immediate family

Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.

A Bob's Life
I think I may be living my life backwards in some kind of Benjamin Button distortion where I still age normally but all of my life-shaping events are happening at the end of my life instead of the beginning. At the tender age of 57 I have a house full of children, a wife who gets up every morning and teaches at the local Middle School, and a pony-tail. I will now attempt to explain how I got here.
By Bob Collings5 years ago in Families
Why I Hate Living; But Why I am Grateful To Survive
I want to share this story since this is how I feel 24/7 living each day in my dysfunctional family home; and if anyone would care about how I feel on a daily basis and maybe is looking to understand, or to relate to my story. I am adopted, and I have two white parents, and a biological brother currently in my bungalow house in Chicago. Prior to being officially adopted, I have lived with my parents at 3.5 years old and I came along with my brother for an original emergency two-week stay, under the custody of DCFS. This time, it was very challenging since I was critically ill, non-verbal, and poorly coordinated due to the severe neglect I had faced by my biological parents who were both addicted to, and sold drugs. The first two weeks were filled with back and forth doctors, and hospital stays and visits. In addition, I was also diagnosed with Autism, and at the time was non-verbal and without any of the proper therapies and interventions, to improve my conditions, I would have been non-verbal, and in a wheelchair. With the hundreds of doctors appointments and back to back hospital stays with intensive therapies I went from being completely immoble and non-verbal to walking, and talking today. However growing up to now be almost-20 years old has been a curse in disguise. Prior to being 20, and to fill everyone in on being adopted; Anyone can say they love you enough just to give up on you. I had to face this at the age of 15 years old. At the time, I was going through an all-time low on both my mental and physical health. The cause of this was being moved from a Catholic high school, to a public school; feelings of guilt and fear when my sister engaged with drugs, and a possible gang initation, and the effects of my parents losing both their coroporate jobs. We also had a lot of family fights.
By Nikolas Taylor5 years ago in Families
My sister F'ed up
It started off like every other morning. I came out of my room and there was my sister with her kids. We were all playing, her daughter with mine and I was playing with my nephew. Just like any other morning. When my partner woke up, I had him take our daughter before he even went to the bathroom. I was in the middle of taking a poop when he came in to ask me to hurry up as he had to GO as well. I said “ok ill hurry up.”
By Mama Bear5 years ago in Families
My Dad Has Dementia - Journal #4
So far so good today. Nothing out of the ordinary. I’m in the process of food prepping some of Dad’s favorite fruits so it’s easy to grab and eat whenever he wants it. Growing up, fruits would show up on the table…in a bowl…cut up and easily accessible for us to eat at any time. Now look at me. Returning the favor for my Dad when he looks and, more often than not, acts as if he’s totally capable of doing it himself. (He does and he doesn’t, depending.)
By Lisa Akemi5 years ago in Families
Betrayal
What would you do if you were driving home from work and you receive a text message from your son. The text message was a video of your sister and father of your son talking horribly about you for a good ten minutes? We all know there’s plenty more where that came from. But seriously, what would you do?
By Laura Ortiz5 years ago in Families
Were are you sister dearest
Maya closed the window slowly as her sister looked at her with worry through the window. She gave her a reassuring smile and left to go to her best friend's house. Maya and Ellen spent the whole night laughing and talking. And then she climbed back into her bedroom at four o'clock. She was able to get about one hour of sleep before their mom came into the room to wake them up for school.
By Charity Walker5 years ago in Families
My life
Always think positive no matter what life throws at you When I was a little girl, I always wondered how life can be so cruel to people. Even though my mom moved us kids around a lot because of certain situations that we sometimes can not control. I always looked at people and places and seen so much hatred in the world and always thought I would never find anyone that would love me like my family does. One day I met this guy when I was 14 yrs old and he was 18 yrs old and my mom met him she liked him. I was a shy teenager but he would never have do anything I didn't want to do but he showed me what love was. I was 16 yrs old when I decided to breakup because, I was to young to get engaged and it broke his heart. He always brought me valentine's day gifts and birthday and still showed me it was ok to be friends, but one night we got a phone call that he passed away while driving and he had a seizure and went into someone's backyard pool. I was devasted and felt lost because, we became best friends. Than has the years went on, I found someone else who I thought he was the one we got married and had a little girl. We had a lot problems so we got divorced and we raised her and now she is 18 yrs old and she is my world. I am now with the love of my life and we are about to get married and begin a new journey in our lives. I have learned through all my years growing up and all the bad things that happened to me, that I did not mention is that leave all the bad things in your past and move on with your future. Always take the negative things and turn them into positive things and keep going with life. Life is to short to keep grudges against other people and just forgive them and forgive yourself.
By Lettie Fisher5 years ago in Families
2010 – The Year We Went ‘All Out’ On The Christmas Card
2010 – The Year We Went ‘All Out’ On The Christmas Card I’ve never really been bothered about Christmas cards. Even as a small boy I used to wonder why people bothered. I grew older, and more self-conscious, until eventually I was too cool for Christmas. Presents were still distributed amongst my nearest and dearest, obviously. But as my teens turned to twenties, the holiday season became nothing more than an excuse for a couple of good boozy nights out. Beyond that, I was 24 karat humbug.
By Dan Lever5 years ago in Families
Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!
It's Christmas yet again and I must say that I miss being a child at times. So innocent. So naive. So full of hope. Although I always knew my parents were in fact Santa, everything felt light and full of joy then. From the Christmas movies to the Christmas music (and I'm not referring to the horrible covers we are subjected to as adults), Christmas was definitely my all-time favorite time of the year. Especially since my parents always went all out and bought us almost any toy we desired. Whether that was an American Girl Doll, an entire train track, game systems galore, you name it, they bought it! Let's go back in time.....
By Cassie Rage 5 years ago in Families
Finding the Light
In the heart of this solstice, in our little oubliettes, in a year of darkness - I want to tell you a story of light. A story of great love found in the Summer Solstice of 2006. When the sun, warm and perfect, gave me a light to carry.
By Hollye B. Green5 years ago in Families
Getting through the Holidays
Holidays can be stressful, even in the best of times. However, if you have lost a loved one recently, you may be dreading this holiday season. You may not be looking forward to celebrating at all, even though you may have plenty of others to spend time with.
By Shelley Wenger5 years ago in Families
Lila, I bought a boat
Dad got home: his way from parking the car in the garage, opening the living room door, walking through the aisle into the dining room had the same sounds, light, colors and maybe smells. At the end of the aisle was the dining room and kitchen and people just appeared from the darker aisle into the light.
By Marilia Coutinho5 years ago in Families