Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Diary of a Dad Aged 50¾ - Part 3
Don’t let others know, especially teenagers, but I think today I might have cracked it! Today we have a walking, talking and active teenager. I know that one day in isolation doesn’t count for a full seven years of teenage life, but today could be a way to get involvement, interest and communication without the grunts, eye-rolling and belief that everyone else comes from a different planet. The favourite current phrase used towards us is “we’re a new generation!”
By Steve Atkins-Linnell8 years ago in Families
Five Things Parents of an Autistic Child Don’t Want to Hear
1. "I don’t know how you do it." Do what? Love my kid unconditionally? I ‘do it’ because she’s my daughter whether or not she has autism. I’m her mother. I’m just doing what any decent mom does: Taking care of my child.
By Holly Paine8 years ago in Families
Family Views
Growing up with divorced parents can cause some gaps in how things were between your parents. One parent says they tried to be there while the other, which is usually the one with sole custody, claims otherwise. When you have siblings that come from each parents' new relationships you start to feel pushed out and alone. Add to that the ten year age gap between the siblings and yourself and you start to have vastly different views on how each parent was. For instance, on parent may have barely been in your life for one reason or another and while you and your parent know this to be fact, the sibling may see it differently. This difference in views can often lead to conflict in that the child of that distant parent may feel offended especially if that parent was amazing to their child.
By Tony Campbell8 years ago in Families
The Journey to Balance
Balance—it's that all elusive thing that we want. I feel like everyone strives towards it their whole lives and no matter what we do, we never feel like we achieve it. Part of the problem is that balance is incredibly individualized. Everyone can handle a different mix of activities in their life. It also depends on if you are introverted or extroverted. You may be single, married, single with kids or married with kids. A 25-year-old's idea of balance will probably be different from a 65-year-old's. You have to figure out what balance is to you and then work towards it.
By Jessica McCarty8 years ago in Families
Fathers & Daughters
November 4, 2006: A Year of Great Change But first, I should probably tell the story as to why... the entire story. My parents divorced when I was too little to know what it meant. I was about 2-years-old when they split up, so I never truly saw them together. But moving forward, my dad would pick my sister and I up from school every Friday and take us back to our mom and step dad's place to pack for the upcoming weekend.
By Emily Gales8 years ago in Families
Lost at Home
Nearly 19 years ago, I was born in Bell County, Texas. My parents, as well as both sides of my family, are of Puerto Rican descent. Living in a Hispanic household, or at least mine, held a stigma. A stigma where mental health is taboo, and booboo's can be healed by saying "Sana sana colita de rana" and everything can be fixed with Vicks Vapo Rub. However, I was never properly prepared for the biggest sin that can be committed in the Hispanic culture. Not speaking Spanish.
By Le'Ann Hernandez8 years ago in Families
The Glory of a Child
I am always captivated by the joy of children. Their charming delight in everyday amazements like sprinklers, puddles, mud pies, bugs, and all manner of “don’t play with that” things. You can give a small child a string, and he or she will go on playing with it for as long as it does things that they do not expect. A piece of twine is an endless line of discovery. (Much like the thneads in Dr. Suess’s The Lorax). I was watching a little boy one time while his parents were away, and we were running out of things to do. He had already watched a movie, and we had played outside for a while. I decided that lunch was the perfect way to occupy both mind and body for at least a brief time, so we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sat at the table talking about the movie. The talking was more akin to a stream of sound effects and indiscernible jelly colored language mixed with the occasional roar for dramatic effect, but it was entertaining and kept him in one place effectively. After our brief stop for sustenance, we pondered over what the next conquest would be. The choices were limited to: the evil emperor (played involuntarily by the baby), the stairs (on hands and knees as a horse mind you), or the kingdom (a charming description of the backyard with the playset as the castle).
By Abbey Ness8 years ago in Families
Baby-Led Solids II
I hear you're interested in learning more about baby-led solids. That's great! In my last blog post, we talked about what baby-led solids are, and how to know when it's time to start. If you haven't read it yet, you can follow this link to catch up on the conversation. At the end of my last post, I promised to disclose the best foods to start off with. Read on to hear my two cents.
By Ashley Lichenstein8 years ago in Families
