Many of you know the story of our youngest Cassandra. She was born addicted to eight different substances and spent weeks in the neonatal ICU for detox. That was followed by months of medication to alleviate the symptoms. She is currently over a year completely drug-free.
Other People’s Kids
As parents, we all like to think that our kids are perfect. We love every developmental milestone passed. Our kids are the cutest and the brightest and the best behaved– except when they’re not. I’m that mom. I’m the mom who cringes when my kid says something inappropriate. I’m the mom who seems too strict. My kids have some serious behavior issues. Not all of them, of course, but many. They came from bad situations and complicated lives. They brought that baggage into our home and it doesn’t just go away, like many people seem to think. So, we’ve learned […]
Blending Families
No matter how you add kids to your household, things have to change. Schedules, furniture, and meal selections become different in many ways. Get-togethers with family and friends involve options for folks of all ages, or involve babysitters and details.
Blending Families
No matter how you add kids to your household, things have to change. Schedules, furniture, and meal selections become different in many ways. Get-togethers with family and friends involve options for folks of all ages, or involve babysitters and details.
Butterflies & Bugs
We live in the country, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that our kids get excited by country-type pursuits. They love campfires, camping, and s’mores. Kids of all ages enjoy the horses, goats, and cows. And, there’s nothing we like more than coming home to our park-like setting.
Butterflies & Bugs
We live in the country, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that our kids get excited by country-type pursuits. They love campfires, camping, and s’mores. Kids of all ages enjoy the horses, goats, and cows. And, there’s nothing we like more than coming home to our park-like setting.
True Love: A Beautiful Thing
This summer has been a season of change and growth for my kids. The baby is talking up a storm, making two- and three-word sentences. One of my older kids has graduated and is now working as a licensed cosmetologist. Another of my unofficial kids (those who didn’t actually grow up in my house) is heading off to graduate school at an Ivy League university.
Getting to Know Us
According to a 2015 Pew research poll, 88% of Americans say they personally know someone who is gay or lesbian. That’s really good news for the gay community and likely a major cause for the social gains made in the past several years. In contrast, only 16% know a transgender person (according to a report from GLAAD in 2015) – only 9% of Americans over 45 say the same. For transgender folks, although the number has doubled in the last eight years, the challenge is clear. We have a long way to go in making ourselves more familiar, especially on […]
Support for Parents of Trans Kids
Being a child and also being transgender has never been easy. You know you are different. You know you are not like the other kids in your class. If people find out you hope they will still like you. You are forced to live with a secret so huge that it can be crushing. If your parents are supportive and help you to transition, you try to get by at school with no one else knowing. If your parents are not supportive, life is a living hell and your darkest thoughts haunt you daily.
Remember when you were young?
Greetings all, yes the Voice of the Youth column has returned! Amidst my graduation from Coppin State University, Celebrating Christmas, and the New Year, I am back. This year, I promise to make more of an impact and be a voice for the LGB&T youth everywhere, but enough about that subject and me.