My daughter’s emerging identity—the fluidity she wanted to embody—seemed to be taking her away from me. By Shelly R. Fredman
Category Archive: Parenting Challenges
We owe our children safe spaces to adorn themselves with color and material and fit and comfort as they decide. By Kristen H. McLeod
Through the years I’ve gotten rid of sentimental items I would love to see at least one more time. By Kimberly Witt
Having choices, not just careers, is fundamental to feminism. By Liz Sjaastad
I wanted to learn how people managed to survive the unthinkable. By Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser
My son’s chestnut brown hair flows a foot down his back. By Jesse Curran
There’s power in knowing you can do something creative, even in a world turned upside down. By Sarah Walker Caron
My son obsessively exercises during the commercials of whatever he happens to be watching. By Michael Bahler
I simply couldn’t bring myself to throw those old bottles away. By Manndi Maphies Wilkins
I now see Christmas as a time for an extra dose of grace, for patience with others and especially ourselves. By Lisa Doggett
I don’t have an answer. I want to see them, but I also want to protect my family. By Melissa Scholes Young
There we stood, guilty of creating a fairy-tale holiday card in the middle of a crisis. By Vanessa Garza
With six children, you learn to spread anxiety thinly over everyone until it ceases to have much impact. By Jodi Bartle
The fact that my kid is in his school uniform while his classmates are all dressed for the party makes me cringe. By Virginia Fundora
The day our third child came along, I often found myself fantasizing about cutting the cords of his computer. By Tania Lorena Rivera
I have spent years juggling my three jobs: teacher, mother, and alcoholic. By Jennifer Dines
I have a full-time job and yet I still feel like I’m waiting for my ex-husband to see me as an equal human. By Katherine Sargent
Whisking him off to surgery without even a mention to his parents seemed a premature exit from the cocoon of childhood. By Lauren Apfel
The particular bonding of a blended family didn’t come easily to me. By Tess Clarkson
My Lego games with Brian defined our relationship. Until, one fateful day, he left for college. By Matt Hollingsworth
The saying that a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child is true. By Beth Thompson
Literature is a great way to put our pandemic struggles into perspective. By Laura Catherine Hanby Hudgens
Not all recipes need to be cooked, but they all deserve to be read. By Tahnee Freda
I wasn’t used to saying “no” to Mom—and didn’t know where to begin. By Elizabeth Newdom
I’m afraid of losing my daughter. I’m afraid of being replaced. By Jeannette Sanderson