Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Barney The Barn Owl
It’s been a few hours since the amber alert was first dispatched. 7- year-old Jason-Jay Jackson or J.J. by his family and friends, went missing in the dense forest not far from their farm, while playing hide and seek with his older brother and sister. When they couldn’t find him during his turn to hide they started to get worried. They called out his name over and over and then worried turned to fear. They ran back home as quickly as they could yelling out to their parents both extremely distraught. Mom frantically called 911 giving a detailed description of J.J. and headed out with a very concerned Dad to search for J.J.
Pamela WrightPublished about an hour ago in Families
My Mother’s Hands
These hands.... Born 2 pounds and something in 1944. Told by my grandmother to take her home and make her comfortable. So she pinned her to a pillow and made up her own formula. And she thrived.
Joey JohnsonPublished about 2 hours ago in Families
My Struggles
I have tried to submit this one time already but it wasn't long enough so here I go again. Let me start by saying this piece should not be viewed or interpreted as I hate being a home health aide to my mother in any way. The part I hate is the struggles that come with doing this. And yes I knew there would be struggles when I signed up to do this. I have been my mothers home health aide for the last 2 years. I had been apart from my mother for 4 years before that due to her living in Washington state. Then she moved back to take care of my last living uncle 2 years ago. I'll get more into that later. Then I moved back home with them due to a bitter and abusive ex husband. Then I found out my mother has stage 4 kidney failure. To those of you who don't know what that means I will explain. It means that 1 of her kidneys is completely shut down and the other is only working some not 100%. That is a struggle to handle yes. Then on top of that she has type 2 diabetes she is completely insulin dependent. Those two things i have pretty well mastered. As far as what she can and shouldn't eat and also how much insulin to give her and when. Also on what foods are best for her kidney function. Well fast forward to last year i also became the home health aide to my last living uncle. He had leukemia . I took care of him all the way up until his last day on earth. He past away February 2020. He pretty much raised me. And he will never get to see the woman i grew up to be. But back to the love and hate relationship i have with being a home health aide to a parent. Yes its been a struggle because in the beginning i was working a 50 + hour a wekk job on top of being her full time caregiver. Yes i still work a full time job on top of taking care of her simply because the state won't to jerk me around and not pay me to do it simply because they can. I have filed every bit of paperwork they need and talked to everybody from a case worker to manager and social worker. I also deal with Medicaid because their the ones that give me the most hassle over my mother. They tell me their going to drop her simply because she is too high risk because she has fallen 19 times in the last 4 months. But then i try to explain to them that she wouldn't be falling if they would do what they need to do for me to be able to be at home with her all day and night to prevent her falls. She falls due to her knees giving out. She doesn't know when they will and when they won't give out. She could be completely fine one minute and then I go to transfer her from the bed to her chair or walker and they give out. Don't get me wrong i love my mother. But I always have the thought in the back of my head would she be safer in a home with around the clock care or is at home with me the best option? I have worked in nursing homes before and I see the type of care that these people receive. And it is down right disgusting. And yes I know that has nothing to do with the nursing home. It comes down to the caregivers they hire. I always wonder if I am giving her the best care. Is there more I could be doing? Yes I worry everyday when I walk out the door to go to my full time job if I am going to get a call saying that she's unresponsive. And that thought tears me up inside. I just wonder sometimes if there are other home health aides out there that are taking care of a parent or a relative that can relate to this? This is only part one of this collection of my love and hate relationship with being a home health aide to a parent. And please if you have thought about being a home health aide to a parent or relative feel free to ask me any questions and I will do my very best to answer any and all questions. Or even if you have questions about her condition I am an open book. Thanks for stopping by and reading this. Thank you and god bless.
Jennifer SalinasPublished about 3 hours ago in Families
Timmy and the Great White Owl
Once upon a time in the forest. There was a family of mice that lived inside an oak tree. Timmy was curious about the sky. So one night he pretended to go to sleep. After he was tucked in his bed. And all the lights were off. He snuck out of the house and went to explore.
Anjalee JadavPublished about 3 hours ago in FamiliesDear Mom
Dear Mom, Family sucks! As I sit here in a hoodie that's barely blocking the light emitting from my lamp, I wonder why we acquire the family that we have instead of the family that we want. I feel like a character in a novel written by someone who forgot to incorporate compassion, respect, and pure love.
Shereese NPublished about 3 hours ago in Families
The Ghost Note
"Grandma, we nearly have everything unpacked. Where would you like this notebook to go?" A young woman asks, holding up a small leatherback booklet. It was maybe half a foot in length, with a black fabric tie around it. An elderly woman slowly moves into view. "Ah, my old friend. I had feared I lost you in the move." The older woman takes it gingerly from the hands of her granddaughter, slightly caressing the spine of the little black book. The young woman shakes her head with a sigh. She then proceeds to break down the empty box before her. "You act like that thing is alive, grandma." She turns to face her grandmother and the older lady chuckles. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Call me senile you would." A smile cracks on the old woman's features, but it turns sad when she looks at the book once more. "It has been with me and helped me many times, Cassidy."
Aviator ShadowPublished about 4 hours ago in FamiliesDivorce, from a Child's Perspective
The divorce rate in the United States is 40$-50%. Adults and children alike are affected by this separation. Some marriages end before children are brought into the mix, which possibly makes the separation easier. Nothing about divorce is necessarily easy, if abuse was involved there is trauma and healing to go through, if it was amicable, you're still likely to be left to deal with the loss of that connection. Once children come into the mix the effects are no longer just impacting the adults. There are both long-term and short-term effects of divorce.
Shasta ScottPublished about 4 hours ago in FamiliesHaving a baby in 2020
As 2020 ended I thought to myself, “what a bizarre year”. What a bizarre year to be pregnant and have a baby in the same year. 2020 was rough. Rough for everyone. Some a little more rough than others. For me it was extremely rough. I got pregnant and had a baby writhing the same year. 2020. My husband and I had been trying since October, 2019, so we didn’t intend to get pregnant a month before the big shut down. We had been trying 5 months prior, but I guess God has a funny way of making things work out.
Yvonne MeeusePublished about 4 hours ago in Families
Post #3 - In the early 70s this Big Old House became my home
Sotomayor 593 It couldn’t have been a worse time to attempt a reconciliation with Tatita and Nona. Chile had just recently fallen under a dictatorship, which made it rather difficult for anyone to move freely within Santiago.
The Venus QuestPublished about 4 hours ago in Families
Always Loved
Tear drops drip, drip, drip down my cheeks onto the pillow. Lower lip is bitten in attempt to muffle the scream waiting to escape from the mouth. The bed is pounded by the fist repeatedly in an effort to let out some of the pent up frustration and rage. Continuous flashbacks play over and over in the brain, never letting things settle down for even a moment. What’s going on? This is grief, at least from my perspective.
Rebecca Loretta ArbicPublished about 4 hours ago in Families
Locomotive Naïveté
“All aboard all aboard!” “Listen pal, I told you once and I’m not sayin’ it again. You get that damn parakeet back in it’s cage or we’re gonna have a problem.”
ian onuskaPublished about 4 hours ago in Families
The Bad Little Brothers
“Run!!” he cried out. Both boys threw open the door to their house and fled on foot down the street into the evening fog. Behind them, they could see the light shining through the front door as the silhouette of a maddening creature roared violently into the blackening sky.
C. Taylor EasonPublished about 5 hours ago in Families
