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YCteen publishes true stories by teens, giving readers insight into the issues that matter most in young people's lives.
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Family (100 found)
Note: These stories are from YCteen and its sister publication, Represent, which is written by and for youth in foster care.
But nobody else was going to help me, so I got myself clean—and into college. (full text)
Many men hurt me, but teachers, therapists, and my own courage have helped me heal and thrive. (full text)
Layla’s mom works in a Bronx hospital, and going to work is scary and sad. Layla writes, “my jubilant mother is slowly unraveling into a traumatized and frightened being.” (full text)
Marvin's brother worked in a grocery store as the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City. Everyone in their family had symptoms, but nobody could get tested. (full text)
Jessica’s mom is strict and she resents it. But when her mother tells Jessica about her life in the poor countryside of China, she sees her, “for the first time as a human being, daughter, sister, and wife.”
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When Angie tells both parents separately that she is gay, they have two different reactions. (full text)
The writer explores the difficulties of living with two parents who can't stand each and often put her in the center of their rage. (full text)
As Natalie learns more English, the gap between her and her Spanish-speaking parents widens. She finds ways to both honor them and stay connected to them. (full text)
Grace writes with humor and love in this story about her dad's idea to take her and her sister camping "to spend the night in the woods for no reason." (full text)
Natalie struggles with the death of her father. In exploring her grief, she finds that her father lives on in her memory. (full text)
After her mother's death, the writer is left with her father, an alcoholic who neglects her. She acts out and engages in dangerous behavior. With a helpful therapist, she turns her life around. (full text)
Xavier reflects on how being beaten by his stepfather throughout his childhood affects his behavior and relationships. Suddenly, his stepfather apologizes. (full text)
When the writer moves here from the Dominican Republic, she feels isolated. She misses her friends and grandmother. Kids make fun of her, and her mom neglects her. It takes a dramatic act to get her mom’s attention. (full text)
Until she was 10, the writer had a close relationship with her grandfather. Then he disappeared. She tries to come to terms with the reality and mystery of his absence. (full text)
“I feel confined in a cage called ‘desperately trying to please my parents.’ Inside I am wild to break free,” the author writes. Eventually, she discovers how. (full text)
Joseph struggles between angered resentment and love for his older brother, who goes from star student to drug addict and eventually lands in jail. (full text)
Her unhappy parents who neglect her and social anxiety affect the writer and make it hard for her to make friends. She overcomes her shyness by implementing smart strategies. (full text)
“Not living with either of my parents made me feel like a puzzle piece that didn’t fit in anywhere,” writes Joel. Therapy makes him feel less out of place and abandoned. (full text)
For Atl, spending summers and holidays at his grandparent’s Idaho farm with its “endless hillsides and fields,” meant escaping the city’s chaos. When he finds out his grandparents must sell the farm, he is emotionally unprepared. (full text)
After the writer’s mom gets involved in an abusive relationship, she takes a bold step and moves to Atlanta to live with her father to escape her toxic home life. (full text)
As the writer grows up, she witnesses her father’s abuse of her mother. After intervening in one of their fights, her father moves out and she learns about abuse prevention through a job. (full text)
The writer's family consistently taunts her about her shape and eating habits. She summons the confidence to stand up to their negative talk. (full text)
When the writer’s mom is released from prison after nine years, it takes time for the two to adjust. Although the writer remains guarded, she is open to building a closer relationship. (full text)
Jovani’s mother dies and his father re-enters his life after a long absence. Jovani takes steps to forgive his father and build a trusting relationship with him. (full text)
When Rianna's mom loses her job, the family has to move into a shelter. Of course it isn't like the comfort of home, but it's not the cramped, crowded, dirty place she expected. (full text)
Farhana finds her South Asian parents more liberal than most, but still thinks they’re overprotective. She talks to them about needing more independence. (full text)
The writer tries to protect his siblings, mother, and himself from his father’s physical abuse. He discovers that writing is one way to gain a sense of peace and control. (full text)
When the writer’s parents start arguing over an alleged affair, both turn to him for advice and comfort. He eventually finds a way to tell his parents to seek counsel from adults. (full text)
When Jovani's supportive, loving mother unexpectedly dies, he deals with her painful absence by reflecting on the values and ideas she instilled in him. (full text)
The writer’s father becomes distant when he loses his job. They fight constantly but when her father learns she’s in therapy to work out their problems, he begins to change.
