Coming of Age

Broken Sandcastles: Trying to Build a Bond with My Blunt Stepsister

From the moment my father remarried, I was thrust into a complicated new family dynamic with a stepsister whose unfiltered honesty both intrigued and wounded me. Over a summer on the windy coast, I struggled to bridge the gap between us, navigating family expectations, old wounds, and my own longing for acceptance. Each day brought a fresh challenge—forcing me to question what it really means to blend families and whether honesty is always the best policy.

Coming of Age

Floral Dress, Broken Rules: The Night Prom Turned Me Away

My name is Kaylee, and on what should have been the best night of my senior year, I was sent home from prom because of my floral dress. I was left sobbing in the school parking lot, questioning my worth and the fairness of the rules that governed my world. What happened next tested my friendships, my confidence, and my hope for a kinder future.

Coming of Age

Dancing Through Generations: A Prom Night Promise

My name is Dylan, and at seventeen, I made a decision that would change how my family—and maybe even my whole town—saw me. I took my 82-year-old great-grandmother, Naomi, to my senior prom, fulfilling the dream she’d quietly held onto for more than six decades. Our night together forced us both to confront our own regrets, memories, and the complicated bonds of family.

Coming of Age

A Promise in the Shadows: Nathan’s Story of Sacrifice and Survival

In the darkest hour, my mother’s frail voice bound me to a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep: take care of my younger sister, Aria, who lives with severe autism. As our world unraveled after Mom’s death, I faced impossible choices, family betrayals, and the crushing weight of responsibility at the edge of adulthood. This is the story of my fight to keep my family together when everyone else turned away.

Coming of Age

A Daughter’s Voice: The Letter That Broke Through the Silence

My name is Vivian, and I’m seventeen. This is the story of how my father’s alcoholism tore our family apart, and how my letter to him—born out of pain, love, and desperation—sparked a conversation far beyond my home. I’m sharing it now, because sometimes the truth needs to be louder than the shame.

Addiction

Shattered Glass: My Brother’s Shadow

In this story, I relive the night my brother, Ethan, crashed his car and changed both our lives forever. Struggling with guilt, family tension, and the relentless pressure to be perfect, I confront the reality that sometimes love isn’t enough to save someone. Through heartbreak and hard choices, I come to realize what it means to let go and accept what I cannot control.

Coming of Age

A Door Never Opened: Our Battle for Independence

I’m Eric, and from the moment Madison and I dreamed of our own place, we faced indifference from the family we hoped would support us. My mother, Barbara, had a downtown apartment she didn’t need, but never once offered us shelter. As our finances crumbled and our hopes faded, we learned the true meaning of being alone together.