Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

The Widow's Window
As I looked out the window of our tiny mountain apartment I could see the fog creeping in over the foothills. It looked just like how my soul felt, thick and lingering. Earlier that week I became connected with a part of myself I never knew existed until now. Im talking about the part of yourself that surfaces only after life's unimaginable occurs. Earlier that month the love of my life and the father to my two boys died and I was left to face the rest of our lives alone, or so it felt. Each moment that passed brought more intensity to the excruciating pain my heart was attempting to adapt to. How could this have happened? How could this now be our life? Moreover, how could I survive this life without him? I can tell you this for sure, I never knew how strong I was until that is all I could be. It has now been three years and my soul still yearns for him, my body still craves his touch but my heart has accepted that he is only with us now in spirit.
By Sada Arroz8 years ago in Families
A Father's Daughter
I'm going to admit something very big. I was a daddy's girl. But then I grew up. Dads are so important for little girls, it shows them how a man is to treat them, how they are loved, and sets up relationship boundaries that help them prevent getting stuck in the most unsuccessful kinds of relationships. It also means that they have a friend and a life coach.
By Heather Wilkins8 years ago in Families
You Never Know How Smart You Aren't
I can remember going through school thinking to myself, "When in the hell am I going to actually use any of this information they're forcing down my throat right now?" Answer: When you have children. I should've listened to my inner self when I said I wasn't going to have any kids. EVER!
By Katherine Morales8 years ago in Families
That Northern Country Feel: Part One
Family life and the place in which you are raised always has an effect on your psyche; be it how you respond to different situations, what you personal beliefs are, or how you converse with your friends, your upbringing has everything to do with who you are. Living in a small state like Vermont is DEFINITELY no exception.
By L. Rose Sargeant8 years ago in Families
10 Things I Wish My Mom Told Me
Your body goes through major changes after child birth. I wish my mom had told me the changes your body goes through after having a baby. I knew my body would be different but I had no idea just how different. Never mind all the obvious (and not so obvious) painful changes but this is just about the look of your body after having a baby. Your breasts change, you gain weight, your skin is loose, and your hips change. Of course everyone goes through their own changes, but I wish my mom had told me about the changes she went through so I was better prepared from a young age. I think it is important for young kids to know that mom bodies are different than those who have never had a kid.
By Mich8 years ago in Families
Shattered
It was the day my life turned upside down. I remember the phone ringing early in the morning. It was a Wednesday and I was in the 9th grade. I was planning to get up earlier than usual to get ready for school. I was never a morning person. I would always snooze the alarm multiple times, trying to get an extra 10 or 15 minutes of shut eye. Yet somehow that morning I didn't press snooze on the alarm. I was still in bed, but my eyes were open. I heard a knock on the door.
By F Cummings8 years ago in Families
The Truth About Postpartum Depression: From a New Mom
The "Bad Mom" Stigma "Postpartum Depression," the F-bomb of the mom world until now, also known as P.P.D. Did you know, suicide is the second leading cause of death in Postpartum women? "Suicide," yet another taboo word when talking about depression after birth. Suicidal thoughts and thoughts of self harm are a side effect of depression, and it does not make you a bad mother to admit that you suffer from them. "Bad mom" stigma can be a deterrent for getting help to avoid judgement from uninformed family and peers. I'm here to tell you from experience that seeking help from a medical professional makes you no less a mother than any other mother. Finding treatment allows you to soak up that precious time with the baby without the worry of depression or anxiety.
By Lauren Audelo8 years ago in Families
Abandoned Homes
I can’t be the only person who looks at an abandoned house and wonders what the story behind it is. Did this house once belong to a happy family? Could some tragedy be the cause of the home’s emptiness? The world of possibilities is endless. There has to be more to the home than peeling paint and overgrown lawns. At one time, someone moved into that home with dreams and ambitions. They dreamed of the life they would live in that home. A home in which they would create memories. As they unlocked the doors for the first time, they unlocked all the possibilities. The person who lived there could have been anyone. They could have chosen to live in any house and they chose this one. Why did they leave? Was it their choice or were they forced?
