Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
The Heck With 'Normal' Parenting!
I have been a mother for more then half my life. I have seen just about everything there is to see and experienced more then my fair share of ups and downs. I keep chugging along knowing that what I do is NOT considered "normal."
By Joanne Hawkins9 years ago in Families
Wait, Worry, Repeat
Technology these days is quite incredible, especially when it comes to pregnancy, infertility and prenatal testing. However, living in a time where this technology can comb through every blood cell and chromosome, can be a blessing and a curse. My husband and I decided that our two rambunctious boys needed some company and opted to try for baby number three. I'm the type of person who can sneeze and get pregnant so this was the easiest part of our journey. That all being said, after having two healthy, fairly easy pregnancies and deliveries this time has been different from the beginning. Now that I'm 35 years old I'm considered a "geriatric pregnancy"... sounds nice doesn't it? Due to this situation, even though I'm a healthy, active, vegetarian mom, I needed a slew of tests to make sure my "high risk pregnancy" was healthy and normal. At 14 weeks along, my high risk OB calls and says that they noticed "a micro deletion on a chromosomal test" and I needed to come in to speak with a genetic counselor. My husband and I were a little worried but not overly concerned. After speaking with the genetic counselor we found out that this "micro deletion" could cause two different serious syndromes in our unborn child. This news was devastating. Not only because the unknown is so scary, but because we had to then wait two long weeks until I could take a more invasive test for 100% accurate results. After the pain and stress of the amniocentesis test, now we are in the other two week waiting period for the results.
By Stephanie Heisler9 years ago in Families
Water
It was an unnecessarily hot Tuesday afternoon. I was babysitting my little brother. Well, my little brother was playing and I was doing other things. One would think that a family with an in-ground pool would have AC, but no, we had fans. My brother ran around the house happily chasing around the kittens.
By Savannah McCain9 years ago in Families
Parenting the Unparentable
Being a parent of gorgeous children is a blessing in its own. Have you ever had that child that is unteachable, or unparentable? Given the idea of having kids is a blessing and a great thing, but where are the parents who have kids that are unteachable? Why don't they come forth and explain the bad sides of parenting? This is the thing, everyone is supposed to recreate and bring forth the next generation and so on and so forth... Blah blah blah... All is good until you come across a child that just doesn't get it at all! A child who since he was 3 years old has been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and at 8 years old diagnosed with ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder)... One of those disorders alone is enough to drive a parent crazy. Mind you he has both!! Now with all the school involvement and home teachings you would think a child would get the point of learning new things and being able to understand right from wrong at this point right? Wrong! The unteachable is unthinkable but BAM... There it is right in your face. Failing grade after grade, psychological evaluations, and therapy sessions just doesn't even put a dent in this child's mind. Day after day it's a struggle to even wake up to tackle the day knowing you have a child that refuses to listen, learn, or even remotely act like he loves his mother a tiny bit. The daily dose of, go to your room now, get off your sister, don't talk back to me, slow down, eat your dinner, wash yourself right, brush your teeth correctly, clean your room now, and of course the discipline that follows if he does exactly the opposite of what you told him or does exactly what you told him not to do! It's the struggle of parenting a unparentable child.
By Christina Moxley9 years ago in Families
What Makes Someone Successful
Average, everyday people who are attempting to better themselves or raise their income will often seek advice from high-earning people with prestigious careers. It makes sense to ask someone with success, “How do I become successful?” because they will offer detailed advice from their experience that will certainly be useful... but when you DO reach success, whose opinion of that success (or the journey towards it) matters most? Our children!
By Chris Alvis9 years ago in Families
The Family Life
I had been a single mom since my youngest was two. Until about four years ago, it was just the three of us against the world... sort of. Maybe more them against me. If they could get into it, whatever it was, they did. I woke up one morning to find the entire contents of my fridge behind my couch and my son telling me he was trying to make breakfast. I’m not sure how he was trying to make breakfast behind the couch or what he was making, but it didn’t work out. Two hours and a lot of elbow grease later, the disaster was taken care of by yours truly.
By Leah Burton9 years ago in Families
Gratitude Is the Attitude
As a parent, one of the worse things you can have to deal with is the illness of your child. When one of my children was diagnosed with a rare and serious brain disorder at the age of four-years-old, I felt as if I had been picked up by the legs, swung around, and flung onto another planet. I spent a good few days writing out questions for doctors, who couldn’t answer them, drinking large amounts of wine after the children had gone to bed, and researching everything I possibly could about this illness that had suddenly cast a dark shadow over our lives.
By Samantha Lloyd9 years ago in Families
Who Am I?
Ever sit and question who you are? Where you came from? Those are questions I asked myself everyday for 30 years. Growing up, I always knew I was different. I didn't belong to the family which I grew up with. Something wasn't right and I needed to know.
By Sally Hands9 years ago in Families
