I took my kids to a family-friendly pub to watch the World Cup. It's more socially acceptable now.
3 min read
I never thought I'd get paid family leave as a freelancer. I then found a way to get $2,300 a week as a new mom.
I was entitled to paid family leave as a freelancer if I worked on a project for 22 weeks. I earned enough to get by as a new single mom.
4 min read
My son's graduation from high school marks a devastating end for me. I now have to figure out who I am outside being a dad.
My adulthood has been filled with the responsibilities and routines of fatherhood. Now, I have to figure out what life looks like without kids.
4 min read
I'm an American living through the UK heat wave. My kids' school is canceled, and every room feels like a sauna.
Despite growing up in the US South, I find heatwaves in the UK more difficult because homes and infrastructure aren't designed for them.
4 min read
I thought trying for another baby would feel hopeful. It felt terrifying.
I experienced miscarriage, NICU stays, and postpartum complications with my first child. My next pregnancy never felt safe.
5 min read
A comment my mother made when I was 16 still sticks with me today. It shaped how I parent.
My mother's remark about a skirt stayed with me for decades. I'm trying not to do that to my kids.
4 min read
My husband and I aren't hiding our AI use from our kids. We are helping them learn how to use it.
Voice chats with Claude help me teach my kids to use AI responsibly, as a tool that supports critical thinking, not replaces it.
4 min read
Tan France says he writes emails so his kids can see who they were growing up
Tan France says he got the idea from Kim Kardashian.
2 min read
My dad left 2 packed storage units when he died. I found childhood memories, vintage gems, and trash.
Maia Storm says sorting through her late father's hoarded belongings has helped her uncover forgotten memories and process grief.
4 min read
My family of 5 outgrew our Subaru Outback. The hybrid Mazda CX-90 might be the solution for space and cost of living.
Testing the Mazda CX-90 on a family trip helped me realize how much we've outgrown our current car. With twins plus another kid we need a third row.
4 min read
I built billion-dollar companies by giving my employees agency. I use the same approach with my 5 kids.
Zynga founder Mark Pincus says giving children agency, responsibility, and room for eccentricity matters more than achievement.
5 min read
My husband and I moved from the US to Barbados with 6 kids. They're more independent and chat easily with strangers.
Lisa Desai and her husband decided to move to Barbados from Florida because they craved freedom and adventure for their eight kids.
3 min read
A stranger offered to pay for the World Cup trip I promised my sons, but couldn't afford. I thought it was a scam.
After writing about being unable to afford a World Cup trip he'd promised his sons for years, a father received an unexpected message from a stranger.
5 min read
I'm a mom, but I don't like having other kids over. I prefer to meet in a neutral place for play dates.
I may be a mom, but I don't like having other people's kids in my home. It's stressful, both while they are over and to clean up afterward.
3 min read
A psychologist explains why adaptable kids will outpace straight-A students in the AI era
Psychologist Lindsay C. Gibson said raising emotionally mature kids who are resilient and flexible prepares them for an ever-changing AI world.
4 min read
I deeply regret the mom I was during my divorce. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to my daughters.
My stressful divorce turned me into a parent I barely recognized. I can't change who I was then, but I can choose who I am now.
4 min read
I left the Navy SEALs to have more time with my 3 kids. What I learned in the military helped me raise confident kids.
Former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb says lessons from sniper training helped him teach his children confidence, resilience, and independence.
5 min read
My teenage son is using AI to do his math homework. I'm now helping his school write its first AI policy.
When I noticed my son using AI to solve his math homework, I didn't know how to feel. I then helped the school implement a creative AI policy.
4 min read
I took my 30-year-old son on a vacation to Hawaii. We had to set ground rules first.
My 30-year-old son is independent and lives across the county, so I rarely get to connect with him. I thought a trip to Hawaii would be perfect.
5 min read
I'm not the 'fun mom' because I live with MS. My husband is everything I can't be.
I never got to be the 'fun mom' I pictured because I live with multiple sclerosis. I'm grateful my husband can step in for our kids.
4 min read
We started praising our toddler more. The results made us rethink our parenting approach.
We stopped nagging our toddler and started cheering him on. Everything got easier.
5 min read
I started treating my dad with dementia like a customer. It doesn't always work, but it has helped a lot.
When my father's dementia made communication difficult, I borrowed a lesson from customer service: smile first.
4 min read
I'm raising children and caring for my dad with Alzheimer's. They all need me at once.
While raising two young children and expecting a third, I'm also helping care for my father as Alzheimer's slowly takes him away.
5 min read
Vacationing with my family of 6 is too expensive. For the past 3 years, we've been taking day trips instead.
We stopped spending thousands on family vacations and started exploring close to home to save money.
4 min read
I didn't hear 'I love you' much from my dad growing up. I didn't need to.
My dad didn't often say "I love you," but I always felt it. Now I understand why — and why it mattered more than I knew.
5 min read
My mom is 91 and still active every day. Her housing costs less than assisted living.
