immediate family
Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
Last Straw
The crash of a glass shattering woke me up. I climbed out of bed and padded out of the small bedroom I shared with my half-sisters. The kitchen was at the other end of the short hallway. There was no door, the yelling and screaming echoed through the house. Mum and Dad were fighting again, shouting words that my four-year-old brain couldn't understand. Money, drugs, bills, budget, none of these things had meaning for me. The yelling was scary. They were throwing things at each other, the kitchen table between them. Our parents fighting was normal, as was moving house every six months or so because Dad couldn't keep a job. I stood silently in the doorway, watching them with wide eyes and a pounding heart, unable to interfere or go back to bed. Shards of glass and porcelain lay scattered on the plain wooden floorboards, twinkling in the light of the dim bulb in the ceiling. I felt a presence at my side and looked down. My younger sister was standing beside me, gazing into the kitchen. I covered her eyes with my hands, wanting to shield her from the violence. Dad's older daughter was staying with her mother in the city. The scrape of wood on wood drew my attention back to the kitchen and I saw Dad in the act of shoving the table at Mum. It collided with her stomach, forcing her backwards into the wall. She was bent over, hands against the edge of the table, shock and pain on her face. A gasp escaped me, a mixture of terror and concern. Dad turned and spotted us. His eyes, already glaring furiously, narrowed even more and he screamed at us to get out and go back to bed. I grabbed my sister's hand and half-dragged her down the hallway to our room, where we huddled together on my bed with the blankets over our heads.
By RandomEllie15 years ago in Families
Children Live What They Learn
Full disclosure. I was not a perfect mom, and I know I still am not; there is much that I need to learn yet. An aspect of my shortcomings I now see manifesting in my eldest daughter whose father I never married. When she was 4 years old I married my first husband. Before we had our own children, my eldest was doted on and spoiled, but when *our* first child came along, my first stopped being the baby and came - sometimes a distant - second when it came to choosing which child would get the attention and the treats.
By Belinda Rainwater5 years ago in Families
Rw's My Life In Imperfection Pt 2
The time has come my parents have gone their separate ways. Divorce often affects us in more ways than one. I remember being told by my aunt that my stuttering problem came about because of that situation with my parents. We moved on to the city of Hayward CA to temporarily stay with our grandparents while my mom worked as a cook at a elderly living facility.
By Rw's Random Life 5 years ago in Families
Healing and Growth
I truly believe this is the last day that I’ve decided to finally stop caring about people and their opinions. I get it, this was a turbulent year for a lot of people. Predictably so and I was one of them. I screamed, I cried, and I laughed all at the same time. It became weirdly painful and I did not know how to express it since everyone else had their own issues. I smoked because of the family I had. I smoked because I found myself caring way too much for strangers and this was the year that I needed to be broken down. No one would believe me if I said I cried about my family for five years straight after graduation. I thought if I kept the family abreast on the timeline I witnessed throughout life itself, we would be okay, but I guess not.
By Tashawna Fennell5 years ago in Families
Rw's My Life N Imperfection Pt 1
Hey folks I am here to bare my very SOUL and tell my life story and here it goes. I was born a what you call a blessed miracle. My main issue that has an effect on my life is my learning disability or slow motor abilities. I grew up in a single family residence Los Angeles county/ Long Beach was my home at the time. My mom, me , and my youngest brother lived in a college dorm type of apartments in Long Beach's east village the epicenter of the arts.
By Rw's Random Life 5 years ago in Families
What do you see?
