parents
The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.
I Was Born to Be Your Mother
“You’re a great mom. You’re a great mom,” is what I hear a lot of people telling me now. But what makes it so? What’s the measure of success? And who set it? I’ve always believed that we really know who we are and what we’re meant to do from an early age. But for most of us, our true paths get blocked and clouded by the judgements of those closest to us. They say, “You’ll never be able to do that. There’s no money in that. Do you know how hard it is to get into that? Just get a job so you can pay your bills. Stop dreaming.”
By Diane Stewart5 years ago in Families
Quarantine Update From New Parents
I like to get honest here with everyone that reads my stuff. Though very few people do so, I still want to maintain that honesty with you. So honestly, my partner and I have been losing it in here. being a parent stays at home, sometimes I feel like the laws closing on me and the mess just keeps getting bigger and bigger. As the parent that leaves to go to work, I know my fiancé feels bouts of anxiety when he can’t be with us. It seems to me that even though both of us are living as ideally as possible, there’s very little reason to not feel overwhelmed. You have probably felt it too. You might look at your partner and get angry at them for no reason, or maybe for the same reason you’ve been angry at them for all week. Whatever the reason is, you know you feel like you just can’t take the whole “staying inside” thing anymore.
By Victoria Arauz5 years ago in Families
A Tale of Two Stepmoms
As a stepparent you are faced with many choices. Your first choice was made when you journeyed into a relationship with somebody who has children. The next was how you chose to fit into that already-established dynamic. Then, every single day, you’ll make the three most important choices of your blended family life:
By Ashley Sparkles Young5 years ago in Families
The Cottage
Some years ago, when the world was a happier place my husband who was an Anglican minister at the time, and I decided at our almost retirement stage in life, to test the real estate market regarding our financial capabilities. Retirement was looming and the prospect of being dependent on rented accommodation was unappealing. Insecurity of leasing plus the fact that we would be unable to keep a dog pushed us on towards our seemingly unattainable goal.
By a.a.gallagher5 years ago in Families
Momma
I thank my momma to this day. Rich woman, she birthed two before me. My older sister and older brother. She has the smile of the sun if you ask me. Eyes a hazel brown, definitely nothing less than beautiful. I always admired my mommas' eyes. I look through the pictures of her and how vibrant of a person she is. I mean her smile would go from ear to ear, who knows what was going through her mind, she just knew she was happy.
By Cheri' Jean5 years ago in Families
Fatherly love
Anthony gave a heavy sigh. Even at the tender age of fifteen it felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. All he craved was a normal young adult’s life, but he realised that this became less likely by the day. He sat there drumming his fingers on the table and twirling his already curly hair. He was looking for inspiration, but more than anything he was looking for the strength to get him through from one day to the next.
By Nigel Dougill5 years ago in Families
A Mother's Love....
What is a Mother’s Love? A mother’s love is like nothing else in the world. It knows no boundaries and will crush anything that stands in its path. It is an unconditional love, with no strings attached. You love your child for who they are, who they have become and no matter what.