By Veronica O8 years ago in Families
Living with Divorced Parents
My parents got married when I was nine years old. I had a brother that was 14 at the time. My family all together was dysfunctional. My mother was kind and gentle. Both of my parents were using methamphetamine. It was a rough childhood. My parents fought and yelled. I even think my father cheated on my mom several times. By the end of fifth grade, my family was ready to dissolve. My mother had finally had enough. She told my father to leave after one fight not expecting for him to take me and my brother. I got dropped at a family friend's house where I stayed for 6 months. I returned to my mother only once during that time. The house was a mess, my mother was depressed, and she had even started dating.
By Lacey Micheels8 years ago in Families
To the Drunk Driver and His Wife Who Killed My Sister
My name's Anna Holt. I don’t want to come out harsh, but you killed my sister. The exact person I need today. Idk if you & your husband set off that day and intended to kill someone and it so happened or your minds just aren’t right and you have a cold heart. I look at pictures of her today and I see how calm and perfect and amazing she looked. Y’all took something away from me that I will never get back and I absolutely can’t stand you or your husband for that. This whole thing disgusts me. Life after her is a blur knowing I never met a sibling who could’ve changed me life for the better in many of different ways. How could a kid and a family friend walk across the road after my mom's car broke down end up killed with no one answerable for it besides you, too bad you acted like it wasn’t your fault. This could’ve been avoided. Every time we drive by the spot she got killed at, it gets a little hard to breathe. Before she passed away, the household then was happy and truly amazing. Then y’all threw a bomb right into my family’s and friends of family’s life. When I look at my dad, you can see the sadness in his eyes. When you look at my mom you can see how broken she is. When you look at my brother that knew her personally you can see that he lost not only a sister but a best friend. And when you look into mine and my other brother's eyes, you see part of us, that’s missing, that could’ve been there, and everything would’ve been fine. I break a little more whenever I hear her name. Losing a child is an unimaginable loss. I will never be able to forgive y’all for what you did that night on June 28th, 2003. I don’t hate you, but I hope you have conscience so you think about the impact of what you did. I hope you will one day feel the pain I have been feeling ever since I was able to understand that she’s gone. You stole events like Christmas, Halloween, her birthday, and much more away from us. Even small things like watching a movie as a family or going out to eat. 15 years have passed and the pain still hasn’t passed for anyone and I don’t think it ever will, we just have learned to live with it. I ask myself why every night. Why couldn’t have she lived? Why couldn’t she just have had a few injuries? I believe that everything happens for a reason, but this? There is not an explanation. I hope one day you’ll realize how bad we are hurting. You’ll probably look at this and roll your eyes, but I hope I just hope it hurts deep down. I pray for y’all every night. I still got out the violin she had and look at the strings and stroke them even tho half of them are broke off, I still look at the scrapbook filled of her pictures, I still have the poem she wrote hanging up on my mirror, and I still have the box she had that played music. On a holiday like mother’s or Father’s Day or my siblings and my birthdays that box plays music out of no where, and I truly believe it’s her. Thank you, thank you for making me experience true hurt and brokenness.
By Anna Holt8 years ago in Families
My Mother
I can't ever forget that tragic day. I can't ever forget the sound of the rain, the voices of the people around me, the feeling of the tears running down my face. I can't ever forget he regret I had, the sight of her lifeless body. It's like a nightmare. I wanted to wake up. My whole world changed on that tragic day. The day everything changed. The day I lost my dear beloved mother. If you ask me to explain what happened, I can easily tell you everything.
By Sammy Armstrong8 years ago in Families
The Beginning
A short time ago I received some news of my father. He has emphysema which had become so bad he will need an oxygen tank for the rest of his life. He had always been a heavy smoker. What surprised me was how I reacted. I thought, "Oh well." Later I started thinking about why I reacted the way that I did.
By Jessica Baker8 years ago in Families