Margaret Burke, 62, lives in Taiwan and is caring remotely for her 91-year-old mother in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but wants to move back.
5 min read
I take each of my kids on a solo trip every few years. It's shown me how different they are.
I take each of my three kids on solo trips and they get to do whatever they want. They have different travel preferences.
4 min read
I was my mother's caregiver until her death. Four years later, I'm still struggling with the $17,000 medical debt.
When my mother got sick, I moved her in with me, which meant I had to cut back work hours and pay medical bills. I'm still paying the price.
6 min read
I give Dad advice to my almost 10 million followers on social media. I'm doing it to pay for my daughter's treatments.
Bo Pettersson says making videos with his daughter helped rebuild her sense of purpose after a life-altering brain injury.
4 min read
I quit drinking after a brutal hangover. My kids got their dad back.
Chris Rojas developed a drinking problem when he entered the restaurant profession at 18. He quit alcohol to be more present with his kids.
3 min read
I almost lost my father twice. It taught me to live in the moment.
Almost losing my father twice has made me want to live in the moment. I know I won't have him forever, but I want to enjoy the time we have.
6 min read
I travel for a living and often bring my kids. Booking flights by landing rather than takeoff time is key.
I started to ignore conventional wisdom when I travel with my kids. Changing 3 travel habits made vacations with them more enjoyable.
5 min read
This couple wanted to spend more time with their children. A flexible FIRE strategy was the answer.
Brendan Pon was on what he calls the "default path" in Canada: Get a job, build a family, and retire. He used FIRE to create a new journey.
5 min read
My kids rarely get screen time. 'Toy Story 5' reinforced why.
As a parent who strictly limits screens, I left 'Toy Story 5' feeling unexpectedly validated by its message.
4 min read
My mom was the glue in our family. After she died, the rest of us had to learn her role.
My Mom died when I was 27. I've been surprised by how much of her role in the family I've had to take on since then.
4 min read
My youngest kid is graduating from high school, marking the end of this phase of motherhood for me. It's bittersweet.
For the past 20 years, I've been raising my kids and experiencing their firsts. Now that they've all graduated, I'm feeling lost as a mother.
4 min read
I spent years avoiding fatherhood. Then my brother died when his sons were 6 and 2.
I know I'm not their father, but when my brother died I stepped up. I'm doing everything I can to help keep his memory alive for my nephews.
4 min read
My kids go to day camp during our summer vacation. It gives me time to relax and have fun outside being a parent.
My family and friends love taking a summer vacation to Colorado, but we send our kids to day camp. It's important our kids see us be happy adults.
3 min read
I felt guilty for being exhausted by my kids. I realized that makes me a good dad.
In an excerpt from "The Tired Dad," Jon Gustin says good parents need rest and shouldn't confuse exhaustion with failure.
5 min read
My husband's native language is rarely spoken outside his country. I learned it to connect with his family and culture.
I once dismissed the idea of learning Dutch. Now it's the primary language I use when speaking to my son.
4 min read
My 5 kids are adults. I still feel like I'm supposed to help them and struggle to ask for anything I need.
As a single mom who raised five children, I'm still learning how to accept help from the people I once cared for.
4 min read
I've been taking each of my 3 kids on solo dates for nearly a decade. It's one of my favorite traditions.
A simple tradition of one-on-one outings with my sons has become one of the most important parts of our relationship.
3 min read
I built a creator business around Walmart as a stay-at-home mom. It flipped the roles in my marriage.
A woman transformed her Walmart shopping habit into a lucrative business, earning money through affiliate sales and social media.
4 min read
My teenage son is against AI, but I use it every day at my corporate job. It's made for difficult conversations at home.
I use AI every day at work, but my teenager refuses to use it at all. I'm trying to teach him that the problem isn't the tool, but how you use it.
4 min read
My kids don't want to hear about my successes, but they absolutely love hearing about my failures
I used to tell my kids my success stories, but it wasn't motivating. When I started sharing my failures, they saw that one bad outcome isn't the end.
5 min read
When my grandmother died, we didn't know the story behind her jewelry. I took time to preserve the memories behind mine for my kids.
I wished I knew the stories behind my grandmother's jewelry after she died, so I labeled all of mine for my kids. It took time, but it's worth it.
5 min read
We raised our daughter in China and Cambodia. Now she's not sure she wants to leave Los Angeles.
My daughter barely remembers the years we spent living in China and Cambodia, even though they still shape how I see family and home.
5 min read
My mom died 6 weeks after my son was born. Losing the woman I wanted to talk to the most reshaped motherhood for me.
There is something deeply disorienting about grieving while postpartum because motherhood continues regardless of heartbreak.
4 min read
We take turns hosting kids-only dinners with our neighbors. It gave my kids the closest thing to an extended family they've had.
I started weekly dinners with our upstairs neighbors hoping for a parenting break. We unexpectedly built a community instead.
4 min read
