lead her to the top of the hill just under a beautiful pear tree that was full of fresh pears and lush leaves, the weight of the fruit caused its branches to hang lower to the ground creating a canopy of fruit and leaves and just under the branches there was a cardboard box, within the box there was the source of the crying, it was a baby a small and tiny like a cub wrapped in wrinkled newspapers and left alone in the dead of the night. May called out “hello is anyone there!” It was a chilly night so May quickly took off her jacket and picked the small child up and wrapped it up and held it close to her body to help warm the little infant up, who could do such a thing leave such innocence out in the elements no telling what could have happened to the little one, as she held the small bundle in her arms she looked down into small dark eyes and she saw something familiar, "Fei?" she said is that you that’s when the crying stopped and he just looked up at her as some sort of confirmation that she was right that her Fei had been returned to her she cuddled him closer, I will never let you go again and with that, she took the baby and left the park and returned to her small apartment located above the small bodega.
By Faith Stuard4 years ago in Families
Sensory Jars
These jars are some of my favourite little play items! Easy to make and they are entertaining and engaging for brand new babies, toddlers and big kids alike! I first made them for Lilly to play with she was around 3 months old. She’s now almost two and they are still a relevant play thing and have become a fun learning tool for her! Let me share how I use and make these superb little Sensory Jars!
By Ashley Hansen 4 years ago in Families
The Treehouse Near the Pear Tree
Camila pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. She left the engine running for a moment while she took several long, deep breaths. Slowly, she turned the key in the ignition. The engine’s purring hum went quiet, and the silence billowed around her in its absence as she looked up at the house. After a moment, she pushed the car door away from her and stepped onto the street.
By Hannah McQueen4 years ago in Families
The 3 Best Classic School Backpacks for Your Child: Which One to Choose?
With the start of a new school year comes packingClassic School Backpacks and getting organized for the semester ahead. With so many backpacks to choose from, it can be hard to know which one is right for your child. As parents, we want the best for our children. You want your child to have a backpack that’s functional and durable. With so many options out there, it can be hard to know where to even start looking. That's why today, we're going to give you 3 of our favorite backpacks that are perfect for kids in school.
By patrick parker4 years ago in Families