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Families featured post, a Families Media favorite.
The True Meaning of Family
The definition of the word family can mean many things. From shared bloodlines and ancestors to a household made up of parents and children, these definitions seem better suited to explain words like relative or cohabitation rather than what a family consists of. These textbook definitions may have the technical terminology right, but they lack the core meaning, which is stability, love, trust, and support.
By Jus L'amore5 years ago in Families
The Importance of Rites of Passage
Being involved and participating in a "rite of passage" can be a major life altering event. This is particularly true for teenagers. These rites of passage can be the holiday dance, graduation party, or the big one, going to the PROM. Far too many teens miss their rites of passage, because they simply don't have the money for the gown, or the tux, or the limo, or the dinner. Not being able to participate in these rites of passage can have a very negative impact on a child's self-esteem, self-worth, feeling of belonging, etc. It can also lead to intense frustration, isolation, and depression. In the worse scenarios, when a child is repeatedly told by words, actions, or the inability to attend a rite of passage that they are not good enough, they don't matter, they will never be accepted, and there is no hope of improvement, it can be the tipping point that moves them into crime, drug use, abusive relationships, or homelessness.
By Frank Zaccari5 years ago in Families
Changing Names? Here's Why I'm Doing it
My name is Brent Michael Benton, but not for long. I’m changing my name and here’s why. I was raised in sunny Durban, South Africa, by three strong women. My mother, my grandmother and my aunt. These three women moulded me into the man I am today. I was raised in a Catholic home. Thus my names were derived from that of my father and an icon from the Bible—Brent being my father’s second name and Michael after Saint Michael the Archangel, leader of the army of God, against evil forces. My father, was an absent father. I have no memory of him from my childhood, aside from a photo of me as a baby, perched precariously on his lap. As I got older, I knew of him and knew who he was, but never got to know him in the way a father knows his son. This, unbeknownst to me, was setting me on a very curious path in my self-discovery.
By Michael Delagua5 years ago in Families
Sisters, Misters, and Blisters
They dressed in black and had wimples that made even the shortest seem tall. The school looked as foreboding as its masters. I was only seven, but I felt an uncomfortable mixture of doom and hopelessness as I walked through the door. This was Catholic school. My parents got me in after first grade, and it was clear to me this wasn't Kansas anymore.
By Monica Bennett6 years ago in Families
You Will Believe After Seeing This Real Life Polar Express
The Polar Express may be one of the best modern day Christmas movies, with beautiful visuals and a roller coaster of a train ride. While we unfortunately can't take the trip on the train ourselves, the Baltimore B&O Railroad Museum does recreate the magical ride to the North Pole for kids of all ages.
By Tisha Eaton7 years ago in Families