It really should go without saying that you can't just go around renaming people just because you don't like their name for some reason. Even if—no, especially if—that person is a foster kid under your care. Some things like this are so outrageously laughable and out-of-pocket that they would be silly if they weren't so cruel… This 16-year-old foster child found himself facing hostility from his new foster family's extended family, who apparently came to the decision that his name, “Nico,” was…

They left her everything for a reason.

Spending the holidays with your husband's ex-wife sounds like prime material for a straight-to-streaming holiday-themed romantic comedy, but the reality is that it's not nearly as funny when it is your reality. This stepmother turned to this online community for advice on a complex personal problem she was facing and wondered if she was in the wrong for encouraging her 19-year-old stepdaughter to speak up about ending their joint family holiday gatherings with the stepdaughter's mother, her hus…

Many parents have to beg their children to pick up a book, but some have the exact opposite issue: They can't get their kids to stop reading! When you get really into reading as a child , you want to read all the time. Whether you're reading under the table at dinner time, or sneaking a flashlight into your room to read under the covers, you'll find any scrap of time to read. It's addicting to be engrossed in a fascinating mystery or a horror book. It's also a lot better than playing endless vi…

We can all probably remember those peaceful weekend mornings, sun filtering through the basement playroom windows, curled up on the couch with our favorite bowl of way-too-sugary cereal that we had to beg our parents to buy. That cereal might as well have been gold; we certainly thought it was worth its weight in it. My parents, however, never showed an interest in eating this cereal themselves. Something about stale marshmallows and really overhyped Cheerios just wasn't all that appealing to t…

Eighteen years of age is when the training wheels of life really start to come off. Of course, it depends on your personal situation, but for the first time, you really get the chance to start making your own decisions. Many of us will be fortunate enough to still have the guidance of our parents, mentors, and guardians once we reach this age to hopefully prevent us from making life-altering mistakes that could dictate the rest of our adult lives. But, inevitably, mistakes will happen—we're all…

Siblings are a difficult part of growing up—even when you're an adult, you're going to be prone to troubles with them. But, during your developmental years, you're going to be constantly compared to them—both by yourself and others. This creates complex psychological interworking and can create complex disorders and issues. And this is just with normal siblings; I can't claim to have one myself, but I can only imagine that with twins, it's a lot harder. No longer are they only similar to you or…

All may be fair in love and war, but when it comes to family board game nights, you can expect the gloves to come off if you go for below-the-belt strategies. Nothing causes family arguments like a competitive board game—heck, even Candy Land games can get heated when someone draws that plum card at the end of a close game—or rockets ahead with a lucky snowflake draw early on. And that's before you get into games that have actual strategy Board games from the beginning of the “Board Game Renais…

Her money, their problem

Forcing the things you like upon other people will be met with varied success. But, then and again, it is your day, and you should hold it how you want it But, even still, you have made somewhat of an obligation to properly feed the people who have gathered together to celebrate you, though there will be wildly different opinions of what “properly” is, and there's nothing worse than being left hungry at a wedding due to a lack of food. Still, you can imagine it would be wildly inappropriate

Focusing on your kids' schooling and future is important, but it's easy to lose sight of the little things and moments along the way that are also important. Failing to nurture their unique skills and interests may cost them the chance to do something that they feel is fulfilling and rewarding and what they deem to be the success of their own lives. Also, pushing them too hard to be successful may be counterproductive and drive them into burnout, which takes years to recover from. Plus, we've s…

The entire family is giving this woman the side-eye after she did something strange during a gift exchange. Instead of getting an individual present for every member of your family, some families choose to do Secret Santa gift exchanges . It's a good way to add some fun to the typical present exchange. Everyone is assigned a family member to gift a nice present to in secret. Then, when the present is opened, the person usually finds out who gave it to them. It's a sweet tradition that allows ea…

Learning boundaries is important, even if it means being disappointed—not everything is always going to go your way. Sure, when you're one year old, something you were interested in suddenly disappearing might be the worst thing that's ever happened to you, but it's important to learn that lesson now because once you're older, learning that same lesson gets a lot more inappropriate and embarrassing. There's a big difference between a 12-year-old throwing a public tantrum because they didn't get…

There's divorce, and then there's burning every bridge you've ever built! This stage mom of a 16-year-old is sharing her story about what happened when she and her husband decided to call it quits via email, and it is a messy story. Up next, read about these employees who got fired almost as soon as they started the job , like one dude who refused to wear safety gear, telling the supervisor “no” to his face!

Meals are undoubtedly one of the most important daily chores, along with sleep. Being properly fed is one of the things that everything else in a successful and happy life stems from. But providing healthy meals for your family isn't cheap… Have you seen the price of groceries these days? And the time it takes to cook and clean for an entire family can't be understated. So, undoubtedly, the combination of those two things, the time and the price of the actual food, would be supremely valuable.…

This teenager is not going to waste her breath trying to convince her grandmother to watch her end-of-the-year school concert. Instead, she had a quick conversation with Grandma , and then turned off her phone! In life, you'll learn that a lot of people are flaky. Being the friend who actually shows up to events time and time again isn't easy, but it's so worth it to deepen your relationships with those around you. It's a sign that you care enough about that person to carve some time out of you…