I don’t want to mess this up. I live in fear of being seen as a privileged person with an accessory on my arm. By Jenn O’Connor
I’ve never used expressions like potty, criss-cross applesauce, boo-boo and its sad cousin owie. They make me feel like an imposter. By Rosemary Harp
It’s old-school knowledge seasoned with new-school methods validated by hands-on experience.
Eighteen years later, nothing has changed. All the firsts I had been praying for never came. By Shauna Actis
Yes, I am enjoying a front row seat to my daughter’s semester in Cape Town. But I still wonder whether all this technology is giving us too much access to our kids. By Randi Olin
Fourteen teenagers and three teachers are dead who were not dead a few of weeks ago, and my house is falling apart, and my children are at school. By Brianne DeRosa
You’re there because some nights she gets lost in the hallway on the way to the bathroom. You’re there because she has lost herself. By Amie McGraham
Coming to peace with the reality that you can’t make your kid do things is actually liberating. By William Stixrud and Ned Johnson
Nobody will send flowers. You don’t even have a face to conjure when you think of this child. By Maggie Downs
Catherine Newman offers advice to a grandmother, who is raising her 15-year-old grandson, about the reality of teenagers and conflict.
My son plays Fortnite. I’m not worried he will grow up to be violent because of it; I’m worried how the toxic masculinity it portrays affects us all. By Sharon Holbrook
To throw away the cigarettes, and choose to run instead. To stop running when my hips hurt, and walk instead. By Kathleen Harris
As we reel from watching yet another school shooting, we must look closely at what we are asking of our teachers. By Kim Simon
Not only does homework lack academic benefits for young children, but it’s also replacing other fun, developmentally appropriate, and valuable activities. By Jessica Smock
Do people really believe a baby’s size is a reliable precursor of his future happiness, intelligence, or even physical prowess? By Kelsey Osgood
I’m not sure when doing nothing after school fell out of favor. As a kid, I was a pro at nothing. We all were. By Francie Arenson Dickman
Home is where I raised them, watched them grow and then take flight. Maybe that’s why every time they leave now, it’s a reminder of when they left for good. By Morgan Baker
For what seems like a single frame of the video, I see my child silhouetted in the lights of the oncoming car. By Ian Smith
I was only thinking of miles, forgetting then, as I would many times, that part of parenting is sacrifice. By Paul Crenshaw
I’m terrified that my teenager, who has Down syndrome, won’t ever find real love—and also that she will, but that it won’t be the right kind. By Amy Silverman
It’ll only occur to me months later, in the flurry of taking you to college, that this was the quiet part before the big crescendo. By Jennifer Niesslein
Catherine Newman answers this question (and more!) in her next installment of Motherwell’s advice column for the parents of teens. Her kids weigh in too!
Both of my sons are the male equivalent of a tomboy. But there isn’t a word for that. By Marya Markovich
Motherwell features parenting essays on culture, family life, obstacles and the process of overcoming them. We are excited to announce this year’s ten most read!
My plate is full, blessedly so. So why can’t I stop thinking about having another baby? By Daisy Alpert Florin