279. A New Family Unit

Another podcast in the Feelings and Co network, Refamulating, recently aired an episode called “Accidental Parents” which tells the story of an aunt, uncle and their niece and nephew who became a family after a tragedy. The four of them share what feels okay now that they’ve created a new family together. 

Listen to Refamulating wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Transcripts may not appear in their final version and are subject to change.

Julia: I’m Julia Winston and this is It’s Going to Be Okay. 

I’m the host of another Feelings and Co show called Refamulating. Our podcast tells stories about people who are creating families in different ways. Most of us these days don’t live in nuclear families and we want to normalize that!

We recently published an episode that really embodies the spirit of it’s going to be okay. Roxy’s Family is made up of Lindsay, Jeff, Ariah and Breydon. They named themselves after their dog, because when they all became a family they had different last names.

Lindsay and Jeff are a married couple, Ariah and Breydon are Lindsay’s 13-year-old niece and nephew. A few years ago the twins’ mom died suddenly, and Lindsay and Jeff decided to take them in and raise them. That part of the story is tragic. And in the years since…the four of them have evolved and created a new family unit that they love. Today, we wanted to share part of that episode with you. 

Lindsay: It kind of just reinforced, you know, the feeling of blended family and, that,  you know, I love them  with the same love that I feel like a, you know, mother feels for their children.  

Julia: What’s been the best part of raising the twins? What have you enjoyed? 

Jeff: To watch them grow, to see their accomplishments, to  see them smile, you know, to see their reactions when you tell them you’re doing something, or where we’re going, or  just everything. To see like you’re helping them be their best person,  you’re helping them  succeed to, to strive to be all they can be, you know, to, to support them in whatever they want to do

Julia: So do you think of yourself as a father? 

Jeff: Yes. Yes. Of course.  I mean, just because you didn’t birth the kid doesn’t mean you’re not their father. no, we still have them calls and uncle, but, you know, we are, we’re their guardians.

Breydon: family means a lot to me. I would never forget about them.  I would never hate family. I would love them no matter what. Because Ohana means family. Family means no one gets  left behind or forgotten. 

Ariah: Family means everything to me. It’s my world.  They’re my love. They’re my world. I have their eyes and nose. I am my family.  So,  I am everything and they are everything to me too.  And I know one day, if they ever need me, I’m gonna be there for them.

Everything is not bad.  Things are so mysterious of why they happen and why they do or do not. But, you gotta kind of live with it. The world is kind of crazy. So  You gotta kind of, like, not, like, get used to it, but, like,  be a part of it, too. 

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