A Mother’s Cover Letter
To whom it may concern, I know my resume seems unimpressive. You’re not wrong to think that. I know it’s unimpressive. In fact, it’s so unimpressive that every time I look at it… I cry. There’s a painfully obvious large gap missing from my work experience. What could I have possibly been doing for so many years instead of working? The truth is: I’ve been home. I’ve been taking care of two beautiful little girls who have taken up more time and energy than what I want to admit. They are wonderful tiny humans and I’m sure you’d be impressed if you met them, but for now you’ll just have to take my word for it. Nonetheless, I’d like to say that they are who they are because of me. Because of the decision I made to stop pursuing what I loved and aspired to be to instead stay home and care for people who needed me the most. My love and dedication to let my children learn and grow in a healthy and encouraging environment has molded them into someone better than who my husband and I could ever be.
Stephanie RosasPublished 5 days ago in FamiliesPhone Calls With Mom
"Okay, honey. I love you and give Mark and the kids my love," Mom says. "Will do, mom. I love you too, and I will talk to you later," I reply.
J. Delaney-HowePublished 10 days ago in Families
I am a motherless daughter.
My mother is alive, living out her life as an alcoholic and drug addict in her mid-50s. She has been an addict since she was in the 10th grade when she dropped out. She had been drinking hard liquor and taking hard drugs my entire childhood into adolescence. I only ever remember her on something. That was my last memory of her, up until she kicked me out and changed the house locks while I was 16 and pregnant.
Jaded Savior BlogPublished 11 days ago in FamiliesThe Completely Unexpected
*** More info on the Unsplash image I used for this story. The photographer put this info on the image: Electronic fetal monitor showing the baby's heart rate (top blue), mother's heart rate (middle green), and labor contractions (bottom purple). Baby was born exactly 40 minutes later!
Esmoore ShurpitPublished 11 days ago in FamiliesAnd the Walls are Closing In
I'm facing the inevitable. The wheels are in motion and, to be honest, I'm not entirely happy about it. My daughter, my last born, is a college-bound high school senior and I have been hit like a ton of bricks with the reality of an unstoppable change sweeping over our lives. Reminiscent of the famous scene in Escape Route where Ben is trapped in a rapidly shrinking room while frantically searching for answers, I am trapped between the excitement of watching as she spreads her wings and the urge to hit the breaks and keep her in the nest while knowing, sadly, that there is really only one option.
Tracy WillisPublished 12 days ago in Families
My Father, the Enigma
Two years ago, my father died. Technically speaking, his passing was sudden -- but if you ask me, he had been impatiently waiting for his final breath from the very second his mother had taken hers. He made it two years and one day short of her birthday, and I’m convinced he left so abruptly because he couldn’t bring himself to sit through one more of her birthdays without her. Cancer was what eventually took him, and true to form it was a very rare, aggressive, and difficult-to-detect manifestation of the disease -- only something obscure would do, after all, for the man who repeatedly claimed his diabetes was not real and, instead, must have actually been something that science had not yet discovered.
Kristy Ockunzzi-KmitPublished 18 days ago in Families
Frank Talks: The Cupcake Penis, Santa Claus, and the Uterus Garden
Look at my cupcake, Yaya! My confusion is instantaneous. We are not in the kitchen, and we don’t have any cupcakes in the house, regardless. We also aren’t Greek, but he started calling me Yaya during his very young and extremely wise first year of life. Confusion and I are not strangers.
Lisa Gerard BraunPublished 23 days ago in Families
514 S. 6th Street, #3
“I like Jean’s version best,” said Uncle Jimmie. Aunt Jean had a gift for telling stories. They may have been filled with embellishments to brighten them up or exaggerated so the heroes became superhuman. I remember when she told us the story of Aunt Anne, who was being bullied every day by a slightly older girl. On the way to school, that girl would steal Aunt Anne’s lunch. My aunt would cry and go hungry. Then one day, she figured out how to stop this bully once and for all.
Nancy Nason GussPublished 24 days ago in Families
Kids Say the Darndest Things
The unfiltered truths from the fruits of our loins. And the creepiest things they've ever said. Help?
Parenting Wars
Do or do not - there is no try. The ins and outs of one of the most difficult jobs on earth: parenting.
Nature vs. Nurture
What plays into our humanity? Nature vs. Nurture – how two factors affect one individual.
How We Bake The Blended Family Cake
Disclaimer: As always, I’ve not your mum, counsellor, or health practitioner. Conduct your due diligence and don’t change your life based on my post.
Alison Tennent, The Garrulous GlaswegianPublished about 6 hours ago in Families
A 44-year-old woman regretted having an extramarital affair with her neighbor for five years
My colleague had an extramarital affair. She told me her story: I am 44 years old and have been married to my husband for eight years. The two of us used to be happily married, and my husband treated me well. However, I didn't cherish the relationship, which led to my husband divorcing me in the end. I regret it very much.
Intersectionality: The Choices That Make A Man
In my final year of school, I chose to focus my thesis on the subject of ethnicity and nationality, with particular interest in their intersection: overlapping identities battling one another, suppressing one another in a life-long pandemonium.
Jessica LeePublished about 9 hours ago in FamiliesGrandma's New Hobby
I am a beginning writer and a grandmother. When I found Vocal Media online, I was interested in writing stories to submit to the website, but I was also hesitant. Would I have any stories that others would want to read? What would I write about? Can I write well enough that I will avoid embarrassing myself? These were some of the questions that entered my thoughts when I considered whether to begin this journey.
Cathy MoneyPublished about 9 hours ago in Families
4 Celebrities Who Became Parents by Surrogacy (Photos)
Children come in different ways. Some people become parents by birth, some people become parents by adoption, and some people become parents through surrogacy. Through any means, a child is a blessing and it is a blessing that a lot of people seek for.
Jide OkonjoPublished about 10 hours ago in Families
One Family Christmas
With Thanksgiving (well, the American one) in the rearview mirror, I find my thoughts turning to Christmas. Who can blame me, it’s freakin’ everywhere, in the stores, on the radio, every freaking where.
3 Strategies to Prevent You from Killing Your Teenager
If you have teenagers you have likely had days where you thought that you might kill them — not literally of course. But in your imagination. And I want you to remember one thing: you are human. Just because you are a parent does not mean that you have the patience of a saint. Just because you are a parent does not mean that you have all the communications skills of a business person. Just because you are a parent does not mean that you don’t hurt inside.
Danielle McGawPublished a day ago in Families
"Oh Cancer, You Evil Bastard"
A couple of years ago, one of my husband’s Christmas gifts to me was the popular “23andMe” ancestry thingamabob. He bought it for me because I’d expressed interest in the equally popular competitor, “Ancestry,” the tool that allegedly helps you trace your family tree back to the Paleolithic Age. It’s the kit that’s frequently advertised on TV and touted as ideal for holiday gift-giving.
Sherry McGuinnPublished a day ago in Families
Creators We’re Loving
The creative faces behind your favorite stories.
Cheryl E Preston
1922 published stories
P. D. Murray
13 published stories
Annie Woo
2 published stories
Lori Melton
19 published stories
Bella Leon
24 published stories
Esmoore Shurpit
18 published stories
Jessica Skube
3 published stories
Arpad Nagy
112 published stories
Betsy Rapoport
1 published story
Kristy Ockunzzi-Kmit
9 published stories
Sarahmarie Specht-Bird
30 published stories
Linda Rivenbark
21 published stories
