immediate family

Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.

Candy Bars and Chemotherapy. Top Story - September 2021.
I remember watching my father walk down the street, the bright yellow shirt with the solid black zigzag pairing perfectly with his bald head. An adorable Charlie Brown if there ever was one. He was laughing with my mother (who was dressed as Snoopy), watching my sister rushing ahead in a witch's costume as she darted from door to door. I had lingered slightly behind, trying to commit as much of the scene to memory as I could. After all, it was possibly the last Halloween I would get to spend with my father.
By Robin Laurinec5 years ago in Families
Intimacy Before Maturity
The purpose of this story is not to share statistics about the rate of teenage pregnancies over time. Instead, the purpose is to raise awareness of the long-term impact that teen parenting has on the life of these parents and to provide hope. This information remains consistent for young, unestablished adults who become parents, too.
By Dr Deborah M Vereen5 years ago in Families
Uncle Arthur
Growing up in a big Family has its Perks and Flaws. If you are among the first kids, a lot of responsibilities automatically defaults to you, but if you are among the youngest; you get away with a lot of privileges. But to whom much is given, much more is expected. Sibling rivalry becomes the norm, academic performance is vital to your existence in the Family. Your grades speak for you and those privileges tend to increase based on how well you perform academically each school year. You automatically become the pedestal of the family based on your resilience to dominate the rest of your siblings academically. Nevertheless, you each become your brother’s and sister’s keeper and vice versa. You can never lack companionship; and you forever have a playmate, and that one relative you resonate with the most. On the other hand, however; it might feel like you do not always get the attention that you desperately need, despite your parents doing the best they can to accommodate each child individually. This is common in many African communities/families, nevertheless; I would not trade my upbringing for anything in this world. Yes, I too come from a big family, and this was indeed my reality growing up.
By Pam Zee5 years ago in Families
A Brand New Life
This is the true story of the birth of my third daughter and the one who my heart hurts for the most. Writing helps put my mind at ease and that is the purpose of my writing. Names (everyone but the baby) have been changed to protect everyone involved.
By Heather Henkes5 years ago in Families
Mistaken Identity
It was my turn to fetch the drinks from the bar. It fell on me because I’d just lost the lasts round of pool – my last rounds, as it turned out. I watched for a minute before I began to thread my way through the crowd, giving soft encouragement to my new husband as he shot. The 2-ball disappeared, swallowed up by the darkness of the corner pocket. Steve stood and pointed his pool stick at his best friend, who groaned and began to plan his next strategy.
By Debora Dyess5 years ago in Families
Cars that lead to Soul
It was supposed to be a ordinary trip to my family's ophthalmologist in Enid. The only two changes were my father was driving instead of my mother, even though, he didn't have an appointment and this wasn't our original appointment date. We had to reschedule our last appointment due to unexpected car troubles. Car troubles that randomly started happening halfway through our trip, and miraculously stop when we decided to head back home. The unexplained car troubles even the mechanics, who spent hours troubleshooting, couldn't figure out what was wrong with the car. The troubles that would be a blessing in disguise.
By Ambyr Bean5 years ago in Families
A Plumber’s Philosophy
My dad was probably one of the most misunderstood people I know. It was easy to dismiss my dad as a blue-collar plumber who was known as a good family man but was not thought of for much else.
By Lori Mulligan5 years ago in Families
The Change that Happens Late in Life
Her hand in mine. Her hand was warm but she held on tight. The six of us continued looking at the machine with the numbers, watching, waiting. Top number was the heart rate; below that were other numbers: blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and respiration. The glowing digits in the darkened room changed every moment as the tendrils of tubes measured the last bits of my mother’s life. An hour earlier, I had jokingly bet which number would reach zero first – respiration. I would be right.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Families
Baloo
The cat looked rough, the patchy fluff of outdoor living and dirt on his light color paws. He was an orange tabby cat, but to my seven year old eyes he was a tiger. Majestic, keen on exploration, and powerful. I watched him from the back door of my southern California home, nose pressed against the warm glass. With nonchalant swagger, he hopped up on the wooden fence that supported the low hanging avocado tree branch and part of me wondered if cats like avocado too. I knew our cats ate dry food from the pantry, but this cat seemed a little more wild than them.
By Arwyn Sherman5 years ago in Families
My Best EmPAWee
Kaetaff was named after the dog in one of my all-time favorite movies "The Ten Commandments" by Cecil B. DeMille. According to the movie script Moses had two dogs named Kataf and Turfa and although that was the spelling they had I wanted to spell it differently.
By Dorothy Adams5 years ago in Families
Maw Maw
Maw-Maw looked out the window. She watched as the young ones ran around the field and the older ones sipped on their tea under the tree.
By NicoJay5 years ago in Families
Barbeque Fiesta!
I'm not ashamed to admit my siblings are probably my best friends. Even if they dislike it, they've provided me with much-needed support (and entertainment) all throughout my life.
By A.R. Zeller5 years ago in Families