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When Alex's mom gets pregnant the both are overjoyed. But when the baby dies prematurely their relationship is challenged. (full text)
Shameera is weary of being compared to her accomplished older brother. She strategizes to carve out her own identity. (full text)
A girl interviews three boys about pressure to be more "manly," how they handle that pressure, and if there's anything to gender stereotypes. (full text)
The author keeps giving her violent, abusive mom another chance, and her mom keeps letting her down. She finally resolves to separate and move forward on her own. (full text)
When the writer was 12, her sister was molested by her uncle in the next bedroom. Life for them both has never been the same. (full text)
Johileny must care for her dying mother, despite her own disability and a botched operation that landed her in a wheelchair. (full text)
David is close with his grandmother until she moves back to Korea.
Then he gets distracted with his new American life in New York and loses touch with her. (full text)
Then he gets distracted with his new American life in New York and loses touch with her. (full text)
Levaunna's parents split when her dad admits he has another family. Levaunna starts lying, drinking, and acting out--but a friend helps her stop her destructive behavior. (full text)
When the writer's older sister moves away to escape her verbally abusive parents, the writer realizes what a valuable role model her sister was. (full text)
Even though Damia’s mom doesn’t mind if other people are gay, she would be disappointed if any of her children were. (full text)
After years of rejection from her father, Tameara finally learns that the reason he is so absent is because he is a crack addict. (full text)
Isela is expected to babysit her brothers, cook, clean, and maintain her good grades. She becomes overwhelmed, but her mom is not sympathetic. (full text)
The writer’s mom is so focused on pushing her to excel in school and on her college admissions tests, she doesn’t see that the relationship has become reduced to yelling and lecturing. (full text)
Contest winners write anonymous letters about what’s going on in their lives that their parents should know about – and don’t. (full text)
After the writer moves from Korea to the U.S., his once fun-loving dad struggles to adjust to his new life here, and becomes perpetually angry and demanding. (full text)
Julia was home-schooled until the eighth grade when she decided to switch to a traditional high school. Here, she writes about the pros and cons of both. (full text)
Five years after her brother tried to rape her, this writer gradually stopped being afraid to tell anyone. (full text)
Desmin remembers his grandmother who died last spring; the woman who was most like a mother to him. She taught him life lessons he will never forget. (full text)
Kicked out of the house by her mother, the writer goes to live with her father. Although life's not perfect, she realizes she shouldn't blame herself for a situation over which she had no control. (full text)
Jordan feels lucky to have three families—his mother's side, his father's side, and his stepmother's side. His step-family is as important to him as his immediate family because he knows they care about him just the same. (full text)
Kaela is very close with her Uncle Luke. When she finds out he has cancer, she does her best to help him through his illness and show her love. (full text)
When Caitlin's parents are fighting and on the verge of divorce, she finds refuge by staying with her friend Rosa's family. (full text)
The author finds cutting helps her deal with a painful relationship with her father. Therapy, writing, music, and talking to others help her stop. (full text)
Destiny struggles to cope with the death of her best friend—her brother Kareem. She writes about her feelings and tries to be nicer to everyone. (full text)
After being abandoned by her father, Amber has a hard time trusting others, even a boy who tries to show her that he’s here to stay. (full text)
L.V. has to frequently babysit for her sister and resents it until she realizes she has to be a better role model for her younger sibling. (full text)
V.M.'s father abandons the family and then berates V.M. for crying when his mother dies. V.M. learns how to be a better man by tuning into good role models and his own compassion. (full text)
The writer questions how our culture defines manhood, particularly how his father defines it. While pursuing his passion for acting, he played a role that helped him develop his own definition. (full text)
Otis has little memory of his biological dad, but the brief time he had with a loving adoptive father taught him lessons he still remembers. (full text)
After running away and going into foster care, Daniel is determined to repair his relationship with his mother. (full text)
The writer’s father reappears after he left the family many years ago. (full text)
Manny slowly develops a bond with his foster mom, who plans to adopt him. (full text)
When Janelle returns home after three years in foster care, she finds it hard to readjust. Family therapy helps her and her mother build a new and better relationship. (full text)
Chaquana can never depend on her drug-addicted mother. She ends their conversations by saying “goodbye” instead of “I love you.” (full text)
