A parent-child relationship is one of the most evolving and versatile relationships we, as humans, are ever going to have.

When I was a kid, I really looked forward to every single holiday, as I knew what it meant for me. A lot of delicious food, a lot of presents, mostly toys, and the whole family in one place. I look forward to them even now, of course, as things have stayed pretty much the same, except that I don’t get toys anymore. Over the years, holidays have come to mean a lot more to me, as I always get the feeling of belonging somewhere, and not being alone. I always wondered if that’s everything about holidays that makes me happy, or is there something more. If you’ve had these kinds of thoughts as well, keep reading and find out what’s so special about holidays that boosts our happiness.

A divorce between parents is always an unfortunate incident for the children. A loving and healthy relationship between the mother and the father is always responsible for sowing seeds of good values in the child. But, if at all, you cannot avoid a divorce, some things should always be the priorities. The first and foremost is “child support.” Have you stopped to consider what the words mean? The first thing that might come to our mind is meeting the financial expenses of the child. Though a child has emotional needs as well, child support tips help the fathers understand how to manage the various obligations.

Cigarette smoke billowed and followed AC drafts from the ceiling above, searing the eyes of children and seniors alike. Whirling electronic sounds escaped the murmuring machines, as teenagers to the next lane appeared to be having the time of their lives—perhaps even the highlight of their lives. We devoured the pitchers of beer, to stomach the onslaught of laughter and those crackling, cacophonous sounds. Each strike, spare, or even gutter ball were announced to the lounge, as if the bowling alley had transformed into an arcade on steroids. Laughter penetrated any reflection of what had transpired two nights ago. Velda, Joshua, and his girlfriend could not help but notice my existential unease—my detachment. In that moment, I realized this could not happen to my family, rather, time and space were illusions—manmade constructs to ease the understanding of physics, to laymen and scholars alike. I felt somewhere—somehow—Ella was with me. I could still smell her locks of hair. I heard her call my name from the back of the alley. She was there. She had never truly left—or so I would not accept.

She was not at all what I expected. After reading part of her manuscript, I assumed she would be meek, timid, small and quiet. She was nothing like that. She was filled with happiness, magnetic, joyous yet calm and grounded. She laughed easily and made people feel comfortable in her presence. She was likable and filled with positive energy.

A couple months after my hysterectomy, a mom at the park casually asked me how many kids I want to have. It was too soon, I had no quippy answer prepared to shrug off the question, and it caught me off guard. I ended up telling her everything that happened to me, and she reciprocated with stories of her own postpartum experiences. I am grateful for sisterhood, motherhood, personhood. Grateful to wear the marks of what it took to bring my children into this world. Grateful to be surrounded by supportive people who make space for me to express my hurt and confusion out loud.

Divorce affects every child differently. However, all children of divorce do best when both parents stay actively involved in their lives. This continuing connection makes a positive difference for children of all ages—even teens—minimizing the fact that their parents no longer live together.

According to the every-now-and-then reminder notice from Facebook (also known as Memories), it's been six years since I took Alex to a celebratory lunch after we attended his graduation ceremony for promoting from Tevis Junior High School to Stockdale High School. I was so proud of him, and it was some rare quality time he and I would share that became less and less common as he got older, and I moved farther away.

How can this be? I know I am a woman at heart, but am a father... of four boys, nonetheless. As if raising four boys to become amazing men wasn’t full of its own challenges. Throw my being transgender and it’s quite an adventure. How lucky am I though to be a parent of blood borne children! I am so blessed!

I had failed, that’s all I could think. I was a failure as a parent, a foster parent and a decent human being. In training, they all but said that if we disrupted it was all our fault because we weren’t trying hard enough. (Disrupted means asking a child to be removed from your home before they are reunified, sent to live with relatives, or moved to their forever home). I had tried so hard, but I just couldn’t take it anymore and this child and our family was suffering because of it.

“I couldn’t be a Foster Parent, I worry I would get attached.”

Royal homebirth has been in the press a lot lately. Both Kate Middleton and Megan Markle considered having their babies at home, and just their suggestion was poignant—Royal homebirth hasn't been the norm for decades.

You don’t want to see your kids growing up spoiled. It would be difficult to discipline them. They will insist on doing what they want and might even refuse to listen to what you have to say. Yes, you love them so much and you want to give them everything they deserve. It doesn’t mean that you should spoil them. There are still great methods to give them their wants and needs without crossing the line of being spoiled. These are some tips to help prevent them from getting spoiled without necessarily making them feel like you’re depriving them.

You had a fairy tale wedding, and then all of a sudden life hit. All of your dreams simply disappeared, and over time you grew more and more distant in your relationship. If this sounds familiar, then read further to get a better understanding of why you may feel like you are living with a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Scroll through your Facebook feed and within one minute I can guarantee that you’ll see a post about how great family is. And don’t get me wrong, families can be great, in fact I hear some of them can be really nice people. But not always. In fact, members of your family can sometimes be the worst people you’ll ever meet.

