Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Thanksgiving
Dear Diary, Tomorrow is Thanksgiving or as some call it “Turkey day.” It's the holiday where we give thanks for all we have. The house should be filled with family and friends. The sound of my younger cousin running throughout the rooms chasing my sister’s puppy as the adults yell to be careful. The smell of the turkey in the oven and everything else cooking in the kitchen fills the air. But as I look around me I don’t see that happening this year. I sit in this room and stare at the bleached white walls creeping in on me, making the room get smaller. Beeping sounds coming from the heart monitor snaps me back to reality of where I am. I lay here as my sister whispers, “Thanks for holding my hand and being so strong for me today. I was nervous when they had to put the cord in me. And Crystal, thanks for staying with me all week, I’m sorry you had to miss so much school.”
By Crystal Sotiropoulos8 years ago in Families
The (Not So) Happy News
For every woman struggling with infertility, we always dread the phone calls, text, or social media posts announcing another friend/family members pregnancy. Of course we always sound happy for them; and for the most part we are. However we can't help but feel like a little piece of our heart breaks every time. We can't help but feel like it's just one more friend or family member that we are now behind when it comes to levels of life.
By Bethany Winters8 years ago in Families
My Dad Is a Sugar Daddy
You may hear many of your friends joke about their bills and say, "I just wish I had a sugar daddy to pay for all of this," but you may never think about your father being a sugar daddy. My father has always been a man who wore many hats. As a child, he was a construction worker, a bartender, an artist, a carpenter, and an all-around rock star. Many times late at night I would hear the sounds of Van Halen's eruption wailing from his closed bedroom. My mother and father had me and my brother very young, and they would often joke to people about how we "grew up together." My Mother passed when I was 19, and my father was already in his second marriage. It wasn't long after that he was quickly in his third marriage. Upon the loss of his 3rd wife, that's when the younger women started coming in by the boat-load. It's a bit strange to be 26 years old and shaking the hand of a 22-year-old who is dating your father. Should they say yes ma'am to me or vice versa? I was a bit angry and confused at the time as I was drowning in student loan debt and heard the phrase, "You're 26. These are your bills," being muttered when I asked for assistance, yet I would see the young girls being adorned with Chanel ball gowns for the fancy events that they attended here in New Orleans.
By Layla Danielle8 years ago in Families
Am I the Parent I Taught Others Not to Be?
My husband and I have been together for 14 years. In 2013, we got married and celebrated our love ❤️ for one another. We put in an application for adoption one year after we got married in 2014. We always knew it was the best choice for us to start our own family, as we knew we both wanted children. We finally got the call we had been waiting for on Aug 1st 2017. We had been matched with a sibling group, two boys 9 months old and 21 months. We were overjoyed and a little overwhelmed, to say the least. We had been waiting for what seemed for ever...and in just a short few weeks we would be parents, if we decided to move forward. We weren't aloud to tell anyone, as we didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. We still had to learn about the brothers and any health issues they maybe diagnosed with. We would also not be able to see a picture of the boys until we said yes, that we would like to go ahead with the adoption.
By Reiner MacPhail8 years ago in Families
Every EP Mom Has a Story
"Waah, waah," your eyes fill with tears as you hear your baby cry for the first time. The moment you have been waiting for has finally arrived. Your bundle of joy so small and fragile as they place him in your arms. For just a second, time stands still as your child looks at you and your heart fills with such love and an overwhelming feeling to provide and protect that child for as long as you shall live. You are tired, but at that time, in that place none of that matters to you. Time passes, your child is hungry, "Waah" he shouts again and again, you, eager to provide food for your child quickly try to latch him onto your breast. "Waah, waah, waah" he cries in frustration refusing to latch. "I must just be doing it wrong," you think to yourself, you try again, "WAAAH, WAAAH." You feel defeated, emotional, frustrated, and begin to prepare a bottle. You're thinking that the only important thing is to have your child fed.
By Jessica Sanchez8 years ago in Families
The Thanksgiving Rock Throwing Incident
Okay, let me state first that the following story was quite true so I changed some names around. Though I have to admit I'm better remembering details than names, so I should be covered. This was Thanksgiving 2001. It ended up being the last one I'd spend at my grandmother's house, as she would pass on that next April. As usual, there was a lot of family present.
By Benjamin Alexander House8 years ago in Families
The Wind Chimes
My mother was quite possibly the most eccentric woman you would ever meet. She had long, curly hair, the same color as the warm orange leaves during fall. She was a short woman, but she had the confidence of someone ten feet tall. When someone looked into her deep emerald eyes, they would immediately feel accepted and loved. She was feisty, and would be the first one to tell you where the door was should you have chosen to say some unwise words in her presence.
By Danielle Hintz8 years ago in Families
In The End
As I opened the door to your house the smell inside hit me, forcing me to wrinkle my nose. What was once a welcoming scent of tobacco, coffee, and after shave had turned into sickness and the sweet sickly smell of death. We walked into see you struggle to get up and you quickly had to sit back down. You could barely stand, let alone walk up to greet us. We both tried hugging you but you said it hurt so I didn't touch you. I know you didn't want to go to the hospital with us...but Nanny made you.
By Bethany Winters8 years ago in Families
