Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Families.

The Silence at the Dinner Table
The Silence at the Dinner Table When Silence Speaks Louder Than Words The house was never truly quiet. The television hummed in the living room. The refrigerator rattled every few minutes. Cars passed outside, their headlights brushing across the curtains like wandering ghosts. But at 8:00 p.m. every evening, when the family gathered around the wooden dinner table, a different kind of silence filled the room — one that felt heavy enough to press against the chest.
By Essa Khanabout an hour ago in Families
How to Plan Your First Trip to the Maldives Without Overpacking or Overplanning
A first trip to the Maldives often creates pressure to prepare for every detail. The islands look minimal, yet travellers frequently overpack and overplan in an attempt to avoid mistakes. In reality, island life follows a predictable rhythm shaped by climate, transport schedules, and limited space. Planning well means understanding what is actually required and allowing the setting to guide the rest.
By Aurora Giannaabout 5 hours ago in Families
My Favorite Slime Recipe
A few years ago, making your own slime was all the rage. People swapped recipes and even swapped slimes. Now, you can buy all the pre-made slime you want, in a variety of colors, textures, and themes. But there is something special about creating your own slime. This activity is great for keeping children busy on a rainy day, or helping them learn to follow step by step directions.
By Angel Mannabout 14 hours ago in Families
St. Patrick's Day
When I was a child, I really thought our family was Irish. We always celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a chocolate cake with green frosting, and it was pretty common to wear green and to have corned beef, cabbage, and boiled potatoes for dinner that day.
By Denise E Lindquistabout 15 hours ago in Families
My Body Found the Red Flags Before My Brain Did
The Weight of the Interior: An Unfinished Map of a Marriage The stiff blue cotton of my nursing scrubs still smells like the clinical lab, a scent that shouldn’t feel like a relief, but it does. There is a brown cardboard box sitting on the laminate counter, its tape shredded open by a house key because he couldn't wait the ten minutes I asked for while I was finishing a call.
By Brooks Ghost Max about 16 hours ago in Families
A Grandparent Who Couldn’t See Their Grandchildren After Divorce
I still set the table for five every Christmas Eve. Force of habit, I suppose. My husband Malcolm tells me I do it without thinking, and he's probably right. Two years of quiet Christmases and my hands still reach for the small plates, the ones with the holly border that Lily and Sam used to eat their turkey from. Lily would separate everything on her plate so nothing touched. Sam would pile it all up like a mountain and eat from the top down. I could tell you what they'd say when they walked through the door. I could tell you exactly how the afternoon would go.
By Family Law Serviceabout 19 hours ago in Families
A Dad Who Didn’t Know How to Handle the Grief of Divorce
The first morning I woke up alone in the flat, I made two cups of tea. Force of habit. I stood there in the kitchen holding both mugs, one in each hand, and just stared at them like an idiot. Then I poured one down the sink and watched it swirl away.
By Jess Knaufabout 20 hours ago in Families
The Moonlight Garden Lullaby
The first star always appeared above Willow Lane at exactly the same time every night. At least, that’s what little Emma believed.
By Ravi Vajaa day ago in Families
The reason we move more quickly when we're excited could be explained by dopamine.
People frequently walk a little faster without realising it when they are enthusiastic or eager. According to a recent study, the brain's reward system could be the source of this extra "pep." It seems that this mechanism modifies our level of activity based on whether positive events occur as anticipated or come as a pleasant surprise.
By Francis Damia day ago in Families
Rewriting unpleasant childhood experiences can help people feel less afraid of failing.
Have you ever been reluctant to start something new because you thought you wouldn't succeed? That fear begins in childhood for a lot of people. A critical remark made by a parent or instructor might linger for years. Those recollections may eventually develop into a profound fear of failing.
By Francis Damia day ago in Families
Can Adult Children Lessen Anxiety about Parents While Raising Kids & Teens?
I'm a proud Baby Boomer, born in 1958, which makes me 67-years-old. When I was 12, there was a song called: "How Can I Tell My Mom and Dad".
By Justiss Goodea day ago in Families
The Price of Depredation:
By a Black woman who reads the fine print I. The Myth of the “Value” Price We are told, over and over, that a “low price” is a kindness to the consumer. An act of corporate generosity. In reality, it is an accounting trick. The price tag is not a measure of efficiency; it is a map of who is allowed to be harmed. When a big-box retailer sells something below the cost of sustainable production, the discount does not appear by magic. It is pulled from the bodies of workers in the Global South, from the health of Black and brown communities at home, and from the erosion of wages for everyone else. The world pays the difference—with toxic water, children who grow up too fast, and neighborhoods stripped of local businesses.
By Aja Trutha day ago in Families