grief

Losing a family member is one of the most traumatic life events; Families must support one another to endure the five stages of grief and get through it together.

"The Old Trunk That Changed My Life"
INTRODUCTION I still remember the day that changed everything – the day my grandmother passed away. She was more than just a family member; she was my confidante, my mentor, and my best friend. Her passing left a gaping hole in my life, and I felt lost and alone.
By M.Changer6 months ago in Families
The Mattress
The hospice nurse stood patiently outside my grandmother's house while a procession of family members, waiting for their opportunity to talk to a woman who couldn't converse back, lined the hallway to the bedroom.
By Aaron Kemnitz6 months ago in Families
How Family Courts Are Ignoring the Trauma They Create
The modern family court system claims to operate “in the best interest of the child,” but in reality, it often does the exact opposite—especially when it allows or enables one parent to weaponize the courtroom to cut off the other. The moment a child is denied meaningful access to a safe, loving, and capable parent—not due to abuse, but because of court dysfunction, false allegations, or parental vindictiveness—that child suffers. And the damage isn't just emotional. It's measurable.
By Michael Phillips6 months ago in Families
The Lemon Tree Theory
We had a lemon tree in our backyard that somehow survived every drought, dog, and misguided game of tag. It was crooked, scarred, and only bore fruit if you ignored it completely. Dad said it was “like the rest of us—thrived under chaos.”
By Muhammad Rahim 6 months ago in Families
What It's Like to Be the "Black Sheep" of the Family
There’s an unspoken understanding in every family: the roles we play. Some are the peacemakers, others are the overachievers, and then there’s always that one person—the ‘black sheep.’ Growing up, I never understood what made me the “odd one out.” My siblings seemed to follow the path laid out for us, quietly fitting into the mold my parents had crafted for us, while I constantly felt like I was drifting further away from it.
By Vivids 💖6 months ago in Families
Chosen Families: When Support Networks Step In Where Blood Relatives Cannot
Biologists describe kinship as a matter of shared DNA, yet lived experience often writes a different definition of “family.” Across cultures and generations, people have turned to friends, neighbors, mentors, colleagues, and even online communities to fill emotional or practical roles that biology left vacant. These chosen families form when birth ties are distant, strained, or simply unable to meet evolving needs. Their significance has grown more visible as mobility, diverse household structures, and changing social norms reshape who lives under the same roof—and whom we trust with life’s hardest moments.
By Alexander Sebastian 6 months ago in Families
Remembering My Father
Thoughts As I Lost My Father I lost my father. Losing a parent is one of the saddest things, a person can face. Yet, the situation was not entirely tragic. It was sweet too. Let me share.
By Seema Patel6 months ago in Families
“You Were Never Meant to Be His Wife” — My Mother-in-Law’s Dying Confession
💔 The Story I never expected to cry at her bedside. For years, my mother-in-law was a storm I had learned to live around — unpredictable, sharp, and cold. She never shouted, but her silence was enough to freeze every room I walked into.
By J khan6 months ago in Families
The Man Who Shaped Me
In the silent, dim lit living room, sitting bored and quiet on the cushioned sofa, is something that I always used to do. The only time I would not be bulking and slouching on the sofa, was if I was smiling brightly when my dad was elegantly home and not, what I thought, sadly frowning at work. My dad was a truck driver, and I was a clingy, needy, and overly emotional 5-year-old daughter. My dad would leave for work and be gone for 2-3 days, and being a needy child who cherishes her dad’s presence, I would not allow him to leave very easily. I would cry, scream loudly, and just be overall as upset as a storm raging out. However, one day my dad was done with this crazy behaviour and decided to take me to work with him. I didn’t waste a second and rushed to my room to pack some things, and minutes later, I was bundled in my dad’s truck, joyful and cheery.
By Khushpreet Dhesi6 months ago in Families
Things I Never Told My Father
By Habib I have spent years talking to you in the quiet places of my mind. In the steam of my morning coffee, in the hush before sleep, in the echo of your favorite old songs that sometimes find me in grocery aisles or stuck in traffic. I speak to you in half-sentences and sighs — things I wish I’d said when you were still sitting across the dinner table, your calloused hands folded like a fortress between us.
By Habib6 months ago in Families
The Queen Without Her King
The air in the interview room was still, formal yet not unwelcoming. The woman sat upright, her posture confident, her eyes steady. She wasn’t nervous, not because the job didn’t matter, but because life had already tested her in far more difficult ways.
By YASAR ALI6 months ago in Families
The House With One Open Window. AI-Generated.
The house at the edge of Birch Road had one window that never closed. It wasn’t broken. It wasn’t overlooked. It was basically open—always. For over twenty a long time, the townspeople passed it and whispered stories approximately who once lived there, and why that single window remained untouched through storms, winters, and time.
By Dz Bhai6 months ago in Families