Obviously, a pandemic is an awful reason to decide to have another child. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. By Amanda Gibson
Category Archive: Family
How, my girls wonder, can they live a big life if they can’t get out of the gate? I feel for them. By Francie Arenson Dickman
Each project was meant to show a child’s mom that she is appreciated. Respected. Loved. By Wendy Kennar
Lately I tell myself that I’ll start to eat healthier. I won’t finish my children’s meals. I won’t pick off their plates, like a mother vulture. By Kelly Niebergall
Every night this family of five sits down together to watch a movie. Rotating who picks, no opting out. By Daisy Alpert Florin
Shelter in place has become a cocoon where our family has slowly let this diagnosis of Down syndrome sink in. By Maggie Shafer
This job is hard—physically, mentally, emotionally—it’s so damn hard. By Maureen Boesen
Every fertility journey is different. You never really know what somebody else is going through. By Amy Klein
Let your children see you trying. Let them see you cry. By Kaci Curtis
He said, “I never knew you started dinner at 4pm every weekday.” By Teresa B. Duffy
My kids are used to my loud, Jewish-mom complaining—but not this unkindness. Not this anxiety-fueled rage. By Hannah Grieco
It’s all about the details, the sillier the better. By Lori Orlinsky
When Finn took his first steps and my husband was on another continent, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How could you miss this?” By Kaci Curtis
Maybe following these accounts is a form of penance for the guilt of being one of the lucky ones who got to take her baby home. By Justine Feron
We’ve had a rough time lately in ways that go beyond the ordinary awkward de-nesting of middle school. By Annie O’Brien
We are a generation of parents who micromanage our children’s safety. And yet, despite the very real fear of death, we keep sending them to school. By Francie Arenson Dickman
We are excited to share our most-read essays of the year!
After bursting into tears, you text your brother-in-law: “Sorry, this is awkward, but make sure she doesn’t use a tampon for the bleeding.” By Lorren Lemmons
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
“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
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
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
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
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
Did my son really need a backpack every time he left the house? By Sherri Sacconaghi