children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
A Step-by-Step Look at How They Prepared for Mediation in 2026
I used to think being prepared meant having answers. What I learned, going through mediation this spring, was that being prepared actually meant knowing which questions were mine to answer in the first place.
By Family Law Service5 months ago in Families
Embryo Mix-Up: Baby Born Is Unrelated to Either Parent
The unfortunate mistake might not have been caught if a baby born to a Florida couple had been of the same race. Both parents are Caucasians, while their baby is non-Caucasian and not related to either parent.
By Margaret Minnicks5 months ago in Families
They Didn’t Know Where to Start - Until They Found Family Mediation
We'd been together for seventeen years. Married for twelve. Two children, a mortgage, and a dog called Biscuit. I thought I knew how the rest of my life looked, right down to what we'd argue about on a Sunday afternoon. Then, in the space of one conversation, I didn't.
By Jess Knauf5 months ago in Families
My Puppy
One day a boy named Junior was watching television and he saw a documentary about pets. They showed all different kinds of animals like cats, dogs and birds. That evening he asked his parents for a puppy, but his parents said "not right now, you are too young for a puppy, maybe later when you get older”. Junior was truly a bit upset but understood. So that night after he put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth, he said goodnight to his parents, and went to sleep. During the night he started to dream about his parents giving him a puppy, a cute white Labrador Retriever. He loved this puppy so much, he named him Spot. Junior took him for a walk every morning and every night. On a bright sunny day while walking Spot in the park, he got loose from his leash and went running around. Junior & his parents chased Spot all around the park. Spot saw the big green grassy area and ran to it. As he went to the grassy area, he rolled around and around, and the green in the grass got onto his coat and stained his coat green. Junior caught Spot and when Spot rubbed against his pants some of the green came off and stained his pants, and then Spot rubbed on Junior’s shoes and his shoes also turned green. Junior found it weird and funny. Then Spot ran away again, he went to the playground area of the park, and jumped onto the slide and it turned green! Spot then jumped over the swing but didn’t touch it and the swing did not turn green. Next Spot went to the picnic bench and climbed onto it, and it turned green. Junior noticed that wherever Spot went his fur changed the color of the item to green. Spot then ran into the restroom and turned the walls and floors green. Junior told his parents excitedly that Spot was magic, and they all laughed about the situation. Then Spot ran to another picnic table and Junior’s parents saw that when Spot climbed onto the picnic table it turned green. They were all amazed about this magic dog. They then chased him onto the basketball court, once they reached him the court turned from gray to green. It didn’t matter where Spot ended up, the area around him turned green. They tried to grab Spot but then he ran again, ran right into the grocery store. Junior then said “uh, oh”. Once Spot ran inside, he turned the shelves, floor and food green, people all around them were so astonished by this! They ran after him and then someone yelled to call animal control and Spot ran out of the store. He ran into an area and found a pond. When Junior and his parents found him by the pond, Spot was in the water. Junior and his parents climbed in and washed Spot, and he was back to normal. They put his leash back on and walked back home. Junior then woke up in the morning and described his dream to his parents, while at breakfast, they giggled at his dream and went about their day. Later his parents went shopping and was discussing his dream. They went to the toy area of the supermarket and found a stuffed animal dog that looked just like his dream dog. After going home Junior's parents surprised him with that stuffed animal puppy. Junior was so excited and happy he named his stuffed dog Spot. He carried his dog everywhere he went. He even said “at least this dog won’t turn everything green!”
By Rachel Lentz5 months ago in Families
Doctor Said: “Your Son Has Cancer”… The Moment My Life Broke. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
The room felt smaller than it was. I remember sitting there, staring at the doctor’s lips as they moved, but for a few seconds, I heard nothing. Just silence. A heavy, suffocating silence that pressed against my chest like a weight I couldn’t lift.
By Heart Touching Stories6 months ago in Families
The Girl Who Sold Mangoes to Survive
Janeth was only sixteen when life stopped treating her like a child. There was no warning, no slow preparation. One day she was in school, laughing with friends, thinking about small things that didn’t really matter yet. Then suddenly, everything changed at home. Her mother became sick, and the weight of survival quietly shifted onto her small shoulders.
By Anefu Louis Mercy6 months ago in Families
Carlton Jama Adams on The Silent Lessons of Parenting: How Children Learn from What They See. AI-Generated.
Carlton Jama Adams is a licensed clinical psychologist and psychology professor specializing in healthy parenting. His work focuses on how children develop emotionally and behaviorally through everyday family interactions. Rather than relying solely on instruction or discipline, he emphasizes the role of observation in shaping a child’s understanding of the world. Children pay close attention to how adults behave, respond, and communicate, and these observations often become the foundation for their own habits and values.
By Carlton Adams6 months ago in Families
5 Important Tools for Successful Co-Parenting
Once you sign the divorce decree, that’s the end of the road, right? You and your now-ex have gone back and forth, split up your shared assets, worked out of the logistics of your separation, and you never have to see this person again. Unless you have children. In that case, finalizing your divorce kicks off a whole new world: co-parenting.
By Daniel Bellamy6 months ago in Families
The Helpless Mother. Content Warning.
The rain had been falling for hours, tapping endlessly against the broken tin roof as if it, too, was pleading for mercy. Inside the dim, cold room, Amina sat on the floor, holding her son tightly against her chest. His small body burned with fever, his breath uneven and fragile like a flickering candle about to go out.
By Heart Touching Stories6 months ago in Families
