It doesn’t seem quite right to just toss these pearly whites in the trash (no matter how much I thanked them, with all due respect to Ms. Kondo). By Anne Brinser Shelton
YouTube, Apple Music, Netflix. Kids seldom watch, listen to, or read anything these days they didn’t select themselves—or that wasn’t suggested by an anxious-to-please algorithm. By Mary Janevic
I was 10. I loved my cat, Gizmo. And I killed him. By Michael Gentry
I sent you a bowl of black stones because of the hardness of loving a child for exactly who he is. By Brianne DeRosa
I imagined my three daughters coming to me, full of their own insecurities, trying to explain they are beautiful the way they are, my fake boobs staring them down. By Katherine Prince
I wanted to believe that bringing teenagers into our life would make it easier to let them go. I was wrong. By Meredith Gordon Resnick
I saw him as I thought he was, an elegant young man for whom I could buy something expressly male. How wrong I was. By Penny Wolfson
This has become our routine: reliving each event point by point, trying to trigger a memory. By Amy Roost
Motherwell publishes on all aspects of the parenting experience—from the poignant to the humorous to the thought-provoking. Here are our most-read original pieces from 2018.
Dad never had to say he disapproved of my upcoming marriage. It was clear from everything he did. By Elizabeth Margaret Newdom
If my belly was round and full of baby, would I hate my body less? This body that betrayed me. By Brittany Wren
When he was two, I spent mornings stuffing tubes of penne with scrambled eggs to trick him into eating something other than pasta. By Marianna Marlowe
College counselor and admissions expert, Sara Harberson, offers valuable insight into the nitty gritty of the application process.
“Oh, relax,” he says, ruffling my daughter’s wispy blonde hair. “We’re just playing.” By Lisa Norgren
As much as I loved football as a kid, I don’t want my own sons watching—or playing—a sport based on such overt violence. By Kate Allen Fox
My sister had asked me to bake. “Keep her busy” was the secret code among my family members that season. By Nancy Payne-Hambrose
It had been a long time since I’d heard her laugh. It felt like clouds parting. By Stewart Lewis
Time heals so much of what goes wrong in life, but the memory of what happened to Mum on that day still makes my body react. By Clover Stroud
I tell my mom I’m eating everything I’m supposed to. But she sees through this immediately. By Allison Richards
If a tween is asking for it, is willing to adhere to the rules you set, what’s the harm? By Lauren Apfel
In New York City’s rush hour, a tush encased in orange tulle attracts less attention than you’d expect. By Jaime Levy Pessin
One day infants and diaper bags and hemorrhoids and boobs won’t be hanging off of your person like you’re a cross between a human mobile and a Sherpa. By Catherine Newman
You will be in your slippers, making waffles, and suddenly remember that your mother is dead. By Brianne DeRosa
One family photo, two different perspectives. By Pat Alexandro and Amy Alexandro Jones
My daughter is trapped inside, trying to make admissions counselors she doesn’t know fall in love with her. By Sandra A. Miller