parents

The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.

I Absolutely Love My Parents and the Way They Raised Me
Over the last decade or so, I have been on a deeply profound healing journey, diving into the deepest parts of myself and my 40 years on this beautiful earthly plane.
By James Bacon15 days ago in Families
Blindfolded
I should have had my baby in the back of a car on a highway in the middle of rush hour, as it poured down rain and ice. My experience with the hospital when I gave birth to my only son was far less pleasant and fraught with mishaps. I hear about the wonderful, dreamlike experiences other women have had, and that was not mine. It was one mistake after another, and I was cut open for the birth of my angel. It was hell. Angels should never be delivered in such a place.
By Alexandra Grant19 days ago in Families
I Couldn't Afford to Say Goodbye
The phone rang while I was staring out the window. Plane tree leaves outside had turned yellow, and the wind sent them rustling down like letters full of old stories. I knew that call would come. When it did, the world went quiet. The nurse's voice was soft: "Your father's condition is not good. If you can come, please try."
By Jin20 days ago in Families
The 3:37 AM Call That Broke Me — And How I Finally Took My Sleep Back
The phone buzzed twice on the nightstand, the device itself shifting half an inch across the wood. I reached out, my fingertips touching the cold edge of the screen, then pressed my whole palm over it to block the glow. The third buzz was a call—a different vibration, like a fly trapped in a glass jar, battering against the walls. I picked up, didn't speak, heard a brief, faint voice on the other end. I said, "Mom, I'm sleeping." Then I hung up.
By Jin20 days ago in Families
Paxton Is a Teenager
Right away I have to say that he may not like the pink cake in the photo. However, the candy and the strawberries would be acceptable. And he did just turn thirteen on Friday, with his birthday dinner with family on Saturday.
By Denise E Lindquist23 days ago in Families
How Do Single Parents Do It?
This post is a bit of a rant, a bit of an apology, and a bit of a request for help. Most of you know that I have a bright, cheerful, and energetic 15-month-old at home.
By Sasha Desideri25 days ago in Families
The Summer Hangover
For most of us, summer vacations are in the past. All that planning and longing to go places, and spending quality time with our families and friends have ended.
By Elizabeth Woods27 days ago in Families
Round-Trip Tickets
A flight arrived ten minutes ago. I was curbside in my car, waiting for my company to arrive. Dad and his wife were coming for a five-day visit. What on earth had I gotten myself into this time? I knew; I just knew it would end badly. It always did. Still, he was my dad, and I always thought there was a glimmer of hope that I would be wrong. I wasn’t. It was just another disaster in a long history of failed attempts to love my dad.
By Alexandra Grant28 days ago in Families
The Mother I am Becoming
I've never heard my mother tell me that she's proud of me. Instead, I've gotten things that have always made me feel like my choices didn't matter. Like my life wasn't my own and every decision or choice that I made had to be run by her. I don't know whether it was a desire or her being my mother, but the need to control how I choose to live my life became a problem. I hated it. And yet, despite all of that, there's still a part of me that is aching to hear those words from her.
By Kristony Green28 days ago in Families
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Everything We Take In, Molds Us I often hear people, especially young kids, say, “That doesn’t affect me.” The truth is, everything affects us. The only difference is in how. Some things affect us positively, and some negatively. Either way, what we listen to, look at, or experience always changes us. This is important because garbage in means garbage out. If you listen to bad things and see them constantly, the result is that bad things come out.
By Alexandra Grant28 days ago in Families
Do We Get Sadder As We Age?
Listening to Cari complaining to Lora as they enjoy their latte at Coffee Heaven in their community. “No matter what I do, my grandmother is never happy. What, happiness doesn’t like old people?” Cari complained.
By Annelise Lords 29 days ago in Families
Duck, Duck, Greyduck
You are sitting in a circle talking and playing word games when one of the boys says, "Let's play duck, duck, greyduck, or goose. Your choice. Many had heard of it and even played it before. A few had never heard of it or played it and didn't know if they wanted to participate.
By Denise E Lindquist29 days ago in Families