extended family

All about how to stay connected, strengthen ties and talk politics with your big, happy extended family.

Mini Me
Do you remember when you were little and you had that one cool older cousin? You know, the one that you wish were your older brother or sister. I had one, and I remember I always wanted to grow up to be that person for my younger cousins. Although I have amazing relationships with all my little cousins, I have the deepest connection with my cousin, Morgan.
By Aivreyz5 years ago in Families
Benny
She lowers her beak and threads through her cold plumage. It's a cold night at the farm and their warm barn invites her in. The snow is thick and frigid. Benny's family was not comfortable with her anymore. She would have to fly solo. She spreads her wings and takes off from a beam in the barn. Her face is as white as the snow surrounding her. Her eyes, darker than the blackest mouse she had caught. She ends her flight by perching on a fence post out in one of the farthest fields.
By Holda Crocker5 years ago in Families
Kind Words For Kind Deeds.
Last year my elderly father suffered a devastating health crisis that rendered him unable to care for himself. He can walk a little around the house, use the toilet, bathe himself with some help, and eat independently, but beyond that, he cannot provide his own sustenance. I traveled there to help as much as I could, a story that I already told in my piece Happiness Is My New Year’s Resolution. I spent months there, helping as much as possible so my mother could leave the house and wouldn’t lose her job. But a thought hunted me relentlessly: what will happen to my mother once I have to go back to work and my own life? How will she handle this hardship on her own? She didfn’t have the resources nay the intention to put my father in a nursing home. How, then, would she manage?
By Adriana M5 years ago in Families
Finding Family
Generally genetics equal family. But is it so easily defined? There is much about this subject that is mixed, messy and lovely. Our family often strongly influences the person we grow to become. I want to also acknowledge the extended family members here too.
By Toviyah Lowe5 years ago in Families
Mother-In-Law
Mother-in-laws can come in a variety of different types. Kind of like baseball cards. You never know what you’ll get until you rip open that cellophane wrapper. You’ll either get ones with great stats and impressive careers, or ones you immediately wish you could pawn off on your friends. Without searching hard you can enlighten yourself with horror story posts of mother-in-laws all over social media. This is not one of those. THIS is a true story, of just one of the reasons I can say I married into a truly interesting family.
By Arron Nelson5 years ago in Families
Are Aunties Nicer Moms?
Aunties Are Nicer Moms because they can love you up and send you home lol.... What would I have done without my aunties? I am not JUST speaking of my mother’s sisters. I am writing this to pay homage to the ladies in my life that have taken me in and treated me as if I was their biological niece as well.
By Mecca C Eaves-Glass5 years ago in Families
Making Christmas Special
We all know how rough this year has been, but that doesn’t mean Christmas isn’t just as special. Families and friend won’t be Ake to gather like we have in the past, but let’s take this opportunity to be thankful for what we all have and not a grinch about what we don’t get for Christmas this year.
By Sara Aulds5 years ago in Families
A Perfectly Imperfect Christmas
I have been blessed with many Christmases, along with the capacity to remember decades of them (which is a blessing in and of itself), but reflecting on Christmas 2015 and our Facebook Christmas Card of that year, I would have to say it was a year to remember for all of the good things that happened, as a result of all the bad things that happened in the previous four years. It is a difficult story to tell and an even more difficult one to believe; I mean, the absurdity of it all – the comedy of errors, the pain, and recovery – all culminating in my epiphany, and my growth into the woman and grandmother I needed to be.
By Deborah Carson Weekly5 years ago in Families
Invited or Not to Be Invited
So this week is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, can't say that I'm excited for it but what I am excited for is spending time with my son and my SO. It's hard to be around people that tell other people and go behind my back and say that I'm not allowed to go over anywhere because they don't like me. So in my eyes, who says they can tell their son not to invite the mother of their grandson. When I told my dad about it, he says that really is childish and that me and my son should stay home and watch Disney movies and have our own little Christmas here at home.
By Manda Marie5 years ago in Families
Bonus
This time of year people start to reflect on their lives. I do it all the time, what could I have done differently, what would have happened if I done this or that? We spend so much time wondering and maybe not enough enjoying what we do have. An example would be health, happiness as enjoyment. Sickness, hatred, these are things that should be ended. Those topics can be for another time. What I want to discuss today is my wonderfully nutty , insane family. I say this with a smile upon my face. I actually have a great family.
By Kristina White 5 years ago in Families
Tips to Make Good Relation with your stepkid
Not quite the same as an organic parent, a significant push of being a stepparent is to be a companion to your stepchildren in some capacity. Dislike a school companion, yet a grown-up companion more much the same as being a direction instructor or coach who is likewise a parental figure. This is particularly significant at the start of your relationship as you fabricate trust.
By phrona Brown5 years ago in Families
Not on the Same Page Round 3
For quite some time now I've had an on-again-off-again relationship with a family member I grew up with. At this moment it's off again. From my point of view, it is off for good. I'm sure that this time I burned the bridge to cinder ash and I would be inclined to assume she'd say the same thing.
By Mia Lynn5 years ago in Families