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All this mom ever wanted was a normal family
As a child, all I ever wanted was a “normal” family.
This was my wish growing up in a dysfunctional one, and though I couldn’t have said at the time what “normal” meant, I knew what it didn’t mean.
And so into my 20s, well before I had children, I began to prep for the opportunity to create something out of what often felt like ...Read more
Lori Borgman: Life is good somewhere
A good friend gives us her old newspapers from a small town in Maine. They are entertainment — a sedentary version of date night.
Because we cannot agree on who gets to read the Cops and Courts section first, we take turns reading it aloud.
In the most recent issue, the lead story was from a Saturday ago when local police received a report ...Read more
For Black women in Hampton Roads, barriers to reproductive health care are nothing new
NORFOLK, Va. — Barbara Harris’ mother was 35 when she was sterilized by the state of Virginia in the 1960s.
“She could have a desire to get married, and have a family with her new husband. But she was not able to do that,” said Harris, a longtime nurse who now is executive treasurer for for Virginia Organizing, an advocacy group. “...Read more
Recent exhibit ‘Exploring Black Girlhood: Through the Artist’s Eyes’ shows off the artistry of Black girls — and the progress of a Chicago nonprofit
CHICAGO -- Savannah Flowers’ imagery of herself shows the myriad emotions and growth that she’s made during her three years in A Long Walk Home’s Girl/Friends Leadership Institute. A black and white photo captures her working on the edges of her hair. Another colorful piece shows Flowers in a green dress crouched down amid green grass, at ...Read more
Pakistani Muslim photographer killed in murder-suicide amplifies dialogue about divorce and stigma in the South Asian community
CHICAGO -- After a 29-year-old Pakistani Muslim woman was shot and killed last month, in an apparent murder-suicide by her soon-to-be ex-husband, her death sparked countless conversations and reflection within the South Asian and Muslim communities about how cultural stigma, particularly surrounding divorce, can unfairly burden women.
Sania ...Read more
A widow lost nearly everything in a fire. Her new community is helping her start over
Everything Ashley May and her three kids own can fit into a wheelbarrow. Charred and waterlogged, the remnants of their lives were pulled from the ruins of the Colonial-era barn on a farmstead that the family rents in Kimberton, a small, rural town near Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
May, her two sons, and her daughter moved into the property two ...Read more
Would your dad make a good president?
We don't often talk politics in front of the grands because it's just all too terribly depressing. For us. We're not that concerned about them. They're young and may live long enough to see the nation rally.
But somehow, in a FaceTime call with our son, five grands crowding around the phone's camera and his wife in the background fixing dinner ...Read more
Feeling burned out? This survey for working parents might help
Working from home while making sure your kids are in their virtual classroom while getting groceries delivered while keeping everyone safe from coronavirus is enough to burn anyone out. Two years of going through this has apparently been too much for many people.
"When COVID-19 came into our lives, we were hopeful that the impact of the ...Read more
Amid formula shortage, California mothers find unlikely source of relief: Breast milk donors
SAN JOSE, Calif. — By week 20 of her pregnancy, Joy Pileggi knew that her second daughter, Allison, had little chance of surviving past birth.
She had developed Trisomy 18, also known as Edward’s Syndrome, a rare condition with a near-zero long-term survival rate. But knowing what was coming didn’t make Allison’s death any less ...Read more
Melatonin is a popular sleep aid for adults that's on the rise among kids. But is it safe?
PHILADELPHIA —Rachael Gibbons-Newcome had tried everything to defuse her 5-year-old son's angry outbursts: prizes for good behavior, sticker charts, and calming evening routines.
Out of other options, the family's pediatrician recommended trying melatonin, a dietary supplement that can aid in sleep. Benjamyn — or "Jammers," as his family ...Read more
From bail bonds to beauty salon, St. Pete woman lifts up community
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s late afternoon on a Friday and Kenyatta Rucker is sitting on a bench on 21st Street S, talking to a man who’s calling from jail.
She’s three blocks from the house where she grew up. Behind her is a single-story building. It’s painted black, with four lime green doors.
The door to her right leads to a salon...Read more
Lori Borgman: Oh baby, this could be hairy
Just when you think the headlines can't get any more eye-popping, along comes a story about underarm hair for women making a comeback as a potential tool of empowerment.
There was a brief period when some women in the Flower Child movement grew underarm hair. But that was long ago and today those women are probably more concerned about thinning...Read more
Some ‘proactively’ seek options — vasectomies included — as abortion rights fade
BOISE, Idaho -- Tim Guill, a joint lecturer at Boise State, underwent his first vasectomy at age 33. He was a single father to a young son and said he was confident he did not want more children.
At 36, though, he had his vasectomy reversed.
Now, at 42, he is undergoing the procedure one more time.
“Seeing the writing on the wall with ...Read more
How NYC sets up kids with emotional disabilities for failure: ‘I had more kids in the correctional system than I had graduates’
NEW YORK -- Emmanuel Otuonye graduated as valedictorian from his Brooklyn high school for students with disabilities but is so disgusted with his education that he couldn’t bring himself to attend the ceremony.
The best student at Sunset Park’s Lillian Rashkis High School reads at what his mom estimates is a fifth-grade level and still ...Read more
District has restricted parents’ access to their kids’ schools. But there’s no policy and no formal way to appeal
CHICAGO -- Chicago student Jordan Garcia had an especially tough school year, his mother said.
Jennifer Baez said Jordan had been slapped, pushed and taunted by a classmate since the first week of fifth grade. Baez said her husband frequently spoke with school staff members, but the student continued to target her son. So when her husband told ...Read more
Andrew Appel beat cancer. Now the orthodontist wants to help young cancer survivors get their smiles back
PHILADELPHIA — Jason Stock is only 13, but he's no pushover.
Diagnosed with leukemia at age 7, he amazed his family with his spirit and strength going through grueling treatment. When his cancer went into remission about three years ago, Jason grabbed onto life. He sang for the crowds at Phillies games. He did public speaking about being a ...Read more
Give peas a chance
The vegetable garden yield this season is less than we hoped, but the corresponding weight loss has been a pleasant surprise.
Yesterday's count on peas was 44. That was actual peas, not peapods.
The grandkids, taking great interest in the garden, were the ones who picked and shelled the most recent round. When we sat down to lunch, there were ...Read more
California judges able to renew domestic violence protection orders under new law
In November 2021, a California judge determined the woman before him had demonstrated a reasonable case of fear of continued physical abuse and threats to her life with a firearm. However, the judge wasn’t sure if state law actually gave him the authority to renew her domestic violence restraining order.
California’s Domestic Violence ...Read more
Texas’ abortion law doesn’t target IVF. Women are still changing their fertility plans
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Erica Young has been trying to get pregnant for six years. In a few weeks, the Fort Worth couple will start the physically and mentally strenuous process of in vitro fertilization for the third time.
Hopefully the treatment, which involves the creation of embryos outside of the womb, will lead to a baby. But the Youngs are ...Read more
Spanish-speaking families struggled to sign up for Parks and Rec summer camps. They organized to demand change
PHILADELPHIA -- It’s a perennial problem for working parents: how to keep kids entertained during the summer months.
Eréndira Zamacona, a mom of 8- and 10-year-old children, was delighted to learn that Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and Recreation hosts summer camps that feature sports, arts and crafts, and other educational activities...Read more
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