7 phrases to use when your adult child makes a choice you disagree with
Your daughter calls on a Sunday afternoon. She’s leaving her job at the law firm to train as a pastry chef. She’s already given notice.
‘Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle’ is often credited to Plato, but its earliest known version came from a Scottish minister in the 1890s, and it holds a lesson worth passing on to children
The famous line isn’t Plato’s, but the idea behind it is worth teaching. Here’s what research says about children’s hidden struggles, building empathy and going easier on other parents.
8 phrases to try when a frustrated child needs more than “calm down”
Your eight-year-old is at the kitchen table with a math worksheet. The pencil tip snaps. The eraser tears the paper. “I can’t do it! This
8 small habits that make family evenings calmer, even on hard days
It’s 5:47 p.m. Someone is crying because their milk is in the wrong cup. The pasta water is about to boil over. Your phone buzzes
If you want your adult children to call more, try letting go of these 7 habits
It’s Sunday evening, and you check your phone again. Nine days since your son last called. You’ve typed “Haven’t heard from you in a while!”
9 polite ways to say no to family over the holidays
The family group chat lights up in early November: “So who’s hosting Christmas this year?” Three people reply with a thumbs-up emoji, and somehow it
9 signs your adult children genuinely enjoy your company, even if they don’t call as often as you’d like
Your phone lights up on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s a photo from your daughter: a dog in a raincoat outside her office, with no caption
7 signs you’re stronger than you realize, even if you feel like you’re barely holding it together
It’s 9:40 p.m. The dishwasher is half unloaded. There are three unanswered texts from your sister and a permission slip you were supposed to sign
The Surgeon General’s 2024 advisory found 48% of parents say most days their stress is completely overwhelming, against 26% of other adults, and 41% say they are so stressed they cannot function.
Gemma lives in the UK with her three boys – six-year-old twins and a four-year-old – and when I asked her what parenting is really
7 quiet signs you’re still well connected after 60, even if your circle has gotten smaller
Your holiday card list used to run to three pages. This year, it fit on one. Some of the names left gradually. Work friends drifted
9 things to think twice about posting on social media, even when you really want to
The photo is uploaded. The caption is written. Your thumb is hovering over the Post button. Most of what people share online is harmless, and
The National Retail Federation expects $1.5 billion on children’s Halloween costumes this year, with 2.2 million children planning to dress as a princess and 1.6 million as a ghost.
Fun fact: I used to go crazy for Halloween every year, and hardly missed an opportunity to dress up and go somewhere fun. I love