As I walked down the dock to the end of the peer, I’m reminded of the times we had on this dock as a family. Thru the good and bad my husband and I always walked this dock to talk about our days events, good or bad. Our children grew and thier little feet found thier way down this dock. With fishing nets a tow And fishing poles with laughter. Our memories will never fade on this dock. Thruout the years weve gotten older, spent plenty of birthdays and anniversaries here, sometimes with a smile and other times with fear? Of what may lie ahead in our turmoil of a life we were living Baby on board, a few times while mommy was prepping that day that we meet, walking up and down the dock, for labor to progress! Watching my babies walking down that dock with proud faces that they had a life jacket on and they were with mom and dad! No fear from them until 1 goes in head first tumbling over into the cool ocean, dads mighty hands reach in and grab, what he was searching for his 6 year old kid! Laughter abupts after the fear, as you shake and calm down from the trip! Dad sits there and catches his breath, with a wet child on his chest! Saying I told you so ! Don’t get so close” ! The child that’s studded with every emotion is clinging on to dad for dear life, eyes wide open but a relief that he’s fine. When you look at this dock , what do you see ? I see a lifetime of a family., from first steps, to the catch of the day, to come on kids....... let’s go play. A mom and dad growing with thier family everyday walking these docks night and day, I’ve seen it all on this dock, I’ve cried many tears, of happiness and joy, to tears of hurt and pain, our phones have gone fishing and are now talking to the fishes on the bottom of the sea. Ice skates and slipping where dock is to be? Watching snow fall during a beautiful storm, to a hurricane with waves with force of a punch! To my dock you may see just beauty that lies within the trees, I’ve walked this path many many times preparing for the birth of my child! I love my dock I’ve had some talks , to myself on this dock, and maybe some ufos that I thought ? My hearts been broken on this dock, and it was also healed with some thought! I’ve tried my hardest to keep my family in line, you got to stay on one side, to the sky’s you see a beautiful sunset and warm hearts to watch as it gets dark! To laughing and fun and fishing and sum! I love my dock , I hope someday my great grandchildren will walk on my dock and say , hey ma”me” walked this dock along time ago! Now she watches us, while we grow! My heart will always be on this dock, my fears and dreams will fall into the water 💧 and be gone in a flash! Cause my babies are on my dock for me and Pe”pe” “
By Kiley Thibodeau5 years ago in Families
My Top 8 Picks For Pre-School Age Learning At Home. Top Story - September 2020.
When I made the decision to postpone preschool for my twins after COVID-19 hit, I was definitely overcome with a mix of frustration and happiness. I’ve truly loved teaching Ames and Joules new things at home, but—to be totally honest—it can be a little tiring when there’s nobody else to help. For the past ~3 years, the twins have been at home with me. They’ve never been to a mother’s day out, daycare, or any type of organized schooling during the week. We tentatively plan to put the twins in preschool this next Spring 2021—but, until then, I am doing what I can to keep Ames and Joules learning at home. That said, through research online, reading reviews, and talking with other moms, I’ve found some very useful educational material to ease the process of keeping my twins learning at home in the interim.
By Michelle Joyner5 years ago in Families
BLUEPRINT
BEST FRIENDS, USUALLY ARE NOT THE ONE TO COME AND GO OUT OUR LIFE! LET'S TALK NOT JUST OF A FRIEND, HERE I SAY MY BEST FRIENDS I'VE TREATED AND CONSIDER AS A SISTER OR BROTHER. I AM NOT SURE IF IT'S FAIR TO HAVE MORE THAN A BEST FRIEND, OR AS OUR SOCIAL WORLD WOULD SAY, MY BESTIE. FORMERLY, COULD IT GO ANY OTHER WAY IF IT WERE'NT FOR THIS ONE PARTICULUAR BEST FRIEND?
By KayKay_Island5 years ago in Families
Our House: the Days of Covid 19
Even before the pandemic was declared, my year started with a stressful 'bang'! My boss of many years had suddenly made the decision to retire. He left in mid-January; then my daughter in law's best friend and first cousin in Turkey passed away suddenly and she made a quick trip home to say good-bye just as we were first hearing about Wuhan. It was scary to think of her traveling so far so she made the decision to leave my youngest grandson home with his dad. My son and I altered our work week to take care of him.
By Sharon Smith5 years ago in Families
Just Keep Going
As a kid my mother would work what seemed like forever, but it was, just almost all the time. And I don’t know how she was able to get extra hours on top of the twenty-four in a day but she did. My mother migrated to America with her parents back in the 1960s with hopes of a glorious life. And in my childish innocence I honestly thought money grew here on tress in a city with golden paved streets. That picture got lodged in my mind leading up to the months before we left the island. I overheard some relatives talk to my father about what sounded like a magical place this America, that would transform us from the simplicity of living in a strong family and community knitted together by a sense of being one people to wealthy household that would be able to help so many others. My father was given an opportunity and although he was reluctant he couldn’t pass up the offer to go and work with his uncle in the ‘New York City’ and make a better life for his family. But the reality we woke up to after two weeks of long work days, racism and a different kind of social injustice, and disillusionment of a better quality of life planted themselves like the coconut trees back home in Jamaica that withstood category five hurricanes and times of drought.
By TanYah Global5 years ago in Families
