Having kids in the United States is brutal. “The days are long, but the years are short,” goes the old saying. That’s true of life itself, but the phrase has become a mantra of parents and caregivers, a reassuring bit of what’s called “everyday wisdom” for the perpetually sleep-deprived and stressed-out. Even parents with the […]
The only thing I knew for sure in my new life as a parent was that I would never be able to guarantee my child’s safety. To believe otherwise was pure arrogance. When my daughter was a newborn, and I spent about half of each night awake with her, slowly and uncomfortably breastfeeding her back […]
Do you have a burning question about pregnancy, modern parenting or family life? Send it to Evie at AskEvieColumn@gmail.com or click here to submit your question anonymously. Dear Evie, I’ve always wanted kids and for the first time, I finally think I’m ready to have them (I’m in a stable relationship and I’m financially secure). Only […]
My kids are a very important part of our family, but they aren’t the only part. I said no to the Wellie Waddle, but yes to the Messibat Siddur. No to the Burns Night Supper, but yes to the Daffodil Tea. My kids don’t have an unwieldy amount of school events—we live in the U.K., which […]
I know many of you fight every day to make the world acknowledge you as the dads you are, rather than giving you the honorable but incorrect title of “mother.” My partner Charlie is a genderqueer butch dyke. He is my daughter’s father, and he is also the person who gave birth to her. I […]
It’s hard to be a parent who doesn’t attach to their child. It’s crushing. I know. I was that parent. My son is one of the bravest people I know. That seems like a weird thing to say about a 5-year-old, but it’s true. My husband and I adopted him from China when he was […]
If it’s possible to envy others’ grief, then I envy those whose loved ones have left more concrete evidence of themselves: photos, videos, and especially words. It’s been 3.5 years since my father died from a heart attack at age 63, and as Father’s Day looms, I wonder what he’d think about what’s happening on […]
My dad never had to sit down to teach me how to be a man. I simply learned from watching him. My dad brushed my hair, painted my nails, and played Barbies with me. He never questioned my following him around like his shadow. When we went shopping, he let me pick out my own […]
