Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
A Good Man
My father was a good man. Not a great one, but certainly not bad in the least. He was known by friends, family, and acquaintances alike as the man who gave too much, even to those who did not seem to deserve his kindness or generosity. There were also many people who saw him, this small 5’5” man, words laced thick with the love for his home country of Mexico, skin tanned and firm like the leather of his favorite huaraches, and thought,
By Lucero Nieves6 years ago in Families
A Perspective on Divorce in Indian-American Culture
In Indian culture and also Indian-American culture, it remains taboo to get divorced. There is a stigma of shame surrounding Indian divorcees and whispers in the community in the context of there being something “wrong” with individuals who do choose to divorce. Not only does this cultural barrier promote domestic violence to exist in many Indian homes, but it forces people to often put up a front of “toxic positivity” - pretending to others and often themselves that everything is ok when in reality the basic needs and desires of the individuals in the marriage are not being met. Growing up in Indian culture we are conditioned as children to have the mindset that marriage lasts forever, even beyond this lifetime and extending into 7 lifetimes as symbolized by the 7 circles a husband and wife walk around a fire in traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies.
By Suparna Saha6 years ago in Families
Joey isn't the only one who doesn't share food!
If there is one thing that just about all American's can agree on, it's a love of the hit tv show, Friends. And nothing is more iconic than the episode where Joey makes it loud and clear that "JOEY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!"
By S. L. Harpel6 years ago in Families
The Bounce
Claude was thirteen. He walked down an empty two lane road, avoiding puddles so that the rain water wouldn't get to his feet, through virtually disintegrated shoes, his only means of transportation. He accompanied his older sister and his mother, on the way back to their very humble home from the local store, on Washington state's rural Kitsap Peninsula. It was summer, 1945.
By Jonathan Warren6 years ago in Families
When Prince Got Me Kicked Out of my Great Grandmother's House.
I grew up in Texas as an only child to a single mother. Once school was out for summer, my mom couldn't afford to pay for childcare, so I typically spent my summers in Mississippi staying with family, namely floating between my grandmother's place and my great grandparents' house. One particular summer while staying with my great grandparents, my young-crazy-cool aunt rented a house down the street from them and I made every attempt to spend time with her. The problem was, her and my great grandmother didn't always get along.
By Erica Roberts 6 years ago in Families
2005 And Me Chapter One: From South Jersey To The Covenant House
Image provided by Wikipedia The year 2004 wasn’t kind to me to say the least. It was a far cry from where I was a year prior in 2003. I had graduated high school and it seemed great things were on the horizon. What a difference a year makes. My mother and I got evicted from our apartment in the Bronx, NY. Late rent and high bill payments took their toll so we were forced to leave. Our neighbor was nice enough to let my mother and I stay there for a while.
By Sakoli Norman 6 years ago in Families
Fear of Knowing Who You Are
If I got shanked for every time I heard the statement "your family are the ones you're born with" I would be dead...and I would rather be...because that's bull-crap. If we were to get into the semantics of family, then yes, they are your blood relatives. But looking at it from a different perspective, they are supposed to be there to support you, accept you for who you are, raise you to be a professional human being, and provide you with the basic necessities for survival. So in context, the idea of family is not always related to who you're stuck with.
By Maideline Sanchez6 years ago in Families
Home is Where the HEART Is
Home! Home is where the HEART is, of course that is what they always say. “Where is my heart and where is my home?” I think to myself. Through the years you move, you locate to where the jobs are, where you think the best schools are, where you can find yourself. Maybe you're moving to something or maybe you're moving away from something. Let me tell you about my home. I live in a small town in East Texas. Since my husband passed away and my grown children have move out on their own, I bought a house right next door to my sister. I live in the town I grew up in where I have many friends and many connections. I guess you would say that I have been home in many places.
By Stephanie Osteen6 years ago in Families
The Little Black Book Challenge
Elizabeth sat across the mahogany desk from a stifled man who was seemingly uptight. He was an older man with crystal blue eyes, that although they were tarnished by multiple folds of sagging skin and unsightly moles, remained beautiful in a haunting way. All of his personality and social skills must have been stuffed into his ill-fitting off black suit, like a man trying on his wedding day tuxedo he'd retired several years prior. His hands, gnarled with arthritis, held onto a black leather book steadfastly; the book itself showing signs of great age. Aging in the way of cracks in binding and cover, crispy pages, and dog-eared pages whose edges would never be smooth again. Golden letters are carved into the face of the text and one side, "The Rules of The Cast." The clock ticked away the minutes as both Elizabeth and Mr. Carmichael, as he had introduced himself, exchanged awkward periods of exaggerated throat clearing and heavy sighs.
By Aaliyah Hanna6 years ago in Families
A history, lost
Having witnessed many changes in my lifetime, I find that I do not enjoy them. Since change is usually—to me—something negative, I find it hard to embrace. My mother calls me stubborn, but I call it loyalty. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for what I consider the biggest adjustment of my life.
By Shawna Blake6 years ago in Families
On My Mind
I hated that I had to struggle so much. I hated that my body always seemed to be against me. Like when I was constantly sick as a kid, like how my parents rarely had health insurance with good coverage, like how even after I got my tonsils removed, I still got sick all the time.
By Caitlyn Curry6 years ago in Families
