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Author: Motherwell

The Santa myth is hard work and I won’t miss it

Santa ornament on Christmas tree
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As much as I love Christmas, without Santa I felt only glee and relief at the massive reduction in my December workload. By Michelle Deininger

December 4, 2019 Culture, Family

What will be the most popular baby names in 2020?

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Our favorite naming site, Nameberry, predicts next year’s hottest baby names.

December 3, 2019 Culture

Meeting my transgender daughter for the first time

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“What did you expect, Mom?” said my kid, laughing now, in her same boy-voice she’s always had. By Joanna Franklin Bell

November 27, 2019 Culture

Perspective | Why I don’t use positive adoption language

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“Birth mom” does not make me feel like a baby machine without feelings, but it does clarify my role in her life. By Adrian Collins

November 25, 2019 Family, Parenting Challenges

Our favorite books that will change the way you think about parenthood

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Sixteen of the best books that offer a unique insight into parenting in our ever-changing modern world.

November 21, 2019 Books, Culture

Waiting for our family’s adoption to be complete

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What if birth certificates reflected reality? I imagined three spaces, one for our daughter’s biological mother and two for us. By Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser

November 19, 2019 Culture, Family

How much time does it take to make a friend?

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If the secret to friendship is hours logged, mothers of school-age children have a distinct advantage. By Michelle Riddell

November 14, 2019 Culture

Poetry | Flowers in odd numbers

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If my mother is not here, who will show up to bring me flowers when I am vacuumed out,
cells gone, clean, neat, dark, unseeded? By Emily Franklin

November 13, 2019 Family

Letting go of the baby things we don’t need

Cartoon coloured picture of a woman pushing a red jogging stroller
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They all took turns as babies, then toddlers, riding in the stroller’s deep reclining seat, casually enjoying Cheerios or clutching a favorite toy as I bounced behind. By Cara McDonough

November 12, 2019 Family

How my two very different playgroups saved me

Smiling toddler sitting on floor holding red balloon
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The truth is I dreaded my Friday playgroup as much as I craved it. I stood apart from the other mothers in ways I couldn’t quite communicate or change. By Laura G. Owens

November 6, 2019 Culture, Family

The ultimate guide to family-related memoirs

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Thirteen of the best memoirs out there that shine a bright light on the challenges and rewards of parenting.

November 5, 2019 Books

The importance of tending to friendships

little girl watering small tree with a watering can
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As parents of older kids, socializing with other moms was apparently no longer part of the job description. By Anne Helena

October 30, 2019 Culture, Parenting Challenges

The ultimate guide to practical parenting books

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Ten of the best books out there that will help make the work of parenting easier, less worrisome, and more fun.

October 29, 2019 Books, Culture

Seven sneaky signs your teen might be using drugs

teen boy with backpack walking down street with head down
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Did my son really need a backpack every time he left the house? By Sherri Sacconaghi

October 24, 2019 Family, Parenting Challenges

When early menopause and life events strike at the same time

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I said goodbye to two decades’ worth of resources and relationships. It seemed perfectly appropriate for my emotions to go haywire. By Nicole Melanson

October 22, 2019 Parenting Challenges

Accepting my friend’s son when she can’t

Little boy wearing stripped shirt hugging doll wearing colorful sweater
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“Ryan,” I say. “If you ever want to play with the girl dolls, we have them. In this house, you can play with whatever you want.” By Ann Wainwright

October 11, 2019 Culture

Helping my son grieve the loss of a friend

Blue dragonfly on a green leaf
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How exactly could I break this news to a kid who already went to bed every night scared of death to the point of tears? By Tanya Mozias Slavin

October 10, 2019 Parenting Challenges

The importance of friendship after divorce

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The hardest thing about divorce, I’ve found, is not the being alone. It’s the being alone when most of the people you know and love have a first port of call that isn’t you. By Lauren Apfel

October 8, 2019 Culture

The friends I made in the waiting room

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We don’t want our boys to be “cured.” There is no cure; autism is a chronic state, like arthritis, or love. By Elizabeth Michaelson Monaghan

October 7, 2019 Parenting Challenges

Our family took a stand on our school’s dress code

Six pink cartoon books in a row entitled Girls' Dress Code
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“No skinny pants” was a rule we could not and did not obey. Instead, we pulled our children out of the school. By Jennie Burke

October 2, 2019 Culture

Ten things to do when your kid is being bullied

Teen boy with backpack sitting with hands in head in front of blue school lockers
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Take a minute to shine the spotlight on your child and praise them for reporting the behavior. By Lori Orlinsky

September 30, 2019 Parenting Advice

If I had the chance to parent all over again

Empty blue playground seat swing and metal chain with pretty sunset in the background
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I’d raise my family differently, not because of the mistakes I made—though I certainly made my share—but because time means so much more to me now. By Melissa T. Shultz

September 26, 2019 Family

How I came to appreciate my father’s weekly letters

stack of letter tied together with twine on a table
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They arrived. One after the other. In snowstorms. On holidays. From foreign countries. In succession—as inevitable it seemed as midterms and finals. By David Joseph

September 24, 2019 Family

Lice helped my family in a time of sorrow

girl wearing blue hooded sweatshirt standing backwards with braids with pink tips
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I’d been craving more one-on-one time with my kids for so long and now, thanks to those pesky parasites, I had it. By Kate Lemery

September 18, 2019 Culture, Family

How my baby changed the way I look in the mirror

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My eyes focus on my abdomen, the bulge pregnancy has left behind. My inner critic opens her mouth…but then I take in the whole picture. By Chrissie Dunham

September 12, 2019 Family

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