wyvchat

everyone is allowed to seek the support, love, and community they need and deserve through connections and friendship other than direct family members...

There is no single way to create or have a family

...i know so many women from my dance studio who show this and support each other. they are the perfect example of #morethanmom

for me, more than mom has so many meanings...mothers are more than their roles as a mom...folks who are not biological parents step up to the parenting role, and children are not defined by those who bring them into the world. #morethanmom

Also, that you don't have to have a mom or a dad to have a family... mothers day n fathers day can be rough for ppl w complicated relationships w their bio parents and its imp they know that it's okay and they are not alone

...these women/moms are able to get the love and support they need to continue in all the work they do as moms, as sisters, as entrepreneurs, leaders, artists, activists, dancers, etc...

it literally it takes a village/community to raise a child.

@ monica I AGREE.

A4 #morethanmom to me means that families are not solely about the mother. Anyone can be a parent. Biological or not. We have single fathers. A woman is also more than a mother. A woman is not defined by whether she has children or not.

@MissEvelynJo The idea that women are not defined on their ability/decision to have children is SO IMPORTANT

society is quick to assume that women over a certain age should drop everything to have children. They are quizzed and questioned why they do not have them and warned their clock is ticking. But women are #morethanmom

and if the time is not right, and the clock no longer ticks, there's so many children out there who can be adopted and fostered.

hmmm...nothing really, but I would like more of a discussion of how systemic oppression leads to emotional and physical trauma in families. #morethanmom

The importance of chosen family!

and the fact that blood relation does not inherently tie you to shitty ppl for the rest of your life, that it's okay to distance yrself from toxicity even if it means letting go of :famiy

one thing that always surprised me was watching movies or tv shows where sisters are competing or fighting over a man...i don't EVER understand this. it grosses me out to think it. or where sisters are competing with each other...

@ema_grey agreed!

A3 that despite family being blood, if they create you issues and you live in a toxic environment then it's okay to walk away. Protect yourself. Distance yourself from the negativity

i understand not all siblings get along, but i've never understood that type of sister dynamic...

@nicolegervacio to me it seems like just another arm of the giant girl-hate octopus that makes girls constantly "compete" w each other-- like, I can be great of you are also great

@ema_grey "I canT be great"

@ema_grey i feel that way too

funny, but i was literally talking my friend through a sister fight/dysfunction this morning...i told her fights/misunderstandings can either be growing pains or it can be a sign that someone has an unresolved issue they need to let go of.

other than my issue with the competitive-sister-hatred portrayal, i feel we live with a variety of representations of family in the media...also i fully agree with @ Monica Lynn ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ yesss.

thank you for having me!

Or, if not your own family, Family in general

I would describe my family as dysfunctional #wyvchat

To me, family is not necessarily the people related to you by blood, but those who stick with you through your life and love you unconditionally

@ema_grey so true-my chosen family is amazing and supportive <3

A1 family are people who are there for you, for the good and the bad. Family doesn't have to be blood relations. Family can be a supportive network. My family? Divorced parents, highly strung Italians, family fallouts! #wyvchat

my family is extensive and is not limited to blood relation.

@ema_grey I'm also an auntie to over 2 dozen kids, so while I'm not a mom, I have certainly taken on that role #morethanmom

I'm lucky to have a pretty great family, but a lot of that is that my parents were both pretty disconnected from their extended family bc they suck so we never had to deal w that

I am lucky to have great step parents too who I am happy to call my family. We have a good relationship #wyvchat

there's a lot of grey area (where members may be more disconnected) and there's a lot of overlap (cousins raised like sisters/brothers, aunties as second moms...) an ebbing and flowing tribe. changes depending on where everyone is in life...

I am Evelyn and I am a blogger from England. I am also a contributor for WYV Magazine #wyvchat

I'm Ema, I'm the social media gremlin for #WYV

hi, i'm nicole, i'm an artist!

For me, I think the biggest change has been understanding that my family is not what everyone's family is like. Not inherently in a bad/good way, just that family doesn't mean only one thing

A2 That nobody is perfect and families have their ups and downs and arguments. Everyone tries their best to do their best for everyone else. Arguments and issues will occur. And that's just life! #wyvchat

I have allowed myself to create my own identity as an individual. For so long, I allowed myself to be defined by how my family defined me. #morethanmom

i think due to being raised in a fairly diverse community and to recognizing i had a family tree that was far from simple, i didn't really have a set idea of what a family is, i knew that all families were different in their own way.

when you're a kid you definitely see books portraying families as mom+dad+kids=family but it didn't have any negative influence/affect my perspectives...the hardest part was explaining to others why i had 3 1/2 sisters...

...it's much easier explaining it as an adult.

@nicolegervacio dude I feel that I would always confiuse ppl when i talked about my uncle who was only 7 months older than me

lol

@ema_grey i have a distinct memory of my friend trying to explain that concept to me as a kid, too. i was like: WHAAAA

@nicolegervacio ngl i still love to use it to confuse ppl