Parenthood gives you an automatic bond, but being “mom friends” and being real friends are two completely different things. I’m a mother, so I know how tempting it can be to talk about your kids all day, every day. It’s an easy default setting: You’re constantly caring for them. They’re the source of endless joy […]
We of the far-flung families share a situation where we have to look to each other for help because there is no one else, and nobody can do it alone. The scene: Christmas Eve in Boston. The weather is rainy and unseasonably warm, the dregs of paltry December snowfall washed away in a March-like, sooty […]
Were you invited to a Moms’ Night Out Holiday Cookie Exchange that demanded you bake 72 homemade cookies and don’t know how to say no? Ask a Single Mom. Thinking about divorce and want to know what life is like on the other side? Ask a Single Mom. Have no idea how to make time […]
One way to combat negative outcomes post-election is to raise more inclusive children. Post-election, many parents are considering how negative comments made by President-Elect Donald Trump will affect our children—both as actors and as victims. Referred to as The Trump Effect, there has been a significant increase in race and religious based taunting throughout the […]
You know you’re an adoptive parent if you dread school assignments that involve the “family tree.” My brother is adopted. Three of my cousins are adopted. It was a normal part of “how you got kids” when I was growing up. I got married at the tender age of 42 and the fertility ship had […]
Ultimately, the number one thing that we need to tackle in the United States in order to help children succeed is not declining marriage rates, it’s poverty. I grew up in a home with married parents who stayed that way until my mom’s death. Despite this family model, when I found myself in a serious relationship […]
Wanting to be able to eat isn’t demanding or rude. It’s our most basic human need. It’s how we celebrate together. As soon as December hits, my phone’s calendar stops giving me notifications and instead just whispers “holy shit what the fuck” over and over and over. Like everyone else, I’m over-scheduled during the holidays, […]
Don’t assume a family who is adopting doesn’t want a celebration, even if the child isn’t a newborn. I know it might sound trite but I’m kind of bummed that I never had a baby shower. Part of me knows I should get over it but another part of me knows I’ll never let it […]
