We are forever snarled in each other’s hair, my daughter and I, invested in the consistency of the people we know best and need most. By Leslie Kendall Dye
parenting
Here I am at the sink again. Here I am signing the kids up for soccer again. Here I am preparing for the holidays again. Wash, rinse, repeat. By Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco
Using script forces a child’s brain to slow down. It allows for deeper thoughts, more expansive word choices, and increased imagination. By Michelle Riddell
Perhaps the fish were feeble replacements for all that we had lost, but they were also hopeful things. By Samantha Shanley
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
Eighteen years later, nothing has changed. All the firsts I had been praying for never came. By Shauna Actis
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
Nobody will send flowers. You don’t even have a face to conjure when you think of this child. By Maggie Downs
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
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
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
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!
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!
Looking for the perfect parenting gift, book club recommendation or holiday read? Look no further. By Lauren Apfel
He can’t reconcile where we’d find the time, money and energy. I feel like we’d figure it out, the way we did with the first. By Abigail Rasminsky
Catherine Newman’s next installment of Motherwell’s not-so-ordinary advice column for the parents of teens.
My son is deeply comfortable with being an introvert. But sometimes I think he is too comfortable. By Lauren Apfel
I was raised to believe that my differences didn’t have to limit or set me apart. But the world disagreed. By Meg Zucker
Catherine Newman’s not-so-ordinary advice column for the parents of teens.
We can honor the importance of caregiving without taking away from the difficulties of balancing caregiving with a career outside the home. By Laura Longhine