Parenting

America Has Been Failing Mothers for a Long Time. The Pandemic Made It Clear What Needs to Happen

In 1974, humorist Erma Bombeck published a syndicated newspaper column that...

In 1974, humorist Erma Bombeck published a syndicated newspaper column that looms over the lives of American mothers whether they've read it or not. In "When God Created Mothers," Bombeck describes God making a mother...

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It's Not Indulgent to Admit You've Been Struggling in Recent Months. It's Smart to Ask for Help

When friends ask how we're doing, I answer like everyone else who has both ...

When friends ask how we're doing, I answer like everyone else who has both a job and their health: I say I'm lucky and so grateful. Then I joke about how at the start of...

When Mom needs to hear that it's O.K. not to be O.K.

'Of Course She's Not O.K.' The Conversation That Changed How I Thought About Early Motherhood

I had made it as far as the street corner when it occurred to me that I had...

I had made it as far as the street corner when it occurred to me that I hadn't paid. I'd said goodbye to my friends at the restaurant and walked out. When I returned, embarrassed...

Why You Should Teach Your Kids to Cook

"Have you ever baked a cake before?" I asked Quinn, 9, at the beginning of ...

"Have you ever baked a cake before?" I asked Quinn, 9, at the beginning of a recent recipe-testing session in Boston. He seemed a little nervous as he shook his head no. But just over...

I Thought My Kids Were Too Old for Me to Have Postpartum Depression. But I Couldn't Deny the Awful Reality

I can’t exactly pinpoint one thing that led to my ultimate breakdown. Rathe...

I can’t exactly pinpoint one thing that led to my ultimate breakdown. Rather, I believe it was a collection of stressors that slowly eroded away my ability to cope. My son Tate, like most preschoolers,...

In this May 1, 2018, file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas.

The Texas Attorney General Promised to Remember My Transgender Son. His Recent Actions Show He's Forgotten

In 2016 the Attorney General of Texas came to my home for dinner. It was an...

In 2016 the Attorney General of Texas came to my home for dinner. It was an unlikely gathering: I’m the mother of a transgender child and Attorney General Ken Paxton is one of the biggest...

I Was Worried My Anxiety Would Prevent Me From Being a Good Father. My Sons Changed That

'I can become slightly stronger to protect the people who need me'