Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
I Want to Have a Baby, But...
I remember when I decided (with my partner) that I wanted to have a baby. It was a decision made so easy, almost as if one was deciding what to have for dinner that night. *LOL* What made this so interesting was that I never wanted to have children AT ALL. I guess some switch was flipped inside of me and “baby fever” was pulsing through my veins like a drug.
By Reaux Tinkleflower8 years ago in Families
Finishing What He Started
My late grandfather was an editor's choice award winner three times. He wrote songs, short stories, and children's books. I even heard of a screenplay for a TV show that he never showed anyone. He was a child at heart and always knew how to reach children with his words. Imagine the lessons we got as kids, not to mention the bedtime stories and games we played together. He was always so animated and got into it with his outfits. We had a lot of fun growing up because of him.
By Carmen Spiteri8 years ago in Families
Common Car Seat Mistakes Parents Make That Can Hurt Your Child
A new baby can be so exciting! And stressful. With each new stage of your child's development comes new things to learn for yourself, as well. While you can't always predict the future, and as parents, you have a lot to learn along the way, it's best to be prepared. Informing yourself on safety procedures, such as common car seat mistakes or learning some of the best tip and tricks like what to know about potty training while traveling, can save you a lot of headache, stress, and perhaps even your life.
By Sherry Campbell8 years ago in Families
Parenting on the Autism Spectrum
With any good story, there has to be a beginning. My journey with parenting on the Autism Spectrum started nine and a half years ago. I don’t pretend to be an expert on Autism. I don’t really think there is anyone on the planet that is an expert on Autism. There is still so much that even the scientific community doesn’t know. We don’t even know what causes it. Sure, there is the speculation that vaccines like the MMR vaccine cause Autism. But there has not been any verifiable proof that it does. But what does it really matter what causes it? Does that change what we as parents must go through to raise our precious children who are on the spectrum? No, so let’s move forward so that we can help our children to live meaningful lives.
By Teresa Gorant8 years ago in Families
On the Day My Mother Was Cremated
On the day she was cremated, 3 days after she passed away, I was alone in my house. I was on the other side of the country over a thousand miles away. Alone with my thoughts. Alone with my feelings. I had work to do but felt paralyzed to move forward. It felt as if time had stopped for the moment.
By Paula C. Henderson8 years ago in Families
How It Affects Me
My childhood was a relatively normal and happy one. I have three little sisters, two of which share a father with me. No brothers at all. Just us girls. Hell, there was hardly ever a long-term man around as I grew up. My mother had shitty luck and it was not until I was about to turn 18 that she finally found a man she is genuinely happy with. He is actually a pretty decent person. I didn't really see it when I was younger, but to be honest I think a lot of my issues with him came from the issues we have always had with our father.
By Alicia Abbott8 years ago in Families
Opinion: Children Are Getting Worse
Walking down the dusty halls of my old job, I always heard the same conversation. "Children have gotten worse." Walking down the dusty halls of my (once) new job, I hear the same thing. I didn't believe it at first, believing children to always have been bad, but now I fully agree. Children, in my opinion, have gotten worse. And they keep getting worse. Every educator has their own reasoning behind it. Ask the veterans and they think it's violence on TV and in video games. Ask the newer teachers and they think it's due to parents. As someone that has grown up watching violence every day, I agree with the parental theory.
By Allie Brown8 years ago in Families
Babies Are Blessings
When I was 23-years-old, my boyfriend and I could not wait to have a baby of our own. He had a 5-year-old from a previous relationship but we wanted to add a child of our own into the mix. I wouldn't say we were actively trying to conceive, but at the same time, we weren't trying to prevent it.
By Lauren Haley8 years ago in Families
My First Memory
Dad was on the other side of the kitchen table with his heart patterned coffee-mug, singing a tune to me that always gave me a rush of laughter. My mind never entirely made connections with the sounds coming from his mouth, and he knew that. But all I knew was that I wanted to hear it until the day came to a shy ending.
By Olivia Jackson8 years ago in Families
