immediate family
Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
Does Time REALLY Heal All Wounds?
When I was 18-years-old, I met my daughter’s father. We dated and although our relationship was very tumultuous (he was abusive), we planned and had our daughter. I was 20 when she was born; young and so very naive.
Lisa PantojaPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesDear Family
Dear Mom, I don’t understand why you hold grudges for so long, aren’t you tired of being angry? You stay mad at your brother as if he really hurt you. If he did why don’t you tell him? Put your pride aside and let him know how much he hurt you when my nana died and he took everything that was supposed to go to you for him. Why don’t you talk to me about what happened when I was a teenager in high school. Why you stood by and did nothing as my aunt lied and framed me? She said I did drugs all because I was skinny. You knew it wasn’t true and you stood there and let her tell everyone those lies. I was hurt but I didn’t hold that grudge against you. You are still my mom and I love you so I don’t want you to keep all this toxic negativity in your body. You are strong, and you raised me on your own in that house with my nana. I wish you would learn to be happy. I wish you would find it in your heart to forgive your brother. You only have one, so don’t wait until it’s too late and one day he’s just gone. You will hold more anger and pain that you will not be able to cope with. Go tell your brother, my uncle, that you forgive him.
Caring for Our Mothers
Recently, my mother, age 52, has undergone two spinal surgeries on her neck since March 8. The first was to correct bulging discs that were pinching nerves, causing numbness in her fingers, and after waking up in excruciating pain at 10 days post op she was admitted to the local emergency room for pneumonia and they also tested her TWICE for the flu, now, if you've never had the flu test before you should hope you never have to! She was given these tests once in the ER and once after being admitted and taken to the pulmonary wing. These tests made her jerk her head back so hard that we are convinced this caused her to move too much after her spinal fusion operation and it pulled the hardware loose from its position. We were not able to make it in to see her surgeon until she was four weeks post op from her first surgery; he was very upset that he was never notified about her being admitted, and was concerned that her hardware had shifted. Come to find out after several appointments with primary doctors and pulmonary doctors, she actually did not have pneumonia or the flu while she was in the hospital, and was formally diagnosed with sepsis, which she had no symptoms of while she was admitted.
Carrie HranacPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesJoseph Holland of Somers Keeps Perseverance in the Family
A 125 pound Pop Warner Football player probably feels pretty good about his chances on the gridiron. But when a league weight limit is leveled and permanently sidelines that youngster from participating, hopefully the disappointment is managed into an enduring life lesson. The school-aged child was Somers' Joe Holland and becoming an Academic All-American at Cornell, graduating Harvard Law School and having numerous professional successes shows that the right man was definitely in his corner.
Rich MonettiPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesHow to Be Polish
Here is a list of to do's to fit into a Polish family: 1. Always come hungry to a Polish person's house. We will feed you many things! Even if you are not hungry, we will insist that you try one or two things. At the end of the day, you will end up eating anyway, so you might as well be starving.
My Favorite Men
On January 2, 2018, in the early morning hours, my wonderful father took his last breath. This man was our family patriarch. He took the role of father and husband seriously. He was hard-working, faithful to the love of his life (my mother), devoted to his children, respectful to his parents, sacrificial for his students, and committed to his Savior. My daddy was not perfect, but he was pretty close. He instilled, in me, a love for education and a passion for family. Integrity and morality was of the utmost importance to him. Men like my daddy are rare these days. His passing has left a great void for many who loved him.
denise knightPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesChildhood Memories of Easter
Both Christmas and Easter have an equally important story to celebrate. However when we compare the gift and spending aspects of the two festivities, we generally perceive Easter as being the lesser celebration.
Rebecca SharrockPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesChildhood's Worst Nightmare
Thinking back to when I was young, my childhood wasn't the greatest. It was more like Hell, but on Earth. I was young and fragile, I wasn't supposed to see the things that I've seen, not at a very young age. They say your parents are supposed to be your protectors but not mine... they were cruel. What do I mean by when I say cruel? Angry, abusive, alcohol addicts cruel. Most of the time they drank until they passed out and when they were out of alcohol my dad would take it out on me! They didn't have a care in the world when it came to me. I felt alone, scared, rejected, and used. I did all that I could to get love from them and all I got was nothing but hate, from my dad especially.
Emma ShelleyPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesGrowth: In & Out
Is a four-year difference in age too big of a gap for some? Perhaps. Let's say in a perfect world that this is the absolute ideal age gap for all pairs of people: couples, parents, friends, colleagues, and even siblings. Eventually, something would break. The paradigm would shift and no one would be challenged, no one would be uncomfortable, and no one would grow. This is what has been on my mind lately.
V O I C E | OmniversePublished 6 years ago in FamiliesFrom Having Nothing to Loving Photography
I was born in Newcastle, UK. I never had the best upbringing in life. I know a lot of people who had a worse upbringing than myself but this is my story.
The Family That Preys
The Family That Preys As a young girl, she was constantly picked on and bullied by her older siblings because they felt as though she was spoiled and got whatever she wanted. Even though whatever she had gotten she would split to make things even. None of them knew what she went through or why she was "spoiled" growing up but it was a way for her parents to heal her childhood pain from an entirely different situation. However, the bullying got worse, her brothers went from merely nitpicking to full blown fights that later landed her to getting choked out. The life her older brothers wanted to lead was that of street thugs and they would get kicked out of school every year while she used school as a getaway from her everyday life at home. By the age of 20, she owned her own car with no payments and soon everyone wanted to be friendly. Being very naive, she took that as her opportunity to gain love that she had always desired and they jumped at the fact that she had a car. Which resulted in them using her to get around wherever they wanted to go. All of which was never for productivity in their lives. Now as a successful 25-year-old, she is the only sibling in the near area who is excelling in life. Mostly because she has spoiled them into believing that they must have a ride to get anywhere. So finally after five years she is done, and beyond tired of helping those who haven't helped themselves. To look at where their lives were then and now is mind blowing because they haven't gained anything but hatred towards her, because she's tired of trying to build anyone up because it's tearing her down. In her short five years she's gained her own everything and doesn't want for anything from anyone. Her family sees it as all the more reason to help where they're lacking. They want to see her fail at all costs, the crazy thing is that they never call unless it's for their benefit. The fact of the matter is she's not selfish, she's just not going to help anyone thats not trying to make their situation better. When her car broke down they didn't have two words to say. When she stops helping they scream, "You never did anything for me." The only person that has been around to help her was her mother who she has to take care of when her health becomes a problem. Since she's moved the word "No" to the front of her vocabulary she's had less stress. She can finally plan those trips, be a better parent and live happier!
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Prologue Any psychologist or sociologist will explain a "normal" family unit as being a mother and father with two children, preferably a boy and a girl, who coexist peacefully together in a house with, maybe, a family pet. However, "normal" in our society no longer exists. There is now the idea of step-family, mothers and fathers getting re-married to people who may also have children from a past marriage. This sprouts new family, bigger, wider variety of family that joins the unit to create a complicated web of a family. "Normal" was wiped out when it came to the family unit.
Jade VarleyPublished 6 years ago in Families