After Jennifer’s mom gets involved with an abusive man, it takes years to repair the damage. (full text)
The writer feels ignored and abandoned by her mother, which leads her to cut. The support of others helps her stop. (full text)
As a child, Daniela feels little connection to her quiet and withdrawn father. But a mutual love of movies brings them closer. (full text)
After years in foster care, Erica and her mother reestablish a relationship by writing letters. (full text)
For years, the writer's father put alcohol ahead of his family. When he finally enters treatment, he and Jessica are able to connect. (full text)
Fatima explains how she and her fiancé have become successful parents. (full text)
In her Dominican family, Dayan started helping her mother cook Latino specialities at age 9. (full text)
For a long time Antwaun had too much pride to ask for help, but when he reaches out to his brother during a crisis in his life, he realizes the importance of opening up to others. (full text)
Lucas is here to tell the truth: there is no Santa Claus, puppies die, and parents don't trust their kids when they're out of sight. (full text)
Antwaun struggles with conflicted feelings about his father, who spent most of Antwaun’s childhood in and out of prison. (full text)
Stevisha’s father has been in prison since she was a young girl, but they have bonded over the years by writing to each other. (full text)
When Naomi sees her father paying more attention to her younger sister, she thinks he doesn't like her any more. But after she confronts him about her feelings, they draw closer and she sees how much they have in common. (full text)
The writer, whose mother was 16 when she gave birth to her, argues that the children of teen moms often don’t receive the support they need. (full text)
After her father abandons the family, the writer feels weighed down by family responsibilities. Physical symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide eventually drive her to talk to a counselor, which helps. (full text)
Devastated when her father leaves the family, the writer fills her emptiness by having promiscuous sex. Eventually, she gains control of her sexuality. (full text)
The writer lives in a violent home and has to physically break up fights between her parents. She compensates by becoming the perfect kid, but her empty feelings lead to hallucinations and she starts seeing a counselor. (full text)
Artiqua's teenage dream of boyfriends, partying, and staying out late will never become a reality, so long as her mother has anything to say about it. (full text)
The author resolves to deal with the anger she’s developed from her abusive childhood, so she won’t abuse others. (full text)
Zeena slowly realizes that the abuse she gets from her parents isn’t just part of their culture—it’s wrong. (full text)
The author's mother was in and out of jail and addiction. She reappears just after the writer ages out of care. Hoping for a reconciliation, the author lets her mom move into her apartment. (full text)
The writer's mom was very abusive when she drank, and the writer went into care. Her mother slowly got sober, and the family was reunited, but it wasn't a happy ending. (full text)
For years, the writer's father put alcohol ahead of his family. When he finally enters treatment, he and Jessica are able to connect. (full text)
The author's mother abused him when she was drunk and high, and he went into care. An illness in their family makes him realize he'd rather forgive her than stay mad. (full text)
This reprint from Rise magazine is by a man whose daughter goes into care. He is grateful for the cooperation he gets from her foster mothers, which helps when his daughter comes home. (full text)
Leah endures 20 different foster care placements, all bad, until she moves in with Beatriz and Frankie at age 14. Beatriz teaches Leah about trust, self-respect, and love. (full text)
Marreka gets the message young that her body is for adults to use. Molested at age 5, and trafficked as a young teen, she finally finds love and support at Gateways and GEMS. (full text)
Hector's mother abuses him and his twin physically and emotionally. Hector finally escapes and then heals himself with writing and finding adults he can trust. (full text)
Because her mother is an alcoholic, Jzhamaine suffers abuse, neglect, and homelessness. After her mother gets sober and apologizes, Jzhamaine can forgive her. (full text)
Psychotherapist Russell Saunders explains how to heal from a parent's abuse or neglect, how to make boundaries with those parents, and what needs to happen before you can forgive them (full text)
The author is sexually trafficked by her parents from ages 12 to 16. After she escapes, she focuses on healing and saving her little sister from the same fate. (full text)
The writer adopts a tough persona, squelching his own feelings. He alienates his girlfriend, loses his son, and almost ends his life. He finally gets real and turns his life around. (full text)
Tayia went into care as a child, then was returned to her mother. She takes issue with how child welfare handled all of it and says what might have helped her. (full text)
Demetria's foster mom is loving and supportive but doesn't give her the privacy or freedom that a teenager needs and that Demetria feels she has earned. (full text)
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