parents
The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.
What You Take With You
I was born in Cuba in the '60s just after the communist revolution. Growing up with two sisters and a brother, the days of my youth were typical of many Cuban children, including getting up early to prepare for school. Part of this daily ritual involved visiting my Father's carpentry workshop, which was situated in the backyard of our house, so he could whittle a point onto my pencil with a wood chisel. It was the most elegantly beautiful pencil point that could ever exist. On the first day of school we would return home lugging a load of new books and notebooks to be covered. My Mom always helped us in this endeavor and she took pride in ensuring that our study materials looked very neat and creative. We would go to the grocery store to procure some of the paper they used to wrap groceries. Then we would peruse old story books and magazines; cutting out figures and characters we found interesting and gluing them to our new book covers. We also adorned our pencils with homemade yarn dolls. These activities were something we always looked forward to at the beginning of the new school year.
By Larisa Socarras5 years ago in Families
Home-made treasure
My mother’s name was Kathleen. She sewed for us - it was to save money back then. I was always a bit embarrassed wearing my home-made school uniform and hand-knitted jumper when everyone else clearly had bought theirs from the store. It made me stand out. It was a sign (literally hanging off my neck) that said ‘not enough money’. Funny now that standing out from the masses is what is most appealing about my home-made clothes now.
By brenda J sharpe5 years ago in Families
7 Awesome Black Dads, you should follow this Father's Day
With Father's Day right around (at the time of writing this). What better way to celebrate it than shining a light on some monumental Black fathers showcasing fatherhood in all very unique and inspiring facets. As a product of a single, Black father upbringing, this subject is near and dear to my heart. So here's my list of father's making an impact that you should add to your watchlist in 2021, if you haven't already.
By GrlWrldMedia5 years ago in Families
Sewing up the Past
I am 6 or 7 years old, the air is stale filled with dust, moth balls, and cotton fabric, I am sitting on the floor between the racks of fabric in the tenth store my mom has dragged me into. I am bored and rather be playing on the block instead of spending time in fabric shops on my Summer breaks, weekends, or anytime my Mom found an extra minute. If you couldn't guess, my mom was a Creative and her main outlet was making clothes, clothes for me and my sisters as well as herself. As a child watching Saturday morning cartoons the sound of mom's sewing machine blazing in the other room was a constant. The older we got the less, we girls, wanted to wear a home creation over a designer one. As any good(typical) daughter I tried to seperate myself from home and traditions of sewing (which my mom would have loved to pass on) to carve my own way and that meant not doing things my mom thought I should. Ironically, that didn't last long because by the end of High School I wanted to go to design school and make clothes my career and my Mom said 'No'. She, like all immigrant parents, wanted her children to become professionals which meant medicine, law, or banking. I was more like my mom then she would have liked, she wanted it as a hobby/skill for entertainment I wanted it as a career. After all the arguing and parental guilt, I did what she wanted and got a degree in Economics. The day after graduation, I showed her my degree, Suma cum laude, top of my class and I've spent everyday since making a living in one form of creative enterprise. Looking back I was defiantly living the life she didn't want for me and I hope she was proud of me but I never asked. I don't remember my mom ever showing me, formally, how to sew until now. I guess I was always learning when I was watching her. I would get up for a snack and walk into her sewing room to see what she was up to. I’d see her Mcall patterns organized and in order of her next project with fabric swatches, threads and zippers or buttons attached to the pattern in little ziplock bags. She would plan and envision what she would be working on next when she had time to herself, away from her husband and three girls which she cooked and cleaned for. For years, she’d lay yards of fabric out and pin the brown tissue sheets of Mcall pattern paper over the fabric and with the biggest Shears I ever saw would cut out the pieces of the fabric into all these weird shapes (I thought). I’d go back to watching movies, studying, or whatever. I didn’t think I was that interested, it was just something my Mom did like my Dad in the garage: cutting, carving, hammering. When I was a kid, I’d walk through spaces watching my parents working on their projects, alone, and I know remember I was always interested in what they were doing, what’s it gonna be? What's it gonna look like when it’s done? As most pestering children, they shood me away and I got used to staying out of the way until I found friends, boys, MTV to keep me away.
By Ingrid Baptiste 5 years ago in Families
Half-starved as a Child, She Fed Everyone
Everyone who comes into my house for the first time always comments on the wall of photos featuring family members cooking in the kitchen. It is to honor my mother, Dortha Fox Bowen, who was half-starved as a child, but made sure her younger siblings were fed—as well as everyone around her, for the rest of her life. I'm well into my sixties now, and my mother has been sleeping in death for many years. But, the many life-lessons Mama taught me from her fine example in several areas, live on.
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Families
Father's Day: A Blast from the Past
As we celebrate Father's Day, we will examine the history of Father's Day today. Unfortunately, retailers and marketers have distorted the original meaning of Father's Day to make a quick buck. It's as if father's day is now about selling chili pepper ties and shop vacuums instead of honoring him. Our understanding of why Father's Day was created will help us honor and celebrate our fathers better.
By Neng’s Burrow5 years ago in Families
The Best Engagement Gift from a Mom to her Daughter
To say Indian weddings are grand is an understatement. India has a plethora of communities following unique traditions. I'm from Tamilnadu, South India. In my circle, the wedding traditions last for three days. The Engagement ceremony is one of the pre-wedding ceremonies. Nonetheless, it is a grand gathering. How grand? A gathering of 600 people!. That's how important the Engagement ceremony is in our culture. It is a mini wedding in itself. Many of the families from both the boy's and the girl's side meet for the first time. (Now don't ask me how many people came to my wedding. Well.. We served 2700 servings of food for a total of three days!).
By vaisrinivasan5 years ago in Families
In Memory Of James "Bub" Mollett
Back in 2014, my husband lost his dad. James Allen Mollett Jr. was a father, son, brother, and husband. He was only fifty-eight years old at the time of his death. He left behind sons, a wife, sisters, brothers, and a mother. As well as many friends. He had many loved ones that mourn the loss of his life.
By Amanda J Mollett5 years ago in Families
