children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
An Open Letter to My Kids
To my babies: I never was ready to be a mom! I never thought I had it in me to take care of you. But I do! I love each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. So much that some days my heart could burst if it were allowed. The three times that I endeared the joys of giving birth to you all left me speechless and filled with tears the moment I looked at each of your little eyes. I did that and was a part of creating you.
By Salina Lehn7 years ago in Families
Teen Mom
A challenge that I have faced in my life was being pregnant as a teenager. This meant that I fell under the stereotype of teen pregnancy which portrayed financial and emotional struggle, lack of education, and irresponsible parenting. This stereotype is painted by the image people choose to believe about teenage parents but does not portray what all teen parents look like. Many people would pity me as I walked through the halls in high school, thinking that my life was over. Little did they know, becoming pregnant as a teenager was the best challenge I have ever been faced with.
By Brittany Meier7 years ago in Families
How to Survive Having a Baby in NICU
As women we all picture this perfect pregnancy, having our water break and rushing to the hospital. But, like many, that is never the case. I was hospitalized at 34 weeks into my pregnancy due to preeclampsia, which didn't even come on until a couple of weeks before and then all of sudden became severe and they sent me to the hospital for evaluation in labor and delivery.
By Nikki Sanger7 years ago in Families
Childcare Nightmare
I'm a working mom. It's awful. However, I have no choice. I have yet to accomplish my dreams of writing the next great book series like the Harry Potter series, so until then I must go to work. My daughter is of course, in a daycare program and while they suck almost every last dime out of my pocket to basically expose my daughter to every disease imaginable, they are not open on weekends. I'm not required to work on weekends. Only if I want to eat. The loop of constantly trying to find a babysitter so that I can go to work travels around and around. It's a never-ending horrible cycle.
By Michelle Schultz7 years ago in Families
Doing It Right This Time
As a parent have you ever felt wrong about the things that you couldn't do for your first child? When you think about it, the first child is always the most memorable, because at times you never see him, her, or them coming. I am 23 years old, and I just had my second child July 7th, 2018 @ 6:30 PM. My first child is six years old; this is a big gap because I had my son when I was 17 years old. Being pregnant at 16 was very traumatic for me but looking back I know that my son was a blessing. He put me on the right path and brought me the stability that I needed in my life as crazy as that may seem. At the age of 16, I wasn't prepared to have a baby at all. I had only known my son's father for a month, and I was still naive and a child but I've always been mature, so it didn't ruin my life. One of the main thoughts I had, when I was pregnant the first time, was, how am I going to take care of this baby? I didn't have any job experience and wasn't old enough to be hired for a job, so I was already heading down a struggling path. While I was pregnant with my son, I was still in high school, so this was hard enough because I was dealing with nosy people all the time. I didn't get to enjoy being pregnant, my mom was my biggest supporter, and she helped me through everything. However, I never had money to myself, so I didn't get to feed my cravings, have a baby shower or take maternity pictures. I also didn't get to shop for my baby because I wasn't the one bringing in any money. My mom was my rock, and she did as much as she could. When I got pregnant, I was staying with a family member because my mom was getting ready to deploy. The funny thing is that when I found out, I was pregnant my mom's deployment was canceled. After my mom got the news, my siblings and I moved back with my mom, so my son's father and I had a long distance relationship on and off throughout my pregnancy. This meant that I didn't get to go through my pregnancy with the person that I made this child with. My family experienced all my trimesters and pregnancy moments. When I had my son January 27th, 2012 my mom and sisters were there not my son's father. As my son got older, I still wasn't able to provide for him because I was still trying to figure out how to provide for myself and get my life together to get him together. I went through a lot between the ages of 18-20 so that I could provide for my son. These moments were tough but, my son was my biggest motivation to stay strong. The stress of being a first-time young parent was very hard, and I'll honestly say I got it all together when my son turned 3. It took three years for me to feel like I was doing right by my son. Now that he is 6 I can honestly say I am proud of myself for the provider that I've become. My daughter has provided me with a whole new meaning of pregnancy, adulthood, and parenting. The first difference I felt when I find out I was pregnant with my daughter was that I made the decision to have her and it wasn't by surprise. I am also married to the love of my life, so I am in a stable relationship. Finding out I was pregnant with my daughter made me realize my life was complete and stable enough to have another baby. I got to experience a partner with me through this pregnancy. I was able to feed my cravings and shop for my baby like crazy. I was able to take beautiful maternity pictures and get the amazing 4D ultrasound pictures. Most importantly I was able to experience bringing a life into the world with the man that I made my beautiful daughter with. My daughter reminds me daily that I did stuff right this time. My kids are my world and even at 23 years old with two kids I feel good, I am a great mom, and it is because of my son that I can be the mom that I am today. In the future I want one more child, I wonder if there will be another difference with baby #3.
By Maelyn Jeffers7 years ago in Families
A Bump in the Road
A Bump in the Road Life is full of challenges. I don’t know even one person who hasn’t faced any hardships in their life. Life challenges can vary from something as small as losing a sock to something as big as losing a family member or a close friend. Sure, I’ve lost a couple socks and I’ve unfortunately lost family members, but those things happen to everyone. Everyone can relate to those hardships. Uncommon life challenges on the other hand are different, because not many people can relate to them. Being pregnant in high school is definitely a good example of one.
By Lynnette Keo7 years ago in Families
Halloween Books for Kids
Halloween is a wonderful, spooky, and unique time of year, perfect for spinning tales into nights that grow longer and longer with the approach of winter. Here is a list of books for kids in order of age recommendation, starting with age 3.
By Crysta Coburn7 years ago in Families
My Son
I was 24 years old when I found out I was pregnant. I was nervous and excited all at once. I had no idea what to do, how was I going to be a mom? I asked myself day in and day out, how do I take care of a tiny person? How am I going to provide for him? What do I do? Having to tell my friends, my family, and my child’s father was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. When I first took the pregnancy test, I didn’t believe it. I kept telling myself, “There’s no way this is true!” I called one of my best friends and asked her what I should do. I ended up going to the emergency room and checking myself in to just be 100% sure, sure enough... blood work and an ultrasound, I found out I was 5 weeks, 4 days pregnant. Now, on to telling my mom, my dad, my brothers... family is supposed to support you, am I right?! Well, I felt like I was disappointing everyone when I told them I was pregnant (again). I had an ectopic pregnancy when I had just turned 22... worst thing ever. My mom has no idea what to say or think but she supported every decision I made. My mom was there every step of the way for me. She attended appointments, she held my hair when I had morning sickness, she’d cook me food when I didn’t have the energy to get out of bed, she bought so much stuff for myself and my son.
By Emma Walsh7 years ago in Families
30 Journal Entries to Self Discovery - Day 10
Hello, hope everyone's having a great week! Sorry for the late post this morning from day nine, technical difficulties. But welcome to day ten and thanks for following still. Here's the quote for the day: "We write to live life twice, in the moment and in retrospect." - Anais Nin
By Michelle Schultz7 years ago in Families