When I was a kid, I really looked forward to every single holiday, as I knew what it meant for me. A lot of delicious food, a lot of presents, mostly toys, and the whole family in one place. I look forward to them even now, of course, as things have stayed pretty much the same, except that I don’t get toys anymore. Over the years, holidays have come to mean a lot more to me, as I always get the feeling of belonging somewhere, and not being alone. I always wondered if that’s everything about holidays that makes me happy, or is there something more. If you’ve had these kinds of thoughts as well, keep reading and find out what’s so special about holidays that boosts our happiness.

She was not at all what I expected. After reading part of her manuscript, I assumed she would be meek, timid, small and quiet. She was nothing like that. She was filled with happiness, magnetic, joyous yet calm and grounded. She laughed easily and made people feel comfortable in her presence. She was likable and filled with positive energy.

Welcoming a new member into your family is one of the most exciting moments, and one of the purest joys that you will ever experience. But, as any parent will tell you, it is also an incredibly stressful experience!

When Ruthie Ann was halfway out the birth canal, the doctor told Brenda to take a deep breath and prepare to push. When she did, Ruthie’s fragile, premature, little body slipped back into the birth canal, depriving her of precious oxygen for 45 seconds. In a panic, the doctor reached inside and pulled Ruthie into the world. It seemed as though the physician made a horrible mistake, which would ultimately lead to Ruth Ann’s physical disability, later diagnosed as Cerebral Palsy. However, because I am from the non-physical world and understand things from a higher perspective, I will tell you that this event was no accident caused by a doctor. In actuality, this act was the fulfillment of Ruthie’s own spiritual destiny. In a spiritual sense, she already knew the difficulties she was about to encounter in this lifetime. In a moment, her spirit hesitated as she tried to retreat to the warmth and comfort of her mother’s womb just one second before she was fully present in the physical world. It was in that second Ruthie questioned her resolve to fulfill her destiny. She did not feel ready to endure such hardships in the life that lay ahead. Understandably she tried to escape the difficulties that she would face by retreating back into her mother’s womb.

Yes, that’s what she was called. I don’t know if I ever remembered her given name. But Aunt Mute it was.

While it is essential to try and make time for your family each and every day throughout the year, it is especially important that you try to make time for your family and friends during the summer.

In 1995, as my family was headed to a Wednesday night church service, my nine-year-old daughter decided to take her stuffed Lion King toy. A guest speaker was in the pulpit and during her message, she spoke about Mufasa from the movie The Lion King. My little girl squeezed her toy and smiled with glee.

It had been a long night. At least for D. Of course, O. would go into labor during a terrible storm. A tornado watch had been issued for the Small Town area about six o'clock the previous evening. Rain was falling in sheets and one could barely see their hand in front of their face. A green tint fell over the sky and it was a good thing they lived so close to the salon; just about three blocks. If the weather was good and they weren't dog tired, they could walk home. Since O. had been pregnant, though, they had been riding home. It felt a little extravagant to be driving a mere three blocks and the exercise would have been great for her, but who was he to tell her she would benefit from the walk? Besides, standing on her feet all day, booked solid with appointments, he knew her body must hurt. At the very least, he knew her feet were tired. Good thing they rode home because she went into labor just about the second they crossed the threshold. D.'s mother lived with them and took care of M. and B. while they were at the salon. D. ran into the kitchen, where Mama was preparing chicken and dumplings for dinner, telling her it was time to go to the hospital. He grabbed her suitcase which was parked at the front door and they left. The trip downtown would take a good 20 minutes and that was only if there wasn't much traffic. Good job Central Expressway was completed in Small Town last year. It sure helped make the trip downtown seem shorter. They made it in record time and the nurse guided her to a room while he stayed at the desk completing paper work. The contractions were extraordinarily painful and only two minutes apart already. O. wondered how long it would be before this baby made its way into the world. She hoped the stormy weather would not be indicative of this baby's life.

In the Beginning

I never aspired to be a grandmother; I wasn’t against it, just never thought much about it. Then, along came my granddaughter, Madison, my first grandchild and I was in love.

This morning my wife woke me up by saying, "They stole our car from in front of my parent's house!" Not a nice way to start the day.

Seven months ago, you stood in front of me with an enormous smile, hardly able to contain your excitement. “I have something to show you!” you said, handing me your phone.

Cigarette smoke billowed and followed AC drafts from the ceiling above, searing the eyes of children and seniors alike. Whirling electronic sounds escaped the murmuring machines, as teenagers to the next lane appeared to be having the time of their lives—perhaps even the highlight of their lives. We devoured the pitchers of beer, to stomach the onslaught of laughter and those crackling, cacophonous sounds. Each strike, spare, or even gutter ball were announced to the lounge, as if the bowling alley had transformed into an arcade on steroids. Laughter penetrated any reflection of what had transpired two nights ago. Velda, Joshua, and his girlfriend could not help but notice my existential unease—my detachment. In that moment, I realized this could not happen to my family, rather, time and space were illusions—manmade constructs to ease the understanding of physics, to laymen and scholars alike. I felt somewhere—somehow—Ella was with me. I could still smell her locks of hair. I heard her call my name from the back of the alley. She was there. She had never truly left—or so I would not accept.

