Family Matters, Formerly Known as Home Sweet Home, Newsletter January 2021
New year, new name, same publication.
Home Sweet Home was inherited by Laura Fox from the previous owner, and as the publication has grown the name no longer fits. As a team, we feel that Family Matters better represents the publication.
New followers!
We have now hit 1.8k followers! The growth of this publication has been amazing. If you follow us on Medium, you may want to follow us on Twitter too! We will be promoting new articles daily to help our writer reach more readers.
New Editors!
Due to the growth of Family Matters, we have a team of editors. This means we will be able to publish your drafts as quickly as possible. We haven’t been able to publish on weekends due to time constraints, but with our expanding team, we can now publish your work on Saturdays and Sundays too!
Meet our editors. Along with Laura and David, we now have Laura’s sisters, Kat and Lucy. Family Matters is truly a family-run publication, and we hope to make you feel like you are part of the family too!
Laura Fox
I’m Laura and I am the owner of Family Matters. I’m married to David Fox and we have a little girl called Imogen, affectionately known as Immy. I write about motherhood, mental health, and healing from childhood trauma. I undertake my editing duties on Thursdays.
David Fox
I co-run Family Matters with my wife, Laura, and I edit on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I have cerebral palsy and writes about my experiences of parenting with a physical disability
Kat Morris
I’m a writer, book worm, and mother. I like to write about mental health, parenting, and how we can be better people for the next generation. I’m also the co-editor for the brave writer and my passion is writing. Currently working on my first book, a middle-grade fantasy novel. I edit for Family Matters on Mondays and Fridays.
Lucy Morris
I am the weekend editor for Family Matters. I’m a History graduate and all-round nerd. Here on Medium, I write about books, social justice, queerness, and survival — things that I see as deeply intertwined.
Winner of December’s Prompt
Last month we challenged you to write about the greatest gift you have ever received from a family member. We thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your entries. Thank you for being so vulnerable and sharing your stories with us.
The winner of the prompt is Edward Riley with his beautiful and touching entry, The Greatest Gift of All. Here is an excerpt:
You hear about violence and abuse in families and how there is a generational cycle that is very hard to break sometimes. I hope that we can create a generational cycle of LOVE that is also, indeed, a tough cycle to break.
That is the hope. To take this gift my family has given me, that my wife has given me, that so many people have given me, and repackage it. Wrap it back up again and regift it, over and over.
January’s Prompt
This month, your challenge is to reflect on what you have learned from 2020 and write about changes you want to bring into 2021 in terms of family and/or parenting. You can find out how to enter here.
Best of December
Every month, we select six stand-out pieces and display them under the Best of section on the homepage. These are our favourite pieces from December:
My Son Is Teaching Me How To Be A Good Father And A Good Human Being by Benny Lim
Lessons from the PICU: How my Worst Moments Resulted in the Best Gratitude by Amanda Clark-Rudolph
Motherhood Made Me a Terrible Friend by Kelsey Jane
You Don’t Need Someone Keeping Score of your Mothering by Heather Jauquet
Parents, Check In On Your Child’s Online Activity. Danger May Lurk by Edward Riley
5 Misconceptions About Becoming A Foster Carer by Kylie Tull
Author Spotlight
Here at Family Matters, we believe in creating a supportive environment for readers and also our writers. That’s why we have this designated section in the newsletter each month to celebrate one of our writers and encourage our readers to check out their work.
This month, we are celebrating Sylvia Clare MSc. Psychol. Sylvia has written a lot of articles for Family Matters, and her pieces on ADHD have helped and inspired a lot of people. Her latest piece, Careers and Life Options for Teens with ADHD and Cognitive Differences, talks about her experience as a mother with ADHD and supporting her sones who also have ADHD. I urge you all to give it a read, especially if you have ADHD or support a family member who does.
Thank you so much for your contributions to the publication, Sylvia.
Here’s to, hopefully, a better year. Thank you for supporting Family Matters.
Laura & David
