#parenting

#parenting

As far as I was concerned, Australia's world-first social media law aimed at preventing children under 16 from accessing social media apps was already a success. But this week, as the ban took effect, my son wasn't so sure. Access to his accounts remained largely unchanged. Many of his friends were in the same position. Across the country, the rollout has been uneven, as social media companies try to work out how to verify kids' ages.

not because he was in trouble but because the parents had called the school to complain about their son's scuffed water bottle and wanted it replaced. They asked for $23. I wrote a check and was tempted to add a snarky comment, but I didn't. Yes, my son should keep his hands to himself, but the water bottle is still functional. My son apologized.

About three years ago, I was picking my daughter up from school and started chatting with parents about how arduous it is to run the kids' social lives. One mom said that she felt like an executive assistant for her daughter. There was a lot of frustration and angst toward the kids, and as a dad of three, I understood it.

My Gen Alpha daughter was born in 2016, but sometimes it feels like she's growing up in a different universe entirely. Her world is one where Roblox trends spill straight into our living room and where her understanding of "aesthetic" comes less from glossy magazines and more from avatar outfits. She'll discover a new style- preppy, coquette, baddie-while running around Obbys or shopping virtual boutiques, and somehow by the end of the week those trends have migrated into her real-life wardrobe debates.

My husband and I spoke to his teachers, looked at dance blogs, and learned as much about the ballet world as possible. He could try many options, such as summer intensives, competitions, attending an academy associated with a company, or applying to a college with a dance major. Most of these options meant sending away a kid much younger than 18 years old - something that scared me.

So, on the foundation of anxiety and depression, fear of the unknown, need for control and stability, avoidant tendencies, competitiveness, perfectionism (i.e., needing to know everything to feel secure), and the obsession with discovering root causes (or essences), gifted children are often fixated on life's deeper questions.

"Not only is it 'over,' it was never a thing," an insider told People. "Aoki is learning to navigate her private life in a public sphere. And that can be difficult. However, Kimora was concerned to see her daughter in that kind of relationship due to what she herself went through. When Amanda asked Kimora what her "reaction" was to Aoki and Vittorio's romance, the mom of five replied, "I let my kids make their own mistakes...

Cultural shifts and changing standards have seen more and more families fall out - but is there a better way to deal with parental or sibling difficulties?

Since we started dating, and way before we had kids, my husband has always been the one to bring the holiday spirit to our home. From getting me my first ugly sweater to buying a tiny tree to fit in our Brooklyn apartment, he loves the holidays and wants to lean in fully. I, on the other hand, kind of don't care.

On this episode: Lucy Lopez, Elizabeth Newcamp, and Zak Rosen are doing a double listener question episode! First up, a parent is OVER their current television show rotation. The 'Rents give recommendations for shows in the eight-year-old to fifteen-year-old range that aren't overly preachy or totally mindless. Then, they sympathize with a parent dealing with a clingy sixteen-month-old who won't stop screaming and going full Hulk-mode every time a tiny thing goes wrong.

This is a tough time to be a kid in our society. Adults are behaving badly everywhere, from the nightly news to the holiday dinner table. Anger has become the go-to dialect of choice in politics and infiltrates our living rooms and our minds-including those little minds that are playing with their trucks under the coffee table during 60 Minutes. Righteous indignation is the new patriotism. Everyone is upset about something. And the kids are watching.

A viral video resurfaced this week, leading many citizens of the internet to ask the brave question: Should children be seen or heard in public? Reposted to X, the video (which was previously shared by both the New York Post and featured on A&E's "Customer Wars" in 2024) featured a woman confronting another group of patrons for having a baby with them, insisting that they were "idiots" for being there at a bar/restaurant in Austin, Texas.

"Currently struggling with a kid who has no desire to do well in school and doesn't care they fail," the parent wrote. "Shows no desire to get to school on time. It's impossible for them to get their schoolwork done on their own and do not take initiative until I have to intervene. Doing this daily is becoming impractical (the days I don't intervene - nothing gets done) and I am hoping for the day they have the sense of urgency to take ownership."

