fact or fiction
Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about our family dynamics, traditions, and if there's such thing as a 'perfect family.'
Father of the Year
Sometime in June, the local newspaper will announce the Father of the Year: a dubious honor bestowed upon a man who has been nominated by his family. I have no idea who the judges are, or what qualifications are needed to judge the fatherhood of any other man.
By Dub Wright5 years ago in Families
Summer Evening
The evening glow lit up the dining room table. It was warm in the house, and a soft tapping sound could be heard. A younger man in his late 20s sat at the table. He had short, red-tinged hair, and freckles speckled across his face. His deep, brown eyes were looking off in thought. There was a stack of papers with writing scrawled all over them. The handwriting was messy.
By James Slocum5 years ago in Families
Attachment Theory
Attachment Theory There is a social-emotional relationship developed between the child and the parent, usually the mother, because preattachment develops during prenatal and soon after birth. Attachment theory has played an important role as a framework for exploring and explaining parent-child relationships and the impact of early relationships on child and adult development (Palm, 2014). There are multiple types of attachment theories. Parenting styles are big influences on attachment. Babies develop a set of forecasts about parents' opportunities and openness, both generally and in times of stress. The result shows the importance of early attachment and the development of inner working models and how those become a state of mind in adulthood (Palm, 2014).
By Corinne Poole6 years ago in Families
Cloth Diapers Update
This post is for all of my mothers who follow my blog. If you a frequent reader of my blog and have read my original post: Why we switched to cloth diapers; you are aware that my family made the switch to cloth diapers a year ago. I wanted to give you an update and discuss: the reality, struggle and real talk that comes from using cloth diapers.
By That Broke Bohemian6 years ago in Families
Switching to Cloth Diapers
Before I was pregnant with my first born and currently only child, Delilah, I started researching the best alternatives for everything that her skin would come in contact with. I didn’t purchase Johnson & Johnson products, Orajel, chest rubs, or anything that had even a slight negative review for fear that it would harm my child. But what I forgot to research was disposable diapers and alternatives for them. Was that possible? Did they make organic diapers? The Honest Company’s disposable diapers were the only chemical-free ones that I found but the prices were outrageous for our budget. Besides, some still claimed that they weren’t as chemical free as the company had claimed. I was at my wit's end until I found cloth diapers.
By That Broke Bohemian6 years ago in Families
Things Breastsleeping Does to Your Body
Before diving into this article, let's discuss what breastsleeping is—and no, that's not a typo; you read that correctly. Breastsleeping is simply the act of sleeping with your baby while breastfeeding. The term breastsleeping was created by James McKenna, Ph.D, the director of the University of Notre Dame's Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory.
By Julie Barnes6 years ago in Families
A Toy
I sit on a shelf and I watch. The little girl comes and goes frequently. She doesn’t play with me anymore. I am a frog and I rattle. I have seen many birthdays and many sad days, like the day she took me to the hospital to say goodbye to her grandma. Or the day she turned five. I’m all dusty now and I have moved homes. The little girl got taken away from her family 'cause her daddy hurt her. She was in the hospital a while one time. She slept a lot and hardly picked me up. She constantly brings little children into this room. They come and go. Never the same children. I don’t know why they don’t play with me anymore. The little girl is grown now. She has a big belly. She took me down off the shelf and washed me. I was put into a bed but it has bars. The girl has gone away for a couple days but she is home now. There is a small child in the bed with me. I am getting played with again. The little boy becomes one then two and then three. I watch as he grows older and older but he constantly plays with me. I don’t rattle anymore but he sleeps with me and I haven’t been put on a shelf in a long time. I got taken to a new place and it’s huge. He calls me lucky. He thinks I’m a good luck charm. A few years pass and soon we move again. I am set on a shelf in a little room. It has dragons and knights on the walls. And the bed with bars is in the corner. He takes me to a hospital with him. He is crying. I notice the girl is in the bed. She says he will see him soon and then there is that same weird noise. The same noise that was there when she said goodbye to her grandma. He turns to a girl who is standing next to him. She hugs him and places a hand on her belly. He says it’s time. He rushes her out the door and takes her to a different floor. I am in his pocket. Time flies by quickly and soon I’m introduced to another little child. He holds me and the child as doctors rush past. The kid grows up constantly in the hospital as his mother loses her hair and then her strength. The little boy holds me close as his dad kneels in front of him. He says mommy has to go to a far away place. The little boy is confused. But his mom tells him goodbye and she loves him and then she is gone. I am growing old my time is coming close. I watch the little boy turn five. I watch more years fly by. I have a hole in my side and I have lost all my stuffing. My time is close. I am put in a bag and then a metal box. I hear rumbling and then I feel wind. The bag is with a bunch of other bags. The bags get picked up by a metal claw thing. The bags are dropped in a chute and a weird clanking sound starts up. I see a bright light and then I feel heat. This is it. This is the end. I am close to thirty years old. Most toys don’t live past fifteen. I feel the heat get hotter. I am ready. I am gone.
By Lillibeth Rayanne6 years ago in Families
Grandfather’s Hand
The beeps coming from the hospital equipment were the only noises in the pristine room. The smell of antiseptic stung Maggie’s nose. She walked up to her grandfather’s bed. He had tubes coming from his nose, and more sticking out of the veins on his hand. She lightly brushed her slender manicured fingers along his boney swollen hand. He groaned as if to say he felt her touch.
By Hillary Aston6 years ago in Families