Some Sundays, I love to read the "Weddings and Celebrations" pages of the New York Times. It's like watching a romantic comedy -- especially the longer features. I love the young-and-hopefuls, the gay couples, the interracial matches and the old farts.
This week though, I wondered, what about the rest of us? What about the never-married? The co-habitating? The newly widowed? The chosen-family-feminist? The crazy old coot with cats? The they-claim-they're-happy triangles? The "I want to be alone!" characters? The much-mingled-step-families? Who's celebrating us? Don't we deserve to have our smiling, happy faces in the paper? Hmmm?
And what does this abiding feature say about our obsession with matched pairs? We really do seem to prefer people that way -- for instance, how many of our political leaders are single? Did you notice that the media pounced on Australia's new Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, when it was discovered that -- horrors! -- she doesn't have children? And why is our beloved New York Times still describing children born out of wedlock as "illegitimate"? (I had to run to the calendar when I spotted that one -- thought maybe the big earthquake bent the space-time continuum and we were back in the '50s. Some 40 percent of children are born outside of traditional marriages, by the way.)
So, HuffPost community, now's your chance. Share your "here's me and my family" story with us. Send photos, too! And show the world that there are all kinds of lives to lead and all kinds of celebrating that needs doing.
Julia Moulden is an author, speaker and columnist. Her new book, on boomers and meaningful work, will be published in 2011.
Follow Julia Moulden on Twitter: www.twitter.com/juliamoulden
My married family broke up about 6 years ago. I was pretty much a single dad for about 4 years to my daughter. Now mom and daughter are getting along much better.
Although still single my family now includes the 86 year old lady across the way. She's from French Lick Indiana and knew Larry Bird when he was growing up. We painted her house for her
a couple weeks ago. A new addition is Julie P. She just adopted three young kids, two boys 3, twins and their 5 yr old sister. Saved them from a tough foster home situation. She is a real hero!
We built a new fence for her backyard to help keep the kids contained and safe.
My family is my neighborhood and my community and yes, a lot of the Huff Post folks too.
Peace on ya all - and by that I mean the FEELING of peace.
Big hugs to a great request for family stories.
Bill
and I hear you tapeatsbill -- will write more about families -- don't miss this weekend's piece about local news -- may be the start of something -- more of us want to see the stories that matter to us covered in media
hey, I'm trying to get started on twitter, so watch for that, too (feeling like a kid learning to walk, or learning a new language -- it's hard, mum!)
My family is of the old cootess with 2 orange cats variety - we're lopsided because our dog died in April. :-((
Although I like children I knew I didn't want them around all the time so I chose not to test the friendly advice, "you'd feel different because they're yours." Good choice, but the 'family values' crowd excludes me and my kitties along with my loved and looked after elderly neighbors, so thank you again, Julia, for asking after my family :-)).
As far as getting your picture in the paper… don’t people normally pay for that, even when they are smiling?
Thanks!