children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
Trials and Tribulations of Being a Parent to an 18-Year-Old Daughter
At the age of 20, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I left her father during my fifth month of pregnancy because he was mentally abusive towards me and I felt I could give my baby a better life without him.
By Leanne Gagnon Foucault8 years ago in Families
How My Daughter Changed My Life
Dear Babygirl, I want you to know that your entire life, I've tried every day to be nothing but perfect for you. I never wanted to give you the chance to see that I made mistakes. You just mean so much to me, I just wanted you to look up to me and think, 'Wow, mom you're perfect, I wanna grow up to be just like you.' I didn't want you to see me as the woman that gave up on everything, because that's who I really am. I never wanted you to know that. All I wanted you to know was that I loved you. I love you more then anything in this world. I was 16 when people found out I was pregnant. They all said, "You're too young to take care of a baby." They said I was making a mistake. You are far from a mistake. At age 16, the only thing I thought about daily was suicide. That didn't stop until I got to hold you in my arms. I remember the day clearly. I was in the delivery room for 13 hours. I thought I was going to hate myself more than I ever had before, but there you were, 9 lbs. 9 oz. Big and beautiful. I had never seen anything as beautiful as you. All the weight I felt on my chest just lifted. For the first time in years, I felt happy. And that was because of you. My whole life I had fought with depression. I felt that I had nobody. When I gave birth to you, it was suddenly gone. It felt as if I could breathe again. I knew that the feeling of loneliness would be gone forever as long as I had you. You saved my life. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here right now. You gave me hope. You gave me faith. You made me realize that everything silly little thing in life isn't worth dying for. My whole life I looked at the things that made me want to die. I never thought about looking at the things that made me want to live. I never appreciated your grandpa and grandma. I never appreciated the opportunity to be the best me I could be. I looked at the sadness in my life and put it in the spotlight. It wasn't until the day I had you that I started to notice all the little things I had. I started to notice all the people that were in the hospital waiting for you to arrive. All my friends and family. Even the people I had thought hated me came. You showed me what love really felt like. You showed me greatness from the second you arrived. I knew from that day forward you were going to do great things. As you've grown, I've been here. I love watching you advance each day. I love hearing each word you learn. I watched you take your first steps. Your first run across the yard. I heard the first word you ever spoke. Just from watching you exceed in life I had realized how much you're going to accomplish. You're going to go from the girl that changed my life, to the girl that changed the world. There are so many things I wish I could explain to you how much you have changed my life for the better, but there's honestly not enough words in the world to let you know how you saved my life. I hope you understand that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. There's not a thing in my life that I would ever change. I wouldn't change anything before or after I had you. Four years ago I never would've thought I would be out living on my own with a family. I never would've saw so much happiness in my future. Everything I am now is thanks to you. Without you I wouldn't have this joy in my heart that will always be there. Through the good days and the bad days.
By Destiny Edmonson8 years ago in Families
Things Parents Let Their Kids Do That Horrify Me Now That I'm a Mom
I wasn't 100% on being a mom before I was one. Now that I am one, it's 100% what I want to be. I am fierce. I am a snarling mama bear who will go full savage at a PTA meeting if need be. I keep my kids away from refined sugar, video games, and bad influences; but I worry about other parents and their kids sometimes. I can't raise other people's kids for them and I wouldn't want to, but I do want them to raise their kids exactly how I would. These are the things parents let their kids do that horrify me now that I'm a mom.
By Chica Reyass8 years ago in Families
10 Common Pre-Existing Conditions in Babies
When it comes to pre-existing conditions, no health insurance plan can reject you for it. However, for certain states, they can actually charge you more, depending on the condition. Insurance plans also can’t refuse to pay for essential health benefits for any of the pre-existing conditions in your child. However, if the GOP healthcare bill passes, then many of these advantages are at risk of being taken away.
By Jennifer Violet8 years ago in Families
Having Three Kids at Home
So, I'm a mom of three beautiful daughters, and I'm always getting compliments about my daughters on how beautiful they are. People even stop me in stores saying, "Aw, I bet she is the sweetest thing on Earth!" Little do people know that having three daughters is hard! For the moms who are going through this just like I am, you know how it is. Every day I wake up to my middle daughter Mollie, screaming at Ellie (the oldest), "Give it back, Ellie! It's mine, give it back!'' You would think that they would quit by the time I roll myself out of bed, but no! This happens every day and literally all day! Fortunately, my youngest daughter is only three months old so she doesn't have to deal with them fighting with her yet.
By Allison Wray8 years ago in Families
Downsides of Dating Baby's Daddy
There was baby’s mama drama surrounding a guy I dated years before. My ex-boyfriend had kids by an ex-wife as well as an ex-girlfriend. I had known several women whose lives had been inconvenienced by the constant wrath of the moms their boyfriends or husbands had left behind. Fortunately, the only issues I had to deal with were minor. But after that relationship ended, I avoided men with children, because usually there was a resentful mom in the picture. My temperament was not going to tolerate interference from a woman who refused to recognize the need to move on from the man I was currently seeing. Nor was I going to put up with disrespect out of a man’s children.
By Hillari Hunter8 years ago in Families
Healing Powers of Children
Do you see the picture attached? Those are my two beautiful children. Cute, huh? Ever felt as if whatever you were or maybe going through in life has you down? Emotionally drained? Uninspired? Even depressed? I’m writing this to let you discover how a typical, young, single, African American, mother of two overcame my mental burdens and found out that my children have healing powers. And so may yours!
By Ray NiCole8 years ago in Families
Children and Mental Illness
We make sure our children are fed, clothed, and try to keep them from physical harm. But do we take into consideration their mental health? We often perceive children as innocent little beings who are supposed to be happy all of the time because children don't have to worry about the problems of life like adults. We often assume that children live happy and stress-free lives. As adults, we often wish we could be five again because, as children, we didn't have to worry about paying the bills on time or maintaining a home, etc. However, this could not be further from the truth. Many children suffer from a variety of mental health issues similar to adults. Statistics estimate that one in five children between the ages of six and seventeen years will struggle with and be diagnosed with some type of mental illness by the time they reach adulthood. Most commonly, depression and anxiety. This is why talking to your children openly about their feelings from an early age is crucial for early warning signs of any onset of mental illness.
By Janelle Ouellet8 years ago in Families
Cartoons and Young Children
Cartoons and the Child's Psyche: Is There Really an Impact? GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT! This popular idiom refers the concept that input equals output. Whether it be a business venture, a technological programming, or a personal health regimen, the results will equal the input. The same is true of human attitude and behavior, especially in reference to impressionable young children. In order to understand how outside factors (such as animated TV shows) affect a child, one must first understand the stages of development in a human’s life. For those in the preschool stages, brain development is largely at play.
By denise knight8 years ago in Families
