Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Womb for Rent
By the age of 37, I have had five pregnancies and have given birth to seven children. If you are keeping score, perhaps you have surmised that I have carried two sets of twins. To put another spin on things, I should add that I only have one child of my own. I carried all of the babies to full term and they are all growing and thriving, just not with me. I am a professional surrogate, and this is my story.
By Jessica Altman-Pollack6 years ago in Families
Naughty Nun
Liza: The sound of my alarm brings me out of my amazing dream yet again to do the same thing today as every day. Wake up, shower, then pray, and breakfast. Cleaning the chapel before children came in for prayer, worship, and beading time (that's not too bad).
By Habby Grac6 years ago in Families
Excited to be Scared
EXCITED TO BE SCARED “ARE YOU READY TO FLY?” MY DAUGHTER ASKED ME. THE ONLY WAY TO RESPOND TO SUCH A STATEMENT IS “YES, I’M READY TO FLY”; WE TOOK EACH OTHERS’ HANDS; GENTLY GRIPPING MY OTHER DAUGHTER'S HAND AS WE WALKED TOGETHER KNOWING THAT THE FUTURE IS THE TRUST WE PUT IN THE UNIVERSE TOGETHER. THERE IS PEACE AND LOVE WHEN YOU LET GO TO THE UNIVERSE AND THE DIVINE, THIS IS SUCH A STORY.
By Call Me. Ishmael6 years ago in Families
Growing Up Without A Mom Finale
After leaving my mom, everything was different. I felt a bigger void than the one that was already there. I missed her now more than ever. Since I left I felt like we talked every week, instead of every month. It was great to hear her voice, and just hear her say I love you. About a month later, my mom made arrangements with my aunts to have me travel to Vegas for Thanksgiving with her side of the family. Thankfully, my aunts agreed. The plan was to have me spend Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family and travel to Vegas the following day to spend the weekend with my moms side of the family. I was excited and beyond grateful, I was going to see her again, sooner than I thought... OR so I thought.
By Krista Nakano6 years ago in Families
Growing Up Without A Mom Pt. 3
The year I turned 16... That is supposed to be the best year for a girl. You're finally old enough to drive, more responsibilities, you're just getting older, high school is almost over, and being adult is soon to follow. Everything you should be looking forward to as a young adult. However, my 16th year, was far from being the best year...
By Krista Nakano6 years ago in Families
Parenting is a Mindf**k
I found myself standing in the bathroom of the house I shared with my best friend early one morning, in late November 2008. I was brushing my teeth, trying like hell to ignore the pregnancy test on the counter next to me. I counted down the minutes as I brushed, anxiety churning, my stomach in knots.
By Melissa Godshall6 years ago in Families
Chapter 1. Part B - Di.
I moved to Prague when I was six years old. I was born in Kazakhstan in 1986, but my nationality and origin are Tatar. There are more than 130 nationalities in Kazakhstan, so it is quite common to see people from China, Korea, Ukraine, Russia, and other neighboring countries to be in the same class. During that period, my country was part of the Soviet Union, and speaking the Russian language was mandatory. My father only talked to me in Russian. Therefore it became my first language. When you picture me, you can imagine an Asian, looking Korean girl with an almond shape light blue eyes, pale skin, long brown wavy hair, thin nose, and look with a cunning sight.
By Mrs. Di Ford 6 years ago in Families
Coming to Terms With the Death of My Family
Coming to terms with the death of my family (Part one) Trigger Warning:Family Trauma This idea has been in play with my life since before I knew what my childhood trauma looked like. During my parent’s divorce, I felt as if my mother handled it poorly. I saw the reaction from my dad and it hurt more than the split. Throughout their divorce process, my mother treated me poorly. Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely an angsty teenager and like always, I spoke my mind. When I found out about my mother’s affair, it was no secret that I disapproved. I remember one day, during court mandated therapy, I was asked to describe my mom in one word and I chose “home wrecker”. I’m sure this hurt her, but it was an honest description of how I felt. I mention this moment because it marked the beginning of the end for our relationship as mother and daughter. This seemed to be the moment she decided that I was too much trouble and not worth the hassle. Perhaps this sounds a bit dramatic, but this is coming from retrospective and not immediate feelings towards the matter. I remember the day I stopped loving her like a mom. She and I were fighting and to be honest, I don’t even remember what about. As we were walking up the stairs to her apartment door, she stopped me on the narrow stair riddled hallway, and slapped my face so hard that my braces went through my lip. She slapped me. I was a child, having a hard time coping with all of this new information in a short amount of time. Some people may read this and think about how the time was different or perhaps I really was such a pain in the ass and she snapped. To be honest, I don’t know if these were the case. All I know is that I was a child in pain. I was trying to cope with ideas way beyond my understanding and at that moment more than ever, I needed a mom. She started dating the man she cheated on my dad with and as you can imagine, I did not approve or take it lightly. My dismissal of this relationship provoked the first abandonment of me by my mom.
By Tawny Skye6 years ago in Families