By Elaine M. Gallagher5 years ago in Families
A Black Book Miracle
It was a hot scorching summer day, and Shelby Knight was doing everything she can to cool her small cramped trailer. The trailer she lived in with her two daughters, Taylor 16, and McKenzie 10, was a small 2 bedroom trailer located in a poverty stricken trailer park located in a bad area of town. Shelby had no central air conditioning and was depending on three oscillating medium sized fans to cool the living room, her bedroom, and the girls bedroom. It was the best she could do considering she was a single parent and working a minimum wage job at a truck stop diner. She was able to obtain a housing assistance voucher to help pay rent for the trailer as well as qualify for the small amount of food stamps that she received. The car she was driving was an old beat up 2000 Kia Rio that constantly leaked oil. She bought the car from her Aunt for $300 with some of her tax money refund. Even though it wasn't the best car and constantly gave her issues, it did at least get her and her girls from point A to B. Fortunate for her, her Aunt's husband knew a lot about cars and was able to fix the bulk of any issues she had with the car. For major issues, she would have to take it to a professional auto repair shop in which she could not afford. She did everything she can to limit her travels to only short distance commutes. Shelby was never married to either of her girls father's. Taylor's father abandoned her when Taylor was 2 years old. Henry was a severe drug addict and one day stole what little money Shelby had out of her purse and left the house to never be seen again. Years later, Shelby learned he died of a drug overdose in a roach invested motel. McKenzie's Dad, Chris, was around for most of McKenzie's childhood until he attempted to rob a bank unknown to Shelby and is now serving a 12 year sentence for attempted armed robbery. On this particular day as Shelby was serving the girls dinner before she had to leave for work for her night shift, her daughter Taylor asked her a question that would tear at Shelby's heart. Taylor said "Mom, are we always going to be poor"? Shelby took the frozen pizza for dinner out of the oven and stopped and stared at her daughter. She was speechless. She walked over to the small kitchen table where her daughters were sitting and sat down. She grabbed both of her girls hands, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "We are not poor. We may not have a lot but we have what we need. And because we have what we need, we are not poor. Please know that I will always do what I need to do to make sure you girls are taken care of and that we have a roof over our heads and food to eat." Her youngest daughter McKenzie then said, "Mom, please don't cry. We see how hard you have to work to take care of us." Shelby hugged her girls and then place the pizza on the table for them to eat. While they were eating, she went to her bedroom to get herself ready for work that night. She hated working at the truck stop diner. She worked the 9pm to 5:30am shift. She was on her feet the whole shift except for when she took her half hour lunch and one 15 minute break. A lot of the truckers who came in were jerks most of the time but there were those who were kind and pleasant. She was well liked at work by her coworkers and manager. She had been working there for 3 years now and still was barely making enough to live on. She depended a lot on the tips left by the customers. Some of the truckers were occasionally generous in there tip giving while others threw whatever tip they felt like giving. As the time drew near for her to leave for work, she kissed her girls goodbye and told them she would see them in the morning. Because her girls did not leave for school until 7:30am, when she got off work, she was home just before they awoke and got ready for school. While at work, Shelby could not stop thinking about what her daughter asked her about them being poor. It pained her knowing that her daughter felt they were poor. Shelby wish there was something she could do to invest in a better future for her and her girls. She only had a high school education and no specific skills that she felt were useful. During her lunch break, a man came into the diner who she thought could have been a trucker and sat at the counter and ordered a cup of coffee. Shelby watched the man from where she was sitting at a booth eating an egg sandwich for her lunch. She had never seen the man in the diner before and there was something mysterious about him. The man looked around and suddenly saw Shelby sitting at a booth in the corner. The man left his seat at the counter and went over to where Shelby was. As he approached the booth, Shelby looked up startled to see him, and the man said, "Glad to see you taking a load off. I see how hard you work." Shelby then said, "But I have never seen you in here before so how could you have seen me?" Shelby began to panic a little thinking maybe this guy had been stalking her. The man responded with "Let's just say I manage to sneak in and sneak out fast enough from time to time when you are too busy to notice that I'm here. When I do sneak in, I see how hard you work and how much pain you are in from being on your feet all night. But what strikes me the most about you is that you keep a smile on your face regardless. And I like that." Shelby thanked him for his kind words and as she was starting to stand up and walk away from the booth to go clock back in from her break, the man took a little black book from his pocket and handed it to Shelby. The man said, "Please take this. Do not open it until you have gotten off work." Shelby responded with" Why are you giving me this?" and the man said" Let's just say it's a little token of my appreciation for you keeping a smile on your face and refusing to complain." Shelby thanked the man again and then he paid for his coffee at the counter and left the diner. Shelby did as the man told her and waited until she got off work too open the black book. As she sat in her car before driving off to go home, she opened the black book and found a small white envelope with her name written on it behind the front cover of the book. She opens the envelope and was shocked at what she saw. There was a check for $100,000 and a note that said "Thank you for 3 years of consistent hard work and for keeping such a beautiful smile and never complaining. It's rare that the diner is lucky to get such a hardworking beautiful employee both on the inside and out. This is just a token to show my appreciation and to help you build a better future for yourself and your daughters. A beautiful person like yourself is not meant to be stuck working at a diner. Thank you for all of your hard work." The letter was signed Thomas Jacobs, the owner of the diner.
By Valerie Green5 years ago in Families
