On Writing

Stitching and embroidery
Jan 17 2024

Stitches of Love

By fern | blog,  General,  Immigration,  Legacy,  Loss,  Motherland,  On Germany
In her 98 years, my mother always had a foot in two worlds. “Oma,” who fled Nazi Germany for America, learned to embroider in school in Stockstadt am Rhein. In her last years, she colorfully embellished hand towels for family and friends. Many people around the world now have these special tokens to remember her. She taught me how to stitch, and I have shared this skill with the women ...
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Dec 19 2023

Betrayal Blindness: Not Seeing What’s Obvious

By fern | Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General
Research on attachment reveals why the betrayed stay in a state of denial.
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Dec 13 2023

Oh, Brother (or Sister)!

By fern | Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General,  Interviews,  News
New article that captures the essence of sibling relationships and their challenges.
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Dec 6 2023

Is It Sibling Rivalry or Sibling Abuse?

By fern | Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General
Sibling victimization, “the forgotten abuse,” is three times more common than school bullying and it often leads to estrangement in adulthood.
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Nov 20 2023

15 Tips for the Estranged to Cope with the Holidays

By fern | blog,  Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General
How to navigate negative emotions, seasonal hype, and family events.
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Nov 4 2023

Why Black Families Feel Intensely the Stigma of Estrangement

By fern | blog,  Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog
Chimére L. Sweeney, an advocate for Black women and founder of The Black Long Covid Experience, explains why Blacks may not want to admit they have estranged relatives -- especially to whites.
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Nov 3 2023

Huff Post features FSC in article about sibling rivalry

By fern | Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General
Here's how to mend a sibling rivalry that's lasted into adulthood.
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Oct 10 2023

New study finds half of LGBTQ are estranged from family

By fern | Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General,  Loss
"When I came out to my parents, the rejection hit me so badly I could barely get out of bed most mornings in college..."
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Can narcissism be identified in children?

By fern | Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog,  General
  "Once you see it," one woman says, "you can't unsee it."   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202309/can-narcissism-be-identified-in-children     photo credit: Ibrahem Bana
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My mother’s German synagogues today…

By fern | blog,  General,  Loss,  Motherland,  On Germany,  Trauma
  In my mother’s town, Stockstadt am Rhein, two Jewish families had lived among 2,000 people for centuries. On the Sabbath, my 98-year-old mother remembers that her family walked to synagogues in Biebesheim or Erfelden to worship with other Jews who lived in towns along the Rhein River. Decades after the Holocaust, all that remains of Jewish life in these two towns are the synagogue buildings. In 1988, fifty years ...
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