family

For many, family is our main source of joy and meaning in life--- as well as pain. If we do not have a family of blood or legal relatives, we often create one. Yet sharing DNA or a marriage license is neither a necessary nor sufficient criteria by which we decide who is family to us. Blood relatives can be disowned and spouses divorced.

With terms like step, blended, adopted, bi-nuclear, same sex couples, life partners, live-in, sperm donors, and surrogates, family ties have expanded to include diverse human groups. Ideal family bonds are created by sharing emotions of love and loyalty. Often only DNA holds families together.

We live together, marry, divorce, re-marry, raise children, assume eldercare, and thrive when family conditions are low conflict, supportive, respectful, and productive. But we also have emotional cut-offs, cheat on our partners, suffer abuse, grow up in dysfunctional families, and relatives die.

We are driven to share our experiences . Did we do it right? Can we improve? Can I help you? We wrestle over personal boundaries with meddling and controlling behaviors. Our daily lives create a wide universe of readers and bloggers with thoughts, opinions, beliefs, questions, and answers about family.

by Dr. Coach Love Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Original Technorati articles tagged “family”

• in Travel
  How to Crowdsource your Next Vacation
  6 ways to crowdsource your next vacation
  by wanderingeducators / on Apr 18, 2013
• in Videos
  Giant Burmese Python Tries to Join Family on Picnic in Florida
  Here's a video of the 17-foot creature, taken by the family after the snake was captured and killed.
  by dopodomani / on Dec 30, 2012
• in Travel
  A Warm Family Gathering During the Cold Winter Holidays
  Create new holiday memories with your family - at an indoor waterpark!
  by wanderingeducators / on Dec 27, 2012

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “family”

 

• How Painful Is Having A Miscarriage? A Mother’s Day Loss

  
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  The Beginning Of The End It began Thursday. The pain, the cramps, wondering if this situation was going to last only a few hours. Could this be a minor setback or is it the end? Friday morning, at 6 am, I awoke from a bad dream sobbing. I do not even remember what I was dreaming, but my first thought was, “the ...
  6 days ago

• Adrienne Bosh Host "Today I Can" Mothers Day Brunch For Expecting Moms! + Halle Berry and Nahla at a Birthday Party in Franklin Canyon! [PHOTOS]

  
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  Celebrating a day before the big "Mothers Day" celebration, Miami Baller Chris Boshs wife Adrienne Bosh  decided to kick off her first inspired annual "Today I Can" Mothers Day Brunch for expecting moms and already moms. During the event, many powerhouse women shared their inspirational stories of ...
  6 days ago

• If You Can Read This, Thank Your Teacher: Mom!

  
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  Ever seen that slightly different message on a bumper sticker? It says "thank a teacher" without the "Mom." But who are the first teachers, the primary teachers? Moms and dads, especially stay-at-home moms who teach their children everything from how to play patty-cake, to saying their first words, to making the ...
  6 days ago

• My Thoughts Today

  
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  No End This is what I have learned: There is no perfect love. Love is like soil; filled with millions of grains - Tiny stones worn through time, but always there. Whether boulder or sand, substantial. Waiting to grow things....
  6 days ago

• There are a lot of great people in this world, and those momfolk had a lot to do with them.

  
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  Happy Mother’s Day everybody. I am so grateful for my amazing mother and all of wonderful the examples of great moms in my life. There are a lot of great people in this world, and those momfolk had a lot to do with them. Movie Reviews… Life of Pi – watched this with my son yesterday afternoon and we ...
  6 days ago

• Momma Raised Him Right

  
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  Drug Store | Twin Cities, MN, USA (It’s the night before Mother’s Day, and around 3 am we get a large shipment of roses. A young customer comes in and sees the huge display, which has over 100 bouquets.) Young Customer: “Oh man! You’re killing me with all these flowers!” Me: “What?” Young ...
  6 days ago

• Ephemera

  
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  Last year in April I begged a flower shop on Henry Street to sell me some full blown peonies like this, so I could take them to my mom in her hotel in Manhattan. She was leaving the next day, and I wanted her to see these flowers at their extravagant and fleeting best... The shop refused. Clearly, I have not ...
  6 days ago