A couple months after my hysterectomy, a mom at the park casually asked me how many kids I want to have. It was too soon, I had no quippy answer prepared to shrug off the question, and it caught me off guard. I ended up telling her everything that happened to me, and she reciprocated with stories of her own postpartum experiences. I am grateful for sisterhood, motherhood, personhood. Grateful to wear the marks of what it took to bring my children into this world. Grateful to be surrounded by supportive people who make space for me to express my hurt and confusion out loud.

Yesterday was a day I will never forget. My dad had been in and out of the hospital over the last few weeks for having his blood sugar going from dangerously high to plummeting dangerously low as we introduced insulin. It was so hard to get regulated it seemed, and adding to the stress was the fear of every dose of insulin given, he could end up in hypoglycemic shock. I was wearing out. We finally got it regulated, and I felt like I could breathe again.

Home should be the safest place for you and your family. However, it is a sad fact of life that, even at home you and your family are not completely safe. There are still a lot of dangers that exist in a home. Here are some ways that you can protect your family at home.

“Our dog Chloe was really old for a dog, and couldn’t do that much stuff anymore. She couldn’t see or hear, so someone came to our house and put her to sleep. I felt really, really sad, because she was a good, behaving dog. I started crying. The whole family was sad because they loved her. I still miss her,” says nine-year-old Audrey Jones. There’s no doubt having a pet is a special part of childhood. Pets bring joy and fun to a household. So how do you handle it when that pet dies?

Let’s get real here. Once your baby arrives, you won’t have time for basic hygiene, let alone cooking. Babies are on their own time schedule, which means when you’re ready to prepare a fabulous five-course meal, your crying bundle of joy is ready to be held nonstop. And who wants to spend Baby’s future college fund on take-out? Besides, the goal is to lose the baby weight, not to pack on more pounds eating pizza day and night just because it’s a quick fix.

By Nattalie Gordon

They say when you're in your twenties, you go through “Phases” that occur at certain points in life. These phases shift the person you are to start a new point. But as we go through our shifts, we take hits that ultimately affect us as we move on… Well at least try to. These hits are turn into our “Issues,” and if those issues are not given their much-needed attention, over time we’ll have to work twice as hard to survive the emotional hell that is our life. I see life as a plant; the seed is planted and if nurtured correctly, it will blossom into something beautiful. It will eventually lose life when the roots are no longer able to be nurtured and cared for anymore or if something gets in the way of its life cycle.

There was a time when library shelves were filled with old dusty books. The librarian was an older person, usually a woman who was modestly dressed. If you spoke too loudly she would put a finger to her mouth and tell you "Shhh." I cannot ever remember in my 61 years ever hearing kids shouting and running through a library, that is until now. Libraries today are vastly different than what they used to be. Instead of rows and rows of books on shelves, most libraries today are filled with video games, CDs, video game systems, and DVDs. Unsupervised children run around shouting, play fighting, and having outdoor games such as hide and seek and tag indoors.

To say the least, my life is a fucking train wreck at the moment as it has been for quite a while. I thought I may have had it all in check at sometimes, but it would always come crumbling down every time that thought ever entered my mind. Usually they say get therapy, or connect with nature, but what if your body, your soul and mind don’t allow you to do that, and each day spent in bed becomes the reason for this suffering. What do we do then? Not a single person’s words are going to help, be it good or bad ones. The bad ones just constantly hurt, and the good ones you're questioning yourself about. Like is this really true, am I really a beautiful, clever, and confident individual. This feeling leaves you questioning the slightest of things, as well as the most important ones, such as your own life.

Introduction

My mom is a very interesting person. The experiences of her life have shaped her into the strong woman she is today. I wanted to better understand how this shaped her and learn about her life. I started by asking her about her childhood. It was 9:54 PM, on August 23, 1973, the hottest day of the year, when Grandma Jackie delivered Michelle Bonnie Gackstetter into the hands of Dr. Richard Mulder. When he unwrapped the umbilical cord from her neck, and she started to turn pink instead of blue, he probably started calling her 'Pumpkin.' My mom said, “The Catholic nuns from the hospital in Ivanhoe, MN, would pray for me every day from then on out, and knowing that has always made me feel a little more close to God.” I like to think that my mom has always been a fighter. I never knew that she had been born with her umbilical cord around her neck. I bet that really scared my grandma.

A parent-child relationship is one of the most evolving and versatile relationships we, as humans, are ever going to have.

Kids are cute, they are adorable, and they give parents a great sense of accomplishment. And, of course, loving them and attending to their needs is what makes you a good parent. But is it okay to love your kids more than your spouse? No, it is not. This is why:

Imagine standing there...

"I hate my life! I hate my life! I want to get out! I want all of this to end!" I screamed angrily into my pillow. It was not a loud scream, but a soft one with all the ferociousness and intensity from my body of a loud one... I do not have the privilege of letting out my frustrations for the neighbor and their dog to hear.

Today I went out with family! Mom found my sister who was missing for months, and we decided to celebrate. She was not hurt, she was a bit dirty and looked like she had been hiding on the streets and stuff. Mom is gonna take her to get checked, and get her new clothes and stuff, and get her set up with an apartment!

For the first time in my life, I can feel myself aging.