While waiting for a delayed flight to take off, the couple was determined to be able to sit together on the flight. Natalie and her daughter, River, were a couple of rows ahead of Nick. Both Nick and Natalie were in middle seats. Presumably, River was on Natalie's lap. Natalie explains that she asked the man in the window seat next to her to switch seats with Nick. He declined.

Birthdays are usually depicted as happy celebrations with loved ones gathered, a cake, gifts, laughter, and, if it's a child's birthday, games and balloons. Even when resources are low, as they are for many people these days, something-no matter how minimal-is often done. If you look on social media, you see all the photos of these eventsl, with everyone smiling and close.

You know that saying about how we should never judge someone because we have no idea what's going on in their lives? I honestly feel like that advice should be used every single time we interact with another mom. Not because we need to excuse them being rude or justify them being snappy at preschool pickup, but because we need to give every mom some grace, no matter the situation.

I say, 'The E.L.F.' And he says, 'Got it.' And then he sneaks out of the room and suddenly Emmy Nemi's in a new place,

On this episode: Lucy Lopez, Elizabeth Newcamp, and Zak Rosen take a listener question about how to be there for a fellow parent who is going through a hard time. The listener's friend's kid is acting out and causing lots of stress. They toss around ideas about ways friends have shown up for them, ideas for support without smothering, and more.

I have seen my mother slit her wrists. I have lived a life, my whole life of chasing her into bathrooms, trying to catch her throwing up. I've been around guns, the mafia, the racetrack. I've been through everything. I've seen her beaten with an inch of her life with a phone. Nothing compares to what my divorce was for 10 years.

Four years after getting married on Love Is Blind Season 3, Alexa and Brennon Lemieux are going their separate ways. The pair announced their split through a Dec. 3 post on Alexa's Instagram, writing: "After much reflection and many heartfelt conversations, we have made the difficult decision to end our marriage. This choice was not made lightly, and it comes with a great deal of care, respect, and appreciation for the time we've shared."

Let's navigate this via your motherly empathy and intuition. If you suspect your daughter would be mortified were you to share your inter-sheets discovery, don't do it. Let her come to you. A cockring is small enough that it's not going to be a burden to store-it can go in a junk drawer in the guest room or, if you want to be so discreet so that no one else in your residence might casually see it when searching for a highlighter or AA battery,

When do you break the news to your kids that Santa isn't real? Do you let them realize on their own? Leave it up to other kids to fill them in? How do you approach the topic? Some parents don't do "Santa" at all, while some do but then sit their kids down to break the bad news (which seems like overkill). At some point, kids do need to learn the truth about Santa (unless you're Buddy the Elf), but how do you do it?

"Have fun, we'll be home by 11. Help yourself to anything in the fridge," I said to the babysitter as I sauntered out the door for a rare, long-awaited date night. An hour later, I clinked glasses with my husband and sipped Prosecco before the Philharmonic. I'd left my 16-month-old baby with another woman for the first time and was overcome with emotion. "Are you OK?" My husband asked. "No -" I started, as I ate a French fry soaked in ketchup. "I'm...great!"

My father was, in every sense, a gentle giant. He never raised his voice and never came home empty-handed. From the farm, he brought mangoes, sugar cane, guava, mandarins, and more. These were gifts from his labor carried in the same worn bag and offered with quiet joy. There was also a family ritual that revealed his character. No matter how small the portion, he always cut a piece of meat from his own plate and gave it to the youngest child.

In September 2024, I lost my job as a software developer. After nearly two years with the company, I was let go due to "reduction of workforce." My husband still worked full time, but losing half of our household income hit hard, especially with eight kids ranging from 4 to 19 years old. I told myself we'd be OK. I thought it would be easy to find another job. We'd tighten our belts. Then I got sick.

Maybe 10 years ago, I bought permanent Advent calendars for the kids: Scandi-looking Christmas houses with 24 tiny drawers, from Sainsbury's. I think my original plan was that some of the draws could contain something other than chocolate, not because I'm the kind of almond mum who won't let anyone eat sweets before breakfast, but because their dad and I are separated and have them half the time each,

I am very happy to be the mom of one child and don't want another. My labor and recovery was very difficult. I struggled with postpartum depression, and the first four months of her life were basically hell for me. Things have improved. But, as much as I love my daughter, parenting is still quite challenging, stressful, and boring for me.