• Mothers Day Dinner

  
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  Random steamboat at a random restaurant. Still it was a good meal with the family =)
  6 days ago

• [photos] Cancerversary party

  
  Lakeshore — Authority: 592
  Yesterday afternoon I had a cancerversary party with family and friends. We ate good food and spent time just hanging and talking and celebrating my continued survival after five years of Stage IV metastatic colon cancer. It was fun to be together. Some photos of some of the folks who were there... ...
  6 days ago

• [photos] Cancerversary party

  
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  Yesterday afternoon I had a cancerversary party with family and friends. We ate good food and spent time just hanging and talking and celebrating my continued survival after five years of Stage IV metastatic colon cancer. It was fun to be together. Some photos of some of the folks who were there… ...
  6 days ago

• Where are you Focused?

  
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  Where are you focused? On the words or the meaning? On the distractions or the depths? On the surface or the soul? There are a million ways to get lost in this world. Let’s not innumerate them! Instead, open the book of your life and let it teach you. Listen to the poetry, the pulse, [...]
  6 days ago

• A MOTHERS DAY CHUCKLE – CARTOON #6

  
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  Filed under: FAITH, FAMILY, Happy Holiday!, JESUS CHRIST, Politics, PostAday Tagged: Cartoon, Mama, Mom, Mother, Mothers Day, politics
  6 days ago

• Hang Out With People You Aspire to Be.

  
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  In the third episode of SUMMER RAYNE OAKES Conversations, I had the opportunity to discuss with photographer Joey L. the benefit of surrounding yourself with people that you aspire to and also inviting constructive criticism from those that you admire. To watch the full-length version of this conversation, you can ...
  6 days ago

• Happy Mother’s Day!!!

  
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      I hope your day is filled with warmth and love from your little kiddos as they shower you with “mommy love” today! I don’t think there is anything greater than putting all your love and time into your children. Being a stay-at-home mom is so important to me, and I treasure it so dearly each day. ...
  6 days ago

• Sarah’s family at Israel wall still get no respect

  
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  Published by United Press International (UPI) May 10, 2013 at 11:20 AM Ultra-orthodox Jews harass Women of the Wall during prayer at wall JERUSALEM, May 10 (UPI) — Three ultra-orthodox Jewish men were arrested Friday during a protest of the Women of the Wall prayer group that was praying at the Western Wall, ...
  6 days ago

• ABC Family Announces New “Ravenswood” Actors

  
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  ABC Family has a new “Pretty Little Liars” spin-off series on the way titled “Ravenswood.” ABC Family has announced two new cast members for the show! Here are the actors announced for the series so far: Tyler Blackburn Nicole Anderson Elizabeth Whitson Brett Dier Brett and Elizabeth will be playing twins, ...
  6 days ago

• Pop Culture Artist Daniel Edwards Releases Kimye/Royal Fetus Sculpture.

  
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  Artist Daniel Edwards has released his latest sculpture, entitled “Special K and Little Grape (Baby Kimye and the Royal Heir),” and it depicts the world’s two most anticipated babies (whether you like it or not, you know it’s true:) the fetuses of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and Prince William and Kate ...
  6 days ago

• Morning coffee: Happy Mother’s Day!

  
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  Home is where your Mom is… Some Mother’s Day wisdom from Lucille Bluth: Fav Mother’s Day video: … …and I miss you.
  6 days ago

• Happy Mothers Day!!

  
  The Zoo — Authority: 139
  Happy Mothers Day, Mom!  I love you tons and tons and tons! Arent they cute?!
  6 days ago

• Happy Mother’s Day

  
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  Happy Mother ‘s Day ! Happy Mother ‘s Day to all mothers and all parents including those who take on any motherly, nurturing role! Motherhood is a choice you make everyday to put someone else’s happiness and well being ahead of your own to teach the hard lessons and to do the right thing even when you’re ...
  6 days ago

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